Dorothy Stickney (June 21, 1896 – June 2, 1998) was an American film, stage, and television actress, best known for appearing in the long-running Broadway hit '' Life with Father''.

Early years

Stickney was born in Dickinson, North Dakota, but because of a medical condition, she was unable to go into bright places and spent most of her childhood indoors to protect her sensitive eyes. Her introduction to reading came from family members who read the classics to her. Because she had difficulty reading, she focused on skills like dancing and elocution. She was fond of going to the theater with her family, and this sparked her interest in being an actress. Because of several eye surgeries, by her teens, Stickney was able to continue her education and pursue a career in the theater. Stickney attended the North Western Dramatic School in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Career

Stickney sang and danced as one of the four Southern Belles in vaudeville and began acting in summer stock companies including Atlanta's Forsyth Players in the early 1920s before she married Howard Lindsay. In 1927, Stickney and Lindsay were married, and the two stayed married until Lindsay's death in 1968. Stickney made her Broadway debut in 1926 in '' The Squall'' and had a string of hits, frequently playing eccentric characters. She was Liz, the mad scrubwoman, in the original nonmusical version of ''Chicago'', and Mollie Molloy, who dives out of the pressroom window, in '' The Front Page''. With increasingly important roles, she moved on to ''Philip Goes Forth'', ''Another Language'', '' On Borrowed Time'', ''The Small Hours'', ''To Be Continued'' and '' The Honeys''. In 1940, Stickney received the Barter Theatre Award for "outstanding performance for an American player" for her role as Vinnie in ''Life with Father'', which had been written by her husband, Lindsay, who also co-starred. The award was presented to her by

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...

. She also appeared in some films and TV programs, and wrote several poems including "You're Not the Type" and "My Dressing Room". She played the Queen in the original 1957 TV production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's ''

Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...

'', and later Aunt Abby in the 1962 Hallmark TV production of '' Arsenic and Old Lace'', co-starring

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), known professionally as Boris Karloff () and occasionally billed as Karloff the Uncanny, was a British actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstei ...

. In 1961, she was the second inductee of the North Dakota Roughrider Award. On November 16, 1966, Stickney appeared on ABC's ''Stage 67'' anthology program in Stephen Sondheim's macabre television musical " Evening Primrose" as Mrs. Monday, the leader of the mannequins who come to life every evening in a department store. One of her later stage roles was as Berthe in the original Broadway run of '' Pippin'' from 1972 to 1977. She took over the role in 1973 from Irene Ryan, who died during the run. She created the role of Emily Baldwin, one of the Baldwin sisters, in the television film ''The Homecoming : A Christmas Story'', which was the pilot for ''

The Waltons ''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural mountainous Western Virginia of the Appalachian Mountains / Allegheny Mountains / Blue Ridge Mountains chain, during the economic hardships and mass unemp ...

''. In 1979, Stickney published ''Openings and Closings'', a memoir that chronicled her long career as well as her secret battle with stage fright. Starting in 1935, Stickney and Howard maintained a weekend and vacation homea farmstead built in 1745in the Stanton section of Readington Township, New Jersey; the township purchased it from then-centenarian Stickney, for preservation, in 1997.

Death

She died on June 2, 1998, in New York City. She had 2 children and no immediate family survivors.Gussow, Mel
"Dorothy Stickney Dies at 101; Acted in Many Broadway Hits"
''

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 ...

'', June 3, 1998. Accessed December 1, 2007.

Filmography

References

External links

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Dorothy Stickney and Howard Lindsay papers and scrapbooks, 1931-1985
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
Dorothy Stickney and Howard Lindsay papers, additions, 1909-1985
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts {{DEFAULTSORT:Stickney, Dorothy 1896 births 1998 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from North Dakota American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses People from Dickinson, North Dakota People from Readington Township, New Jersey American vaudeville performers American women centenarians Actors from Hunterdon County, New Jersey Actresses from New Jersey