Mae Clarke | |
|---|---|
 Clarke in 1932 | |
| Born | Violet Mary Klotz (1910-08-16)August 16, 1910 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | April 29, 1992(1992-04-29) (aged 81) |
| Resting place | Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1926–1970 |
| Spouses | |
Mae Clarke (bornViolet Mary Klotz; August 16, 1910 – April 29, 1992) was an American actress. She is widely remembered for playing Henry Frankenstein's bride Elizabeth, who is chased byBoris Karloff inFrankenstein, and for being on the receiving end ofJames Cagney's halved grapefruit inThe Public Enemy.[3] Both films were released in 1931.
Mae Clarke was born in Philadelphia. Her father was a theatre organist. She studied dancing as a child and began on stage invaudeville and also worked in night clubs.[4] In 1922, at the age of 12, she marched in the Miss America Pageant Parade on the Atlantic City Boardwalk dressed as a lobster. She returned to the Boardwalk Parade again in 1940 as a featured guest, riding atop a white limousine convertible.[5]
Clarke started her professional career as a dancer in New York City, sharing a room withBarbara Stanwyck.[6] She starred in many films forUniversal Studios, including the original screen version ofThe Front Page (1931) and the first sound version ofFrankenstein (1931), withBoris Karloff. Clarke played the role of Elizabeth,Henry Frankenstein's fiancée, who is attacked by theMonster (Boris Karloff) on her wedding day.
The Public Enemy, released that same year, contained one of cinema's more famous (and frequently parodied) scenes, in which James Cagney pushes a half grapefruit into Clarke's face, then goes out to pick upJean Harlow.[7]
The film was so popular that it ran 24 hours per day at a movie theatre inTimes Square upon its initial release; four months after the premiere,The Hollywood Reporter informed readers that Clarke's ex-husbandLew Brice claimed to have seen the film more than 20 times (and at least twice per week) and that Brice "says he goes to see the scene wherein Mae Clarke gets hit in the eye with a grapefruit—and that it's a plazure!"[8][a]
Clarke appeared as Myra Deauville in the 1931pre-Code version ofWaterloo Bridge. In the film, she portrays a young American woman who is forced by circumstance into a life of prostitution in World War I London; both the film and Clarke's performance were well received by the critics.[3]
Clarke also appeared in the modestpre-CodeUniversal filmNight World (1932), withLew Ayres, Boris Karloff,Hedda Hopper, andGeorge Raft. In 1933, she was the female lead inFast Workers,John Gilbert's last film as a contracted MGM star, andLady Killer with James Cagney andMargaret Lindsay. The same year, she and actorPhillips Holmes were in a single-car accident that left Clarke with a broken jaw and facial scarring.[11] Those injuries, however, did not end her film career, for she remained a leading lady for most of the 1930s. She was, though, increasingly cast in productions with lower budgets that lacked the status of her earlier films. Then, by 1940, Clarke slipped into supporting roles, although she did have a few last leading roles later in the decade, notably as the heroine in theRepublic serialKing of the Rocket Men (1949). In the 1950s and 1960s, Clarke played uncredited bit parts in several notable films, includingSingin' in the Rain,The Great Caruso, andThoroughly Modern Millie.[3] Her last screen appearance was in the 1970 filmWatermelon Man.[3]
On television, Clarke appeared in many episodic series, includingGeneral Hospital,Perry Mason andBatman. Clarke retired in 1970 and taught drama.[3]
Clarke was married and divorced three times: toFanny Brice's brotherLew Brice,[12] Stevens Bancroft,[13] and Herbert Langdon.[14][15] She did not have any children.[16]
In later years Clarke resided at theMotion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California.[17] Clarke died of cancer on April 29, 1992, at age 81.[11] She is buried inValhalla Memorial Park Cemetery.[11]
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