Norma Stafford Mitchell (May 8, 1884 – May 29, 1967) was an American actress and writer.

Early life

Mitchell was born in

Eastham, Massachusetts Eastham () is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, Barnstable County being coextensive with Cape Cod. The population was 5,752 at the 2020 census. For geographic and demographic information about the village of North Eastha ...

, the daughter of George William Mitchell and Mary Louisa Horton Mitchell. Her father was a mining engineer.

Career

Mitchell appeared in

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 ...

comedies, including ''The Call of the Cricket'' (1910), ''The Truth Wagon'' (1912), ''Her Husband's Wife'' (1917), ''March Hares'' (1921), ''To the Ladies'' (1922), ''The Goldfish'' (1922), ''Why Not?'' (1922), ''The New Poor'' (1924), and ''Dancing Mothers'' (1924). She also acted in the films ''

The Woman Accused ''The Woman Accused'' is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film directed by Paul Sloane and starring Nancy Carroll and Cary Grant as a young engaged couple on a sea cruise, with the woman being implicated in the death of her former lover. The suppo ...

'' (1933), ''

Melody in Spring ''Melody in Spring'' is a 1934 American pre-Code musical film directed by Norman Z. McLeod and written by Benn W. Levy, Frank Leon Smith, and Jane Storm. The film stars Lanny Ross, Charlie Ruggles, Mary Boland, Ann Sothern, George Meeker, and ...

'' (1934), and '' Susan and God'' (1940). Mitchell wrote ''Cradle Snatchers'' (1925) with Russell G. Medcraft, a comedy starring

Mary Boland Mary Boland (born Marie Anne Boland; January 28, 1882 – June 23, 1965) was an American stage and film actress. Early years Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Boland was the daughter of repertory actor William Augustus Boland, and his wife M ...

Edna May Oliver Edna May Oliver (born Edna May Nutter, November 9, 1883 – November 9, 1942) was an American stage and film actress. During the 1930s, she was one of the better-known character actresses in American films, often playing tart-tongued spinsters. ...

, and a young Humphrey Bogart; it was adapted for the screen three times, as ''

Cradle Snatchers ''Cradle Snatchers'' is a 1927 American silent comedy film directed by Howard Hawks. The picture is based on the 1925 Russell Medcraft and Norma Mitchell stage play of the same name that starred Mary Boland, Edna May Oliver, Raymond Hackett, ...

'' (1927), as '' Why Leave Home?'' (1929), and as Cole Porter's musical ''

Let's Face It '' Let's Face It'' is the fifth studio album by American ska punk band The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. It was released on March 11, 1997 by Mercury Records and Big Rig Records. The album sold very well due to the success of its single " The Impres ...

'' (1943). Mitchell and Medcraft collaborated again in writing ''Buy, Buy, Baby'' (1926). Mitchell also wrote a sketch, "Her Morning Bath", made popular in 1926 by vaudeville star

Charlotte Greenwood Frances Charlotte Greenwood (June 25, 1890 – December 28, 1977) was an American actress and dancer. Born in Philadelphia, Greenwood started in vaudeville, and starred on Broadway, movies and radio. Standing almost six feet tall (some sour ...

. Mitchell and her second husband cowrote the play ''Post Road'' (1934–1935), "a stubborn but not untalented play that refuses to make its peace with the theatre", according to critic

Brooks Atkinson Justin Brooks Atkinson (November 28, 1894 – January 14, 1984) was an American theatre critic. He worked for '' The New York Times'' from 1922 to 1960. In his obituary, the ''Times'' called him "the theater's most influential reviewer of hi ...

. ''Post Road'' was adapted for television in 1952 for ''

Robert Montgomery Presents ''Robert Montgomery Presents'' is an American dramatic television series which was produced by NBC from January 30, 1950, until June 24, 1957. The live show had several sponsors during its eight-year run, and the title was altered to feature the ...

,'' and again in 1956 for ''Encounter''. Her final play on Broadway was ''Autumn Hill'' (1942), written with John Harris.

Personal life

Mitchell married twice. Her first husband was journalist and playwright Hayden Talbot, father of editor Betsy Blackwell; they married in 1913 and divorced in 1921. Her second husband was writer Wilbur Daniel Steele; they married in 1932, in London. Steele survived her when she died in

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich (, ) is a town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. At the 2020 census, the town had a total population of 63,518. The largest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast, Greenwich is home to many hedge funds and other ...

in 1967, aged 83 years.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Norma 1884 births 1967 deaths People from Eastham, Massachusetts American women writers American dramatists and playwrights American actresses