Jane Cowl (December 14, 1883 – June 22, 1950) was an American

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

and

stage Stage, stages, or staging may refer to: Arts and media Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly Brit ...

actress and playwright who was, in the words of author Anthony Slide, "notorious for playing lachrymose parts". Actress

Jane Russell Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell (June 21, 1921 – February 28, 2011) was an American actress, model, and singer. She was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s and starred in more than 20 films throughout her career. R ...

was named in Cowl's honor.

Biography

Cowl was born Jane Bailey in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, to Charles Bailey and Grace Avery. She attended

Erasmus Hall High School Erasmus Hall High School was a four-year public high school located at 899–925 Flatbush Avenue between Church and Snyder Avenues in the Flatbush, Brooklyn, Flatbush neighborhood of the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Brookly ...

Brooklyn 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 ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, followed by some courses at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. She made her Broadway debut in New York City in '' Sweet Kitty Bellairs'' in 1903. Her first leading role was ''Fanny Perry'' in 1909 in

Leo Ditrichstein Leo Ditrichstein (January 6, 1865 – June 28, 1928) was an Austrian-American actor and playwright. Early life He was born on January 6, 1865, in Temesvár, Austrian Empire. He was educated in Vienna and was naturalized as an American citizen ...

's ''Is Matrimony a Failure?'', produced by

David Belasco David Belasco (July 25, 1853 – May 14, 1931) was an American theatrical producer, impresario, director, and playwright. He was the first writer to adapt the short story ''Madame Butterfly'' for the stage. He launched the theatrical career of ...

, and then she played stock. This was followed by ''The Gamblers'' (1910), her first great success, and by ''

Within the Law Within may refer to: Film and television * "Within" (''The X-Files''), an episode of ''The X-Files'' * ''Within'' (film), a 2016 American horror film Music * ''Within'' (William Joseph album) (2004), by pianist William Joseph * ''Within'' (Em ...

'' (1912), '' Common Clay'' (1915), and other successes (

New International Encyclopedia ''The New International Encyclopedia'' was an American encyclopedia first published in 1902 by Dodd, Mead & Co. It descended from the ''International Cyclopaedia'' (1884) and was updated in 1906, 1914 and 1926. History ''The New Internatio ...

). She was known for her interpretation of Shakespearean roles, playing

Juliet Juliet Capulet () is the female protagonist in William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. A 13-year-old girl, Juliet is the only daughter of the patriarch of the House of Capulet. She falls in love with the male protagonist Ro ...

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...

, and

Viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

on Broadway. She made Broadway history by playing ''Juliet'' over 1000 consecutive performances in 1923; critic

George Jean Nathan George Jean Nathan (February 14, 1882 – April 8, 1958) was an American drama critic and magazine editor. He worked closely as an editor with H. L. Mencken bringing the literary magazine ''The Smart Set'' to prominence and while co-founding ...

declared her "not ... the best Juliet that I have seen, but she is by all odds the most charming". Cowl's affecting performances led her to be described as having a "voice with a tear." Biographer Charles Higham admired Cowl's "marvelous bovine eyes and exquisite genteel catch in the voice ..." In June 1911, Cowl traveled on the maiden voyage from

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

of the ''

RMS Olympic RMS ''Olympic'' was a British ocean liner and the lead ship of the White Star Line's trio of liners. ''Olympic'' had a career spanning 24 years from 1911 to 1935, in contrast to her short-lived sister ships, and the Royal Navy hospital ship . ...

''. In 1930, Cowl appeared with a young

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress whose Katharine Hepburn on screen and stage, career as a Golden Age of Hollywood, Hollywood leading lady spanned six decades. She was known for her headstrong ...

in the Broadway production of

Benn W. Levy Benn Wolfe Levy (7 March 1900 – 7 December 1973) was a Labour Party (UK), Labour Party Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons, House of Commons (1945–1950), and a successful playwright. He ...

's play ''Art and Mrs. Bottle'', and in 1934, she created the role of Lael Wyngate in

S.N. Behrman Samuel Nathaniel Behrman (; June 9, 1893 – September 9, 1973) was an American playwright, screenwriter, biographer, and longtime writer for ''The New Yorker''. His son is the composer David Behrman. Biography Early years Behrman's parents, Z ...

's ''

Rain from Heaven Rain is a form of precipitation where water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. ...

'' opposite actor John Halliday. Noting the challenges posed by Behrman's heightened dialogue, critic Gilbert Gabriel noted approvingly that their scenes together were "models of aristocratic

parlando Recitative (, also known by its Italian name recitativo () is a style of delivery (much used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas) in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms and delivery of ordinary speech. Recitative does not repeat lines ...

." She also starred in

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...

's '' Easy Virtue''. Cowl was the lead in two silent films, ''

The Garden of Lies ''The Garden of Lies'' is a lost 1915 silent film drama directed by Jack Pratt and starring in her debut stage actress Jane Cowl. It was based on a novel by Justus Miles Forman who perished on the ''Lusitania'' that same year. The Universal Fi ...

'' (1915) and ''

The Spreading Dawn ''The Spreading Dawn'' is a 1917 American silent drama film produced by Samuel Goldwyn in his first year of producing independently in his own studio and starring Broadway stage star Jane Cowl in her second and final silent film. It was directed ...

'' (1917). Then, after nearly 30 years away from films, she returned for several supporting roles in the 1940s. Her final film was ''

Payment on Demand ''Payment on Demand'' is a 1951 American Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Curtis Bernhardt and starring Bette Davis and Barry Sullivan (actor), Barry Sullivan. The screenplay by Bernhardt and Bruce Manning chronicles a marriage ...

'' (1951) with

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympatheti ...

. Jane Cowl died of cancer in Santa Monica, California, on June 22, 1950, aged 66. Following cremation, her ashes were buried at

Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery is a cemetery located at 10621 Victory Boulevard, straddling the border between the Los Angeles neighborhood of North Hollywood and Burbank, California. The cemetery's East entrance features the Portal of the Fo ...

. A biography about Cowl, titled ''Jane Cowl: Her Precious and Momentary Glory'', was published in 2004. It was written by Richard Abe King, who had formerly worked with Cowl.

Family

On June 18, 1906, at her father's apartment on Riverside Drive and 95th Street in New York City, Cowl married Adolph Edward Klauber, the

drama critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governmen ...

of ''

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 ...

''. A former actor and son of a prominent Jewish photographer in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

, Klauber left the ''Times'' in 1918 to become a theatrical producer and manager. He and Cowl separated in 1930, shortly after his health began to fail. Klauber returned to live "in strict seclusion" in Louisville, where he died in 1933."Adolph Klauber, Producer, Dies", ''The New York Times'', 8 December 1933 The couple had no children.

Works

Cowl wrote several plays in collaboration with

Jane Murfin Jane Murfin, née Macklem (October 27, 1884 – August 10, 1955) was an American playwright and screenwriter. The author of several successful plays, she wrote some of them with actress Jane Cowl—most notably ''Smilin' Through (play), Smilin' ...

. They often used the joint pseudonym Allan Langdon Martin. Their works include: * ''Lilac Time'' - 1917 * ''At Daybreak'' - 1917 * ''Information Please'' - 1918 * '' Smilin' Through'' - 1919 * ''The Jealous Moon'' - 1928

Filmography

*''

'' (1915) *''

'' (1917) *''

Once More, My Darling ''Once More, My Darling'' is a 1949 American comedy film directed by and starring Robert Montgomery alongside Ann Blyth, Jane Cowl and Charles McGraw. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound Recording ( Leslie I. Carey). Plo ...

'' (1949) *'' No Man of Her Own'' (1950) *''

The Secret Fury ''The Secret Fury'' is a 1950 American noirish psychological thriller starring Claudette Colbert and Robert Ryan. Directed by Mel Ferrer for RKO Radio Pictures, it also featured a rare screen appearance of Broadway legend Jane Cowl, with Paul K ...

'' (1950) *''

'' (1951)

References

External links

*
Jane Cowl at Women in American History website
* *
Allan Langdon Martin (pseudonym)
at the

Internet Broadway Database The Internet Broadway Database (IBDB) is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It was conceived and created by Karen Hauser in 1996 and is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade asso ...

Jane Cowl papers, 1907-1949 (bulk 1927-1945)
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, is located at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, in the Lincoln Center complex on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, New York City. Situated between the Metropolitan O ...

Jane Cowl
portrait gallery at NYP Library

devoted to Jane Cowl(Wayback Machine)
Jane Cowl
photo gallery at Corbis
Jane Cowl
University of Washington, Sayre collection
photo of Jane Cowl and Jane Murfin
Wayback Machine) {{DEFAULTSORT:Cowl, Jane 1883 births 1950 deaths 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American film actresses American stage actresses Actresses from Boston Actors from Greater Los Angeles Writers from Greater Los Angeles Deaths from cancer in California Burials at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery Columbia University alumni 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American actresses American women dramatists and playwrights Erasmus Hall High School alumni