Gloria Foy
Encyclopedia
Gloria Foy was a dancer, singer, vaudeville performer, and star of musical revues. She was a slim and energetic blonde from Lima
, Ohio. Her family were theatrical people.
Her father was Harry Foy.
Revue in March 1920. This assemblage was the successor to the theater director's Greenwich Village
Follies. Aside from Foy the production showcased an attractive singer named Rosalind Fuller and a dancer, Allyn Kearns.
Foy claimed that she gained an inch of height simply by dancing during performances of Up She Goes (1922). She was twenty-one years old at the time. Her instructor explained that this happened because muscles stretch during vigorous dancing. By June 1923 she was dancing two hours per night during performances, appearing in two matinée shows per week, and also practising two hours daily. Another hour of her day was devoted to a dancing lesson.
She obtained the role of Sally in Up She Goes when Marilyn Miller
wed Jack Pickford
and fell out with Florenz Ziegfeld
. Percy Hammond of the New York Tribune
considered Foy a better dancer, a better actress, and a better looker than Miss Miller.
In November 1924 Foy played the title character in Betty Lee, a musical comedy which had an all-star cast. The show gave her the opportunity to demonstrate her ample singing and dancing talent. Joe E. Brown
brought humorous life to his character, a valet
-trainer. William Gaxton
, formerly of the Music Box Theatre
Revue, had the part of the bluffing college cheerleader.
Lou Holt and Foy were the principal players in Patsy which debuted at the Mason Operahouse in Los Angeles
, California on March 8, 1926. 100
showgirls participated in the production which was conceived and produced in southern California
. Among the song divertissements was a
rendition of Tiger Eyes which showcased Foy and five dancers. Patsy concluded its Los Angeles run in mid-May and was put on the
road to San Francisco
, California and then other American
cities.
Foy was Hal Skelly were signed by the Shubert Theater owners in March 1927. The two were engaged to present The Circus Princess for theater audiences. During the fall and winter season of 1930 Foy toured on the RKO vaudeville circuit. George Jessel
, Viola Dana
, Aunt Jemima (Tess Gardella), Georgia Price, and Anna Seymour also toured. During her vaudeville shows Foy entertained with imitations, gags and satire. Sometimes she was assisted in her skits by Alan David and Sam Critcherson.
. She obtained access to one third of this amount immediately.
According to its terms, the inheritance specified that she would be entitled to another third, providing that she married within three years time. The final instalment would come to Foy if she lived with her husband for ten years. By the end of December she had received more than 5,000 proposals from suitors worldwide. One of her first purchases after the bequest was a 1924 Buick
Brougham Sedan.
Foy had some definite ideas concerning marriage. Some of these angered members of the Lucy Stone League
, as well as women in general. She was quoted as saying that marriage should be journey's end to modern couples like it was to their grandparents. She believed that many women did not feel deeply enough about marriage. To them it was like buying a new frock
or obtaining a new job.
and Joan Crawford
for the fourth time on film. This time in a musical comedy.
Sometime in 1934 Foy returned to New York and resumed work as a star of musical comedy. She returned to Los Angeles and was the guest
of Kay Kyser
at the Miramar Theater in September. While Kyser entertained with music, Foy and Edwards danced together with Sidney Blackmer
and Suzanne Kaaren
.
She was called the sweetest girl in the world by the New York American Legion
. The phrase was uttered at a Legion banquet which convened at the Drake Hotel
in Chicago, Illinois, in October 1923.
Foy was in an auto accident near Westerly, Rhode Island in July 1931. Eddie Foy, Lenore Ulric
, and Sidney Blackmer were with her in the wreck, but no one was injured. Comedian
Eddie Foy was no relation to Gloria.
She married a broker, Easterday ,in July 1924. Later she married stage actor Alan Edwards. Edwards and Foy were seen together at the Cocoanut Grove (Los Angeles) in May 1934.
Foy became an aviator and soloed for the first time in August 1933.
Lima, Ohio
Lima is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwestern Ohio along Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton and south-southwest of Toledo....
, Ohio. Her family were theatrical people.
Her father was Harry Foy.
Theater dancer
Her build was strong and husky, yet piquant. One reviewer described her dancing style as rampageous. Foy came to prominence in the John Murray AndersonJohn Murray Anderson
John Murray Anderson was a theatre director and producer, songwriter, actor, screenwriter, and lighting designer. He worked almost every genre of show business, including vaudeville, Broadway, and film....
Revue in March 1920. This assemblage was the successor to the theater director's Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
Follies. Aside from Foy the production showcased an attractive singer named Rosalind Fuller and a dancer, Allyn Kearns.
Foy claimed that she gained an inch of height simply by dancing during performances of Up She Goes (1922). She was twenty-one years old at the time. Her instructor explained that this happened because muscles stretch during vigorous dancing. By June 1923 she was dancing two hours per night during performances, appearing in two matinée shows per week, and also practising two hours daily. Another hour of her day was devoted to a dancing lesson.
She obtained the role of Sally in Up She Goes when Marilyn Miller
Marilyn Miller
Marilyn Miller was one of the most popular Broadway musical stars of the 1920s and early 1930s. She was an accomplished tap dancer, singer and actress, but it was the combination of these talents that endeared her to audiences. On stage she usually played rags-to-riches Cinderella characters who...
wed Jack Pickford
Jack Pickford
Jack Pickford was a Canadian-born American actor. He was best known for his tabloid lifestyle, marriage to the top starlets of his day, and being of the famous Pickford acting family.-Early life:...
and fell out with Florenz Ziegfeld
Florenz Ziegfeld
Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. , , was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the Ziegfeld Follies , inspired by the Folies Bergère of Paris. He also produced the musical Show Boat...
. Percy Hammond of the New York Tribune
New York Tribune
The New York Tribune was an American newspaper, first established by Horace Greeley in 1841, which was long considered one of the leading newspapers in the United States...
considered Foy a better dancer, a better actress, and a better looker than Miss Miller.
In November 1924 Foy played the title character in Betty Lee, a musical comedy which had an all-star cast. The show gave her the opportunity to demonstrate her ample singing and dancing talent. Joe E. Brown
Joe E. Brown (comedian)
Joseph Evans Brown was an American actor and comedian, remembered for his amiable screen persona, comic timing, and enormous smile. In 1902 at the age of nine, he joined a troupe of circus tumblers known as the Five Marvelous Ashtons which toured the country on both the circus and vaudeville...
brought humorous life to his character, a valet
Valet
Valet and varlet are terms for male servants who serve as personal attendants to their employer.- Word origins :In the Middle Ages, the valet de chambre to a ruler was a prestigious appointment for young men...
-trainer. William Gaxton
William Gaxton
William Gaxton was a star of vaudeville, film, and theatre.Born as Arturo Antonio Gaxiola in San Francisco, he appeared on film and onstage. He debuted on Broadway in the Music Box Revue on October 23, 1922...
, formerly of the Music Box Theatre
Music Box Theatre
The Music Box Theater is a Broadway theatre located at 239 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan.The once most aptly named theater on Broadway, the intimate Music Box was designed by architect C. Howard Crane and constructed by composer Irving Berlin and producer Sam H. Harris specifically to...
Revue, had the part of the bluffing college cheerleader.
Lou Holt and Foy were the principal players in Patsy which debuted at the Mason Operahouse in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California on March 8, 1926. 100
showgirls participated in the production which was conceived and produced in southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Among the song divertissements was a
rendition of Tiger Eyes which showcased Foy and five dancers. Patsy concluded its Los Angeles run in mid-May and was put on the
road to San Francisco
San 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...
, California and then other American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cities.
Foy was Hal Skelly were signed by the Shubert Theater owners in March 1927. The two were engaged to present The Circus Princess for theater audiences. During the fall and winter season of 1930 Foy toured on the RKO vaudeville circuit. George Jessel
George Jessel (actor)
George Albert Jessel was an American illustrated song "model," actor, singer, songwriter, and Academy Award-winning movie producer. He was famous in his lifetime as a multitalented comedic entertainer, achieving a level of recognition that transcended his limited roles in movies...
, Viola Dana
Viola Dana
Viola Dana was an American film actress who was successful during the era of silent movies.- Career :Born Virginia Flugrath, Dana was a child star, appearing on the stage at the age of three. She read Shakespeare and particularly identified with the teenage Juliet. She enjoyed a long run at the...
, Aunt Jemima (Tess Gardella), Georgia Price, and Anna Seymour also toured. During her vaudeville shows Foy entertained with imitations, gags and satire. Sometimes she was assisted in her skits by Alan David and Sam Critcherson.
Inheritance
At the age of twenty-two Foy inherited a fortune estimated to be in excess of $1,500,000, in November 1923. The money came from the will of an uncle, Richard Foy. He was a wealthy coffee planter in Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
. She obtained access to one third of this amount immediately.
According to its terms, the inheritance specified that she would be entitled to another third, providing that she married within three years time. The final instalment would come to Foy if she lived with her husband for ten years. By the end of December she had received more than 5,000 proposals from suitors worldwide. One of her first purchases after the bequest was a 1924 Buick
Buick
Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...
Brougham Sedan.
Foy had some definite ideas concerning marriage. Some of these angered members of the Lucy Stone League
Lucy Stone League
The Lucy Stone League is a women’s rights organization founded in 1921. Its motto is "My name is the symbol of my identity and must not be lost"...
, as well as women in general. She was quoted as saying that marriage should be journey's end to modern couples like it was to their grandparents. She believed that many women did not feel deeply enough about marriage. To them it was like buying a new frock
Frock
Frock has been used since Middle English as the name for an article of clothing for men and women .- History of the frock :...
or obtaining a new job.
Sole film
Her only screen credit is a small role in Dancing Lady (1934). The MGM motion picture reunited Clark GableClark Gable
William Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
and Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford , born Lucille Fay LeSueur, was an American actress in film, television and theatre....
for the fourth time on film. This time in a musical comedy.
Sometime in 1934 Foy returned to New York and resumed work as a star of musical comedy. She returned to Los Angeles and was the guest
of Kay Kyser
Kay Kyser
James Kern Kyser was a popular bandleader and radio personality of the 1930s and 1940s.-Early years:He was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, the son of pharmacists Paul Bynum Kyser and Emily Royster Kyser. Editor Vermont C. Royster was his cousin...
at the Miramar Theater in September. While Kyser entertained with music, Foy and Edwards danced together with Sidney Blackmer
Sidney Blackmer
Sidney Alderman Blackmer was an American actor.Blackmer was born and raised in Salisbury, North Carolina. He started off in an insurance and financial business but gave up on it. While working as a builder's laborer on a new building, he saw a Pearl White serial being filmed and immediately...
and Suzanne Kaaren
Suzanne Kaaren
Suzanne Kaaren was an American B-movie actress who starred in stock film genres of the 1930s and 1940s: horror, western and romances. She was born in Brooklyn, New York.-Education and athletics:...
.
Personal life
Foy sent a $25 bill to a New York telephone company in 1920, requesting that it correct its errors. She said that she had been forced to get out of bed three times in a single week because of wrong numbers.She was called the sweetest girl in the world by the New York American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
. The phrase was uttered at a Legion banquet which convened at the Drake Hotel
Drake Hotel
Drake Hotel may refer to:in Canada*Drake Hotel in the United States *Drake Hotel , Illinois, listed on the NRHP*Drake Hotel , listed on the NRHP in New Mexico*Drake Hotel...
in Chicago, Illinois, in October 1923.
Foy was in an auto accident near Westerly, Rhode Island in July 1931. Eddie Foy, Lenore Ulric
Lenore Ulric
Lenore Ulric was a star of the Broadway stage and Hollywood films of the silent-film and early sound era. Her father, Franz Xavier Ulrich, was a United States Army hospital steward...
, and Sidney Blackmer were with her in the wreck, but no one was injured. Comedian
Eddie Foy was no relation to Gloria.
She married a broker, Easterday ,in July 1924. Later she married stage actor Alan Edwards. Edwards and Foy were seen together at the Cocoanut Grove (Los Angeles) in May 1934.
Foy became an aviator and soloed for the first time in August 1933.