Blanche M. Dayne (December 25, 1871 – June 27, 1944) was an American actress in
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
, often in a duo team with her husband, Will M. Cressy.
Early life
Dayne was born in
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany a ...
on Christmas Day in 1871; she was on the stage from an early age.
Career
She appeared in one
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
show, ''A Village Lawyer'' (1908), and in one
silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...
, ''Fifty Dollars a Kiss'' (1915). Other stage credits were roles in vaudeville comedy sketches, including ''The Old Homestead'', ''Grasping an Opportunity'', ''The Key of C'', ''Bill Biffin's Baby'', ''The New Depot'', ''Town Hall To-night'', and ''The Wyoming Whoop.'' In 1898, she appeared with A. F. Fanshawe in the sketches ''A False Life'', ''The Country Postmaster'', ''An American Beauty'', and ''Asa Jenkins''.
She and her husband were Cressy & Dayne, a popular vaudeville comedy act from the 1890s into the 1920s. They were described as "among the highest-salaried players in vaudeville to-day" in a 1909 account. The couple published ''Summer Days with Will Cressy and Blanche Dayne'', a photo book of their summer travels, including their home in New Hampshire, their automobile tour through California, and photographs they took on a world driving tour in 1910. They entertained troops in France during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, with the Overseas Theater League, and were the first entertainers to enter
Verdun
Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department.
Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...
after the
Armistice
An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...
. Will Cressy's health was permanently damaged by exposure to chemical gas during their time in France.
In 1921, Blanche Dayne Cressy was made "an honorary Rotarian" by the
Rotary Club
Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, profe ...
of
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...
(women were not admitted to Rotary membership at the time).
"The History of Women in Rotary International"
''Rotary Club of San Jose East/Evergreen'' (June 13, 2012).
Personal life
Dayne married Will M. Cressy, a writer and fellow vaudevillian, in 1890. He died in 1930. She died in 1944, at her sister's home in , aged 72 years.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dayne, Blanche
1871 births
1944 deaths
Vaudeville performers
American actresses
People from Troy, New York
American women in World War I
20th-century American people