Janet Adair

Janet Adair (c. 1892 – 24 November 1938) was an American vaudeville, ragtime, musical revue and musical comedy performer in the early twentieth century, who also appeared in 5 movies.

Janet Adair
Bornc. 1892
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
DiedNovember 24, 1938(1938-11-24) (aged 45–46)
Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
OccupationActress

Biography

Adair was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in about 1892. She worked as a stenographer[1][2] in that city until, during a party in 1910 to celebrate her eighteenth birthday, she reportedly accepted a dare to perform her character songs on stage.[1] She was quickly engaged by St. Louis theatre manager Dan Fishell,[2][3] and performed at moving picture theatres[1][4] and in vaudeville shows[5] in Missouri[1] and nearby states, including Kentucky,[6] Texas,[7] Michigan,[4] and Arkansas.[5] She performed with accompanists Hazel Hickey (until 1914)[8] and Emily or Emma Adelphi (later Mrs Jack Norworth)[9] (from 1916).[10][11] She toured nationally, and to Canada,[12] and frequently headlined variety shows.[8][13][14]

Reviewers described Adair as "one of those few who have the singular attraction of personality combined with voice and action .. truly a comedienne";[8] "Diminutive and childlike Miss Adair "puts over" her songs in a fashion that is irresistible";[7] "an excellent imitator";[15] "an irresistibly fascinating adorably clever young lady ... [with] the atmosphere about her that gets right over the footlights ... Some call it personality, and others call it pep; but whatever it is, she has it in carload lots."[14] Her songs, which she called "song definitions",[14] were described as "satires of various personages easily recognizable .. clever jabs at certain phases of domestic and social life".[16]

During 1919–1920, she appeared in the Shubert Gaieties of 1919.[17][18][19]

She was a contralto member of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company's choir from August to December 1926.

Personal life

Adair married vaudeville comedian James "Fat" Thompson in 1914.[20] In 1915, she was seriously ill after giving birth to a son who died within hours.[21] She married movie composer Louis Silvers in 1924.[22] She died on November 24, 1938 at the Santa Monica Hospital, California,[23][24] reportedly from an overdose of sleeping tablets taken after she had spent twelve hours preparing her home in Pacific Palisades for a quick flight from a forest fire that destroyed 600-800 properties.[25][26]

Filmography

Selected stage performances

References
  1. "Girl Enters Vaudeville In Order to Win Bet". The St. Louis Star and Times. St. Louis, Missouri. July 2, 1911. p. 5. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  2. "St. Louis Cinderellas of Moving Picture Vaudeville". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, Missouri. September 15, 1912. p. 3, Sunday Magazine. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  3. "Untitled". Variety. XXVI (2): 7, Col 3. March 16, 1912. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  4. "Vaudeville and Latest Moving Pictures at the Vaudette Theatre". The Herald-Press. Saint Joseph, Michigan. February 9, 1911. p. 3. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  5. "A Real Vaudeville Program at The Elks". The Daily Graphic. Pine Bluff, Arkansas. June 1, 1911. p. 8. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  6. "At the Star Theatre". The Paducah Sun-Democrat. Paducah, Kentucky. September 18, 1911. p. 3. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  7. "Amusements. The New Majestic". The Houston Post. Houston, Texas. April 9, 1912. p. 11. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  8. "Local Theatres. At the Majestic". Arkansas Democrat. Little Rock, Arkansas. January 20, 1914. p. 6. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  9. Laurie, Joe, Jr. (August 9, 1950). "The Ragtime Kids". Variety. 179: 51, 53. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  10. "Helen Lackaye Will Appear at the Majestic Theatre; Sister of Eminent Actors in Headliner". Austin American-Statesman. Austin, Texas. November 5, 1916. p. 5. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  11. "Janet Adair Has New Act". The New York Clipper. LXV (27): 6. August 8, 1917. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  12. Wheeler, Charles H. (December 23, 1916). "About Plays & Players". The Winnipeg Tribune. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. p. 4. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  13. "Vitaphone Briefs. New Song Hit". The Montgomery Advertiser. Montgomery, Alabama. December 2, 1928. p. C2. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  14. ""Maid to Order" Twentieth Century Idea of Musical Extravaganza Opens at New Palace This Afternoon; Janet Adair Is On Same Bill". The Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette. Fort Wayne, Indiana. May 6, 1917. p. 4. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  15. "Local Theatres". Arkansas Democrat. Little Rock, Arkansas. April 23, 1912. p. 3. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  16. "The Theater. At the Columbia". The Daily Times. Davenport, Iowa. April 3, 1916. p. 5. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  17. Ewen, David (1970). New complete book of the American musical theater. Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. pp. 51, 409. ISBN 9780030850608. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  18. "Trap Shooting Is Miss Adair's Hobby". The Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. January 25, 1920. p. 2, Theatrical & Photoplay Section. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  19. "It's a Long Climb From Typist to Star of Musical Comedy, but Janet Adair Made It". The St. Louis Star and Times. St. Louis, Missouri. April 15, 1920. p. 17. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  20. "Vaudevillians Wed". Variety. 33 (7): 5. January 16, 1914. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  21. "Untitled". Variety. XXXIX (7): 9. July 16, 1915. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  22. "Janet Adair and Composer Wed by Local Judge". The Los Angeles Times. May 2, 1924. p. 18. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  23. "Mystery Death Inquiry Opened. Mrs. Janet Silvers Stricken as Flames Sweep Near Home". The Los Angeles Times. November 25, 1938. p. 2. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  24. "Deaths". The Los Angeles Times. November 26, 1938. p. 15. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  25. McElwain, Alan (November 24, 1938). "Movie Stars Flee Raging Forest Fires". The Vancouver Sun. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. p. 1. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  26. "Homes of Film Actors Among Those Burned". Lincoln Journal Star. Lincoln, Nebraska. November 24, 1938. pp. 1, 6. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  27. Liebman, Roy (2010). Vitaphone Films: A Catalogue of the Features and Shorts. McFarland. pp. 193, 205. ISBN 9780786446971. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  28. R.D. (November 29, 1929). "New Films". The Standard Union. Brooklyn, New York. p. 9. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  29. Dietz, Dan (2019). The Complete Book of 1920s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 85. ISBN 9781538112823. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
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