Georgia Caine
Encyclopedia
Georgia Caine was an American actress who performed both on Broadway
and in over 80 films in her 51 year career.
in 1876, the daughter of two Shakespearean actors, George Caine and the former Jennie Darragh, she travelled with them when they toured the country. Caine left school at the age of 17 to join a Shakespearean repertory company. She made her Broadway debut in 1899 as the star of the musical A Reign of Error. Caine continued to perform continuously on Broadway as a star or featured performer, primarily in musicals, until the mid-1930s, including in George M. Cohan
's Little Nellie Kelly
, as well as his Mary, and The O'Brien Girls,. She appeared in Franz Lehár
's The Merry Widow
both on Broadway and in London.
Caine was often written about by theater columnists until the 1930s, when her star had started to fade. She made her last Broadway appearance in 1935, in Damon Runyon
and Howard Lindsay
's A Slight Case of Murder
.
(1936). Many of her parts were small and she did not receive screen credit for them.
In 1940, Caine appeared as Barbara Stanwyck
's mother in the film Remember the Night
, which was written by Preston Sturges
, and she would go on to become part of Sturges' unofficial "stock company" of character actors
, appearing in seven other films written by Sturges.
Caine made her final film appearance in 1950, at the age of 73, in Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
.
, Caine was married to a prominent man from San Francisco, but the book gives no information on what his name was or when or for how long they were married.
Georgia Caine died in Hollywood, California on 4 April 1964, at the age of 87, and is buried in Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood, California.
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...
and in over 80 films in her 51 year career.
Early career
Born in San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
in 1876, the daughter of two Shakespearean actors, George Caine and the former Jennie Darragh, she travelled with them when they toured the country. Caine left school at the age of 17 to join a Shakespearean repertory company. She made her Broadway debut in 1899 as the star of the musical A Reign of Error. Caine continued to perform continuously on Broadway as a star or featured performer, primarily in musicals, until the mid-1930s, including in George M. Cohan
George M. Cohan
George Michael Cohan , known professionally as George M. Cohan, was a major American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, and producer....
's Little Nellie Kelly
Little Nellie Kelly
Little Nellie Kelly is a 1940 musical comedy film based on the stage musical by George M. Cohan which was a hit on Broadway in 1922 and 1923. The film was written by Jack McGowan and directed by Norman Taurog...
, as well as his Mary, and The O'Brien Girls,. She appeared in Franz Lehár
Franz Lehár
Franz Lehár was an Austrian-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas of which the most successful and best known is The Merry Widow .-Biography:...
's The Merry Widow
The Merry Widow
The Merry Widow is an operetta by the Austro–Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt to keep her money in the principality by finding her the right husband – on an 1861 comedy play,...
both on Broadway and in London.
Caine was often written about by theater columnists until the 1930s, when her star had started to fade. She made her last Broadway appearance in 1935, in Damon Runyon
Damon Runyon
Alfred Damon Runyon was an American newspaperman and writer.He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Prohibition era. To New Yorkers of his generation, a "Damon Runyon character" evoked a distinctive social type from the...
and Howard Lindsay
Howard Lindsay
Howard Lindsay was an American theatrical producer, playwright, librettist, director and actor. He is best known for his writing work as part of the collaboration of Lindsay and Crouse, and for his performance, with his wife Dorothy Stickney, in the long-running play Life with...
's A Slight Case of Murder
A Slight Case of Murder
A Slight Case of Murder is a 1938 comedy film directed by Lloyd Bacon. The film is based on a play by Damon Runyon and Howard Lindsay. The offbeat comedy stars Edward G...
.
Film career
With her stage career fading, Caine took advantage of the advent of talking pictures to change her focus and moved to California to work in Hollywood. In 1930, Caine made her first film, Good Intentions, and in the next twenty years appeared in 83 films, mostly playing character roles – mothers, aunts, and older neighbors – although she occasionally played against type, such as when she was a streetwalker in CamilleCamille (1936 film)
Camille is an American romantic drama film directed by George Cukor and produced by Irving Thalberg and Bernard H. Hyman, from a screenplay by James Hilton, Zoe Akins and Frances Marion. The picture is based on the 1852 novel and play La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas, fils...
(1936). Many of her parts were small and she did not receive screen credit for them.
In 1940, Caine appeared as Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck was an American actress. She was a film and television star, known during her 60-year career as a consummate and versatile professional with a strong screen presence, and a favorite of directors including Cecil B. DeMille, Fritz Lang and Frank Capra...
's mother in the film Remember the Night
Remember the Night
Remember the Night is a 1940 American romantic comedy/drama Christmas film directed by Mitchell Leisen, and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray...
, which was written by Preston Sturges
Preston Sturges
Preston Sturges , originally Edmund Preston Biden, was a celebrated playwright, screenwriter and film director born in Chicago, Illinois...
, and she would go on to become part of Sturges' unofficial "stock company" of character actors
Preston Sturges Unofficial Stock Company Actors
Actors who frequently worked with film director Preston Sturges: !! Christmas in July !! The Lady Eve !! Sullivan's Travels !! The Palm Beach Story !! The Miracle of Morgan's Creek !! Hail the Conquering Hero !! The Great Moment !! The Sin of Harold Diddlebock !! Unfaithfully Yours !! The...
, appearing in seven other films written by Sturges.
Caine made her final film appearance in 1950, at the age of 73, in Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye is a 1950 film noir starring James Cagney, directed by Gordon Douglas and based on the novel by Horace McCoy. The film was banned in Ohio as "a sordid, sadistic presentation of brutality and an extreme presentation of crime with explicit steps in commission."Supporting Cagney...
.
Personal life
According to Marie Dressler The Unlikeliest Star by Betty Lee, about Caine's friend Marie DresslerMarie Dressler
Marie Dressler was a Canadian-American actress and Depression-era film star. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1930-31 in Min and Bill.-Early life and stage career:...
, Caine was married to a prominent man from San Francisco, but the book gives no information on what his name was or when or for how long they were married.
Georgia Caine died in Hollywood, California on 4 April 1964, at the age of 87, and is buried in Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood, California.
External links
- Georgia Caine photo gallery NYP Library