Louise Groody (1897–1961) was an American

Broadway musical Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

comedy star of the 1920s who introduced to New York audiences the song " Tea for Two" in the musical ''

No, No, Nanette ''No, No, Nanette'' is a musical comedy with lyrics by Irving Caesar and Otto Harbach, music by Vincent Youmans, and a book by Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel, based on Mandel's 1919 Broadway play ''My Lady Friends''. The farcical story involves th ...

''.

Early life

Louise Groody was born on March 27, 1897, in

Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the ...

, the first of three girls and a boy raised by Thomas and Irene Groody. Her father, a native of Pennsylvania, supported his family as a drug store manager and pharmacist. Irene Groody was from Louisiana and had married Thomas in 1893. During the early years of her childhood Louise Groody's family would live in Houston and later

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.

Career

Groody began as cabaret dancer in New York and while still in her teens drew the attention of Broadway producer

Charles Dillingham Charles Bancroft Dillingham (May 30, 1868 – August 30, 1934) was an American theatre manager and producer of over 200 Broadway shows. Biography Charles Bancroft Dillingham was born on May 30, 1868 in Hartford, Connecticut to Edmund Bancroft ...

that led to a dancing role in the 1915

C. M. S. McLellan Charles Morton Stewart McLellan (1865–1916) was a London-based American playwright and composer who often wrote under the pseudonym Hugh Morton. McLellan is probably best remembered for the musical theatre, musical ''The Belle of New York ...

musical revue ''Around the Map''. She would go on to appear in nine more Broadway productions, mostly musical comedies, of which four would prove to be major hits with runs of well over 300 performances. In 1920 the diminutive five-foot brunette played Barbara, a principal role in ''

The Night Boat ''The Night Boat'' (1920) is a musical in three acts, based on a farce by Alexandre Bisson, with a book and lyrics by Anne Caldwell and music by Jerome Kern. The story lampoons the notorious New York City-to- Albany night boat, on which clandesti ...

'', at the

Liberty Theatre The Liberty Theatre is a former Broadway theater at 234 West 42nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1904, the theater was designed by Herts & Tallant and built for Klaw and Erlanger, the partnership ...

, and the following year she played Rose-Marie in ''Good Morning Dearie'' at the

Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend, and gra ...

. She played the title role Nanette in the 1925 hit ''

'', also staged at the Globe and in 1927, her favorite role, Loulou in '' Hit the Deck'', at the

Belasco Theatre The Belasco Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 111 West 44th Street, between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York Ci ...

. Audiences of the day most likely best remembered Louise Groody for the popular song " Tea for Two", from ''No, No, Nanette''. The Night Boat 001

Marriages

Groody married on April 8, 1920, actor

William Harrigan William Harrigan (March 27, 1894 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor who performed in Hollywood during the 1930s and 1940s and on stage. Early years Harrigan was born in New York City and attended New York Military Academy. Harrigan was ...

, the son of a prominent lawyer. The couple had hoped the ceremony would be conducted by Newark, N.J. Mayor, Charles P. Gillen, but as he became unavailable, settled upon Police Judge Michael J. Quigley instead. She married stock broker William F. McGee a year or two later and soon became embroiled in a bucket shop scandal in which her husband's firm was accused of bilking some four thousand investors out of millions of dollars. Groody later cooperated with investigators and was able to prove she had also lost money in the scheme. She divorced McGee in 1923 shortly before he entered

Sing Sing Prison Sing Sing Correctional Facility, formerly Ossining Correctional Facility, is a maximum-security prison operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision in the village of Ossining, New York. It is about north o ...

to serve out his one-year sentence. On January 8, 1949, she wed John G. Loofburrow (1902–1964), a one-time actor from Ohio who went on to serve for many years as New York night editor for the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

. The couple remained together until her death in 1961.

Later life

Groody's great success in the 1920s was tempered by the financial losses she suffered in the

Wall Street Crash of 1929 The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange colla ...

. In the early 1930s she branched out to perform in vaudeville acts and on radio. By 1941 Groody's affluence was such she was able to lease a fashionable apartment on Manhattan's

Park Avenue Park Avenue is a wide New York City boulevard which carries north and southbound traffic in the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. For most of the road's length in Manhattan, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenu ...

. During

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 joined the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

and served for some time in the Allied Mediterranean Theatre of Operations. After the war she went on to appear in several 1950s television drama and celebrity panel shows. Groody died from cancer on September 16, 1961, at her summer home in

Canadensis, Pennsylvania Canadensis is an unincorporated community in Monroe County, Pennsylvania. Canadensis is home to a few small shops, restaurants and churches. The "crossroads", which is the intersection of Pennsylvania Routes 447 and 390, is the center of the comm ...

.Louise Groody Dies; Stage Star of 1920s- Bridgeport Post, September 17, 1961; pg. 90

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Groody, Louise 1897 births 1961 deaths American musical theatre actresses Vaudeville performers 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers