Florence E. Moore (November 13, 1886 – March 23, 1935) was an American

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 ...

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 ...

performer, and actress in

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

1919 Plymouth theatre BostonGlobe Sept17

Biography

Born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Moore began singing in the choir of Saint Clement's Church, Philadelphia at the age of thirteen. She began touring with the stock company of her brother,

Frank Frank or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a medieval Germanic people * Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang Curr ...

. Florence got her first opportunity in

Moscow, Idaho Moscow ( ) is a city in North Central Idaho, United States. Located along the state border with Washington, it had a population of 25,435 at the 2020 census. The county seat and largest city of Latah County, Moscow is the home of the Universit ...

, when a male member of the cast failed to appear. Thereafter she was a regular with the company, playing the role of a Chinese without pay. Her first Broadway appearance came in 1912, as Clorinda Scribblem in ''Hanky Panky''. During the next twenty years she participated in numerous productions. As a comedian she performed in musical comedies, revues on Broadway, and headlined as a vaudeville actress while touring America. While working in ''The Champagne Girls'', Florence met and married William J. Montgomery and they became part of a popular vaudeville team. She divorced Montgomery and married John O. Kerner. Later she was separated from Kerner. Records show that she was also married to Jules I. Schwob. To theatregoers in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Florence is perhaps best known for being the first female emcee at the

Palace Theatre Palace Theatre, or Palace Theater, is the name of many theatres in different countries, including: Australia *Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria *Palace Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales Canada *Palace Theatre, housed in the Robillard Block, Mo ...

. as well as her performance in ''Parlor, Bedroom and Bath''. The production debuted in New York and played for two years on the road. Her final appearance on the New York stage came in 1932, in a revival of ''Cradle Snatchers''. She starred in the role of Mary Boland which had been created seven years earlier. As a motion picture actress Moore had a brief career. Films in which she appeared are ''The Old Melody'' (1913) opposite

King Baggot William King Baggot (November 7, 1879 – July 11, 1948) was an American actor, film director and screenwriter. He was an internationally famous movie star of the silent film era. The first individually publicized leading man in America, B ...

, ''The Weakness of Strength'' (1916), and ''

The Secret of Eve ''The Secret of Eve'' is a lost 1917 silent film drama directed by Perry N. Vekroff and starring Olga Petrova. It was produced by Popular Plays and Players and distributed through Metro Pictures. Cast * Olga Petrova - Eve, in the Garden of Ede ...

'' (1917) opposite

Olga Petrova Olga Petrova (born Muriel Harding; 10 May 1884 – 30 November 1977) was a British-American actress, screenwriter and playwright. Life and career Born Muriel Harding in England, she moved to the United States and became a star of vaudeville u ...

. She belonged to the

Actors' Equity Association The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing those who work in live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage productions without a boo ...

and the Twelfth Night Club. Florence Moore died in the Fitzgerald Mercy Hospital in Darby,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

in 1935, aged forty eight. Death followed an operation for

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

.''The New York Times'', ''Florence Moore, Comedienne, Dies'', March 25, 1935, Page 15.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Florence 1886 births 1935 deaths 19th-century American singers 19th-century American women singers American stage actresses American film actresses American silent film actresses Vaudeville performers Actresses from Philadelphia Deaths from cancer in Pennsylvania 20th-century American actresses 19th-century American women