Ethel Levey (November 22, 1880 – February 27, 1955), born Grace Ethelia Fowler, was an American actress, dancer, and singer in musical theatre and on the

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 ...

stage. She was the first wife of

George M. Cohan George Michael Cohan (July 3, 1878November 5, 1942) was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and theatrical producer. Cohan began his career as a child, performing with his parents and sister in a vaudev ...

, and the second wife of aviator

Claude Grahame-White Claude Grahame-White (21 August 1879 – 19 August 1959) was an English pioneer of aviation, and the first to make a night flight, during the ''Daily Mail''-sponsored 1910 London to Manchester air race. Early life Claude Grahame-White was born ...

Early life

Levey was born Grace Ethelia Fowler on November 22 1880 in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

.Cullen, Frank, Florence Hackman and Donald McNeilly (eds.
"Ethel Levey"
''Vaudeville Old & New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performances in America'', Psychology Press (2004), pp. 679–680. She was the daughter of David Fowler and Mattie McGee. Her stepfather was Solomon Levy; she used another spelling of his surname as her professional name.

Career

Dear little girly, girly (NYPL Hades-608833-1256143)

Levey made her professional debut in San Francisco, in

Charles H. Hoyt Charles Hale Hoyt (July 26, 1859 – November 20, 1900) was an American dramatist and playwright. He was married twice, to stage actresses Flora Walsh and Caroline Miskel Hoyt, both of whom died young. The shock of the death of his second w ...

's ''

A Milk White Flag Charles Hale Hoyt (July 26, 1859 – November 20, 1900) was an American dramatist and playwright. He was married twice, to stage actresses Flora Walsh and Caroline Miskel Hoyt, both of whom died young. The shock of the death of his second w ...

'' in 1897. She appeared regularly on vaudeville programs in New York and on tour. After marrying

, she continued performing with him, in ''The Governor's Son'' (1901 and 1906), ''Running for Office'' (1903), ''

Little Johnny Jones ''Little Johnny Jones'' is a musical by George M. Cohan. The show introduced Cohan's tunes " Give My Regards to Broadway" and " The Yankee Doodle Boy." The "Yankee Doodle" character was inspired by real-life Hall of Fame jockey Tod Sloan. Bac ...

'' (1904), and ''George Washington Jr.'' (1906). After their divorce, her Broadway appearances included roles in ''Nearly a Hero'' (1908), '' Watch Your Step'' (1914), ''Go Easy, Mabel'' (1922), ''Sunny River'' (1941), and '' Marinka'' (1945). She was also seen in London, in the revues ''Hullo Ragtime'' (1912), ''Hullo Tango'' (1913), ''Look Who's Here!'' (1916), ''Follow the Crowd'' (1916), ''Three Cheers'' (1917), ''Oh! Julie'' (1920), and ''Blue Kitten'' (1925).

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Born in Imperial Russi ...

recalled Levey's slower interpretation of his "

Alexander's Ragtime Band "Alexander's Ragtime Band" is a Tin Pan Alley song by American composer Irving Berlin released in 1911 and is often inaccurately cited as his first global hit. Despite its title, the song is a march as opposed to a rag and contains little synco ...

": "I remember how upset I was at her rendition of it. The audience, of course, did not agree with me. She was a riot." She appeared in the film '' High Stakes'' (1931) and in a 1940 short comedy, "Tattle Television".

Personal life

Levey married George M. Cohan in 1899, in

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

. They had a daughter, Georgette (1900–1988), before they separated in 1906 and divorced in 1907. She was rumored to be engaged to actor

Robert Edeson Robert Edeson (June 3, 1868 – March 24, 1931) was an American film and stage actor of the silent era and a vaudeville performer. Life and career Edeson was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of manager and actor George R. Edeson. Afte ...

in 1907. There was another rumor that Levey had married a French equestrian, Pierre Crespina, in 1910. Levey and her daughter lived in Paris before

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 ...

. Levey married again, to English aviator Claude Grahame-White, in London in 1916. With Grahame-White, she flew over wartime France and regularly commuted by air between Paris and London. Grahame-White disliked her continuing stage career; the couple divorced in 1939. In 1942 she unsuccessfully sued

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American Film studio, film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, Califo ...

for invasion of privacy over ''

Yankee Doodle Dandy ''Yankee Doodle Dandy'' is a 1942 American biographical musical film about George M. Cohan, known as "The Man Who Owned Broadway". It stars James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, and Richard Whorf, and features Irene Manning, George Tobias, Ro ...

'', a film biography of George M. Cohan. (His domestic life is highly fictionalized in the film.) Levey died in 1955, aged 74, in New York City."Ethel Levey Dies of Heart Attack; Funeral is Tuesday"
''The Town Talk'' (February 26, 1955), p. 18. via

Newspapers.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. In November 2018, ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Levey, Ethel 1880 births 1955 deaths Vaudeville performers American musical theatre actresses 20th-century American actresses