Christine Mayo (December 25, 1883 – January 9, 1961) was a

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, 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) ...

actress.

Biography

Mayo was featured in vamp roles produced by

Fox Film Corporation The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American Independent film production studio formed by William Fox (1879–1952) in 1915, by combining his earlier Greater New York Film Rental Company and Box Office Attractions Film C ...

Metro Pictures Metro Pictures Corporation was a motion picture production company founded in early 1915 in Jacksonville, Florida. It was a forerunner of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The company produced its films in New York, Los Angeles, and sometimes at leased fac ...

, World Film Corporation, and Ivan Film Productions, Inc.''Famous Movie Actress Is Coming To The City'',

Portsmouth, Ohio Portsmouth is a city in and the county seat of Scioto County, Ohio, United States. Located in southern Ohio south of Chillicothe, it lies on the north bank of the Ohio River, across from Kentucky, just east of the mouth of the Scioto River. ...

Daily Times, April 13, 1917, pg. 13 Mayo's motion picture career was launched when she won a ''New York Telegraph'' contest as the most beautiful girl in New York. In ''The Spell of the Yukon'' (1916), she had the leading female part in a feature starring Edmund Breese, which was adapted from a poem by Robert W. Service. Service was known as the "Kipling of the North." Mayo performed the role of Hattie Fenshaw in ''Who's Your Neighbor?'' (1917). International spy Dr. Karl Graves was arrested in

Lima, Ohio Lima ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwest Ohio along Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton, southwest of Toledo, and southeast of Fort Wayne, Indiana. As o ...

, where he traveled after watching Mayo perform at the Empire Theater in New York City. Graves authored ''Revelations of the Kaiser's Personal Spy''. Mayo was in Lima with her manager, Phil Selznik, when Graves was apprehended, stopping first in

Bucyrus, Ohio Bucyrus ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Crawford County, located in northern Ohio approximately 28 miles (45 km) west of Mansfield and southeast of Toledo. The population was 11,684 at the 2020 census. The ...

, when she left New York.''International Spy, In Lima , Is Caught'', Lima Daily News, Friday, August 17, 1917, pg 1.

was one of the thirty American cities Mayo toured in 1917. After the screening of one of her feature films, she discussed her movie career with the audience. A reception was held in the lobby of the Columbia Theater in Portsmouth. Aside from promoting movies, Mayo utilized her tour to recruit troops for service in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

and to sell

Liberty Bonds A liberty bond (or liberty loan) was a war bond that was sold in the United States to support the Allied cause in World War I. Subscribing to the bonds became a symbol of patriotic duty in the United States and introduced the idea of finan ...

. She was assigned to the recruiting department of the U.S. Navy. She received a solid gold medal representing the American flag from the hospital corps in recognition of her service to the government. Mayo was one of the first women of the stage to be awarded the right to wear the button of the Liberty Legion. Mayo plays the scatterbrained ''Mrs. Chadwick'' in ''The Hottentot'' (1921). One reviewer complimented her acting as a "bright characterization". In the 1923 feature ''The Shock'', starring

Lon Chaney Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney (April 1, 1883 – August 26, 1930) was an American actor. He is regarded as one of the most versatile and powerful actors of cinema, renowned for his characterizations of tortured, often grotesque and affli ...

, Mayo was compared to Mary Alden in her rendition of Ann Cardington, queen of the underworld. The same year, she was also cast as a supporting player in ''Don't Marry For Money'', along with Edith Yorke and Charles Wellesley. Mayo appeared with some of the most popular actors of her era. She made ''For Sale'' (1924) with Adolphe Menjou,

Tully Marshall Tully Marshall (born William Phillips; April 10, 1864 – March 10, 1943) was an American character actor. He had nearly a quarter century of theatrical experience before his debut film appearance in 1914 which led to a film career spanning alm ...

, and

Vera Reynolds Vera Reynolds (born Vera Nancy Reynolds; November 25, 1899 – April 22, 1962) was an American film actress. Early life and career Born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1899, Reynolds first worked in films at age 12. She began as a dancer, worked ...

. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' reviewed the movie unfavorably, comparing it to a discarded Daisy Ashford effort. The heroine resides in a mansion of

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

-like dimensions. When her father loses his wealth entirely, he comes up with the idea of having his daughter,

Claire Windsor Claire Windsor (born Clara Viola Cronk; April 14, 1892 – October 24, 1972) was an American film actress of the silent screen era. Early life Windsor was born Clara Viola Cronk (nicknamed "Ola") in 1892 in Marvin, Phillips County, Kansas to ...

, marry a

profligate A spendthrift (also profligate or prodigal) is someone who is extravagant and recklessly wasteful with money, often to a point where the spending climbs well beyond his or her means. "Spendthrift" derives from an obsolete sense of the word "thrift" ...

, a rich one. Mayo was in the troupe of the Wilkes Stock Company in April 1929 at the Majestic Theater in Los Angeles, California. She joined

Edward Everett Horton Edward Everett Horton Jr. (March 18, 1886 – September 29, 1970) was an American character actor. He had a long career in film, theater, radio, television, and voice work for animated cartoons. Early life Horton was born in Kings County, ...

in a stage production of ''The Hottentot''. Mayo enjoyed cooking chicken-a-la-king, interior decorating, and reading classic novels by Balzac and

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (, ; ; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père (where '' '' is French for 'father', to distinguish him from his son Alexandre Dumas fils), was a French writer. ...

.''Miss Mayo, Actress Is A Real Versatile Girl'',

Ironwood, Michigan Ironwood is a city in Gogebic County, Michigan, Gogebic County in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan, about south of Lake Superior. The city is on U.S. Route 2 in Michigan, US Highway 2 across the Montreal River (Wisconsin-Michi ...

Daily Globe, Wednesday Evening, December 1, 1920, pg. 5.

Selected filmography

* '' A Mother's Confession'' (1915) * ''

The Spell of the Yukon ''Songs of a Sourdough'' is a book of poetry published in 1907 by Robert W. Service. In the United States, the book was published under the title ''The Spell of the Yukon and Other Verses''. The book is well known for its verse about the Klond ...

'' (1916) * ''

The Iron Woman ''The Iron Woman'' is a science fiction novel by British writer Ted Hughes Edward James "Ted" Hughes (17 August 1930 – 28 October 1998) was an English poet, translator, and children's writer. Critics frequently rank him as one ...

'' (1916) * ''Two Men and a Woman'' (1917) * ''

Who's Your Neighbor? ''Who's Your Neighbor?'' is a 1917 silent American propaganda and drama film directed by S. Rankin Drew. The film's plot focuses around reformers who pass a law to force prostitutes, including Hattie Fenshaw, out of the red light district. F ...

'' (1917) * '' Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman'' (1917) * ''

A Successful Adventure ''A Successful Adventure'' is a lost film, lost 1918 silent film romantic comedy starring May Allison and Harry Hilliard. It was produced by Maxwell Karger and released through Metro Pictures. An alternative title was ''The Way to a Man's Heart'' ...

'' (1918) * '' The House of Mirth'' (1918) * '' Fair and Warmer'' (1919) * ''

A Fugitive from Matrimony ''A Fugitive from Matrimony'' is a 1919 American silent comedy film directed by Henry King and starring H.B. Warner, Seena Owen, and Adele Farrington.''Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema'', p. 166 Cast * H.B. Warner as Stephen Van C ...

'' (1919) * '' Duds'' (1920) * '' An Amateur Devil'' (1920) * '' The Girl in the Web'' (1920) * '' The Palace of Darkened Windows'' (1920) * '' Don't Ever Marry'' (1920) * '' When We Were 21'' (1921) * '' The Understudy'' (1922) * '' A Dangerous Game'' (1922) * '' The Shock'' (1923) * '' Don't Marry for Money'' (1923) * '' For Sale'' (1924)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mayo, Christine American stage actresses Vaudeville performers American film actresses American silent film actresses 1961 deaths 1883 births 20th-century American actresses