chorus girl
A chorus line is a large group of dancers who together perform synchronized routines, usually in musical theatre. Sometimes, singing is also performed.
Chorus line dancers in Broadway musicals and revues have been referred to by slang terms s ...
in
Ned Wayburn
Ned Wayburn ''(né'' Edward Claudius Weyburn; 30 March 1874 – 2 September 1942) was an American choreographer.
Career
Wayburn was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Elbert Delos Weyburn and Harriet Landon Beach. Ned Wayburn spent much of ...
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 ...
. In her early career she performed under the name Helene Lynch, and it was this name that she used in
tryout
''Tryout'' was an amateur press journal published from 1914 to 1946 by Charles W. Smith of Haverhill, Massachusetts. It was connected to the National Amateur Press Association.
Smith (1852–1948) was a friend and correspondent of H. P. Lovecraft ...
Yes, Yes, Yvette
''Yes, Yes, Yvette'' is a musical in three acts with lyrics by Irving Caesar and music by Philip Charig and Ben Jerome. James Montgomery and William Cary Duncan co-authored the musical's book which was based on Montgomery's 1916 play ''Nothing ...
'', in Boston in May 1927. By the time ''Yes, Yes, Yvette'' reached Broadway's
Sam H. Harris Theatre
The Sam H. Harris Theatre, originally the Candler Theatre, was a theater within the Candler Building, at 226 West 42nd Street, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1914, the 1,200-seat theater was designed b ...
on October 3, 1927, she was billed as Helen Lynd in the role of Mabel Terry; her first significant part on the stage for which ''
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 ...
'' reviewer praised her execution of "low comedy".
In 1928 Lynd returned to Broadway as Frankie Shultz in the
Jack Yellen
Jack Selig Yellen (Jacek Jeleń; July 6, 1892 – April 17, 1991) was an American lyricist and screenwriter. He is best remembered for writing the lyrics to the songs "Happy Days Are Here Again", which was used by Franklin Roosevelt as the theme ...
and
Milton Ager
Milton Ager (October 6, 1893 – May 6, 1979) was an American composer, regarded as one of the top songwriters of the 1920s and 1930s. His most lasting compositions include "Ain't She Sweet?” and “Happy Days Are Here Again”.
Biography
Ag ...
George M. Cohan's Theatre
George M. Cohan's Theatre was a Broadway theatre at Broadway and West 43rd Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It was built in 1911 and demolished in 1938.
History
The theatre was designed by George Keister, and ope ...
which was written as a starring vehicle for comedian Joe Cook. She left that production later in the year to star as Penny in
Oscar Hammerstein II
Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II (; July 12, 1895 – August 23, 1960) was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and (usually uncredited) director in the musical theater for almost 40 years. He won eight Ton ...
and
Vincent Youmans
Vincent Millie Youmans (September 27, 1898 – April 5, 1946) was an American Broadway composer and producer.
A leading Broadway composer of his day, Youmans collaborated with virtually all the greatest lyricists on Broadway: Ira Gershwin, Ot ...
's short lived musical ''
Rainbow
A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...
'' at the
Gallo Opera House
Studio 54 is a Broadway theater and a former disco nightclub at 254 West 54th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Operated by the Roundabout Theatre Company, Studio 54 has 1,006 seats on two levels. The theater was ...
. After this she starred in the music revues ''
The Little Show
''The Little Show'' was a musical revue with lyrics by Howard Dietz and music by Arthur Schwartz. It was the first of 11 musicals that featured the songs of Dietz and Schwartz. The revue opened at the Music Box Theatre on Broadway on April 30, 192 ...
'' (1929-1930) and ''
The Earl Carroll Vanities
''The Earl Carroll Vanities'' was a Broadway revue that Earl Carroll presented in the 1920s and early 1930s. Carroll and his show were sometimes controversial.
Distinguishing qualities
In 1923, the ''Vanities'' joined the ranks of New York ...
'' (1931-1932). Her other Broadway credits included ''Ladies' Money'' (1934, as Margie), ''Battleship Gertie'' (1935, as Gertie), ''The Hook-up'' (1935, as Virginia Bryce), and ''The Illustrators' Show'' (1936, multiple roles).
After the mid-1930s, Lynd was primarily active as a film actress in California into the late 1940s. She began her film career in 1930 starring in the
short film
A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
s ''Purely an Accident''Bradley, p.427 and''Wedding Bells''.Liebman, p. 61
Helen Lynd died in
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. B ...
on April 1, 1992. She was married to the talent agent Al Melick.
Filmography
*''Purely an Accident'' (1930)
*''Wedding Bells'' (1930)
*''
Success
Success is the state or condition of meeting a defined range of expectations. It may be viewed as the opposite of failure. The criteria for success depend on context, and may be relative to a particular observer or belief system. One person mig ...
'' (1931, as Molly)
*''Maybe I'm Wrong'' (1932)
*''
Tee for Two
''Tee for Two '' is a 1945 American one-reel Technicolor animated cartoon and is the 20th ''Tom and Jerry'' short, first released to theaters on July 21, 1945 by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer. The short is directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, comp ...
'' (1932, as Blonde vocalist)
*'' The Build Up'' (1933, the Beach Boy's Sweetheart)
*'' Hats Off'' (1936, as Ginger Connolly)
*''
Swingtime in the Movies
''Swingtime in the Movies'' is a 1938 American short comedy–musical film directed and written by Crane Wilbur. In 1939, it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film, Two-Reel at the 11th Academy Awards. ''Swingtime ...
'' (1938, as Lorna)
*''
Of Mice and Men
''Of Mice and Men'' is a novella written by John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, it narrates the experiences of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers, who move from place to place in California in search of new job o ...
'' (1939, as Susie)
*''
When Tomorrow Comes
"When Tomorrow Comes" is a song recorded by British pop music duo Eurythmics. It was written by group members Annie Lennox, David A. Stewart and guest keyboardist Pat Seymour. With this single and its parent album ''Revenge'', Lennox and Stewart ...
'' (1939, as the waitress)
*''
Flight at Midnight
''Flight at Midnight'' is a 1939 American action film directed by Sidney Salkow and written by Eliot Gibbons. The film stars Phil Regan, Jean Parker, Roscoe Turner, Robert Armstrong, Noah Beery Jr. and Harlan Briggs. ''Flight at Midnight'' was ...
'' (1939, as Josephine)
*''
The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt
''The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt'' is a 1939 American adventure film directed by Peter Godfrey and written by Jonathan Latimer. The film stars Warren William and Ida Lupino. The film was released by Columbia Pictures on January 27, 1939.
The Lone W ...
'' (1939, as Marie Templeton)
*''
Lucky Partners
''Lucky Partners'' is a 1940 American comedy romance drama film directed by Lewis Milestone for RKO Radio Pictures. The film is based on the 1935 Sacha Guitry film ''Good Luck'', and stars Ronald Colman and Ginger Rogers in their only film toget ...
Power Dive
''Power Dive'' is a 1941 American film directed by James P. Hogan. The film stars Richard Arlen, Jean Parker and Helen Mack.
''Power Dive'' was the first film from the producing team of Pine-Thomas Productions, former press agents who had a pro ...
'' (1941, as Giggly Blonde)
*''
The Strawberry Blonde
''The Strawberry Blonde'' is a 1941 American romantic comedy film directed by Raoul Walsh, starring James Cagney and Olivia de Havilland, and featuring Rita Hayworth, Alan Hale, Jack Carson, and George Tobias. Set in New York City aroun ...
'' (1941, as Josephine)
*''
Here Comes Happiness
''Here Comes Happiness'' is a 1941 American comedy film directed by Noel M. Smith and written by Charles L. Tedford. The film stars Mildred Coles, Edward Norris, Richard Ainley, Russell Hicks, Marjorie Gateson and John Ridgely. The film was rel ...
'' (1941, as Flo)Munden, p. 443
*'' You're Telling Me'' (1942, as Miss Ames)
*''
The Great Man's Lady
''The Great Man's Lady'' is a 1942 American Western film directed by William A. Wellman and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Joel McCrea. It is based on the short story "The Human Side" by Viña Delmar.
It was filmed at two locations in Thousand O ...
'' (1942, as Bettina Sempler)
*''
Moonlight in Havana
''Moonlight in Havana'' is a 1942 American film romantic comedy directed by Anthony Mann and featuring Allan Jones, Jane Frazee, and Marjorie Lord. This was Mann's second film as director.. Choreography by Lester Horton.
Plot
Baseball star Joh ...
'' (1942, as Daisy)
*''
So Proudly We Hail!
''So Proudly We Hail!'' is a 1943 American war film directed and produced by Mark Sandrich and starring Claudette Colbert, Paulette Goddard – who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance – an ...
'' (1943, as Lt. Elsie Bollenbacher)
*''When the Wife's Away'' (1946, as Dolly)Webb, p. 614
*'' Any Number Can Play'' (1949, as Ellen)