Wilda Bennett
Wilda Bennett | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Bennett in Who's Who on the Screen, 1920 | |
| Born | December 19, 1894 |
| Died | December 20, 1967 (aged 73) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Spouses |
|
Wilda Bennett (December 19, 1894 – December 20, 1967) was an American actress in musical comedies and in film. Her tumultuous personal life also kept her in the headlines.
Early life
Bennett was born in Asbury Park, New Jersey.[1][2] Bennett's father was John H. Bennett, a city building inspector.[3]
Career
Bennett's Broadway credits included Everywoman (1911–1912), A Good Little Devil (1913), The Only Girl (1914–1915), The Riviera Girl (1917), The Girl Behind the Gun (1918–1919), Apple Blossoms (1919–1920), Music Box Revue (1921–1922), The Lady in Ermine (1922–1923),[4] and the title role in Madame Pompadour (1924–1925). She had a "sweet" soprano voice.[3] Bennett's later stage appearances were in Lovely Lady (1928),[5] and Merrily We Roll Along (1934).[6] She reprised her title role in The Only Girl for a radio production in 1927.[7]
Films featuring Wilda Bennett included A Good Little Devil (1914, lost), Love, Honor and Obey (1920), Bullets or Ballots (1936), Dark Victory (1939), The Women (1939), What a Life (1939), Ninotchka (1939), Those Were the Days! (1940), and The Lady Eve (1941).
Personal life
Bennett's personal life involved multiple legal troubles that brought additional, ongoing, national press attention.[8] In 1925, she was sued for $100,000 by a woman named Katherine Frey, who believed that Bennett had been her husband Charles Frey's lover. Katherine Frey won a judgment of $25,000 in the case.[9] While the lawsuit was still pending, Charles Frey was driving Bennett's car when it struck a young woman, who was killed. Bennett was a passenger in the car.[10] In 1927, she was sued for the care expenses of a horse she once owned.[11] In 1928, she was sued for damages by a landlord who said Bennett destroyed furniture and removed other items from a rented apartment. Bennett lost that case, too, and had to pay $400 to the landlord.[12] In 1930, Bennett sued Anthony J. Wettach after another car accident; she ended up marrying him instead.[13] In 1932, she was arrested on charges of being drunk and disorderly.[14]
Bennett was married four times. Her husbands were, in order, actor-producer Robert Schable (divorced in 1920), Argentine dancer Abraham "Peppy" de Albrew (married 1926, separated in 1927),[15][16] Anthony J. Wettach (married 1930, divorced 1933),[17] and mining engineer Munro Whitmore (died 1960).
Bennett died on December 20, 1967, in Winnemucca, Nevada.[18][19]
References
- ^ Burns Mantle, "What's What in the Theater" Green Book Magazine (December 1917): 988.
- ^ "Wilda Bennett Arrives". The New York Times. October 17, 1917. p. 28. ProQuest 98080087.
- ^ a b "Praise Wilda Bennett" Asbury Park Press (October 17, 1914): 2. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Lovely Little Runaway Scores Her Greatest Operatic Success" Asbury Park Press (November 7, 1922): 5. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Wilda Bennett in Lovely Lady". The New York Times. February 22, 1928. p. 24. ProQuest 104647712.
- ^ "Wilda Bennett in New Play". The New York Times. September 13, 1934. p. 26. ProQuest 101195201.
- ^ "Victor Herbert's 'The Only Girl' On Air Next Saturday" The Morning Call (October 9, 1927): 34. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Wilda Bennett's Hard Luck – Isn't it the Limit?" Courier-Journal (October 11, 1925): 99. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Frey Verdict Due Today: Decision Against Wilda Bennett Seen In Jurymen's Greeting". The New York Times. October 26, 1925. p. 3. ProQuest 103487017.
- ^ "Wilda Bennett's Auto Kills Girl in Crash: Driver a Party in $100,000 Alienation Suit". The New York Times. July 31, 1925. p. 1. ProQuest 103514546.
- ^ "$5 for Horse's Tooth: Hostlers File $1,279 Against Wilda Bennett for Care of Mount". The New York Times. October 27, 1927. p. 38. ProQuest 104072479.
- ^ "Wilda Bennett Case Opens: Mrs. C.K. Palmer Testifies Actress Damaged Her Apartment". The New York Times. June 19, 1928. p. 18. ProQuest 104543206.
- ^ "Wilda Bennett Weds Defendant in her Suit: A.J. Wettach Was Named by Actress in $20,000 Action for Auto Injuries". The New York Times. December 17, 1930. p. 30. ProQuest 98726998.
- ^ "Wilda Bennett Under Arrest" Central New Jersey Home News (August 16, 1932): 1. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Wilda Bennett Wed to Cabaret Dancer: Married Peppy DeAlbro Two Weeks Ago – Actress Lost in Alienation Suit Last Fall". The New York Times. April 24, 1926. p. 20. ProQuest 103806126.
- ^ "Actress and Dancer Part: Wilda Bennett May Seek Legal Release From de Albro". The New York Times. December 9, 1927. p. 29. ProQuest 104004472.
- ^ "Wilda Bennett Divorced: A.J. Wettach Gets Decree From Actress in Trenton, N.J.". The New York Times. July 28, 1933. p. 18. ProQuest 100894348.
- ^ "Wilda Bennett Dead at 73; Starred in Musicals Here". The New York Times. December 23, 1967. p. 23. ProQuest 117507941.
- ^ "Wilda Bennett, 73; Left City for Stage Success" Asbury Park Press (December 24, 1967): 2. via Newspapers.com
External links
- Wilda Bennett at IMDb
- Wilda Bennett's listing at IBDB
- Wilda Bennett's listing at AllMusic
- An undated photograph of Wilda Bennett in the Billy Rose Theatre Collection Photograph File, New York Public Library Digital Collections
- A 1926 photograph of Wilda Bennett in the J. Willis Sayre Collection of Theatrical Photographs, University of Washington Libraries, Digital Collections