Rosella O'Connor Russell (October 24, 1883 - February 1, 1952) was a

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 ...

star from about 1912 to the late 1940s on the Columbia circuit.

Biography

She was born in the

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engl ...

area of

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 ...

and began her career as a pianist in the

silent movie ''Silent Movie'' is a 1976 American satirical silent comedy film co-written, directed by and starring Mel Brooks, released by 20th Century Fox in summer 1976. The ensemble cast includes Dom DeLuise, Marty Feldman, Bernadette Peters, and S ...

theaters the Palace and the Dreamland in the

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 ...

area. She moved into vaudeville, joining Al Reeves show "Big Burlesque Review" both with a piano act and acting in light comedy routines. Her piano specialty was playing pop tunes of the day in a classical arrangement. Her playing was so popular that it often "stopped" the show, the audience demanding she keep playing. Newspaper profiles of the day credit her with attending the

New England Conservatory of Music The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. The conservatory is located on Huntington Avenue along Avenue of the Arts (Boston), the Avenue of the Arts near Boston Symphony Ha ...

, but this cannot be confirmed by their records. She married

Harry Kennedy Morton Harry Kennedy Morton Jr., known on the stage as Harry K. Morton, (March 20, 1889 – May 10, 1956) was an American actor, comedian, dancer, and prizefighter. He grew up performing in vaudeville and in circuses with his family in an act known as the ...

, a fellow vaudevillian. She had one son, Harold Morton, Jr., who died in childhood. She died on February 1, 1952, in the

Somerville, Massachusetts Somerville ( ) is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, and north of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the city had a total population of 81, ...

, area. Her husband died in May 1956.

Broadway productions

*''Blossom Time'', Sep 4, 1943 - Oct 9, 1943, as Mrs. Kranz *''Blossom Time'', Dec 26, 1938 - Jan 1939, as Mrs. Kranz *''The Love Song'', Jan 13, 1925 - Jun 6, 1925, as Lizette *''Springtime of Youth'', Oct 26, 1922 - Dec 23, 1922, as Pepita *''The Sweetheart Shop'', Aug 31, 1920 - Oct 16, 1920, as Daphne

Filmography

*'' Avenging Waters'' (1936) as "Mrs. Eloise Smythe" *''

Taming the Wild ''Taming the Wild'', also known as ''Madcap'', is a 1936 American comedy film directed by Bob Hill for producer Sam Katzman's poverty row studio Victory Pictures and starring Rod La Rocque. Plot Madcap society girl June Bolton has a talent fo ...

'' (1936) as "Mrs. Elizabeth Bolton"

References

External links

* * 1883 births 1952 deaths People from Worcester County, Massachusetts American vaudeville performers 20th-century American pianists American women pianists Actresses from Massachusetts {{US-entertainer-stub

Biography

Broadway productions

Filmography

References

Further reading

External links