Liska March (February 17, 1906 – May 30, 2003) was a dancer in the

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' were a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934, 1936, 1943, and 1957. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as '' The Ziegfeld Foll ...

, an actress in motion pictures of the early sound era, and a producer of Broadway plays. March was born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

and played in stock there prior to going to

New York, New York New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...

. While in New York City Liska appeared in the Follies and also took part in ''Sunny'', a play which featured actress

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 ...

. She died in 2003 at the age of 97.

Career

She came to

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. ...

to act in films in April 1929. Her first movie appearance was a role in support of Eddie Leonard in the

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

production, ''Melody Lane''. She was in the cast of ''Koffer des Herrn O.F..Die'' (1931), aka '' The Trunks of Mr. O.F.''. She once told a reporter that she never wanted a ''voice double'' in her film roles, commenting ''Wouldn't it be quite annoying if your voice would refuse to renew its contract and you would have to scurry around and find another one like it?'' One of a select group of non-performers (or in her case, ex-performers) awarded membership in

The Actors Studio The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights located on West 44th Street in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, Hell's Kitchen in New York City. The studio is best known for its work refining ...

, March was an associate producer of two original plays on Broadway during the 1950s. ''School For Scandal'' was the third production in a series presented by Terese Hayden. This was an 18th-century comedy which opened in June 1953 at the Theatre de Lys.

Patricia Neal Patricia Neal (born Patsy Louise Neal; January 20, 1926 – August 8, 2010) was an American actress of stage and screen. She is well known for, among other roles, playing World WarII widow Helen Benson in ''The Day the Earth Stood Still'' (195 ...

starred as Lady Teazle. Liska helped present ''The Genius and the Goddess'', a 1957 Broadway play. Among the actors involved was child star

Nancy Kelly Nancy Kelly (March 25, 1921 – January 2, 1995) was an American actress in film, theater, and television. A child actress and model, she was a repertory cast member of CBS Radio's ''The March of Time'', and appeared in several films in the lat ...

. The setting for this one was a St. Louis living room in the years 1921 and 1922. Miss March played a Sister of Mercy in ''The Ballad of Joe Hill'' (1971). She was among those who presented the movie at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

Selected filmography

* '' The Trunks of Mr. O.F.'' (1931) * '' Joe Hill'' (1971)

Citations

References

*Festival De Cannes homepage, Films Presented in Cannes, ''Joe Hill''. *Internet Broadway Database, ''The Genius and the Goddess''. *

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 ...

, ''Liska March Doesn't Want Voice Double'', May 12, 1929, Page 20. *Los Angeles Times, ''Liska March In It'', May 21, 1929, Page A10. *

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 ...

, ''Sheridan Comedy A Revival Tonight'', June 23, 1953, Page 26.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:March, Liska American female dancers American film actresses 20th-century American actresses March Liska 2003 deaths 1906 births 20th-century American dancers 21st-century American women