Jane Cowl (December 14, 1883 – June 22, 1950) was an American film and

stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

actress and playwright "notorious for playing lachrymose parts". Actress

Jane Russell Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell (June 21, 1921 – February 28, 2011) was an American actress, singer, and model. She was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s. She starred in more than 20 films. Russell moved from th ...

was named in Cowl's honor.

Biography

Cowl was born Jane Bailey in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

, to Charles Bailey and Grace Avery. She attended

Erasmus Hall High School Erasmus Hall High School was a four-year public high school located at 899–925 Flatbush Avenue between Church and Snyder Avenues in the Flatbush neighborhood of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It was founded in 1786 as Erasmus Hall Ac ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. And she also took some courses at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. She made her Broadway debut in New York City in '' Sweet Kitty Bellairs'' in 1903. Her first leading role was ''Fanny Perry'' in 1909 in

Leo Ditrichstein Leo Ditrichstein (January 6, 1865 – June 28, 1928) was an Austrian-American actor and playwright. Biography He was born on January 6, 1865, in Temesvár, Austria-Hungary. He was educated in Vienna and was naturalized as an American citiz ...

's ''Is Matrimony a Failure?'', produced by

David Belasco David Belasco (July 25, 1853 – May 14, 1931) was an American theatrical producer, impresario, director, and playwright. He was the first writer to adapt the short story ''Madame Butterfly'' for the stage. He launched the theatrical career of ...

, and then she played stock. This was followed by ''The Gamblers'' (1910), her first great success, and by '' Within the Law'' (1912), '' Common Clay'' (1915), and other successes ( New International Encyclopedia). She was known for her interpretation of Shakespearean roles, playing Juliet, Cleopatra, and

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on Broadway. She made Broadway history by playing ''Juliet'' over 1000 consecutive performances in 1923; critic

George Jean Nathan George Jean Nathan (February 14, 1882 – April 8, 1958) was an American drama critic and magazine editor. He worked closely with H. L. Mencken, bringing the literary magazine ''The Smart Set'' to prominence as an editor, and co-founding and ...

declared her "not ... the best Juliet that I have seen, but she is by all odds the most charming". Cowl's affecting performances led her to be described as having a "voice with a tear." Biographer Charles Higham admired Cowl's "marvelous bovine eyes and exquisite genteel catch in the voice ..." In June 1911, Cowl traveled on the maiden voyage from

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

of the ''

RMS Olympic RMS ''Olympic'' was a British ocean liner and the lead ship of the White Star Line's trio of liners. ''Olympic'' had a career spanning 24 years from 1911 to 1935, in contrast to her short-lived sister ships, ''Titanic'' and ''Britannic''. Thi ...

'', sister ship of the ''Titanic'' which was lost in a famous disaster the following April . In 1930, Cowl appeared with a young Katharine Hepburn in the Broadway production of

Benn W. Levy Benn Wolfe Levy (7 March 1900 – 7 December 1973) was a Labour Party Member of Parliament in the House of Commons (1945–1950), and a successful playwright. He was educated at Repton School and University College, Oxford and served in uniform ...

's play ''Art and Mrs. Bottle'', and in 1934, she created the role of Lael Wyngate in

S.N. Behrman Samuel Nathaniel Behrman (; June 9, 1893 – September 9, 1973) was an American playwright, screenwriter, biographer, and longtime writer for ''The New Yorker''. His son is the composer David Behrman. Biography Early years Behrman's parents, Z ...

's ''

Rain from Heaven Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water fo ...

'' opposite actor John Halliday. Noting the challenges posed by Behrman's heightened dialogue, critic Gilbert Gabriel noted approvingly that their scenes together were "models of aristocratic

parlando Recitative (, also known by its Italian name "''recitativo''" ()) is a style of delivery (much used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas) in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms and delivery of ordinary speech. Recitative does not repeat ...

." She also starred in Noël Coward's '' Easy Virtue''. Jane Cowl in “The Garden of Lies”

Cowl was the lead in two silent films, ''

The Garden of Lies ''The Garden of Lies'' is a lost 1915 silent film drama directed by Jack Pratt and starring in her debut stage actress Jane Cowl. It was based on a novel by Justus Miles Forman who perished on the '' Lusitania'' that same year. The Universal Film M ...

'' (1915) and ''

The Spreading Dawn ''The Spreading Dawn'' is a 1917 American silent drama film produced by Samuel Goldwyn in his first year of producing independently in his own studio and starring Broadway stage star Jane Cowl in her second and final silent film. It was directed b ...

'' (1917). Then, after nearly 30 years away from films, she returned for several supporting roles in the 1940s. Her final film was ''

Payment on Demand ''Payment on Demand'' is a 1951 American drama film directed by Curtis Bernhardt and starring Bette Davis and Barry Sullivan. The screenplay by Bernhardt and Bruce Manning chronicles a marriage from its idealistic early days to its dissolution. P ...

'' (1951) with

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her pe ...

. Jane Cowl died of cancer in Santa Monica, California, on June 22, 1950, aged 66. Following cremation, her ashes were buried at

Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery is located at 10621 Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood and Burbank, California. The cemetery has an entrance called the Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation that is the final resting place for aviation ...

. A biography about Cowl, titled ''Jane Cowl: Her Precious and Momentary Glory'', was published in 2004. It was written by Richard Abe King, who had formerly worked with Cowl.

Family

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On June 18, 1906, at her father's apartment on Riverside Drive and 95th Street in New York City, Cowl married Adolph Edward Klauber, the

drama critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governme ...

of ''

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 d ...

''. A former actor and son of a prominent Jewish photographer in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

, Klauber left the ''Times'' in 1918 to become a theatrical producer and manager. He and Cowl separated in 1930, shortly after his health began to fail. Klauber returned to live "in strict seclusion" in Louisville, where he died in 1933."Adolph Klauber, Producer, Dies", ''The New York Times'', 8 December 1933 The couple had no children.

Works

Cowl wrote several plays in collaboration with

Jane Murfin Jane Murfin (October 27, 1884 – August 10, 1955) was an American playwright and screenwriter. The author of several successful plays, she wrote some of them with actress Jane Cowl—most notably '' Smilin' Through'' (1919), which was adapted ...

. They often used the joint pseudonym Allan Langdon Martin. Their works include: * ''Lilac Time'' - 1917 * ''At Daybreak'' - 1917 * ''Information Please'' - 1918 * '' Smilin' Through'' - 1919 * ''The Jealous Moon'' - 1928

Filmography

*''

'' (1915) *''

'' (1917) *''

Once More, My Darling ''Once More, My Darling'' is a 1949 American comedy film directed by and starring Robert Montgomery and Ann Blyth. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound Recording ( Leslie I. Carey). Plot Collier "Collie" Laing, a confirm ...

'' (1949) *'' No Man of Her Own'' (1950) *''

The Secret Fury ''The Secret Fury'' is a 1950 American psychological thriller film noir directed by Mel Ferrer and starring Claudette Colbert, Robert Ryan and Jane Cowl. Plot A wealthy classical pianist, Ellen, is accused of already being married when she atte ...

'' (1950) *''

'' (1951)

References

External links

*
Jane Cowl at Women in American History website
* *
Allan Langdon Martin (pseudonym)
at the Internet Broadway Database
Jane Cowl papers, 1907-1949 (bulk 1927-1945)
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, is located in Manhattan, New York City, at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side, between the Metro ...

Jane Cowl
portrait gallery at NYP Library

devoted to Jane Cowl(Wayback Machine)
Jane Cowl
photo gallery at Corbis
Jane Cowl
University of Washington, Sayre collection
photo of Jane Cowl and Jane Murfin
Wayback Machine) {{DEFAULTSORT:Cowl, Jane 1883 births 1950 deaths 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American film actresses American stage actresses Actresses from Boston People from Greater Los Angeles Deaths from cancer in California Burials at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery Columbia University alumni 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American actresses American women dramatists and playwrights Erasmus Hall High School alumni