Olive Morrell

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Olive Morrell, from a 1906 publication.
Olive Morrell, as Dulcie Babori in The Spring Chicken, from a 1905 publication.

Olive Morrell, born Olive Miller (1877–1937), was an English actress and Gaiety Girl best known for her roles in Edwardian musical comedies.

Early life[]

Morrell was born in Highbury in 1877[1] and grew up in Highgate, near London. A singing teacher introduced her to theatrical producer George Edwardes, which led to roles at the Gaiety Theatre, London.[2]

Career[]

Morrell played roles in the Edwardian musical comedies A Greek Slave (1898–1899),[3] San Toy (1900),[4] A Country Girl (1902–1904), The Catch of the Season (1904–1906), Sergeant Brue (1904), Under a Panama (1904),[5] The Talk of the Town (1905), and The Spring Chicken (1905).[6] She appeared in a benefit performance of Gilbert and Sullivan's Trial by Jury in 1906.[7][8]

As a Gaiety Girl, Morrell's appearance and gowns were at least as reviewed as her talents, and she was a popular subject for photo postcards.[9] In 1904, Morrell defended actresses from criticism by writer Marie Corelli, writing: "Actresses are not more extravagant than other people".[10]

She toured as a performer in musicals and pantomime in Australia for six months in the 1906–1907 season.[2][11] The press interest in her appearance continued: "She is distinctly English, with her lovely complexion of milk and roses, a skin as fine as a baby's, straight delicate features, and good grey eyes," wrote one interviewer in a Melbourne newspaper, continuing to describe her teeth ("perfect"), her smile ("bewitching"), her eyebrows, her hair, her height, and her dress.[12] In the same 1906 interview, Morrell said:

"If any girl has any ability for the stage, I never blame her for going on. ... It is really the best thing a woman can do, and now there is a very much better class upon the stage. Managers have realized, I think, that a girl who is decently educated and nicely brought up is quicker to understand and learn, and also that she generally makes a better impression than the comparatively uneducated girl."[12]

Personal life[]

Morrell married Australian politician Willie Kelly in 1908, in London.[13][14] In 1909 the couple had a daughter, Mary Wentworth Kelly, and in 1911 they were living with four servants in Knightsbridge in London.[15] When they separated, Morrell moved back to England with their daughter.[16]

Morrell died in Hampstead in London in 1937.[17]

References[]

  1. ^ 1901 England Census for Olive Morrell, London, St Marylebone, via Ancestry.com (subscription required)
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Confidences of Stage Favorites: Miss Olive Morell", The Sunday Times, December 9, 1906, p. 5, via Trove
  3. ^ Wearing, J. P. The London Stage 1890–1899: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel, Scarecrow Press (2013), p. 382. ISBN 9780810892828
  4. ^ "Grand Theatre" The Age, April 21, 1900, p. 8, via Newspapers.com open access
  5. ^ "'Sergeant Brue' at the Prince of Wales", Sketch, August 31, 1904, p. 260
  6. ^ Caryll, Ivan and Lionel Monckton, The Spring Chicken, Chappell & Company (1905), unnumbered cast page.
  7. ^ "Trial by Jury at the Terry Matinee", The Bystander, June 20, 1906, p. 603
  8. ^ Edwards, G. Spencer. "Concerning Olive Morrell", The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, August 5, 1905, p. 894
  9. ^ "Miss Olive Morrell", Punch, November 8, 1906, p. 8, via Trove
  10. ^ "Corelli Attacks the Women", Buffalo Times, August 28, 1904, p. 14, via Newspapers.com
  11. ^ "Miss Olive Morrell", The Sunday Sun, October 7, 1906, p. 1, via Trove
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b "The Interviewer: Miss Olive Morrell", Table Talk, November 1, 1906, p. 12, via Trove
  13. ^ Kelly, Frederick Septimus (2004). Thérèse Radic (ed.). Race Against Time: The Diaries of F.S. Kelly. National Library Australia. p. 395. ISBN 9780642107404.
  14. ^ "Mr. William Kelly M. P., Marriage to Miss Morrell", The Telegraph, February 20, 1908, p. 4, via Trove
  15. ^ 1911 England Census for Olive Kelly, London, St Margaret and St John, via Ancestry.com {[subscription}}
  16. ^ Rutledge, Martha. "William Henry Kelly", Australian Dictionary of Biography (1983).
  17. ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 for Olive Kelly 1937, Q1, via Ancestry.com (subscription required)

External links[]

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