Edna Munsey Explained

Edna Munsey
Birth Date:June 8, 1891
Birth Place:Duluth, Minnesota
Death Date:August 11, 1951 (aged 60)
Death Place:New York, New York
Occupation:Actress
Years Active:1910s

Edna Munsey Dillon (June 8, 1891 – August 11, 1951) was an American stage actress.

Early life

Edna Munsey was from Duluth, Minnesota, the daughter of English-born parents.[1] She trained as a pianist,[2] and graduated from the National Park Seminary in Washington, D.C.[3] [4]

Career

Munsey was an actress and singer in several musicals and comedies,[5] including The Gingerbread Man (1915), The Little Cafe (1915), The Only Girl (1915–1916) by Victor Herbert, and Rock-a-Bye Baby (1918) with music by Jerome Kern.[6] [7] She was also seen on the vaudeville stage[8] in the United States and Canada.[9] She appeared in one silent film, Patsy (1917), starring June Caprice.[10] Of her soprano singing voice, a Chicago critic hailed her sweet tone but criticized her enunciation: "You can't tell whether Edna is singing in French, Latin or Greek," he complained, adding "but who cared, not on a sweltering, accursed day like yesterday, anyhow."[11]

She traveled with her mother as her chaperone and companion during her career.[12] "It is strange what erroneous ideas most people have of the life of a girl who is really in earnest on the stage," she commented in a 1915 interview, in which she described a life of discipline and sacrifice for her career.[13]

She married Thomas Dillon, a steel company executive. She died in 1951 in New York.[14]

Notes and References

  1. News: 1913-06-04. Bright Future in Store for Her. 10. The Buffalo Enquirer. 2020-08-23. Newspapers.com.
  2. News: 1916-04-15. Edna Munsey, Popular Duluth Actress, to Appear at Lyceum in 'The Only Girl'. 2. The Labor World. 2020-08-23. Newspapers.com.
  3. News: 1915-06-06. Miss Edna Munsey. 22. Evening Star. 2020-08-23. Newspapers.com.
  4. News: 1909-06-03. Commencement Exercises. 3. The Washington Herald. 2020-08-23. Newspapers.com.
  5. News: 1916-04-16. Edna Munsey Expresses of Her Philosophy on Ambition. 33. Star Tribune. 2020-08-23. Newspapers.com.
  6. July 1918. Mr. Hornblow Goes to the Play. Theatre Magazine. 28. 23. Thorold. W. J.. Hornblow, Jr.. Arthur . Maxwell. Perriton. Beach. Stewart.
  7. Allen, Eugene Kelcey. "Selwyn's First Musical Show Wins Success: "Rock-a-Bye Baby" Contains Everything to Make Play a Decided Hit" Women's Wear (May 23, 1918): 8. via ProQuest.
  8. News: 1916-10-19. Making Success in Vaudeville. 11. The Indianapolis News. 2020-08-23. Newspapers.com.
  9. News: 1913-10-30. Today's Orpheum Bill Promises to be Good. 13. Calgary Herald. 2020-08-23. Newspapers.com.
  10. News: 1917-06-08. Personal Items about the Movie Stars. 5. Middletown Times-Press. 2020-08-23. Newspapers.com.
  11. News: Little. Richard Henry. June 17, 1913. Edna Munsey is Heat 'Life Saver'. 9. Chicago Examiner. August 23, 2020. NewspaperArchive.com.
  12. News: 1915-11-18. Sells a Car to 'The Only Girl'. 6. Muskogee County Democrat. 2020-08-23. Newspapers.com.
  13. News: 1917-06-08. Personal Items about the Movie Stars. 5. Middletown Times-Press. 2020-08-23. Newspapers.com.
  14. News: Thomas J. Dillon, 79, Steel Company Exec . April 7, 2024 . Newsday . December 30, 1961 . 38.

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