May Tully (born 1880s – March 9, 1924) was a Canadian actress, writer, director, and producer in theatre and film, and, according to sportswriter

Damon Runyon Alfred Damon Runyon (October 4, 1880 – December 10, 1946) was an American journalist and short-story writer. He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway theatre, Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Proh ...

, "perhaps the greatest woman baseball fan that ever lived."

Early life

Mary Gertrude Tully was born in

Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city of about 100,000 on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. "The Harbour City" was previously known as the "Hub City", which was attributed to its original layout design with streets radiating fr ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, the daughter of Frank Tully and Nancy Hague Tully. After her father died in the

1887 Nanaimo mine explosion The Nanaimo mine explosion occurred on May 3, 1887, in Nanaimo, British Columbia killing 150 miners. Only seven miners survived and the mine burned for one full day. The explosion started deep underground in the Number One Coal Mine after explosi ...

when May was a girl, she and her widowed mother moved to

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

, where her mother remarried. May Tully attended

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

, and Mrs. Wheatley's Dramatic School in New York.

Career

Tully was credited as a writer on eight silent films: '' The Winning of Beatrice'' (1918), ''

Mary's Ankle ''Mary's Ankle'' is a 1920 American silent comedy film directed by Lloyd Ingraham and written by Luther Reed based upon the play of the same name by May Tully. The film stars Douglas MacLean, Doris May, Victor Potel, Neal Burns, James Gord ...

'' (1920), ''His Wife's Money'' (1920), ''Bucking the Tiger'' (1921), '' The Old Oaken Bucket'' (1921), ''Chivalrous Charley'' (1921), ''Kisses'' (1922), and ''That Old Gang of Mine'' (1925). In addition, she directed ''That Old Gang of Mine'' and ''The Old Oaken Bucket'', and had producer credit on ''The Old Oaken Bucket''. On stage, Tully acted in shows such as ''The Christian'' (1900), ''In the Good Old Summer Time'', and ''The Two Mr. Wetherbys'' (1906). She wrote the play ''Mary's Ankle'' (1916), "an improbable but delectable farce" starring

Irene Fenwick Irene Fenwick (born Irene Frizell; September 5, 1887 – December 24, 1936) was an American stage and silent film actress. She was married to Lionel Barrymore from 1923 until her death in 1936. Fenwick has several surviving feature films fr ...

Zelda Sears Zelda Sears (née Paldi; January 21, 1873 – February 19, 1935) was an American actress, screenwriter, novelist and businesswoman. Early life and background She was born as Zelda Paldi near Brockway Township, St. Clair County, Michigan, into ...

, and

Bert Lytell Bertram Mortimer Lytell (February 24, 1885 – September 28, 1954) was an American actor in theater and film during the silent film era and early talkies. He starred in romantic, melodrama, and adventure films. Background Born in New York ...

on Broadway; it was also a success in other cities. Tully performed in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

in sketches she wrote, ''Stop! Look! and Listen!'' (1907), ''The Late Mr. Allen'' (1912), ''The Battle Cry of Freedom'' (1912), and ''Mona Lisa'' (1914). "She has long been recognized as the over-time worker of the vaudeville world," explained another writer in 1917, adding "She is perhaps the most businesslike of all the lady playwrights." She was the sketch writer for the

Palace Theatre Palace Theatre, or Palace Theater, is the name of many theatres in different countries, including: Australia *Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria *Palace Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales Canada *Palace Theatre, housed in the Robillard Block, Mo ...

in New York, and in 1915 produced a fashion show there, with models, expensive gowns, and jewelry; a popular attraction, ''The Fashion Show'' toured the Keith circuit for months, and was refreshed with new fashions in later seasons. In ''Curves'' (1911–1912), a vaudeville sketch she wrote about baseball, she co-starred with off-season professional players

Christy Mathewson Christopher Mathewson (August 12, 1880 – October 7, 1925), nicknamed "Big Six," "the Christian Gentleman," "Matty," and "the Gentleman's Hurler," was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball for ...

and

Chief Meyers John Tortes "Chief" Meyers (July 29, 1880July 25, 1971) was an American Major League Baseball catcher for the New York Giants (NL), New York Giants, Boston Braves (baseball), Boston Braves, and Brooklyn Robins from 1909 to 1917. He played on the ...

, bringing sports fans to the theatre. Her love of baseball was often noted in reports about the show. "She knows more inside baseball than 99 percent of the fans," acknowledged

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

coach Muggsy McGraw.

Personal life

May Tully died from

nephritis Nephritis is inflammation of the kidneys and may involve the glomeruli, tubules, or interstitial tissue surrounding the glomeruli and tubules. It is one of several different types of nephropathy. Types * Glomerulonephritis is inflammation ...

in 1924, aged about 40 years, in New York City. Headlines after her death highlighted her love and knowledge of baseball. "She had a wide acquaintance among baseball men, players, managers, magnates, and writers," noted Damon Runyon, and was accepted into their company "because of her understanding of the game and its atmosphere."

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tully, May 1880s births 1924 deaths Canadian film actresses Canadian stage actresses Silent film producers Canadian silent film directors Canadian women screenwriters Canadian vaudeville performers Actresses from Victoria, British Columbia People from Nanaimo Film directors from Victoria, British Columbia Writers from Victoria, British Columbia 20th-century Canadian screenwriters 20th-century Canadian actresses 20th-century Canadian women writers Screenwriters from British Columbia