Josephine Lucille Sanders (July 21, 1900 – June 14, 1985), known by her stage name Irene Delroy, was an American

stage actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

Early years

Born Josephine Lucille Sanders, Delroy was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Roy Sanders of Bloomington, Illinois. She attended Bloomington High School and University High School.

Career

Delroy's stage debut came when she appeared as a ballet dancer with the

Chicago Opera Company The Chicago Opera Company was a grand opera Grand opera is a genre of 19th-century opera generally in four or five acts, characterized by large-scale casts and Orchestra, orchestras. The original productions consisted of spectacular design a ...

. During a visit of that company to New York City in 1920, she left the group to join a fledgling production, ''A Night Off'', in Plainfield, New Jersey. Two weeks after the debut, the inexperienced producers left to return to their former jobs. Delroy returned to Chicago and joined a production of ''Angel Face'', which soon ended during a strike by the

Actors' Equity Association The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly called Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American trade union, labor union representing those who work in Theatre, live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage productions w ...

. She made her

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 ...

debut in the

musical revue ''Musical Revue'' is a live album featuring Prince Far I and Suns of Arqa released on ROIR Europe in 1988. The album was produced by Phil Rainford and features a live recording of Prince Far I with Suns of Arqa at Band on the Wall in Mancheste ...

''Frivolities of 1920''. She starred in the ''

Greenwich Village Follies ''The Greenwich Village Follies'' was a musical revue that played for eight seasons in New York City from 1919 to 1927. Launched by John Murray Anderson, and opening on July 15, 1919, at the newly constructed Greenwich Village Theatre near Ch ...

'' from 1923 through 1926 and the '' Ziegfeld Follies of 1927''. She also had leading roles in the musicals ''Round the Town'' (1924), ''

Here's Howe ''Here's Howe!'' is a musical theatre, musical in two acts with music by Roger Wolfe Kahn and Joseph Meyer (songwriter), Joseph Meyer and lyrics by Irving Caesar. The swing music standard "Crazy Rhythm" was written for this show. The work's Musica ...

'' (1928), ''Follow Thru'' (1929), and '' Top Speed'' (1929-1930). A review of ''Greenwich Village Follies'' published 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 ...

'' on December 25, 1925, noted that Delroy was "radiantly beautiful and sweetly graceful and tuneful" in the production. Hans J. Wollstein, writing on the

AllMovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, television series, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was ...

website, described Delroy as being "completely wasted by the new audible motion picture industry in 1930." She appeared in ''Oh! Sailor Behave'' (1930), '' The Life of the Party'' (1930), and '' Men of the Sky'' (1931).

Personal life

Delroy retired from the entertainment business after marrying W. L. Austin, Jr. on July 15, 1931. He was president of Island Park Associates, Inc., the company that operated Atlantic Beach and part of Rockaway Point. While they were on their honeymoon in Murray Bay, Quebec, Canada, she fell from a horse. Her injuries included "a slight fracture of the skull and slight concussion; a double fracture of a finger, and dislocation of one of the bones about the hip." They were divorced on July 1, 1937.

Filmography

* '' The Inside of the Cup'' (1921) * '' Oh Sailor Behave'' (1930) * '' The Life of the Party'' (1930) * ''

Divorce Among Friends ''Divorce Among Friends'' is a 1930 American Pre-Code comedy film. The film stars James Hall, Lew Cody and Natalie Moorhead. The film survives only in a 16mm copy made in the 1950s for television. The film was based on the story "Two-Time Ma ...

'' (1930) * '' Men of the Sky'' (1931) * '' Sound Defects'' (1937, short)

References

Bibliography

* David L. Lightner. ''Winnie Lightner: Tomboy of the Talkies''. University Press of Mississippi, 2016. * Paul Rayburn and Denise Sampson
''Josephine Lucille Sanders “Irene Delroy” Collection''
McLean County Museum of History. 2009.

External links

* *
Personal Papers of Josephine Sanders (Irene Delroy) at the McLean County Museum of History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Delroy, Irene 1900 births 1985 deaths American film actresses American stage actresses People from Bloomington, Illinois 20th-century American actresses