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Adele Rowland

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Adele Rowland
Rowland, c. 1916
Born
Adele P. Levi

(1883-07-10)July 10, 1883
DiedAugust 8, 1971(1971-08-08) (aged 88)
OccupationActress
Years active1904–1950
Spouses
(m. 1914; div. 1916)
(m. 1918; died 1938)
RelativesMabel Rowland (sister)

Adele Rowland (born Adele P. Levi; July 10, 1883 – August 8, 1971) was an American actress and singer.[1]

Biography

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She was born on July 10, 1883, as Adele P. Levi in Washington, D.C., the youngest daughter of Abraham D. Levi and Addie (Lloyd) Levi. She had a sister, Mabel Rowland, who was an actress, monologist, producer and director,[2] and a brother, Harmon L. Rowland, a real estate broker in Los Angeles, California.[3]

Rowland performing in a 1928 Vitaphone Varieties short

A soprano, Rowland was a standout in musical comedy productions from 1904, specializing in "story songs". In 1914 she created the role of the soubrette Patsy in Victor Herbert's The Only Girl. She was best known for her rendition of the song "Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag", which she introduced in 1915 in the Broadway production of Her Soldier Boy. The 1919 musical The Lady in Red was created as a starring vehicle for her by playwright Anne Caldwell. In that production she introduced a new song by George Gershwin, "Something About Love", which contained lyrics by Lou Paley.[4]

Rowland later moved to Los Angeles. In 1935 she presented her stage talents for the film world at Harold Lloyd's organization, the Beverly Hills Little Theatre for Professionals, in John Entenza's play "A Notorious Lady", starring Paul De Ricon, Lora Treadwell, Grace Hale, and Robert Hoover, and directed by Alexander Leftwich.[5][6] The theatre had been specifically organized as such a showcase. She made a career playing small parts in motion pictures, acting well into the 1950s.

Personal life

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Adele Rowland, c. 1904

She married actor Charlie Ruggles in 1914 and they divorced in 1916.[7] She married stage and film actor Conway Tearle in 1918; he died in 1938.[8]

Death

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She died on August 8, 1971, in Los Angeles.[9]

Filmography

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References

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  1. ^ Anthony Slide (2012). "Adele Rowland". The Encyclopedia of Vaudeville. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1-61703-250-9. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  2. ^ "Mabel Rowland, 61, Actress, Writer, Dies. Was Founder and Director of Metropolitan Players Here". The New York Times. February 23, 1943. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
  3. ^ "FamilySearch.org". FamilySearch. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  4. ^ Pollack, Howard (2007). George Gershwin: His Life and Work. p. 231.
  5. ^ Mantle, Burns, ed. (1935). The best plays of 1934-35, and the Yearbook of the Drama in America. Dodd, Mead, and Company. p. 31.
  6. ^ "Coast (Cast?) "Notorious Lady"". Variety. June 5, 1935. p. 44. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  7. ^ "California Actor Weds Musical Comedy Star". San Francisco Call, March 10, 1914, p. 8.
  8. ^ "Conway Tearle, 60, Dies On The Coast". The New York Times. October 2, 1938. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  9. ^ "California Death Index, 1940-1997", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VPN4-W6X(subscription required) : November 26, 2014), Adele R Tearle, August 8, 1971; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.
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