May Boley | |
|---|---|
 May Boley in
Fighting Caravans (1931) | |
| Born | May Blossom Boley May 29, 1881 |
| Died | January 7, 1963 (aged 81)
Hollywood, California |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Spouse | Lt. Frederick Lindsley Nicholson (1901–?) |
May Blossom Boley [1] (May 29, 1881 – January 7, 1963) was an American actress known for her role as Whale Oil Rosie in Moby Dick (1930). [2]
Stage
Besides being an actress, Boley was a dancer. An article in an 1898 issue of a newspaper commented on "the grace with which she accomplished a difficult solo dance". [3] In 1900, she was a member of the Alice Nielsen Opera Company. [4] Her last stage appearance in New York was in the musical Jubilee. [5] As a singer in the musical Hit the Deck (1927), Boley introduced the popular song "Hallelujah". [6]
Film
Boley starred in The Great Pie Mystery (1931) with Harry Gribbon, Alma Bennett, Harry Myers, Dick Stewart, George Gray and Julia Griffith; [7] Hail, the Princess (1930) with Monte Collins and Alma Bennett; [7] Beneath the Law (1929) with Bobby Clark and Paul McCullough; [8] and Richard Carle in The Warrior (1928) with James Sullivan. [9] She also starred in The Women (1939), [10] and Dangerous Curves (1929) as Mrs Spinelli. [11]
Ethan Mordden, in his book Sing for Your Supper: The Broadway Musical in the 1930s, wrote that Boley resembled Elsa Maxwell. [12]
Personal life
On August 2, 1901, in New York City, Boley married Lieutenant Frederick Lindsley Nicholson, a British Army officer from Putney Hill, London, England. [1]
Death
On January 7, 1963, Boley died in Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital following a long illness. She was 81. [13]
Filmography
- Skylark (1941) as Fat Woman in Subway Car
- Kitty Foyle (1940) as Fainting Customer
- Lady with Red Hair (1940) as Mrs. Peabody
- Henry Goes Arizona (1939) as Henry's Landlady
- The Women (1939) as Mud Mask
- Death of a Champion (1939) as Ma Sloane
- Undercover Doctor (1939)
- Persons in Hiding (1939) as Mme. Thompson
- Letter of Introduction (1938) as Mrs. Meggs, the Landlady
- Cowboy from Brooklyn (1938) as Mrs. Krinkenheim
- Prison Farm (1938) as 'Shifty' Sue
- Women Are Like That (1938) as Hotel Maid
- Reckless Living (1938) as Mother Ryan
- Tovarich (1937) as Louise
- Ready, Willing and Able (1937) as Mrs. Beadle
- Without Orders (1936) as Mrs. Maddy Overhose
- The Informer (1935) as Madame Betty
- The Mighty Barnum (1934) as Bearded Lady
- Advice to the Lovelorn (1933) as Miss Lonelyhearts
- The Kiss Before the Mirror (1933) as Busybody in Courtroom
- The Expert (1932) as Mrs. Smallbridge
- A Woman Commands (1932) as Mascha
- The Great Pie Mystery (1931) as Bertha, Homer's Sweetheart
- Fighting Caravans (1931) as Jane
- Going Wild (1930) as May Bunch
- Moby Dick (1930) as Whale Oil Rosie
- Hail the Princess (1930)
- Children of Pleasure (1930) as Fanny Kaye
- Lilies of the Field (1930) as Maizie
- The Dance of Life (1929) as Gussie
- Dangerous Curves (1929) as Ma Spinelli
- The Woman from Hell (1929) as Mother Price
- Beneath the Law (1929)
- The Wagon Show (1928) as The Strong Woman
References
- ^
a
b
"English Army Officer Weds Pretty May Boley". The Evening World. New York, New York City. August 3, 1901. p. 3. Retrieved August 2, 2018 – via
Newspapers.com.
- ^ Ellenberger, Allan R. (1 May 2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland Publishing. p. 37. ISBN 9780786450190.
-
^
"Friends of Last Week". The Washington Times. D.C., Washington. November 27, 1898. p. 16. Retrieved August 2, 2018 – via
Newspapers.com.
-
^
"Aside". Evening Star. District of Columbia, Washington. February 3, 1900. p. 21. Retrieved August 2, 2018 – via
Newspapers.com.
- ^ "May Boley Dies". The Bridgeport Telegram. Connecticut, Bridgeport. Associated Press. January 9, 1963. p. 29.
-
^
"Ex-Musical, Film Star May Boley Dies at 81". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. January 8, 1963. p. 27. Retrieved August 3, 2018 – via
Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Bradley 2009, p. 163.
- ^ Bradley 2009, p. 191.
- ^ Bradley 2009, p. 427.
- ^ Reid, John (2005). Movies Magnificent: 150 Must-See Cinema Classics. Lulu.com. p. 238. ISBN 9781411650671.
- ^ Reid, John Howard (1 August 2011). Silent Movies & Early Sound Films on DVD: New Expanded Edition. Lulu.com. p. 397. ISBN 9780557433353.
- ^ Mordden, Ethan (7 April 2015). Sing for Your Supper: The Broadway Musical in the 1930s. St. Martin's Press. p. 85. ISBN 9781466893474.
-
^
"Ex-Actress Dies". The Daily Chronicle. Washington, Centralia. Associated Press. January 10, 1963. p. 3. Retrieved August 2, 2018 – via
Newspapers.com.
Bibliography
- Bradley, Edwin M. (27 April 2009). The First Hollywood Sound Shorts, 1926–1931. McFarland Publishing. p. 560. ISBN 9781476606842.
External links
- May Boley at IMDb
- May Boley(New York Public Library, Billy Rose collection)
- portrait(University of Washington, Sayre collection)
- May Boley photo gallery(NY Public Library)
- May Boley(Aveleyman)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
 | This article about a United States film actor born in the 1880s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1881 births
- 1963 deaths
- American silent film actresses
- 20th-century American actresses
- Actresses from Washington, D.C.
- 19th-century American dancers
- 20th-century American dancers
- Dancers from Washington, D.C.
- American female dancers
- 19th-century American actresses
- American film actor, 1880s birth stubs