Carrie Reynolds was an American stage actress in

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 Stre ...

shows from the mid-1880s until the early 20th century. She was described as "a graceful and strking blonde" and "a dainty and winsome actress." She was trained in

light opera Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue. Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a ne ...

.''Blue Envelope Opens'', ''The New York Times'', March 14, 1916, pg. 9. Her married name was Carrie Reynolds Ross.

Career

She appeared in a Robson and Crane production of '' A Comedy of Errors'' staged by the Star Theatre in 1885. Among the physical locations of the play are the ports and docks of

Ephesus Ephesus (; ; ; may ultimately derive from ) was an Ancient Greece, ancient Greek city on the coast of Ionia, in present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built in the 10th century BC on the site of Apasa, the former Arzawan capital ...

. The time frame runs from the very early morning through the twelve hours of the day, continuing until moonlight. Reynolds was associated with the Rogers Brothers' companies for a number of seasons before she sang the

prima donna In opera or ''commedia dell'arte'', a prima donna (; Italian for 'first lady'; : ''prime donne'') is the leading female singer in the company, the person to whom the ''prime'' roles would be given. ''Prime donne'' often had grand off-stage pe ...

role in ''The School Girl''. It was presented by Daly's Theatre,''Theaters'',

Atlanta Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (''AJC'') is an American daily newspaper based in Atlanta metropolitan area, metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Jo ...

, January 20, 1906, pg. 8. 1221

Broadway (Manhattan) Broadway () is a street and major thoroughfare in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The street runs from Battery Place at Bowling Green (New York City), Bowling Green in the south of Manhattan for through the Boroughs of New York ...

(30th Street), before touring on the road. She was in the company of ''The Newlyweds and Their Baby'', a comedy based on the cartoons of

George McManus George McManus (January 23, 1884 – October 22, 1954) was an American cartoonist best known as the creator of Irish immigrant Jiggs and his wife Maggie, the main characters of his syndicated comic strip, ''Bringing Up Father''. Biography B ...

. It premiered at the

Majestic Theatre Majestic Theatre or Majestic Theater may refer to: Australia * Majestic Theatre, Adelaide, former name of a theatre in King William Street, Adelaide, built 1916, now demolished *Majestic Theatre, Launceston, a former cinema in Tasmania designed by ...

on March 22, 1909. The plot dealt with Mr. and Mrs. Newlywed and Napoleon Newlywed, the baby.''Article 16--No Title'', ''The New York Times'', March 21, 1909, pg 8. Reynolds depicted ''Dolly Jolly'', a woman who was coveted by the character played by Fletcher Norton. She entered the cast of ''In Hayti'' in mid September 1909, singing the role of the actress. Written by John J. McNally, the theatrical was presented by the Montauk Theatre in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. The

troupe Troupe may refer to: General *Comedy troupe, a group of comedians *Dance troupe, a group of dancers **Fire troupe, a group of fire dancers *Troupe system, a method of playing role-playing games *Theatrical troupe, a group of theatrical performers ...

included a chorus of sixty girls and the comedians McIntyre and Heath. Reynolds performed in ''King Dodo'' at the Plaza Music Hall in July 1910. It was the second week of the Aborn Comic Opera's engagement there. Robert Lett acted the title role with Agnes Finlay among the players. Reynolds appeared in ''The Red Rose'' at the Globe Theatre (

Lunt-Fontanne Theatre The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, originally the Globe Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 205 West 46th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1910, the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre was designed by C ...

) in June 1911. The venue featured an open roof and a system of cooling the air for comfort on hot summer nights.

Valeska Suratt Valeska Suratt (June 28, 1882 – July 2, 1962) was an American stage and silent film actress. Over the course of her career, Suratt appeared in 11 silent films, all of which are now lost, mainly due to the 1937 Fox vault fire. Early life Sur ...

starred in the production. ''The Red Rose'' was her final New York appearance in a leading

soubrette A soubrette is a female minor stock character in opera and theatre, often a pert lady's maid. By extension, the term can refer generally to any saucy or flirtatious young woman. The term arrived in English from Provençal via French, and means " ...

role. In November 1911 the cast for ''Jacinta'', an opera comique by

Heinrich Berté Heinrich Berté (), born Heinrich Bettelheim (8 May 1857 – 23 August 1924) was an Austria-Hungarian composer of operas and operettas. Life Heinrich Berté was born in Galgócz, Hungary (now Hlohovec, Slovakia) in a Jewish family. At the begi ...

, was announced by John Cort. Reynolds was a principal in the company for the play which was to debut in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

on November 27. The production first played in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

under a different title. It was adapted from a book by Ignatz Schnitzer and Emerich von Gatti. In December she retired from the opera comique and entered

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

in a single act.''Theatrical Notes'', ''The New York Times'', December 28, 1911, pg. 7. She acted with

Robert Warwick Robert Warwick (born Robert Taylor Bien; October 9, 1878 – June 6, 1964) was an American stage, film and television actor with over 200 film appearances. A matinee idol during the silent film era, he also prospered after the introduction ...

at the West End Theatre, in ''The Kiss Waltz'', in March 1912.''Week's Bills At Theatres'', ''The New York Times'', March 19, 1912, pg. 8. ''The Blue Envelope'' was staged at the

Cort Theatre The James Earl Jones Theatre, originally the Cort Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 138 48th Street (Manhattan), West 48th Street, between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater ...

in March 1916. The comedy was written by Frank Hatch and Robert E. Homans. Walter Jones, Beth Franklyn, Reynolds, and Belle Theodore were some of the actors in the cast. As ''The Angel'', Reynolds was an adventuress whose actions were eventually frustrated. A critic observed that her background in light opera was somewhat of a hindrance in this role. Specifically, she sang all her speeches and her very empty laugh sounded discomforting after a while.

Personal life

Reynolds was married to Fred Griffen Ross, a former actor and business manager for

Lillian Russell Lillian Russell (born Helen Louise Leonard; December 4, 1860 or 1861 – June 6, 1922) was an American actress and singer. She became one of the most famous actresses and singers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, praised for her beaut ...

and other performers. He died at the age of 84 at the Brunswick Home in

Amityville, New York Amityville () is a Political subdivisions of New York State#Village, village in the Babylon (town), New York, Town of Babylon in Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County, on the South Shore (Long Island), South Shore of Long Island, in New York ...

. The couple had a daughter, Ruby Bramall.''F.G. Ross, Manager Of Lillian Russell'', ''The New York Times'', August 19, 1942, p. 19. In September 1924, Ross published a public notice in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' stating "...my wife, Carrie Reynolds Ross, having left my room and board, I will no longer be responsible for debts she contracts".''Public Notices'', ''The New York Times'', September 21, 1924, pg. 3.

Partial filmography

*''A Mother's Confession'' (1915) *''Half a Million'' (1915) *''An Accident Policy'' (1915) *''His Wife's New Lid'' (1915) *'' Blaming the Duck, or Ducking the Blame'' (1915) *''Which Is Which?'' (1915) *''Playing the Same Game'' (1915) *''Bashful Billie'' (1915) *''An Unwilling Burglar'' (1915) *''Beyond All Is Love'' (1915)

References

External links

Carrie Reynolds
New York Public Library Digital Gallery photos * *
portrait
University of Washington, Sayre collection) {{DEFAULTSORT:Reynolds, Carrie 19th-century American actresses American stage actresses American musical theatre actresses American vaudeville performers American music hall performers Year of death missing Year of birth missing