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Florence Tempest (born Claire Lillian Ijames, June 25, 1889 — died after January 1932), sometimes billed as Florenze Tempest, was an American comedian and dancer, a
''Western Magazine'' (April 1, 1920): 188. other sources give
"'You Ought to See Her Now': The Female Kings of the Music Hall and Vaudeville"
Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute, Ohio State University Libraries. Her parents were Edward Henry Ijames and Mary Henesey Ijames. About 1901, Mary Henesey Ijames moved to New York City as a widow, with her young daughters June (or Junie), Claire (or Clara), and Mary (or Marion). The sisters sometimes performed as a trio act.
Florence Tempest had a vaudeville act with her younger sister, Marion Sunshine; "I always played the boy, while Marion was my sweetheart", Tempest explained. They toured with their mother. Tempest's act was admired not only for its humor but also for its technical ingenuity: "Florence Tempest has conceived and put into effect the most unique fashion of hair dressing for her boy characterization", commented one reviewer, "Her own front and side hair is combed into the wig and makes and excellent boy's pompadour without the suspicion of girlish coiffure." The duo made a short silent film, ''Sunshine and Tempest'' (1915), in which they played telepathic twin sisters in the Tennessee mountains.
Tempest also had a headlining solo act, again playing masculine characters, but also donning a gown as the only female character in her "College Town" act, with "Ten 'Rah-Rah' Boys" as her chorus. She was described as vaudeville's "Most Lovable Boy and Daintiest Girl" in a 1917 headline. She appeared on the cover art of sheet music in masculine suits and caps, in youthful poses, even smoking a cigarette; for "I Want a Boy to Love Me" (1913), she's shown lounging on a bench, a hand in her trouser pocket; for "I Love the Ladies" (1914) she appears in a boater hat and the caption "Our American Boy". In the 1920s, no longer suited to "boyish" characters, she was in a vaudeville act with her second husband, comedian Homer Dickinson; they were billed as "Broadway's Smart Couple".Gillian M Rodger
''Just One of the Boys: Female-to-Male Cross-Dressing on the American Variety Stage''
(University of Illinois Press 2018): 179-180. They were still performing together as late as 1932. Florence Tempest appeared on Broadway in the shows ''Ziegfeld Follies of 1907'' (1907), ''
''Dorothy Lee: The Life and Films of the Wheeler and Woolsey Girl''
(McFarland 2013): 9.
Examples of Florenze Tempest sheet music
in Digital Commonwealth: Massachusetts Collections Online. {{DEFAULTSORT:Tempest, Florence Vaudeville performers 1889 births 20th-century deaths Year of death missing Entertainers from Louisville, Kentucky American female dancers
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 ...
and musical theatre performer, best known as part of "Sunshine and Tempest" with her sister, Marion Sunshine.
Early life
Claire Lillian Ijames described herself as "born in Louisville";"Orpheum Offerings"''Western Magazine'' (April 1, 1920): 188. other sources give
Richmond, Virginia
(Thus do we reach the stars)
, image_map =
, mapsize = 250 px
, map_caption = Location within Virginia
, pushpin_map = Virginia#USA
, pushpin_label = Richmond
, pushpin_m ...
as her hometown.Emily Brokamp"'You Ought to See Her Now': The Female Kings of the Music Hall and Vaudeville"
Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute, Ohio State University Libraries. Her parents were Edward Henry Ijames and Mary Henesey Ijames. About 1901, Mary Henesey Ijames moved to New York City as a widow, with her young daughters June (or Junie), Claire (or Clara), and Mary (or Marion). The sisters sometimes performed as a trio act.
Career
Florence Tempest had a vaudeville act with her younger sister, Marion Sunshine; "I always played the boy, while Marion was my sweetheart", Tempest explained. They toured with their mother. Tempest's act was admired not only for its humor but also for its technical ingenuity: "Florence Tempest has conceived and put into effect the most unique fashion of hair dressing for her boy characterization", commented one reviewer, "Her own front and side hair is combed into the wig and makes and excellent boy's pompadour without the suspicion of girlish coiffure." The duo made a short silent film, ''Sunshine and Tempest'' (1915), in which they played telepathic twin sisters in the Tennessee mountains.
Tempest also had a headlining solo act, again playing masculine characters, but also donning a gown as the only female character in her "College Town" act, with "Ten 'Rah-Rah' Boys" as her chorus. She was described as vaudeville's "Most Lovable Boy and Daintiest Girl" in a 1917 headline. She appeared on the cover art of sheet music in masculine suits and caps, in youthful poses, even smoking a cigarette; for "I Want a Boy to Love Me" (1913), she's shown lounging on a bench, a hand in her trouser pocket; for "I Love the Ladies" (1914) she appears in a boater hat and the caption "Our American Boy". In the 1920s, no longer suited to "boyish" characters, she was in a vaudeville act with her second husband, comedian Homer Dickinson; they were billed as "Broadway's Smart Couple".Gillian M Rodger''Just One of the Boys: Female-to-Male Cross-Dressing on the American Variety Stage''
(University of Illinois Press 2018): 179-180. They were still performing together as late as 1932. Florence Tempest appeared on Broadway in the shows ''Ziegfeld Follies of 1907'' (1907), ''
Little Nemo
Little Nemo is a fictional character created by American cartoonist Winsor McCay. He originated in an early comic strip by McCay, ''Dream of the Rarebit Fiend'', before receiving his own spin-off series, ''Little Nemo in Slumberland''. The f ...
'' (1908-1909), ''H.M.S. Pinafore
''H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which ...
'' (1911), ''La Belle Paree
''La Belle Paree'' was a musical revue that launched the legitimate theatre career of Al Jolson. The book was by Edgar Smith, music by Jerome Kern and Frank Tours and lyrics by Edward Madden. Billee Taylor provided additional music and lyrics, and ...
'' (1911), ''Stop! Look! Listen!
''Stop! Look! Listen!'' is a musical in three acts with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin and book by Harry B. Smith. The piece had additional music by Henry Kailimai and Jack Alau and additional lyrics by G. H. Stover and Sylvester Kalama.
' ...
'' (1915-1916), and '' Earl Carroll's Vanities'' (1923). She also toured with the Ziegfeld Follies in the 1907–1908 season.
Personal life
Florence Tempest married a theatrical agent, Joseph E. Shea, in 1915. They separated months later, and they divorced in 1920. By 1924 she was married again, to her vaudeville partner, Homer Dickinson.Jamie Brotherton, Ted Okuda''Dorothy Lee: The Life and Films of the Wheeler and Woolsey Girl''
(McFarland 2013): 9.
References
External links
* *Examples of Florenze Tempest sheet music
in Digital Commonwealth: Massachusetts Collections Online. {{DEFAULTSORT:Tempest, Florence Vaudeville performers 1889 births 20th-century deaths Year of death missing Entertainers from Louisville, Kentucky American female dancers