Clara Whipple ''(née'' Clara or Clarissa or Clarise Brimmer Whipple; November 7, 1887 – November 6, 1932) was an American actress who flourished in theatre from 1913 to 1915 and in

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

from 1915 to 1919. She was also a

scenario In the performing arts, a scenario (, ; ; from Italian , "that which is pinned to the scenery") is a synoptical collage of an event or series of actions and events. In the ''commedia dell'arte'', it was an outline of entrances, exits, and actio ...

writer.

Early years

Whipple was born in Saint Louis. Sometime before 1910, she had attended school in Germany, on the wooded isle of Nönnenwerth, at

Trier Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...

, and at

Eschweiler Eschweiler (, Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: ) is a municipality in the district of Aachen (district), Aachen in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany on the river Inde, near the German-Dutch-Belgian border, and about east of Aachen and w ...

. Hildegard zur Bonsen (born 1889;

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

) of

Göttingen Göttingen (, ; ; ) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. According to the 2022 German census, t ...

was her classmate and friend at all three locations. Whipple's biography states that she was educated at a

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and a

finishing school A finishing school focuses on teaching young women social graces and upper-class cultural rites as a preparation for entry into society. The name reflects the fact that it follows ordinary school and is intended to complete a young woman's ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. A 1915 article in '' The St. Louis Star'' stated that Whipple left Saint Louis "early in life to go to a school in Ohio" (Ursuline Convent) "and later went to Ladycliff, on the

Hudson Hudson may refer to: People * Hudson (given name) * Hudson (surname) * Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back * Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudson Rodrigues dos Santos, Brazilian f ...

." The article continued: "She then went to Nonnenwerth, a convent on an island in the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

, near Honnef." "Later she went to

." "She completed her education in the Women's College at

, in Germany."

Career

Stage

Whipple, from 1913 to 1915, was a stage actress in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, where her father and mother had been living. Her father, Thomas Hearne Bailey Whipple, was a publicist and advertising executive with Westinghouse. Whipple debuted in Pittsburgh June 1913 with the Harry Davis Players at the Grand Opera House in a production of ''The Christian'', by

Hall Caine Sir Thomas Henry Hall Caine (14 May 1853 – 31 August 1931), usually known as Hall Caine, was a British novelist, dramatist, short story writer, poet and critic of the late 19th and early 20th century. Caine's popularity during his lifetim ...

. Whipple subsequently, that same year, joined the Pitt Players, a stock company of the Pitt Theatre Company, founded in 1913, managed by William Moore Patch. At its founding, the Pitt Players were billed as "The Most Expensive and Evenly Balanced Stock Company in America." Patch's mission was to offer new and original plays, as well as encourage native, and above all, Pittsburgh playwrights.

Film

Whipple, from 1915 to 1919, was a silent film actress. She co-starred in the film ''The Prima Donna's Husband'' (1916), a

crime drama Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

directed by

William A. Brady William Aloysius Brady (June 19, 1863 – January 6, 1950) was an American theater actor, producer, and sports promoter. Biography Brady was born to a newspaperman in 1863. His father kidnapped him from San Francisco and brought him to New York ...

, Julius Steger (es), and Joseph A. Golden (pt). The

screenplay A screenplay, or script, is a written work produced for a film, television show (also known as a '' teleplay''), or video game by screenwriters (cf. ''stage play''). Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of w ...

was written by Edna Riley, who adapted it from a play by Wildbrandt. The film, five reels, was released by Triumph Films. The film also featured Kathryn Brown Decker ''(née'' Browne; 1883–1919) and

Holbrook Blinn Holbrook Blinn (January 23, 1872 – June 24, 1928) was an American stage and film actor. Early years Blinn was the son of American Civil War veteran Col. Charles Blinn and actress Nellie Holbrook-Blinn. He was born in San Francisco and attende ...

. Whipple was the

leading lady A leading actor, leading actress, or leading man or lady or simply lead (), plays a main role in a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person w ...

in ''The Reapers'' (1916), starring opposite John B. Mason. The drama exemplified the

biblical The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...

truth that, "As ye sow, so shall ye reap," from the

Old Testament The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...

. The movie instructs about a high moral truth without preaching. Whipple was cast with

Willard Mack Willard Mack (September 18, 1873 – November 18, 1934) was a Canadian- American actor, director, and playwright. Life and career He was born Charles Willard McLaughlin in Morrisburg, Ontario. At an early age his family moved to Brooklyn, Ne ...

and Gerda Holmes ''(née'' Gerda Helen Elfrida Henius; 1891–1943) in ''His One Big Chance'' (1916), a film directed by John Ince. '' The Heart of a Hero'' (1916) was adapted from the

Clyde Fitch William Clyde Fitch (May 2, 1865 – September 4, 1909) was an American dramatist, the most popular writer for the Broadway stage of his time (). Biography Born in Elmira, New York and educated at Holderness School and Amherst College (clas ...

play entitled ''

Nathan Hale Nathan Hale (June 6, 1755 – September 22, 1776) was an American Patriot (American Revolution), Patriot, soldier and spy for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He volunteered for an Military intelligence, intelligence ...

''.

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 ...

played the role of Hale, and

Gail Kane Gail Kane (born Abigail Kane; July 10, 1885 – February 17, 1966) was an American stage and silent movie actress. Early years Kane was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She attended a private school in Newburgh, New York, but eschewed addit ...

performed the part of Alice Adams, his girlfriend. The theme of the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

was made more true-to-life with the inclusion of Charles Jackson as

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

. Whipple played the Widow Chichester. Whipple, Decker, and

Blinn * Alice Blinn (April 18, 1889 – January 20, 1982) was an American educator, home efficiency expert, and magazine editor *Christian Blinn, namesake of th Blinn College * Clara Blinn (1847 – 1868), American settler *Edmund Blinn of Edmund Blinn ...

teamed again to make a powerful , ''Would You Forgive'' (1919). In '' Pettigrew's Girl'' (1919), her last film, she portrays Piggy, a chorus girl friend of heroine Daisy Heath. The leading lady was

Ethel Clayton Ethel Clayton (November 8, 1882 – June 6, 1966) was an American actress of the silent film era. Early years Born in Champaign, Illinois, Clayton attended St. Elizabeth's school in Chicago. Career Clayton debuted on stage as a professional a ...

Family

Parents

Clara Brimmer Whipple was born November 7, 1887, in

Saint Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

, to the marriage of Thomas Hearne Bailey Whipple (1858–1942) and Frances (Fanny) Bell Mitchell (maiden; 1868–1941), who married January 25, 1887, in

Columbia, Tennessee Columbia is a city in and the county seat of Maury County, Tennessee. The population was 41,690 as of the 2020 United States census. Columbia is included in the Nashville metropolitan area. The self-proclaimed "mule capital of the world," Colu ...

. With her parents, Clara Whipple, in 1900, lived in

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, and in 1910, in

. In Pittsburgh T.H.B. Whipple had, for about 30 years, been a publicist with Westinghouse. In 1926, he became an instructor of business communication at

Duquesne University Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( ; also known as Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a Private university, private Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded by members of ...

. Clara's parents, T.H.B. and Frances, separated in 1907. T.H.B. filed for divorce in June 1914 in

. Clara's first and middle names are drawn from those of her great-grandmother Clarissa Whipple ''(née'' Brimmer; 1783–1835) and her aunt, Clarissa Brimmer Whipple (1850–1914), who was twice married, first on February 6, 1881, in

Manhattan, New York Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, to Frederick H. Prentiss (born 1856) (divorced between 1897 and 1900), then on March 2, 1900, in

to Burcham Harding (1852–1930). Clara Whipple's father, T.H.B. Whipple, remarried May 4, 1923, to Laura Evangeline Williamson (maiden; 1884–1978). From that marriage, Clara gained a half-sister, Frances Jane Whipple (born 1925), who in 1943, married Joseph John Kerchner (1920–2000).

Marriages

On April 10, 1919, Whipple married motion picture director James Young Jr., at the Mission Inn,

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. As of the 2020 census, the city has a population of 314,998. It is the most populous city in th ...

. For Young, it was his third of four marriages. Whipple, at the time, was a well-regarded

writer. James Young, from 1910 to 1917, had been married to the movie actress

Clara Kimball Young Clara Kimball Young (born Edith Matilda Clara Kimball; September 6, 1890 – October 15, 1960) was an American film actress who was popular in the early silent film era. Early life Edith Matilda Clara Kimball was born in Chicago on Septembe ...

– his second marriage. Clara Whipple retired from the screen after marrying James Young. She returned to movies as Clara Young in 1920, despite objections by Clara Kimball Young concerning the use of the Young name. Whipple separated from Young in June 1920 and divorced him in October 1921. The couple had a home at 2000 Holly Drive,

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. Young settled money and real estate amounting to $40,000 on Whipple. In September 1922 Young sought to reverse the

annulment Annulment is a legal procedure within secular and religious legal systems for declaring a marriage null and void. Unlike divorce, it is usually retroactive, meaning that an annulled marriage is considered to be invalid from the beginning alm ...

with a

cross-complaint In legal terminology, a complaint is any formal legal document that sets out the facts and legal reasons (see: cause of action) that the filing party or parties (the plaintiff(s)) believes are sufficient to support a claim against the party ...

filed by his attorneys. Depositions mentioned misconduct by Whipple with other men.

Jack Pickford Jack Pickford (born John Charles Smith, August 18, 1896 – January 3, 1933), was a Canadian-American actor, film director and producer. He was the younger brother of actresses Mary and Lottie Pickford. After their father deserted the famil ...

, Thomas J. Moore,

Texas Guinan Mary Louise Cecilia "Texas" Guinan (January 12, 1884 – November 5, 1933) was an American actress, producer, and entrepreneur. Born in Texas to Irish immigrant parents, Guinan decided at an early age to become an entertainer. After becoming a s ...

, and

Doris Pawn Doris Pawn (born Doris Alice Pahn; December 29, 1894 – March 30, 1988) was an American silent era film actress. Early life Born and raised in Norfolk, Nebraska, Pawn spent her vacations on the ranch of an uncle. There, she learned to ri ...

were named in Young's preliminary moves. On October 12, 1922, a day before Whipple became entitled to her divorce decree, Young filed a $50,000

slander Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making wikt:asserti ...

suit against her. The legal action came in response to Whipple's accusations that Young threatened her, pointed guns at her, and offered her $2,000 to return his

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

membership paper and bundles of correspondence he had received from women. A month later, in early December 1922, James Young became seriously ill of auto-intoxication in December 1922. Clara Whipple married again, to Charles J. Dewey (born 1883). They were married in

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

in September 1928.

Death

Clara Whipple Dewey died November 6, 1932, in

, a little more than two months after her brother, "Jamie" Whipple ''(né'' James Cameron Mitchell Whipple; 1892–1980), became Production Manager for

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

in Chicago. The cause of death was " Carcinoma of the Liver." Her residence at the time of her death was 180

Claremont Avenue Claremont Avenue is a short avenue in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It begins at 116th Street and runs north for a length of eleven blocks until it ends at Tiemann Place (the western segment of 127th Stree ...

, where her brother James lived, in the

Morningside Heights Morningside Heights is a neighborhood on the West Side of Upper Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Morningside Drive to the east, 125th Street to the north, 110th Street to the south, and Riverside Drive to the west. Morningsi ...

neighborhood of

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

– less than 2 blocks north of where

Juilliard The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became the Juilliard School, named aft ...

had been located from 1910 to 1969.

Extended family

Armide Whipple ''(née'' Armide Nana Edith Whipple; 1920–2001) – Clara Whipple's niece, daughter of Jamie Whipple and Armide Whipple ''(née'' Armide Ana Cecile Marie Ayraud; 1901–1976) – was a jazz and big band vocalist with the orchestras of Jimmie Grier ''(né'' James Wilford Grier; 1902–1959),

Chico Marx Leonard Joseph "Chico" Marx ( ; March 22, 1887October 11, 1961) was an American comedian, actor, and pianist. He was the oldest brother in the Marx Brothers comedy troupe, alongside his brothers Harpo Marx, Arthur ("Harpo"), Groucho Marx, Juliu ...

, Les Brown, and

Ben Pollack Benjamin "Ben" Pollack (June 22, 1903 – June 7, 1971) was an American drummer and bandleader from the mid-1920s through the swing music, swing era. His eye for talent led him to employ musicians such as Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Glenn Mil ...

. She sang under the stagename "Kim Kimberly." She was briefly married, from about 1939 to about 1943, to

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

trumpeter Bobby Clark ''(né'' Robert Charles Clark Jr.; 1916–1981).

Other litigation

Adelbert George Volck, who worked in the film industry, rented Whipple's Holly Drive home. She brought a suit against Volck in September 1923, charging him with damaging household furnishings, in particular her tapestries and draperies. The court had to decide whether the tapestries and draperies were imported, and therefore valuable, as Whipple contended. Whipple filed suit for the collection of a

promissory note A promissory note, sometimes referred to as a note payable, is a legal instrument (more particularly, a financing instrument and a debt instrument), in which one party (the ''maker'' or ''issuer'') promises in writing to pay a determinate sum of ...

from motion picture producer Dale Hanshaw in October 1925. She asked for $566.50, the same amount she claimed to have advanced Hanshaw, in various sums, around June 18, 1923. At the time of the court action, Hanshaw had made only a single payment of $50. He had given Whipple a radio as security, which she sold, and applied the proceeds to the payment of the note. $56 of the amount Whipple requested was for interest.

Extant productions and works

As writer

Stage acting

The Harry Davis Players
The Pitt Players :

Double bill The double feature is a motion picture industry phenomenon in which theaters would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which the presentation of one feature film would be followed by various short subject reel ...

(5 & 6) : Frederick Esmelton (director) Other productions

Silent film acting

Mutual Film Corporation Mutual Film Corporation was an early American film conglomerate that produced some of Charlie Chaplin's greatest comedies. Founded in 1912, it was absorbed by Film Booking Offices of America, which evolved into RKO Pictures. Founding Mutual' ...

Connes-Till Film Company,

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

B C Feature Film Company (distributor)
George Brownridge (general manager)
Equitable Motion Picture Corporation (production company) Other films

Lost film

Equitable Motion Picture Corporation

Gallery

File:The Prima Donna's Husband still.jpg,

Still A still is an apparatus used to distillation, distill liquid mixtures by heating to selectively Boiling, boil and then cooling to Condensation, condense the vapor. A still uses the same concepts as a basic Distillation#Laboratory_procedures, ...

and Clara Whipple from the 1916 film, '' The Prima Donna's Husband'' (it)

Notes and references

Notes

Inline citations

General references

"Clara Whipple"
(illustrated), ''

Moving Picture World The ''Moving Picture World'' was an influential early trade journal for the American film industry, from 1907 to 1927. An industry powerhouse at its height, ''Moving Picture World'' frequently reiterated its independence from the film studios. ...

'', Vol. 25, No. 10, September 4, 1915, p. 1657
"Picture Actresses Want Club,"
''

'', Vol. 25, No. 12, September 18, 1915, p. 2003
"How Clara Whipple Was
''

'', Vol. 26, No. 4, October 23, 1915, p. 591
"Clara Whipple in Ingenue Role,"
''

'', Vol. 27, No. 4, January 22, 1916, p. 612
"World Film Reorganizes,"
''

'', Vol. 27, No. 6, February 12, 1916, p. 931
"World-Equitable Players,"
''

'', Vol. 27, No. 7, February 19, 1916, p. 1133
"Miss Whipple Claims 'Vampire' Record,"
''

'', Vol. 27, No. 11, March 18, 1916, p. 1831
"Film Flashes,"
''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', Vol. 42, No. 7, April 14, 2016, p. 22 * "News Notes From Movieland" (

Central Press Association The Central Press Association was American print syndication, newspaper syndication company based in Cleveland, Ohio. It was in business from 1910 to 1971. Originally independent, it was a subsidiary of King Features Syndicate from 1930 onwards. ...

syndicated Sunday column), by Daisy Dean (pseudonym), ''Lima Times Democrat'' April 19, 1916, p. 4

Paragraph: "

, Gerda Holmes, Clara Whipple " (in reference to the 1916 film, ''His One Big Chance)''

''(née'' Gerda Helen Elfrida Henius; 1891–1943)
(accessible ''via''

Ancestry.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. It is owned by The ...

) * "News Notes From Movieland" (

syndicated Sunday column), by Daisy Dean (pseudonym), ''

Racine Journal-News ''The Journal Times'' (known before 1972 as ''The Racine Journal-Times'') is a daily newspaper published in Racine, Wisconsin, serving Racine County. The newspaper is owned by Lee Enterprises. History The ''Journal Times'' traces its roots t ...

,'' May 13, 1916, p. 12 (accessible ''via'' ) * * *
"James Young to Wed,"
''

'', Vol. 40, No. 2, April 12, 1919, p. 218
"Young–Whipple,"
''

'', Vol. 40, No. 4, April 26, 1919, p. 519 * *
"Sued for Divorce,"
''

'', Vol. 51, No. 8, August 20, 1921, p. 793

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Whipple, Clara 1887 births 1932 deaths Deaths from liver cancer in New York (state) American silent film actresses 20th-century American writers Actresses from Missouri 20th-century American actresses Writers from Mississippi 20th-century American women writers