Gail Kane (b. Abigail Kane ), was a stage and silent movie actress. When she finished private tuition she determined to become an actress, and she studied the art of pantomime. She then moved into the mainstream theatre in 1910 in 'Decorating Clementine' a comedy, and by 1914 she was in London performing at the Lyceum Theatre London, and then at the Gaiety Theatre in comedy productions brought to London by George M. Cohan. Despite the start of WWI she remained in London until April 1915. By 1920 she was appearing in at the Broadhurst Theatre in Manhatten and she continued in theatre through out her career .... which seems to have come when her movie
career ended.
She had started in movies as early as 1913 when she appeared in a role in 'Arizona' .... and made
34 totally forgettable movies ... rather oddly as she was a stage actress, her voice wasn't considered suitable for the new medium, and her career ended in 1927 with 'Convoy' just before the advent of sound.
Gail Kane died in Augusta, Maine in 1966, aged 80.
As you might expect for a girl on this thread, she had a few less than glorious moments .... in 1918 she
filed a law suit against the 'Mutual' film production company asking $33,500 for alleged breach of contract.
Arrest:
But her real '
Oops moment' came in the theatre when she was
arrested (along with forty-one others), following a performance of 'The Captive' at the Empire Theater on Broadway in February 1927. The production was in its fifth month when it was
deemed indecent, and in violation of Section 1140A of the
New York City Criminal Code. This decision was made even stranger by the fact that the play had been
tried and acquitted of immorality a short time earlier, by a '
citizen's play jury' (
these were apparently set up to try and ensure plays met the law).
The raid was just one of a number carried out by New Yorks 'finest' that night (
at least two other productions were raided on the same night. They were 'Sex', starring 'Mae West', and 'The Virgin Man'), and amongst the many others arrested and taken to the '
Night Court' that night were Mae West, Basil Rathbone, Helen Menken, Ann Trevor, Winifred Fraser, John Miltern, and Arthur Lewis.
Helen Menken was comforted by Kane as they made their exit from the court, after she had become agitated by the glare and explosions of news photographers camera flash bulbs snapping away. "
Please make them stop", Menken reportedly exclaimed. Authorities promised to repeat the arrests if the plays were not withdrawn or modified to comply with the criminal code
I can find no record of her career after this time ....
Trivia:
- She stood 5'7" tall, weighed 142 pounds, and had dark brown hair and eyes.
- She appeared in the comedy 'Come Seven' which was the first play ever featuring an entirely Caucasian cast in 'black face'.
- She owned a collection of Egyptian scarab beetles considered to be one of the finest in America in 1917. The most valuable of the Scarabaeus sacer is said to have been removed from the tomb of an Egyptian princess of the 2nd Ptolemaic dynasty.
- She collected bathing suits.
Pictures:
Just a few illustrative pictures: I can find no postings elsewhere ...
Fans of obscure Vintage Silent movie stars might like
my latest thread here.