Jessie Busley (1869–1950) was an American

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. ...

and

comedian A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop c ...

who performed on stage, screen, and radio for over six decades.

Career

Jessie starred on stage in over 25

Charles Frohman Charles Frohman (July 15, 1856 – May 7, 1915) was an American theater manager and producer, who discovered and promoted many stars of the American stage. Frohman produced over 700 shows, and among his biggest hits was '' Peter Pan'', both ...

productions in the first 15 years of her career. Later in June 1930, she would appear on film for the first time in ''The Devil's Parade A Musical Revue set in Hades'', a 10-minute film short by

Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film studio and distribution arm of the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group division of Warner Bros., both of which are owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex ...

alongside actress

Joan Blondell Rose Joan Blondell (August 30, 1906 – December 25, 1979) was an American actress who performed in film and television for 50 years. Blondell began her career in vaudeville. After winning a beauty pageant, she embarked on a film career, estab ...

. Jessie went on to appear in such films as

Brother Rat ''Brother Rat'' is a 1938 American comedy drama film about cadets at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia, directed by William Keighley, and starring Ronald Reagan, Priscilla Lane, Eddie Albert (in his film debut), Jane Wyman, and W ...

and ''

Brother Rat and a Baby ''Brother Rat and a Baby'' is a 1940 American comedy film directed by Ray Enright and written by John Cherry Monks, Jr. and Fred F. Finklehoffe. It is the sequel to the 1938 film ''Brother Rat''. The film stars Priscilla Lane, Wayne Morris, Ja ...

''. In 1939, she appeared alongside

Kay Francis Kay Francis (born Katharine Edwina Gibbs; January 13, 1905 – August 26, 1968) was an American stage and film actress. After a brief period on Broadway in the late 1920s, she moved to film and achieved her greatest success between 1930 an ...

, James Stephenson, and

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart ( ; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American actor. His performances in classic Hollywood cinema made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film Institute selected Bogart ...

in '' King of the Underworld''. The next year she would appear in

's ''

It All Came True ''It All Came True'' is a 1940 American musical comedy crime film starring Ann Sheridan as a fledgling singer and Humphrey Bogart, who was third-billed on movie posters, as a gangster who hides from the police in a boarding house. It is based o ...

''.

Personal life

Several months after they were married,

Ernest Joy Ernest C. Joy (January 20, 1878 – February 12, 1924) was an American stage and film actor of the silent era. He appeared in 76 films between 1911 and 1920. Selected filmography * '' Article 47, L (1913) * '' Salomy Jane'' (1914) * '' ...

tried to shoot a theatrical press agent in a jealous rage after he saw him leaving a theater with Jessie. Word of the shot was reported in the news of the time and the press agent left town. Later that same year, Jessie and Ernest separated after it was reported that she had him arrested for "annoying her". All charges were dropped when she did not testify against him. She made ''

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 ...

'' when an article appeared August 1, 1908, claiming she had "Set Two Men on her husband Ernest C. Joy who she intended to divorce." The article's title read "Ernest C. Joy Says His Wife, Jessie Busley, Set Two Men on Him. HE IS SENT TO A HOSPITAL One of His Unidentified Assailants Beat Him Over the Head with an Iron Bar." The article went on to say that they had frequent quarrels and end by saying that (at that time) "She last appeared in 'The Bishop's Carriage' in which she made a hit". Lastly leaving the parting shot that "She is well known as an actress but has had more success in the south and west then icin this city".

Stage roles

* +Not on Broadway Aug 25, 1895- * The Sporting Duchess, Academy of Music, 212 performances :'
Daly's Theatre
'' Nov 27, 1899 - Feb 4, 1900 *The Manoeuvres of Jane riginal, Play, Comedy :'
Garden Theatre
'' Feb 21, 1900 - May 1900 *Hearts Are Trumps riginal, Play, Melodrama : The National Theatre :+(Washington, DC) October 22–27, 1900 *Hearts Are Trumps riginal, Play, Melodrama : erald Square Theatre'' May 20, 1901 - Jul 8, 1901 *The Brixton Burglary riginal, Play, Farce :'
Criterion Theatre
'' Aug 26, 1901 - Dec 1901 *A Royal Rival riginal, Play, Drama :

Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play, ...

Mar 17, 1902 - Apr 1902 *Sky Farm riginal, Play, Comedy :

Aug 25, 1902 - Sep 1902 *The New Clown riginal, Play, Farce :'
Hoyt's Theatre
'' Sep 30, 1902 - Nov 1902 *The Two Schools riginal, Play : Empire Theatre Jan 5, 1904 - Jan 1904 *Little Mary riginal, Play :'
Savoy Theatre
'', (1/11/1905 - 1/29/1905) : Lyceum Theatre, (1/30/1905 - 4/30/1905) Jan 11, 1905 - Apr 30, 1905 *Mrs. Leffingwell's Boots riginal, Play, Comedy : Grand Opera House Feb 25, 1907 - Mar 1907 *In the Bishop's Carriage riginal, Play : New Theatre Nov 11, 1909 - nknown*The Cottage in the Air riginal, Play : New Theatre Jan 3, 1910 - Jan 3, 1910 *Liz the Mother riginal, Play : New Theatre Mar 28, 1910 - nknown*The Winter's Tale evival, Play, Comedy : New Theatre Dec 19, 1910 - nknown*Old Heidelberg evival, Play :

Liberty Theatre The Liberty Theatre is a former Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 234 West 42nd Street in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1904, the theater was designed by Herts & Tallant ...

Nov 23, 1914 - Nov 1914 *Twelfth Night evival, Play, Comedy :

Hudson Theatre The Hudson Theatre is a Broadway theater at 139–141 West 44th Street, between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. One of the oldest surviving Broadway venues, the ...

Sep 18, 1916 - Dec 1916 *Pollyanna riginal, Play :'
Playhouse Theatre
'' Oct 15, 1919 - Oct 1919 *A Young Man's Fancy riginal, Play, Comedy :'
Playhouse Theatre
'' Oct 25, 1926 - Jan 1927 *Daisy Mayme riginal, Play, Comedy: aisy Mayme Plunkett : Lyceum Theatre Dec 28, 1928 - Jan 1929 *To-Morrow riginal, Play: race :

Broadhurst Theatre The Broadhurst Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 235 West 44th Street (Manhattan), 44th Street in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1917, the thea ...

Nov 19, 1930 - Dec 1930 *An Affair of State riginal, Play, Comedy: unt Augusta :'
48th Street Theatre
'' Oct 6, 1931 - Dec 1931 *The Streets of New York, or Poverty is No Crime evival, Play, Melodrama: rs. Puffy :'
48th Street Theatre
'' Oct 14, 1931 - Oct 1931 *Pillars of Society evival, Play, Drama: iss Rummel :

Fulton Theatre The Fulton Theatre was a Broadway theatre located at 210 West 46th Street in Manhattan, New York City, that was opened in 1911. It was renamed the Helen Hayes Theatre in 1955. The theatre was demolished in 1982. After the former Little Theatre o ...

Dec 26, 1931 - Mar 1932 *The Bride the Sun Shines On riginal, Play, Comedy: rs. Marbury :

Belasco Theatre The Belasco Theatre is a Broadway theater at 111 West 44th Street, between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Originally known as the Stuyvesant Theatre, it was bu ...

Feb 20, 1933 - May 1933 *Alien Corn riginal, Play: rs. Skeats : Center Theatre Sep 22, 1934 - Jun 8, 1935 *The Great Waltz riginal, Musical, Operetta: reta : Center Theatre Aug 5, 1935 - Sep 16, 1935 *The Great Waltz riginal, Musical, Operetta: reta :

Music Box Theatre The Music Box Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 239 West 45th Street (George Abbott Way) in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1921, the Music Box ...

Nov 26, 1935 - Jun 1936 *First Lady riginal, Play, Comedy: elle Hardwick :

Ethel Barrymore Theatre The Ethel Barrymore Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 243 West 47th Street (Manhattan), 47th Street in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1928, it ...

Dec 26, 1936 - Jul 1938 *The Women riginal, Play, Comedy: rs. Morehead :

Jan 3, 1944 - Jul 8, 1944 *Over 21 riginal, Play: rs. Armina Gates :

John Golden Theatre The John Golden Theatre, formerly the Theatre Masque and Masque Theater, is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 252 West 45th Street (George Abbott Way) in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York ...

Nov 9, 1945 - Dec 1, 1945 *The Rich Full Life riginal, Play: other Fenwick : Lyceum Theatre Apr 25, 1949 - Apr 30, 1949 * The Happiest Years riginal, Play, Comedy: lida Wentworth

Films

This filmography is believed to be complete.
''The Devil's Parade''
(1930 short)
''Personal Maid''
(1931) * ''

'' (1938) * '' King of the Underworld'' (1939) as Aunt Josephine * ''

'' (1940) * ''

'' (1940) as Mrs. Nora Taylor * '' Escape to Glory'' (1940)

External links

ACTRESS'S HUSBAND IS BADLY BEATEN; Ernest C. Joy Says His Wife, Jessie Busley, Set Two Men on Him. HE IS SENT TO A HOSPITAL.

"A History of the New York Stage from the First Performance in 1732 to 1901" Jessie Busley
in her Winton 16 motorcar(flickr) {{DEFAULTSORT:Busley, Jessie 1869 births 1950 deaths 20th-century American actresses 19th-century American actresses American stage actresses American film actresses Actresses from Albany, New York