Victor Moore
Victor Moore | |
---|---|
Born | Victor Frederick Moore February 24, 1876 Hammonton, New Jersey, U.S. |
Died | July 23, 1962 East Islip, New York, U.S. | (aged 86)
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1896–1957 |
Spouse(s) | Emma Littlefield
(m. 1903; died 1934)Shirley Paige
(m. 1942) |
Victor Frederick Moore (February 24, 1876 – July 23, 1962) was an American actor of stage and screen, a major Broadway star from the late 1920s through the 1930s. He was also a comedian, writer, and director.
Career[]
Victor Moore appeared in over 50 films and 21 Broadway shows. His first appearance was on Broadway in Rosemary (1896). He also appeared in George M. Cohan's Forty-five Minutes from Broadway, which opened January 1, 1906, and its sequel, The Talk of New York (1907). He went on to star in shows such as Oh, Kay! (1926) as Shorty McGee, Hold Everything! (1928) as Nosey Bartlett, Gershwin's Of Thee I Sing (1931) as Vice-President Alexander Throttlebottom, Let 'Em Eat Cake (1933), Cole Porter's Anything Goes (1934) as Moonface Martin, and Irving Berlin's Louisiana Purchase (1940) as Oliver P. Loganberry.
Moore's talent was first recognised by screenwriter Beatrice deMille.[1] He made his film debut in 1915. He starred in three films that year, two of which were directed by Cecil B. DeMille – Chimmie Fadden and Chimmie Fadden Out West. He also appeared in Swing Time (1936) with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Make Way for Tomorrow (1937), The Heat's On with Mae West, Duffy's Tavern (1945), Ziegfeld Follies (1946), It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947), On Our Merry Way (1948), A Kiss in the Dark (1949), and We're Not Married (1952), working with Ginger Rogers for a second time. His last screen appearance was a role as a plumber in The Seven Year Itch (1955).
He worked in film twice with Bob Hope, first in Louisiana Purchase (1941) and again in Star Spangled Rhythm (1942).
Moore made a guest appearance as himself on The Martin and Lewis radio show on August 16, 1949, and was a regular (as himself) on .
In 1945 Moore appeared in the Daffy Duck cartoon Ain't That Ducky. He was so pleased with his caricature he offered to add his voice free of charge on the condition that the animators draw him with a little more hair.[2]
Personal life[]
He was married twice – first to actress Emma Littlefield from June 23, 1903, until her death on June 23, 1934,[3][4] and then to Shirley Paige on January 16, 1942, when Moore was 65 and Paige was 20.[5] The marriage was not publicly announced for a year and a half.[6] They remained married until Victor Moore's death 20 years later.
He had three children with his first wife: an adopted son Victor, Jr. (1906),[7] Ora Victora (November 19, 1917 – October 26, 1993),[8][9] and Robert Emmett (1920–2004).[10][11]
Moore died of a heart attack on July 23, 1962. He was 86 years old. He is interred at Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York, United States.
Legacy[]
The Victor Moore Bus Terminal and business arcade at the New York City Subway's Roosevelt Avenue / 74th Street station in Jackson Heights, Queens was named for him when it opened in 1941.[12][13] In 2005, the arcade was replaced by an Intermodal Transportation Complex serving the same subway and bus lines.[14]
Filmography[]
Silent films[]
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Sound films[]
|
Radio appearances[]
Year | Program | Episode/source | |
---|---|---|---|
1944 | Amos 'n' Andy | Between Life and Death | |
1947 | Lux Radio Theatre | It's a Wonderful Life[15] | |
1948 | Hallmark Playhouse | Old Man Minnick[16] |
References[]
- ^ "Beatrice deMille – Women Film Pioneers Project". wfpp.cdrs.columbia.edu. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
- ^ Maltin, Leonard. “Warner Brothers.” Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons, McGraw-Hill, p. 252.
- ^ "Moores to Celebrate." Brooklyn Daily Eagle, June 18, 1928, p. 32.
- ^ "Mrs. Victor Moore Dies in Hospital; 53." The New York Times, June 24, 1934, p. 24.
- ^ "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JBPM-3ZF: January 7, 2021), Shirley I Moore, July 11, 1989; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
- ^ “MOORE REVEALS WEDDING.” The New York Times, July 5, 1943, p. 11.
- ^ Niemeyer, H.H. “VETERAN Comedian a FILM 'FIND.' Victor Moore, Long On Stage, Was Passed Up 24 Years Ago.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 17, 1936, p. 2D.
- ^ “Mr. and Mrs. Victor Moore (Emma Littlefield) Wish to Thank Their Many Friends for the Beautiful Gifts, Letters and Telegrams of Congratulations upon the Birth of Their Daughter ORA VICTORA MOORE Nov. 19th, 1917. They Also Wish to Announce That Ora Is Some Baby.” Variety, November 30, 1917, p. 23.
- ^ "California Death Index, 1940–1997," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VP8Q-L7D : November 26, 2014), Ora Mora, October 26, 1993; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.
- ^ "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X78T-VWF: accessed November 3, 2020), Victor F Moore, Hempstead, Nassau, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 125, sheet 1B, line 99, family 28, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1460; FHL microfilm 2,341,195.
- ^ "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch(https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JGZJ-J43 : December 4, 2020), Robert E Moore, July 23, 2004; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
- ^ "Bus Terminal Opened at Jackson Heights: Victor Moore Enterprise in Queens Lauded by Officials" (PDF). The New York Times. December 12, 1941. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
- ^ "Real Politics Scares L.I.'s 'Senator' Moore". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. April 13, 1941. p. 9. Retrieved November 1, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Officials Applaud Opening Of Renovated Bus Terminal | www.qgazette.com | Queens Gazette". www.qgazette.com. July 20, 2005. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
- ^ "It's a Wonderful Life (1946)". Retrieved January 5, 2017.
- ^ "Radio's Golden Age". Nostalgia Digest. 41 (2): 40–41. Spring 2015.
External links[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Victor Moore. |
- Victor Moore at IMDb
- Victor Moore at the Internet Broadway Database
- Victor Moore at Find a Grave
- Victor Moore papers, 1864–1958 [bulk 1890s–1958] Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library.
- 1876 births
- 1962 deaths
- 19th-century American male actors
- 20th-century American comedians
- 20th-century American male actors
- American directors
- American male comedians
- American male film actors
- American male radio actors
- American male silent film actors
- American male stage actors
- American male television actors
- American male voice actors
- Burials at Cypress Hills Cemetery
- People from Hammonton, New Jersey
- Vaudeville performers