Kenneth MacKenna
Encyclopedia
Kenneth MacKenna was an American
actor and film director
, born Leo Mielziner, Jr. in Canterbury, New Hampshire
.
the son of a prominent Reform rabbi
, Moses Mielziner
, and Ella Lane McKenna Friend (March 18, 1873 – February 2, 1968). Ella and Leo were married October 20, 1896 in Boston, Massachusetts after having fallen in love in Paris, where Leo was a young artist. Leo, Sr. was born in New York City
had a career as a notable portrait artist, living with his wife and children between Paris, New York, Cape Cod and New Hampshire. Leo, Sr. died in Truro, Massachusetts
.
Ella, Kenneth's mother, was born in Manchester, New Hampshire
of Anglo-Irish descent and was a Catholic
, she died in New York City
. Ella was successful as a writer, submitting among other things a monthly column called "Aube du Siecle" for Vogue
magazine, during a period when she and Leo and the young Mielziner boys, Leo, Jr. and Jo, lived in Paris. Although Kenneth changed his name from Mielziner to MacKenna for stage purposes, it was taken from family roots. Ella's mother’s maiden name was Margaret A. McKenna, and Ella was also named McKenna. So it seemed natural for Leo, Jr. took MacKenna as his stage surname, changing the spelling slightly.
Ella Lane McKenna Friend was the direct descendant of John Friend who came to the Massachusetts Bay Colony
in the early 1630s (Henderson, Mary C. Mielziner: master.., pg 27). The Moses Mielziner
family, Kenneth's paternal grandfather, immigrated from Poland, and Kenneth's grandfather was a Reform Rabbi, Moses Mielziner
associated with Hebrew Union College Moses Mielziner
was a descendant of Joseph Caro. A complete history of the Mielziner family can be found in the wonderful book by Mary C. Henderson, Mielziner:master of modern stage design (2001).
Much about the life of Kenneth MacKenna, the history of Moses Mielziner
, his grandfather, and the life of his brother Jo Mielziner
can be learned through the respectful and accurate descriptions given in Mary C. Henderson's book about his brother, Jo Mielziner
, Mielziner: Master of Modern Stage Design (2001).In Henderson's book she states, "Kenneth MacKenna was the classic example of the first born son. On reaching manhood, he felt that it was his duty to take care of his entire family: mother, father and sibling.Responsible, intelligent and clear-headed he was constantyl setting up strategies for his family as if he knew instinctively what was best-and he was usually right." (p. 92).Kenneth's devotion to his wife, Mary Philips
, and to his brother, Jo, as well as to Jo's adopted son, Michael Mielziner, continued until his death and then beyond.His own professional success as a Story Director with MGM allowed him to help support his brother's career,given generously to others and contribute to the theatre, even after his own death. Mielziner was a five-time Tony Award
winner.
Kenneth and his wife, Mary Philips
, both actors were also long-time supporters of the arts. As angels for the first production of South Pacific
, Kenneth first brought the book to Richard Rodgers
, suggesting its production as a stage musical. The Rodgers had been long-time friends with the MacKennas/Mielziners. Mary Martin
, who starred in that production, created an embroidered signature scarf of all the stars in that first production of South Pacific and presented it as a gift of thanks to Kenneth and Mary. This scarf was later given as a gift to Lucille Hackett (née Bardorf), cousin and beloved "sister" to Mary Philips
. Kenneth's role as an Angel and his position as a Director with MGM can be further researched through the Mielziner papers at the New York Public Library and through the library at MGM. Mary Philips
had a successful career as a stage and film star during the golden age of the theatre. In September 1924, Humphrey Bogart
had appeared in the Broadway play Nerves with Kenneth and Mary Philips
. They all became good and life-long friends. Philips was later married to Bogart (1928–1938), but divorced him ten-years later. Kenneth MacKenna married Mary Philips in 1938. It was the second and final marriage for both.
MacKenna was first married briefly to actress Kay Francis
on January 17, 1931. They divorced in February 1933. He married Mary Philips in August 1938 and they remained married until his death from cancer. As his wife, long-time friend, and companion, Philips described Kenneth as her true soulmate and felt as though her own life had come to an end when Kenneth died. MacKenna and Philips, were buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park
in Glendale, California
.
. He acted in and directed plays while in his teens. He served in the military. After returning to New York City, he signed a three year acting
contract with producer William A. Brady
. He appeared in seven Broadway shows by 1923 and toured the
country in two of those. After sound films arrived, he signed a contract with Fox Film Corporation in 1929 and moved to California
.
Starting in 1931, he directed a few films in Hollywood. He resumed his Broadway theatre
career in the mid 1930s. Soon Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
hired him as a story editor in New York. Later, back in Hollywood
, he was made department head. He returned to acting in the late 1950s both on stage and in film.
Produced & directed
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor and film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, born Leo Mielziner, Jr. in Canterbury, New Hampshire
Canterbury, New Hampshire
Canterbury is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,352 at the 2010 census. Canterbury is home to Ayers State Forest and Shaker State Forest. On the last Saturday in July, the town hosts the annual .- History :...
.
Family
Parents were portrait artist Leo Mielziner, Sr.(December 7, 1868 - August 11, 1935),the son of a prominent Reform rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
, Moses Mielziner
Moses Mielziner
Moses Mielziner was an American Reform rabbi and author.-Life:...
, and Ella Lane McKenna Friend (March 18, 1873 – February 2, 1968). Ella and Leo were married October 20, 1896 in Boston, Massachusetts after having fallen in love in Paris, where Leo was a young artist. Leo, Sr. was born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
had a career as a notable portrait artist, living with his wife and children between Paris, New York, Cape Cod and New Hampshire. Leo, Sr. died in Truro, Massachusetts
Truro, Massachusetts
Truro is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, comprising two villages: Truro and North Truro. Located two hours outside Boston, it is a summer vacation community just south of the northern tip of Cape Cod, in an area known as the "Outer Cape"...
.
Ella, Kenneth's mother, was born in Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
of Anglo-Irish descent and was a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, she died in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Ella was successful as a writer, submitting among other things a monthly column called "Aube du Siecle" for Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
magazine, during a period when she and Leo and the young Mielziner boys, Leo, Jr. and Jo, lived in Paris. Although Kenneth changed his name from Mielziner to MacKenna for stage purposes, it was taken from family roots. Ella's mother’s maiden name was Margaret A. McKenna, and Ella was also named McKenna. So it seemed natural for Leo, Jr. took MacKenna as his stage surname, changing the spelling slightly.
Ella Lane McKenna Friend was the direct descendant of John Friend who came to the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
in the early 1630s (Henderson, Mary C. Mielziner: master.., pg 27). The Moses Mielziner
Moses Mielziner
Moses Mielziner was an American Reform rabbi and author.-Life:...
family, Kenneth's paternal grandfather, immigrated from Poland, and Kenneth's grandfather was a Reform Rabbi, Moses Mielziner
Moses Mielziner
Moses Mielziner was an American Reform rabbi and author.-Life:...
associated with Hebrew Union College Moses Mielziner
Moses Mielziner
Moses Mielziner was an American Reform rabbi and author.-Life:...
was a descendant of Joseph Caro. A complete history of the Mielziner family can be found in the wonderful book by Mary C. Henderson, Mielziner:master of modern stage design (2001).
Much about the life of Kenneth MacKenna, the history of Moses Mielziner
Moses Mielziner
Moses Mielziner was an American Reform rabbi and author.-Life:...
, his grandfather, and the life of his brother Jo Mielziner
Jo Mielziner
Joseph "Jo" Mielziner was an American theatrical scenic, and lighting designer born in Paris, France. He is "the most successful set designer of the Golden era of Broadway", and worked on both stage plays and musicals.-Career:He was the son of artist Leo Mielziner, Sr...
can be learned through the respectful and accurate descriptions given in Mary C. Henderson's book about his brother, Jo Mielziner
Jo Mielziner
Joseph "Jo" Mielziner was an American theatrical scenic, and lighting designer born in Paris, France. He is "the most successful set designer of the Golden era of Broadway", and worked on both stage plays and musicals.-Career:He was the son of artist Leo Mielziner, Sr...
, Mielziner: Master of Modern Stage Design (2001).In Henderson's book she states, "Kenneth MacKenna was the classic example of the first born son. On reaching manhood, he felt that it was his duty to take care of his entire family: mother, father and sibling.Responsible, intelligent and clear-headed he was constantyl setting up strategies for his family as if he knew instinctively what was best-and he was usually right." (p. 92).Kenneth's devotion to his wife, Mary Philips
Mary Philips
Mary Philips was an American stage and film actress.-Biography:Born in New London, Connecticut, she was the only child of Anna Hurley and Charles Philips of New Haven. She was educated in New Haven at what was then St. Mary's Academy. In 1920 she made her stage debut as a chorus girl...
, and to his brother, Jo, as well as to Jo's adopted son, Michael Mielziner, continued until his death and then beyond.His own professional success as a Story Director with MGM allowed him to help support his brother's career,given generously to others and contribute to the theatre, even after his own death. Mielziner was a five-time Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
winner.
Kenneth and his wife, Mary Philips
Mary Philips
Mary Philips was an American stage and film actress.-Biography:Born in New London, Connecticut, she was the only child of Anna Hurley and Charles Philips of New Haven. She was educated in New Haven at what was then St. Mary's Academy. In 1920 she made her stage debut as a chorus girl...
, both actors were also long-time supporters of the arts. As angels for the first production of South Pacific
South Pacific (musical)
South Pacific is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. The story draws from James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1947 book Tales of the South Pacific, weaving together characters and elements from several of its...
, Kenneth first brought the book to Richard Rodgers
Richard Rodgers
Richard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
, suggesting its production as a stage musical. The Rodgers had been long-time friends with the MacKennas/Mielziners. Mary Martin
Mary Martin
Mary Virginia Martin was an American actress and singer. She originated many roles over her career including Nellie Forbush in South Pacific and Maria in The Sound of Music. She was named a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1989...
, who starred in that production, created an embroidered signature scarf of all the stars in that first production of South Pacific and presented it as a gift of thanks to Kenneth and Mary. This scarf was later given as a gift to Lucille Hackett (née Bardorf), cousin and beloved "sister" to Mary Philips
Mary Philips
Mary Philips was an American stage and film actress.-Biography:Born in New London, Connecticut, she was the only child of Anna Hurley and Charles Philips of New Haven. She was educated in New Haven at what was then St. Mary's Academy. In 1920 she made her stage debut as a chorus girl...
. Kenneth's role as an Angel and his position as a Director with MGM can be further researched through the Mielziner papers at the New York Public Library and through the library at MGM. Mary Philips
Mary Philips
Mary Philips was an American stage and film actress.-Biography:Born in New London, Connecticut, she was the only child of Anna Hurley and Charles Philips of New Haven. She was educated in New Haven at what was then St. Mary's Academy. In 1920 she made her stage debut as a chorus girl...
had a successful career as a stage and film star during the golden age of the theatre. In September 1924, Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
had appeared in the Broadway play Nerves with Kenneth and Mary Philips
Mary Philips
Mary Philips was an American stage and film actress.-Biography:Born in New London, Connecticut, she was the only child of Anna Hurley and Charles Philips of New Haven. She was educated in New Haven at what was then St. Mary's Academy. In 1920 she made her stage debut as a chorus girl...
. They all became good and life-long friends. Philips was later married to Bogart (1928–1938), but divorced him ten-years later. Kenneth MacKenna married Mary Philips in 1938. It was the second and final marriage for both.
MacKenna was first married briefly to actress Kay Francis
Kay Francis
Kay Francis was an American stage and film actress. After a brief period on Broadway in the late 1920s, she moved to film and achieved her greatest success between 1930 and 1936, when she was the number one female star at the Warner Brothers studio, and the highest paid American film actress...
on January 17, 1931. They divorced in February 1933. He married Mary Philips in August 1938 and they remained married until his death from cancer. As his wife, long-time friend, and companion, Philips described Kenneth as her true soulmate and felt as though her own life had come to an end when Kenneth died. MacKenna and Philips, were buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
Forest Lawn Memorial Park is a privately owned cemetery in Glendale, California. It is the original location of Forest Lawn, a chain of cemeteries in Southern California. The land was formerly part of Providencia Ranch.-History:...
in Glendale, California
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
.
Biography
Before Leo, Jr. was 10 years old his family had moved to New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He acted in and directed plays while in his teens. He served in the military. After returning to New York City, he signed a three year acting
contract with producer William A. Brady
William A. Brady
William Aloysius Brady, Sr. was an American theatre actor, producer, and sports promoter.-Biography:Brady was born to a newspaperman in 1863. His father kidnapped him from San Francisco and brought him to New York City, where his father worked as a writer while William was forced to sell...
. He appeared in seven Broadway shows by 1923 and toured the
country in two of those. After sound films arrived, he signed a contract with Fox Film Corporation in 1929 and moved to 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...
.
Starting in 1931, he directed a few films in Hollywood. He resumed his Broadway theatre
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...
career in the mid 1930s. Soon Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
hired him as a story editor in New York. Later, back in Hollywood
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Hollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema...
, he was made department head. He returned to acting in the late 1950s both on stage and in film.
Broadway stage
- 1920 Opportunity as Jimmy Dow
- 1920 Immodest Violet as Arthur Bodkin
- 1922 The Nest as Max Hamelin
- 1922 The Endless Chain as Kenneth Reeves
- 1922 The World We Live In as Commander-in-Chief of Yellow Ants and as Felix
- 1923 The Mad Honeymoon as Wally Spencer
- 1923 The Crooked Square as Robert Colby
- 1923 Windows as Johnny March
- 1923 Dumb-bell as Ted Stone
- 1924 We Moderns as Richard
- 1924 Catskill Dutch as Peetcha
- 1924 Nerves as Jack Coates
- 1924 The Far Cry as Dick Clayton
- 1925 The Sapphire Ring as Dr. Erno Nemeth
- 1925 Oh, Mama as Georges La Garde
- 1926 The Masque of Venice as Jack Cazeneuve
- 1926 What Every Woman Knows as John Shand
- 1928 The Big Pond as Pierre Dimarande
- 1928 A Play without a Name as John Russell
- 1934 By Your Leave as David MacKenzie
- 1934 Wife Insurance as Gregory Landon
- 1934 Merrily We Roll Along as Richard Niles
- 1935 Othello as Iago
- 1935 Macbeth as Macduff
- 1936 Aged 26 as Charles Armitage Brown
- 1937 Penny Wise as Gordon
- 1959 The Highest Tree as Aaron Cornish
Produced & directed
- 1936 Co-respondent Unknown
Film appearances (acting)
- 1925 Miss Bluebeard as Bob Hawley
- 1925 A Kiss in the Dark as Johnny King
- 1926 The American VenusThe American VenusThe American Venus is an American feature film directed by Frank Tuttle, and starring Esther Ralston, Ford Sterling, Edna May Oliver, Lawrence Gray, Fay Lanphier, Louise Brooks, Kenneth MacKenna, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and released by Paramount Pictures. Brooks appears, in her first credited...
as Horace Niles - 1927 The Lunatic at Large as William Carroll & Henry Carroll
- 1929 Pleasure Crazed as Capt. Anthony Dean
- 1929 South Sea Rose as Dr. Tom Winston
- 1930 Forever Yours (film left unfinished by Mary PickfordMary PickfordMary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
) - 1930 Men Without WomenMen Without Women (film)Men Without Women is an American drama film directed and written by John Ford, from the script by James Kevin McGuinness. The film also starred Kenneth MacKenna, Frank Albertson, and J. Farrell MacDonald.-Cast:...
as Chief Torpedoman Burke - 1930 Crazy That Way as Jack Gardner
- 1930 Temple TowerTemple TowerTemple Tower is an American crime film directed by Donald Gallaher and starring Kenneth MacKenna, Marceline Day. and Peter Gawthorne....
as Bulldog DrummondBulldog DrummondBulldog Drummond is a British fictional character, created by "Sapper", a pseudonym of Herman Cyril McNeile , and the hero of a series of novels published from 1920 to 1954.- Drummond :... - 1930 The Three Sisters as Count d'Amati
- 1930 The Virtuous SinThe Virtuous SinThe Virtuous Sin is a 1930 American comedy-drama film directed by George Cukor and Louis J. Gasnier. The screenplay by Martin Brown and Louise Long is based on the play The General by Lajos Zilahy.-Plot:...
as Lt. Victor Sablin - 1932 Those We Love as Freddie Williston
- 1961 Judgment at NurembergJudgment at NurembergJudgment at Nuremberg is a 1961 American drama film dealing with the Holocaust and the Post-World War II Nuremberg Trials. It was written by Abby Mann, directed by Stanley Kramer, and starred Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Maximilian Schell, Werner Klemperer, Marlene Dietrich, Judy...
as Judge Kenneth Norris
Films (directing)
- 1931 Always Goodbye Fox Film Corp.
- 1931 The Spider Fox Film Corp.
- 1931 Good Sport Fox Film Corp.
- 1932 Careless Lady Fox Film Corp.
- 1933 Walls of Gold Fox Film Corp.
- 1934 Sleepers East Fox Film Corp.
External links
- Mielziner Family Papers collection
- photo gallery of Ken MacKenna NY Public Library, Billy Rose Collection