Adele Dixon
Encyclopedia
Adele Dixon was a London
-born British
musical theatre
and film actress best known for performing in Broadway
musicals, British musicals and in musical, comedy films of the 1930s and 1940s.
Dixon starred in the Broadway musical Nikki which ran from September 29, 1931 until October 31, 1931. She also co-starred in the Broadway musical comedy Between the Devil with fellow British theatre stars Jack Buchanan
and Evelyn Laye
which ran from December 22, 1937 until March 12, 1938. In the late 1940s she appeared in the Broadway flop, Don't Listen Ladies, which ran for a mere 12 days.
Dixon starred as Hope Harcourt in the London production of Cole Porter
's Broadway hit, Anything Goes
(1935). She also appeared in these other British musicals: Youth at the Helm (1935), Hulbert Follies (1948) and How Do You View? (1949).
Dixon starred in several musical comedy films in the 1930s and 1940s. Her first was in the role of Consuelo Pratt in Uneasy Virtue in 1931. She then went on to play Julia Harbord in Calling the Tune in 1936. In 1941, she appeared as Mrs. Pound in Banana Ridge. Her last film role was as Sylvia Anson in 1946's Woman to Woman.
Dixon had the honor of being the first performer in the first regular, high-definition television broadcast. She sang a musical number with lyrics by James Dyrenforth and music by Kenneth Leslie-Smith simply called "Television" in the opening of this historic BBC
television
broadcast in London on November 2, 1936.
Dixon died of pneumonia
at the age of 83 in Manchester
, England
on April 11, 1992.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-born British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
musical theatre
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
and film actress best known for performing in Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musicals, British musicals and in musical, comedy films of the 1930s and 1940s.
Dixon starred in the Broadway musical Nikki which ran from September 29, 1931 until October 31, 1931. She also co-starred in the Broadway musical comedy Between the Devil with fellow British theatre stars Jack Buchanan
Jack Buchanan
Walter John "Jack" Buchanan was a British theatre and film actor, singer, producer and director. He was known for three decades as the embodiment of the debonair man-about-town in the tradition of George Grossmith Jr., and was described by The Times as "the last of the knuts." He is best known in...
and Evelyn Laye
Evelyn Laye
Evelyn Laye, CBE was an English theatre and film actress.-Early years and career:Born as Elsie Evelyn Lay in Bloomsbury, London, Laye made her first stage appearance in August 1915 at the Theatre Royal, Brighton as Nang-Ping in Mr...
which ran from December 22, 1937 until March 12, 1938. In the late 1940s she appeared in the Broadway flop, Don't Listen Ladies, which ran for a mere 12 days.
Dixon starred as Hope Harcourt in the London production of Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
's Broadway hit, Anything Goes
Anything Goes
Anything Goes is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap antics aboard an ocean liner bound from New York to London...
(1935). She also appeared in these other British musicals: Youth at the Helm (1935), Hulbert Follies (1948) and How Do You View? (1949).
Dixon starred in several musical comedy films in the 1930s and 1940s. Her first was in the role of Consuelo Pratt in Uneasy Virtue in 1931. She then went on to play Julia Harbord in Calling the Tune in 1936. In 1941, she appeared as Mrs. Pound in Banana Ridge. Her last film role was as Sylvia Anson in 1946's Woman to Woman.
Dixon had the honor of being the first performer in the first regular, high-definition television broadcast. She sang a musical number with lyrics by James Dyrenforth and music by Kenneth Leslie-Smith simply called "Television" in the opening of this historic BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
broadcast in London on November 2, 1936.
Dixon died of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
at the age of 83 in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on April 11, 1992.
Filmography
- Uneasy VirtueUneasy VirtueUneasy Virtue is a 1931 British comedy film directed by Norman Walker and starring Fay Compton, Edmund Breon, Francis Lister, Donald Calthrop and Garry Marsh...
(1931) - Calling the Tune (1936)
- Banana RidgeBanana RidgeBanana Ridge is a 1942 British comedy film directed by Walter C. Mycroft and starring Robertson Hare, Alfred Drayton and Isabel Jeans. The film is based on a 1938 stage play of the same name by Ben Travers...
(1941) - Woman to WomanWoman to Woman (1946 film)Woman to Woman is a 1946 British drama film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring Douglass Montgomery, Joyce Howard and Adele Dixon. It is based on the play Woman to Woman by Michael Morton...
(1946)