Edith Day (born Edith Marie Day; April 10, 1896 – May 1, 1971) was an American actress and singer best known for her roles in

Edwardian musical comedies Edwardian musical comedy was a form of British musical theatre that extended beyond the reign of King Edward VII in both directions, beginning in the early 1890s, when the Gilbert and Sullivan operas' dominance had ended, until the rise of the A ...

and operettas, first on

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 ...

and then in London's West End.

Life and career

Born in

Minneapolis, Minnesota 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 ...

as Edith Marie Day, Day made her Broadway debut in ''Pom-pom'' in 1916, then ''Follow Me'' the same year. At the end of 1917, she starred in the musical comedy '' Going Up''. The show ran for 351 performances. Day then appeared in three silent films, ''

The Grain of Dust ''The Grain of Dust'' is a lost 1928 silent film drama directed by George Archainbaud and starring Ricardo Cortez and Claire Windsor. It was produced by John M. Stahl and released through Tiffany Pictures. Cast * Ricardo Cortez as Fred Norman ...

'' (1918), ''A Romance of the Air'' (1918), and ''Children Not Wanted'' (1920).''Named Edith Day as Correspondent'', ''

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 ...

'', May 5, 1921, p. 3''Miss Edith Day'', ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'', May 3, 1971, p. 14 In 1919, she became a major star playing the title role in ''

Irene Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), the Greek for "peace". Irene, and related names, may refer to: * Irene (given name) Places * Irene, Gauteng, South Africa * Irene, South Dakota, United States * Irene, Texas, United Stat ...

'' on Broadway. Five months into the run, she was sent to create the role in the London production at the Empire Theatre, where she was embraced by the London critics. She next performed in two Broadway shows, '' Orange Blossoms'' (1922) and ''

Wildflower A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower that grows in the wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. The term implies that the plant probably is neither a hybrid nor a selected cultivar that is in any way different from the w ...

'' (1923). She decided to return to London, where she had made such a success in ''Irene'' and went on to become the first lady of West End

musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

, starring in such successes there as ''

Rose-Marie ''Rose-Marie'' is an operetta-style musical with music by Rudolf Friml and Herbert Stothart, and book and lyrics by Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II. The story is set in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and concerns Rose-Marie La Flemme, a Fren ...

'' (1925; 581 performances at the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...

), ''

The Desert Song ''The Desert Song'' is an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel. It was inspired by the 1925 uprising of the Riffs, a group of Moroccan fighters, against French colonia ...

'' (1927; 432 performances), ''

Show Boat ''Show Boat'' is a musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the performers, stagehands and dock worke ...

'' (1928; 350 performances), and '' Rio Rita'' (1930). In 1920, she recorded "

Alice Blue Gown "Alice Blue Gown" is a popular song written by Joseph McCarthy (lyricist), Joseph McCarthy and Harry Tierney. The song, which was inspired by Alice Roosevelt Longworth's signature gown, was first performed by Edith Day in the 1919 Broadway musical ' ...

", the hit song from ''Irene'', and she subsequently recorded excerpts from several of her shows."Artist Biography: Edith Day"
Allmusic, accessed November 6, 2013 Aside from acting in the theatre, Day broadcast on many occasions and appeared at variety theatres. She retired from acting in the early 1940s; her last stage appearance was in ''Sunny River'' (1943). In 1960, she briefly returned to the stage in

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

's '' Waiting in the Wings'', later appearing in the London production of Coward's musical '' Sail Away'' at the

Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy Pala ...

in 1962 (she is featured on the cast album).

Personal life

Day married three times, first to

theatre producer A theatrical producer is a person who oversees all aspects of mounting a theatre production. The producer is responsible for the overall financial and managerial functions of a production or venue, raises or provides financial backing, and hires ...

Carle Carleton in 1919; they divorced in 1922. Her second husband was actor

Pat Somerset Pat Somerset (28 February 1897 – 20 April 1974) was an English stage and film actor. Biography Born Patrick Holme-Sumner, after appearing in some British silent films early in his career, he moved to the United States. In 1922 he starred on ...

in 1923; they divorced in 1927. Her third husband was Henry Horne who predeceased her. Her only son (by Pat Somerset) died in

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 opposin ...

. She died in London at the age of 75.

Anna Neagle Dame Florence Marjorie Wilcox (''née'' Robertson; 20 October 1904 – 3 June 1986), known professionally as Anna Neagle, was an English stage and film actress, singer, and dancer. She was a successful box-office draw in the British cinema ...

give a reading at her memorial service held at

St Paul's, Covent Garden St Paul's Church is a Church of England parish church located in Bedford Street, Covent Garden, central London. It was designed by Inigo Jones as part of a commission for the 4th Earl of Bedford in 1631 to create "houses and buildings fit ...

Legacy

cocktail A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink. Most commonly, cocktails are either a combination of spirits, or one or more spirits mixed with other ingredients such as tonic water, fruit juice, flavored syrup, or cream. Cocktails vary widely across ...

is named for her, made with dry gin, grapefruit juice, sugar, and an egg white.

Gallery

File:EdithDay1918.tif, Edith Day, 1918

References

External links

* *
Recordings
at Allmusic
Photo: Day pays on her bet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Day, Edith American musical theatre actresses Actresses from Minneapolis 1896 births 1971 deaths 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers American expatriate actresses in the United Kingdom