Mae Dahlberg

Mae Dahlberg
Mae Dahlberg
	Dahlberg in Rupert of Hee Haw (1924)
Born	Mae Charlotte Dahlberg; 24 May 1888; Brunswick, Melbourne, Australia
Died	1969 (aged 80–81); New York City, U.S.
Other names	Mae Laurel
Occupations	Vaudeville performer; actress;
Spouse	Rupert Cuthbert (m. 1906, divorced)
Partner	Stan Laurel (1917–1925)
Children	1

Mae Charlotte Dahlberg (24 May 1888 – 1969), also known as Mae Laurel, was an Australian-born vaudeville performer and actress.^[1] She was Stan Laurel's professional partner and common-law wife from 1917 to 1925.

Childhood and career in Australia

She was born May Dahlberg on 24 May 1888 in the inner Melbourne suburb of Brunswick, Victoria, Australia, to Mary Jane (née Gundry) and labourer Louis Dahlberg. By 1905, she had begun to earn a reputation performing as a singer and dancer on the Australian stage, with positive reviews.^[2]^[3] In 1906, she married baritone and fellow performer Rupert Cuthbert while in Hobart, Tasmania.^[4] A child, Rupert Clifton Saxe Cuthbert, was born of the union in 1908, in Melbourne.^[5]

In about 1913, Dahlberg and Cuthbert sailed for the United States.^{[citation needed]}

Career in the U.S.

Dahlberg and Cuthbert's personal and professional relationship apparently did not last. While performing in a "sister act" in California, Dahlberg met and formed a variety act with Stan Laurel. In 1917 she played in a comedy short, Nuts in May, notable as the screen debut of Stan Laurel (credited as Stan Jefferson). Mae Dahlberg is credited as "Mae Laurel" in several of her films.

Though Stan and Mae never married, as professional partners they lived together as common-law husband and wife from 1917 to 1925. Mae maintained that it was she who suggested Stan change his name to Laurel.^[6]

By 1924, Laurel had given up the stage for full-time film work under contract with Joe Rock for 12 two-reel comedies. The contract had one stipulation: Dahlberg was not to appear in any of the films. Rock thought her temperament was hindering Laurel's career. In 1925, when she started interfering with Laurel's work, Rock offered her a cash settlement and a one-way ticket back to her Australia, which she accepted.^[7]^[8] Her last film had been Wide Open Spaces, made for Hal Roach in 1924 with Laurel and fellow Australian Ena Gregory in the leading roles.

Dahlberg returned to the U.S. a few years later, and in November 1937, she sued the now successful Stan Laurel for financial support. The matter was settled out of court.^[9] She was described as a "relief project worker" by the court.^{[citation needed]}

Although Dahlberg appears to have lived in Melbourne again for some time during the 1940s, she returned to the United States again. She died in New York in 1969.^{[citation needed]}

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1917	Nuts in May		short film
1918	Huns and Hyphens	Woman
1918	Bears and Bad Men	Scared Woman
1922	Mud and Sand	La Paloma aka Pavaloosky
1922	The Pest	Court Woman
1923	When Knights were Cold	Countless Out, a Classy Eve
	Under Two Jags	The Princess
	Frozen Hearts	Madame XXX
	The Soilers	Woman in Saloon
	Mother's Joy	Miss Flavia de Lorgnette
1924	Near Dublin	Villager
	Rupert of Hee Haw	The Princess
	Wide Open Spaces	Calamity Jane
2011	Laurel & Hardy: Their Lives and Magic	Self	archive footage, uncredited, posthumously release

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2003	Living Famously	Pavaloosky	archive footage, uncredited, posthumously release, episode: Laurel & Hardy

References

^ "Family History Search". Department of Justice & Regulation, Victoria State Government. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
^ Critic, Sat 5 Nov 1910, Page 2, "Miss May Dahlberg" Accessed 2017-4-15
^ The Brisbane Courier, Mon 15 Jan 1912, Page 5, "Entertainments" Accessed 2017-15-4
^ Punch, Thursday 13 Jan 1910, Page 34, "Greenroom Gossip" Accessed 2017-15-4
^ "Family History Search". Department of Justice & Regulation, Victoria State Government. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
^ Simon Louvish, Stan and Ollie, The Roots of Comedy, Faber & Faber 2001 ISBN 0-571-21590-4
^ Bergan 1992, p. 33.
^ The Sun, Tue 3 Mar 1925, Page 10 "NINE YEARS IN U.S.A" Accessed 2017-4-15
^ San Bernardino Sun, Volume 44, 7 December 1937, Page 4, "Stan Laurels in Agreement" Accessed 2017-4-15

Bibliography

Bergan, Ronald. The Life and Times of Laurel and Hardy. New York: Smithmark, 1992. ISBN 0-8317-5459-1.

External links

Mae Dahlberg at IMDb

[1] "Family History Search". Department of Justice & Regulation, Victoria State Government. Retrieved 15 April 2017.

[2] Critic, Sat 5 Nov 1910, Page 2, "Miss May Dahlberg" Accessed 2017-4-15

[3] The Brisbane Courier, Mon 15 Jan 1912, Page 5, "Entertainments" Accessed 2017-15-4

[4] Punch, Thursday 13 Jan 1910, Page 34, "Greenroom Gossip" Accessed 2017-15-4

[5] "Family History Search". Department of Justice & Regulation, Victoria State Government. Retrieved 15 April 2017.

[6] Simon Louvish, Stan and Ollie, The Roots of Comedy, Faber & Faber 2001 ISBN 0-571-21590-4

[7] Bergan 1992, p. 33.

[8] The Sun, Tue 3 Mar 1925, Page 10 "NINE YEARS IN U.S.A" Accessed 2017-4-15

[9] San Bernardino Sun, Volume 44, 7 December 1937, Page 4, "Stan Laurels in Agreement" Accessed 2017-4-15

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