Gloria Foy (October 25, 1901 – February 27, 1977) was an American dancer, singer, vaudeville performer, and star of musical

revues A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during ...

. Her family were theatrical people. Her father was Harry Foy, but she was no relation to the more famous

Eddie Foy Edwin Fitzgerald (March 9, 1856 – February 16, 1928Cullen, Frank; Hackman, Florence; and McNeilly, Donald. ''Vaudeville, Old and New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performers in America''. Routledge Press, September 2006, . pp. 406–410), ...

Theater dancer

Foy came to prominence in the

John Murray Anderson John Murray Anderson (September 20, 1886 – January 30, 1954) was a Canadian theatre director and theatre producer, producer, songwriter, actor, screenwriter, dancer and lighting designer, who made his career in the United States, primarily in ...

Revue in March 1920, aged 18. She once claimed she gained an inch of height simply by dancing during performances of ''Up She Goes'' (1922). Her instructor explained that this happened because muscles stretch during vigorous dancing. By June 1923 she was dancing two hours per night during performances, appearing in two

matinée Matinée is the French word for ''morning''. In the arts, a matinée is a performance or exhibition that takes place in the daytime. Matinée may also refer to: * ''Matinée'' (album), a 2007 release by Jack Peñate * ''Matinee'' (1993 film), an ...

shows per week, and also practising two hours daily. Another hour of her day was devoted to a dancing lesson. She obtained the role of "Sally" in ''Up She Goes'' when

Marilyn Miller Marilyn Miller (born Mary Ellen Reynolds; September 1, 1898 – April 7, 1936) was one of the most popular Broadway musical stars of the 1920s and early 1930s. She was an accomplished tap dancer, singer and actress, and the combination of thes ...

wed

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 ...

and fell out with

Florenz Ziegfeld Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the '' Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He al ...

. In November 1924, she played the title character in ''Betty Lee'', a musical comedy which had an all-star cast. Lou Holt and Foy were the principal players in ''Patsy'' which debuted at the Mason Operahouse in

Los Angeles 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, ...

, California on March 8, 1926. 100 showgirls participated in the production which was conceived and produced in southern

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. Among the song ''divertissements'' was a rendition of ''Tiger Eyes'' which showcased Foy and five dancers. ''Patsy'' concluded its Los Angeles run in mid-May and was put on the road to

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, California and then other American cities. Foy and Hal Skelly were signed by the Shubert Theater owners in March 1927. The two were engaged to present '' The Circus Princess'' for theater audiences. During the fall and winter season of 1930 Foy toured on the

RKO RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, is an American film production and distribution company, historically one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Kei ...

vaudeville circuit. George Jessel,

Viola Dana Viola Dana (born Virginia Flugrath; June 26, 1897 – July 3, 1987) was an American film actress who was successful during the era of silent films. She appeared in over 100 films, but was unable to make the transition to sound films. Early lif ...

Aunt Jemima Aunt Jemima was an American breakfast brand for pancake mix, table syrup, and other breakfast food products. The original version of the pancake mix was developed in 1888–1889 by the Pearl Milling Company and was advertised as the first " ...

(Tess Gardella), Georgia Price, and Anna Seymour also toured. During her vaudeville shows Foy entertained with "imitations, gags and satire".

Inheritance

Foy inherited a fortune estimated to be in excess of $1,500,000, in November 1923. The money came from the will of an uncle, Richard Foy, a wealthy coffee planter in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

. The sole heir, she obtained access to one third of this amount immediately. According to its terms, the inheritance specified that she would be entitled to another third, providing that she married within three years time. The final instalment would come to Foy if she lived with her husband for ten years. By the end of the following month, December 1923, Foy had received more than 5,000 proposals from suitors worldwide.

Sole film

Her sole screen credit is a small role in ''

Dancing Lady ''Dancing Lady'' is a 1933 American pre-Code musical film starring Joan Crawford and Clark Gable, and featuring Franchot Tone, Fred Astaire, Robert Benchley, and Ted Healy and his Stooges (later the Three Stooges). The picture was directed by ...

'' (1933). The

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

motion picture reunited

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American actor often referred to as the "King of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". He appeared in more than 60 Film, motion pictures across a variety of Film genre, genres dur ...

and

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, 190? was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion-picture cont ...

for the fourth time on film, this time in a musical comedy in which Crawford replaces Foy as the star of a Broadway show. Sometime in 1934, Foy returned to New York and resumed work as a star of musical comedy. She returned to Los Angeles and was the guest of

Kay Kyser James Kern Kyser (June 18, 1905 – July 23, 1985), known as Kay Kyser, was an American bandleader and radio personality of the 1930s and 1940s. Early years Kyser was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, the son of pharmacists Emily Royster Kyser ...

at the Miramar Theater in September.

Death

Gloria Foy died in

Hollywood, California Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...

from kidney disease in 1977, aged 75.

References

Sources

Bismarck Tribune ''The Bismarck Tribune'' is a daily newspaper in Bismarck, North Dakota. Owned by Lee Enterprises, it is the only daily newspaper for south-central and southwest North Dakota. History Founded in 1873 by Clement A. Lounsberry, the ''Bismarck ...

, ''Some Feminists Disagree With Famous Beauty in Discussion'', July 16, 1924, p. 8 * Burlington Daily Times-News, ''Joan Crawford And Clark Gable Graham Mon.-Tues.'', Saturday, February 17, 1934, p. 3 *

Fitchburg Sentinel The ''Sentinel & Enterprise'' is a morning daily newspaper published in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, with a satellite news bureau in Leominster, Massachusetts. The newspaper covers local news in Fitchburg, Leominster and several nearby towns in nor ...

, ''News And Comment Of Stage And Screen'', July 11, 1931, p. 5 *

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

, ''Proposals Pour In To Heiress'', December 27, 1923, p. I10 * Los Angeles Times, ''Love Lures All Mates Of Dancer'', July 27, 1924, p. B29 * Los Angeles Times, ''Forget Ancient Traditions'', March 7, 1926, p. 21 * Los Angeles Times, ''Society of Cinemaland'', March 7, 1926, p. 38 * Los Angeles Times, ''When Tiger Eyes Are Smiling'', May 4, 1926, Page A11. * Los Angeles Times, ''Hobnobbing In Hollywood'', August 22, 1933, p. A7 * Los Angeles Times, ''Hobnobbing In Hollywood'', May 26, 1934, p. 6 * Los Angeles Times, ''Around and About in Hollywood'', September 6, 1934, p. 19 * Los Angeles Times, ''Around and About in Hollywood'', September 12, 1934, p. 18 * Modesto Evening News, ''Girl Adds More Than Inch To Her Height By Dancing'', Saturday, June 23, 1923, p. 19 * Modesto Evening News, ''Young, Pretty And Wealthy, This Girl Wants A Husband'', Monday, November 26, 1923, p. 2 * Modesto Evening News, ''Gloria Foy Chooses Buick'', Saturday, December 8, 1923, p. 30. *

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 ...

, ''John Murray Anderson's Revue'', March 20, 1920, p. 14 *

Oakland Tribune The ''Oakland Tribune'' was a daily newspaper published in Oakland, California, and a predecessor of the '' East Bay Times''. It was published by the Bay Area News Group (BANG), a subsidiary of MediaNews Group. Founded in 1874, the ''Tribune'' ...

, ''Exits And Entrances'', March 24, 1927, p. 17 * Oakland Tribune, ''Cohens, Kellys Bring Laughs At Orpheum'', January 15, 1931, p. 24 * Ogden Standard-Examiner, ''Percy Hammond's Letter'', Sunday Morning, November 19, 1922, p. 19 * Sandusky Star Journal, Monday, March 22, 1920, p. 7 *

Syracuse Herald The ''Syracuse Herald-Journal'' (1925–2001) was an evening newspaper in Syracuse, New York, United States, with roots going back to 1839 when it was named the ''Western State Journal''. The final issue — volume 124, number 37,500 — was publi ...

, ''Wieting Offers Betty Lee For Week-End Run'', November 9, 1924, p. 52 * Syracuse Herald, ''Up And Down The Rialtos'', Wednesday Evening, September 3, 1930, p. 17 * Syracuse Herald, ''The Stage'', February 28, 1924, p. 19

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Foy, Gloria 1901 births 1977 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Ohio American female dancers Comedians from Ohio Dancers from Ohio American stage actresses American film actresses American women comedians Deaths from kidney failure in California People from Lima, Ohio American vaudeville performers 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American dancers