Adele Lacy (born Adeline Charlotte Fergestad, September 8, 1910 – July 3, 1953) was an American film actress whose films all appeared during the Great Depression. Her name was sometimes spelled Adele Lacey.

Early life

Born as in Minnesota on September 8, 1910, she was the daughter of Morris and Mina Fergestad. With her parents, she grew up in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, Minnesota with an older brother, C. Marvin Fergestad. She was of

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

heritage. She attended the Junior School of Expression, Jefferson Junior High School, and West High School in Minneapolis and began acting in local productions at an early age. At the age of 15 in 1926, she joined Gus Edwards' Juvenile Frolic dance troupe while they were performing in Hennipin. She had received her education in dance from Helen Noble. Later that year she was made the face of Minneapolis Candy Company, Sweetest Maid, and named "Miss Sweetest Maid". She left for Hollywood shortly after joining Edwards' group and finished her public education at Hollywood High School in 1928.

Career

After moving to

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

Lacy appeared in eleven films. She appeared in three credited movies and an additional eight un-credited movies. In 1932, in her first released movie, she was credited as the number two as "Diane Melville" behind only the film's star,

Tom Tyler Tom Tyler (born Vincent Markowski; August 9, 1903 – May 1, 1954) was an American actor known for his leading roles in low-budget Western films in the silent and sound eras, and for his portrayal of superhero Captain Marvel in the 1941 ...

, in ''Vanishing Men''. Later in 1932, she was credited as the number two as "Judy Flagg" behind only the film's star,

Lane Chandler Lane Chandler (born Robert Clinton Oakes, June 4, 1899 – September 14, 1972) was an American actor specializing mainly in Westerns. Biography Early life Chandler was raised on a ranch near Culbertson, Montana, the son of a horse ra ...

in ''The Wyoming Whirlwind''. Her final credited role was as the number two "Ruth Davis" behind the star, Tom Tyler, in '' When a Man Rides Alone''. She had uncredited roles in an additional eight movies. Her first uncredited role was in 1932's ''The Kid from Spain''. Her second un-credited role was in what was likely the most famous motion picture in which she ever appeared; she was a Chorus Girl in the famed 1933 release,

42nd Street (film) ''42nd Street'' is a 1933 American pre-Code musical film directed by Lloyd Bacon, and a script by Rian James and James Seymour (plus uncredited contributions by Whitney Bolton), adapted from the 1932 novel of the same name by Bradford Ropes. Star ...

. As a member of the

Goldwyn Girls The Goldwyn Girls were a musical stock company of female dancers employed by Samuel Goldwyn. Famous actresses, dancers, and models whose career included a stint in the Goldwyn Girls include Lucille Ball, Virginia Bruce, Claire Dodd, Paulette Go ...

, her role as a dancer in ''

The Kid from Spain ''The Kid from Spain'' is a 1932 American pre-Code film directed by Leo McCarey. Harry Ruby and Bert Kalmar composed the songs, and Busby Berkeley is credited with creating and directing the film's musical scenes. It was Jane Wyman's film debut ...

'' was praised in 1932. In 1933, she appeared in several musical scenes of a series of musical

westerns The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

starring

. In 1935, she was a featured dancer in ''Redheads on Parade'' starring John Boles and

Dixie Lee Dixie Lee (born Wilma Winifred Wyatt; November 4, 1909 – November 1, 1952) was an American actress, dancer, and singer. She was the first wife of singer Bing Crosby. Biography She was born Wilma Winifred Wyatt in Harriman, Tennessee, on N ...

. In 1936, she was a dancer in

The Great Ziegfeld ''The Great Ziegfeld'' is a 1936 American musical drama film directed by Robert Z. Leonard and produced by Hunt Stromberg. It stars William Powell as the theatrical impresario Florenz "Flo" Ziegfeld Jr., Luise Rainer as Anna Held, and ...

.Jane Withers Takes Fling as Amateur
The Tampa Tribune (Tampa, Florida) 24 May 1938, page 11 Over her career, Lacy starred in musicals and westerns, and she was also a

pinup girl A pin-up model (known as a pin-up girl for a female and less commonly male pin-up for a male) is a model whose mass-produced pictures see widespread appeal as part of popular culture. Pin-up models were variously glamour models, fashion models ...

and

chorus girl A chorus line is a large group of dancers who together perform synchronized routines, usually in musical theatre. Sometimes, singing is also performed. Chorus line dancers in Broadway musicals and revues have been referred to by slang terms su ...

. While in films, she worked with

Tex Ritter Woodward Maurice Ritter (January 12, 1905 – January 2, 1974) was a pioneer of American country music, a popular singer and actor from the mid-1930s into the 1960s, and the patriarch of the Ritter acting family (son John, grandsons Jason and ...

Hoot Gibson Edmund Richard "Hoot" Gibson (August 6, 1892 – August 23, 1962) was an American rodeo champion, film actor, film director, and producer. While acting and stunt work began as a sideline to Gibson's focus on rodeo, he successfully transitioned ...

, and Eddie Cantor. By 1938, with her last uncredited movie being back in 1936, her career had taken a different path. She was a special correspondent in

Shanghai, China Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

for a news syndicate. However, this was a short term assignment since passenger lists show that she was back in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

later in November 1938.

Personal life

Before the 1930 census was enumerated, she was married to movie

still photographer A unit still photographer, or simply a still photographer, is a person who creates film stills, still photographic images specifically intended for use in the marketing and publicity of feature films in the motion picture industry and network tele ...

Madison S. Lacy (1898-1978).Skolsky, Sidney
Behind the News
Daily News (New York, New York) 13 Aug 1932, page 15 Lacy's second marriage was to director

Walter Futter Walter Futter (January 2, 1900 – March 3, 1958) was a film producer and director in the United States. After an initial career cutting and editing films, Futter began writing and producing his own shorts and movies, often using footage he acquir ...

(1900-1958) in December 1937. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, she had crossed the Atlantic Ocean to produce musicals in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

with an amateur cast to entertain the troops. In 1945-1953, the Futters lived in the New York City suburb bedroom community of

Plainfield, New Jersey Plainfield is a city in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, known by its nickname as "The Queen City."

for the last eight years of her life. She died in Mexico City, Mexico on July 3, 1953.

Films

All release dates are in the USA. * The release on April 15, 1932, ''

Vanishing Men Vanishing Men is a 1932 American Western film directed by Harry L. Fraser and starring Tom Tyler, Adele Lacy, and Raymond Keane. The film depicts the story of Russ Whitely (Keane), a young man who has become involved with cattle rustling, his co ...

'' * The release on November 17, 1932, ''

'' * The release on December 30, 1932, ''

The Wyoming Whirlwind ''The Wyoming Whirlwind'' is a 1932 American western film directed by Armand Schaefer and starring Lane Chandler, Adele Lacy and Harry Todd.Pitts p.406 It was produced by the independent Willis Kent as a second feature Synopsis Outlaw Keene Wall ...

'' aka '' Roaring Rider'' aka '' The Texas Tornado'' * The release on January 15, 1933, '' When a Man Rides Alone'' * The release on February 23, 1933, '' 42nd Street'' * The release on May 27, 1933, ''

Gold Diggers Of 1933 ''Gold Diggers of 1933'' is a pre-Code Warner Bros. musical film directed by Mervyn LeRoy with songs by Harry Warren (music) and Al Dubin (lyrics), staged and choreographed by Busby Berkeley. It stars Warren William, Joan Blondell, Aline M ...

'' * The release on October 21, 1933, ''

Footlight Parade ''Footlight Parade'' is a 1933 American pre-Code musical film starring James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell and featuring Frank McHugh, Guy Kibbee, Hugh Herbert and Ruth Donnelly. The film was written by Manuel Seff and Ja ...

'' which was a film for which, according to the good folks at tcm.com, she had done at least one 'Publicity Still'Footlight Parade - Starlet Publicity Stills
/ref> * The release on April 27, 1934, ''

Twenty Million Sweethearts ''Twenty Million Sweethearts'' is a 1934 American Pre-Code musical comedy film directed by Ray Enright and starring Pat O'Brien, Dick Powell, Ginger Rogers, and The Mills Brothers. The film was remade in 1949 as ''My Dream Is Yours''. Plot Agen ...

'' * The release on August 16, 1934, ''

Dames ''Dame'' is an honorific title and the feminine form of address for the honour of damehood in many Christian chivalric orders, as well as the British honours system and those of several other Commonwealth realms, such as Australia and New Zeala ...

'' * The release on September 7, 1935, ''

Redheads On Parade ''Redheads on Parade'' is a 1935 American musical film directed by Norman Z. McLeod and written by Don Hartman and Rian James. The film stars John Boles, Dixie Lee, Jack Haley, Raymond Walburn, Alan Dinehart and Patsy O'Connor. The film was ...

'' * The release on April 8, 1936, ''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lacy, Adele 1910 births 1953 deaths American film actresses Actresses from Minneapolis American people of Norwegian descent 20th-century American actresses