Billie Burke and the Ziegfeld Follies #wwwblogs #actress #moviestar

Born in 1884 in Washington DC, Mary William Appleton Burke was called Billie after her father, an American clown of Irish descent who appeared in Barnum and Bailey’s circus.  After an early childhood touring the US and Europe, Billie’s family settled in London where she had the opportunity to visit the theatres.  Her ambition to be an actress was achieved when, at the age of 18, she appeared in George Edwardes’ musical “The Schoolgirl” with Edna May and Marie Studholme.  But Billie Burke’s real fame came in 1907 when she returned to the States to star in musical comedies on Broadway.

The Ziegfeld Girls were a more relaxed version of the Gibson Girls of the early 20^th century.  Billie joined this group of showgirls who looked very similar in appearance and in stature. They were beautiful young women with many young male admirers.  They danced in complete synchronization, wearing costumes designed by the Russian fashion designer Erté.  Inspired by the Folies Bergère, the Ziegfeld Follies, the creation of Florence Ziegfeld, were a series of stunning revues which incorporated the best of Vaudeville and the Broadway shows.

Ziegfeld’s common-law wife Anna Held was a Ziegfeld girl, but she divorced him in 1913 for his infidelity with another Ziegfeld girl, Lillian Lorraine and early the following year he married Billie Burke.  Three years later their daughter Patricia was born and they moved into a 22 acre estate with a mansion of 19 rooms and a swimming pool. They kept a herd of deer, two lion cubs, an elephant and many other animals.

The Ziegfeld Follies continued on Broadway until 1931 and Florenz Ziegfeld died in 1932. The Follies became a radio programme in 1932 and 1936.  Many of the girls left the show to make wealthy marriages.  Billie continued to appear in stage comedies and in film.

“I never was the great‐actress type,” she remarked years later. “I generally did light, gay things. I often had cute plays but never a fine one.”

Much of the wealth of Florenz and Billie had gone in the stock market crash of 1929 so it was lucky that Billie was able to move successfully from silent movies to spoken film roles.  Her success continued into the 1950s and her last appearance was in 1960.  She is perhaps most famous for her performance as Glinda, the Good Witch of the North in “The Wizard of Oz” originally released in 1939.  She died in Los Angeles on May 14th 1970, aged 84.

Postscript:

And here are two lovely postcards of Billie Burke I have just received from Sarah Talbot @Bea2Sarah

©Elizabeth Lloyd

Florence Desmond

The name “Florence Desmond” may be familiar to those who have attended the Florence Desmond Day Unit at the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford but not so many people will remember her for her acting talent during the first half of the twentieth century.

Born in London in 1905, Florence Desmond was performing on stage as a dancer from the age of 10.  She later became known as a singer and comic actress and as an excellent impersonator of famous actresses such as Bette Davis, Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo.  In her obituary in the Independent in January 1993 she was described as, "Not only the best impersonator of her generation, but by far the best."  She demonstrated a satirical talent without any cruelty to the people she mimicked.

In 1928 Florence performed in, "The Year of Grace," a revue written by Noel Coward and she accompanied the production to New York where she danced with him.  She was to take New York by storm 18 years later at the "Blue Angel" nightclub with her witty and accurate impressions of Hollywood stars using minimal props.  Miss Desmond participated in the Royal Variety performances in 1937 and 1951 and she was the leading lady in two films starring George Formby.  Mr. Formby called her, "an inimitable comedienne."  Florence also acted with Gracie Fields and frequently starred in pantomime as a principal boy.

In 1935 Florence married Tom Campbell Black, an aviator, but she was heartbroken a year later when her husband died at Speke Airport in Liverpool after his plane struck an RAF plane on the ground.  Her second husband, Charles Hughesdon, was also an aviator and in 1937 they set up home together at Dunsborough Park in Ripley.  During the Second World War, Florence toured army camps with ENSA entertaining the troops.  Her peaceful post war life was upset by a daring robbery. Luckily Florence and her husband were away from home and the household staff disturbed the burglars, but not before they had stolen a mink coat and stole. 

In 1963, Florence Desmond began fundraising for the purchase of a Betatron electron therapy unit to be installed at St Luke’s Hospital in Guildford.  She stated that, “If Betatron had been available, cancer might not have killed my beloved father.”  The Betatron, made in Switzerland, the first of its type in the UK, was used to treat primary malignant cancer.  £200,000 was required, of which Miss Desmond personally contributed £9,000 .  The climax of the fundraising was a Royal Gala on the stage of the Odeon in Guildford attended by Princess Alexandra and her husband Sir Angus Ogilvie, with performances by Vera Lynn and Max Bygraves.

The Betatron was installed in 1967 and remained in service at St Luke’s Hospital for 24 years.  A ward at St Luke's was named Desmond Ward in recognition of her considerable achievement. In 1991 when the McMillan Day Hospital was transferred to the Royal Surrey County Hospital it was decided to use her name again for the new Florence Desmond Day Hospital and on October 16^th that year Florence visited so that she could see the excellent new facilities.

Florence Desmond spent her retirement at Dunsborough Park, enjoying the attractive gardens and the farm where she was once pictured in the Evening Telegraph with her sow and 10 piglets.  She died in Guildford on January 16^th 1993 at the age of 87.

Florence Desmond performing with George Formby.