Julia Sanderson (born Julia Ellen Sackett; August 27, 1887 – January 27, 1975) was a

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 ...

actress and singer. In 1887, she was born in Springfield, Massachusetts to parents Albert H. Sackett (also a

actor) and Jeanette Elvira Sanderson. She used her mother's maiden name as her stage name. She appeared in the Forepaugh Circus (based in Philadelphia) as a child. She then moved to

, where she appeared in

Jerome Kern Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in ove ...

musicals. She was a hit in England, but returned to the United States.

Stage career

She was first managed within the family circle as a child and teenaged actor, with assistance from her

-experienced father and her mother. At the age of 18 she was in a show called "Brewster's Millions". She then played in the chorus of "Winsome Winnie" and as understudy to actress Miss

Paula Edwardes Paula A. Edwardes (1878 – after 1926) was an American stage performer in musical comedies and vaudeville. Early life Edwardes was born in New York CityHelen Arthur"Beauties of the American Stage"''National Magazine'' (December 1904): 327–329. ...

. She was also considered for a part in a show called "The Motor Girl", considered appropriate because of her interest and ownership of the early

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarde ...

. 1906 continued to prove busy as she went into the part of Mrs. Pineapple in "The Chinese Honeymoon". After this she was retained to play Mataya in "Wang" with

De Wolf Hopper William DeWolf Hopper (March 30, 1858September 23, 1935) was an American actor, singer, comedian, and theatrical producer. A star of vaudeville and musical theater, he became best known for performing the popular baseball poem "Casey at the Bat". ...

. Then she played a part in Fantana. She then had a cast part in "The Tourists" but resigned from the company in December 1906. She appeared in ''The Dairymaids'', opening in Atlantic City in August 1907, then at the Criterion Theatre

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 on tour in the 1907 season before going across to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, having been engaged by

Charles Frohman Charles Frohman (July 15, 1856 – May 7, 1915) was an American theater manager and producer, who discovered and promoted many stars of the American stage. Notably, he produced ''Peter Pan'', both in London and the US, the latter production ...

Marriages

She was married three times but had no children. Her first marriage was to Tod Sloan, a jockey, on 22 September 1907. She sought and obtained a divorce from him Feb. 10, 1913. Her second marriage was to Navy Lieutenant Commander Bradford Barnette, head of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

's Hydrographic Department, and son of Rear Admiral W.G. Barnette USN. Her third marriage was to singer

Frank Crumit Frank Crumit (September 26, 1889 – September 7, 1943) was an American singer, composer, radio entertainer and vaudeville star. He shared his radio programs with his wife, Julia Sanderson, and the two were sometimes called "the ideal coupl ...

. They courted for six years while appearing in the musical ''

Tangerine The tangerine is a type of citrus fruit that is orange in color. Its scientific name varies. It has been treated as a separate species under the name ''Citrus tangerina'' or ''Citrus'' × ''tangerina'', or treated as a variety of ''Citrus retic ...

'' before marrying on July 1, 1927."Frank Crumit, radio entertainer, passes", ''Los Angeles Times'' (Associated Press), September 8, 1943, pg. 13
/ref> Sanderson was sued for divorce in September 1922 by her second husband, Barnette, with Crumit, 33, named as

co-respondent In English law, a co-respondent is, in general, a respondent to a petition, or other legal proceeding, along with another or others, or a person called upon to answer in some other way. 7.4.19 Divorce More particularly, since the Matrimonial Ca ...

. Crumit was at the time still married to a Connecticut woman. Crumit and Sanderson wed in 1928, and they retired briefly to Dunrovin, their country home at Longmeadow a suburb of Springfield. In 1930, they began working as a radio team, singing duets and engaging in comedy dialogues. The couple starred in ''

Blackstone Plantation ''Blackstone Plantation'' is an old-time radio musical variety program in the United States. It was broadcast on CBS (1929–1930) and on NBC (1930–1934). The program was one of NBC's top-rated programs in 1932. Personnel Frank Crumit and Juli ...

'', which was broadcast on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

(1929-1930) and on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

(1930-1934). They performed as the "Singing Sweethearts.""Ask the Globe", ''The Boston Globe,'' December 19, 1997
''Registration is required to access this link.'' In 1930, they continued with a popular quiz show, ''The Battle of the Sexes'', which ran 13 years, Crumit and Sanderson drove from Massachusetts to New York City, a four-hour trip, twice a week to do their radio show. Their final broadcast was aired the day before Crumit's death of a heart attack in New York City on September 7, 1943.

Filmography

*'' Two Daughters of Eve'' (1912 D.W. Griffith)*short (unconfirmed) *''The Runaway'' (1917 Mutual)

Retirement and death

After Crumit's death, Sanderson retired from the stage, and returned to live in Springfield, Massachusetts at her estate. She died in Springfield on January 27, 1975, aged 87.

Legacy

The Julia Sanderson Theater was named after her in Springfield and is on the U.S.

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

."Marquee Performance, Entrepreneurs Take Center State in Paramount Project", ''Business West,'' November 1, 2000
''Registration is required to access this link.''

References

External links

* *
''Article & Photo''
''National Magazine'', October 1905
Julia Sanderson papers, 1913-1935, bulk (1913-1928)
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 ...

Julia Sanderson portrait gallery New York Public Library Billy Rose CollectionJulia Sanderson recording of ''Why Do Stars Come Out At Night'' ca .1930s
(with Frank Crumit introducing)
Julia Sanderson
University of Washington, Sayre collection
Sanderson and her mother riding in open touring car, 1910
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanderson, Julia 1887 births 1975 deaths 20th-century American actresses 19th-century American actresses American stage actresses Actresses from Massachusetts American musical theatre actresses American radio actresses Actors from Springfield, Massachusetts Singers from Massachusetts Vaudeville performers Musicians from Springfield, Massachusetts 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers