Eleanor Phelps
Encyclopedia
Eleanor Phelps was an American theater, film and television actress from Roland Park, Baltimore, Maryland. She appeared in 17 Broadway theater productions.
Before going off to Vassar
for college, Phelps attended Bryn Mawr School
in Baltimore along with future actresses Margaret Barker and Mildred Natwick
. In college she was a student of Hallie Flanagan
at the Vassar Experimental Theatre and aspired to become a Broadway performer. Her father opposed her desire to appear on stage but her mom assisted her by introducing her to actor George Arliss
. She visited Arliss at his elegant Beekman Place (Manhattan)
apartment and he also tried to discourage Phelps from acting.
She joined the University Players
Guild for its first season of summer stock in West Falmouth on Cape Cod in 1928 along with Henry Fonda
, Joshua Logan
, Bretaigne Windust
, Charles Leatherbee, Myron McCormick
, Kent Smith
, and others. On July 29, 1928, Broadway producer Winthrop Ames
traveled from New York to Cape Cod specifically to see Phelps in the dress rehearsal for the University Players production of The Jest, a 1919 Broadway comedy by Sem Benelli
. Perhaps his trip was occasioned at the suggestion of George Arliss who had starred as Shylock in Ames's Broadway production of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice during the Broadway season just ended. In any event, Ames offered Phelps the role of Jessica in the post-Broadway national tour of Merchant of Venice. At the end of the University Players 1928 summer season, Phelps left Cape Cod to join Arliss and company and never returned to Falmouth. She loved more than anything being in a play by Mister Shakespeare.
Phelps appeared in motion pictures in the early 1930s with roles in The Run Around (1932), The Count of Monte Cristo (1934),
and Cleopatra (1934).
She believed that some of the best acting was in soap operas. Phelps participated in both soaps and made-for-television productions.
Among these are Cinderella (1957), Hallmark Hall of Fame
(1961), The Catholic Hour (1967), The Secret Storm
(1954),
Somerset
(1975), Threesome
(1984), and Kate & Allie
(1989). She played a very rich lady, Grace Tyrrell, on The Secret
Storm, from 1970 to 1973. She once did a commercial for Hershey
in which she played an elegant lady getting in an elevator with a cow.
Among her passions was Latin America
and wearing the bright colors and Aztec
designs which reflected her interest.
Phelps died in September 2001 in New York City
.
Before going off to Vassar
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
for college, Phelps attended Bryn Mawr School
Bryn Mawr School
The Bryn Mawr School is an independent, nonsectarian, college-preparatory school for girls from preschool through grade twelve. Founded in 1885, BMS is located in the Roland Park community of Baltimore, Maryland, USA at 109 W. Melrose Avenue, Baltimore MD 21210.-The Bryn Mawr School Community:In...
in Baltimore along with future actresses Margaret Barker and Mildred Natwick
Mildred Natwick
Mildred Natwick was an American stage and film actress.- Early life :A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she was born to Joseph and Mildred Marion Dawes Natwick. She graduated from the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore...
. In college she was a student of Hallie Flanagan
Hallie Flanagan
Hallie Flanagan was an American theatrical producer and director, playwright, and author, best known as director of the Federal Theatre Project, a part of the Works Progress Administration .-Background:...
at the Vassar Experimental Theatre and aspired to become a Broadway performer. Her father opposed her desire to appear on stage but her mom assisted her by introducing her to actor George Arliss
George Arliss
George Arliss was an English actor, author and filmmaker who found success in the United States. He was the first British actor to win an Academy Award.-Life and career:...
. She visited Arliss at his elegant Beekman Place (Manhattan)
Beekman Place (Manhattan)
Beekman Place is a small street located on the east side of Manhattan, New York City. The street runs from north to south for approximately two blocks and is situated between the eastern end of 51st and 49th streets. Beekman Place is also used to refer to the residential neighborhood that surrounds...
apartment and he also tried to discourage Phelps from acting.
She joined the University Players
University Players
The University Players was primarily a summer stock theater company located in West Falmouth, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, from 1928 to 1932. It was formed in 1928 by eighteen college undergraduates...
Guild for its first season of summer stock in West Falmouth on Cape Cod in 1928 along with Henry Fonda
Henry Fonda
Henry Jaynes Fonda was an American film and stage actor.Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor. He also appeared in 1938 in plays performed in White Plains, New York, with Joan Tompkins...
, Joshua Logan
Joshua Logan
Joshua Lockwood Logan III was an American stage and film director and writer.-Early years:Logan was born in Texarkana, Texas, the son of Susan and Joshua Lockwood Logan. When he was three years old his father committed suicide...
, Bretaigne Windust
Bretaigne Windust
Bretaigne Windust was a French-born theatre, film, and television director.-Early life:He was born Ernest Bretaigne Windust in Paris, France, the son of English violin virtuoso Ernest Joseph Windust and singer Elizabeth Amory Day from New York City...
, Charles Leatherbee, Myron McCormick
Myron McCormick
Myron McCormick was an American actor of stage, radio and film.McCormick was born as Walter Myron McCormick in Albany, Indiana....
, Kent Smith
Kent Smith
Kent Smith was an American actor who had a lengthy career in film, theater, and television.Born Frank Kent Smith in New York, New York, Smith made his acting debut on Broadway in 1932 in and, after spending a few years there, moved to Hollywood, California, where he made his film debut in The...
, and others. On July 29, 1928, Broadway producer Winthrop Ames
Winthrop Ames
Winthrop Ames was an American theatre director and producer, playwright and screenwriter.For three decades at the beginning of the 20th century, Ames was an important force on Broadway, whose repertoire included directing and producing Shakespeare and classic plays, new plays, and revivals of...
traveled from New York to Cape Cod specifically to see Phelps in the dress rehearsal for the University Players production of The Jest, a 1919 Broadway comedy by Sem Benelli
Sem Benelli
Sem Benelli was an Italian playwright and librettist who provided the texts for several noted Italian operas, including Italo Montemezzi's L'amore dei tre re and L'incantesimo, and Umberto Giordano's La cena delle beffe. He was a native of Prato....
. Perhaps his trip was occasioned at the suggestion of George Arliss who had starred as Shylock in Ames's Broadway production of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice during the Broadway season just ended. In any event, Ames offered Phelps the role of Jessica in the post-Broadway national tour of Merchant of Venice. At the end of the University Players 1928 summer season, Phelps left Cape Cod to join Arliss and company and never returned to Falmouth. She loved more than anything being in a play by Mister Shakespeare.
Phelps appeared in motion pictures in the early 1930s with roles in The Run Around (1932), The Count of Monte Cristo (1934),
and Cleopatra (1934).
She believed that some of the best acting was in soap operas. Phelps participated in both soaps and made-for-television productions.
Among these are Cinderella (1957), Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City based greeting card company. The second longest-running television program in the history of television, it has a historically long run, beginning in 1951 and continuing into 2011...
(1961), The Catholic Hour (1967), The Secret Storm
The Secret Storm
The Secret Storm is a soap opera which ran on CBS from February 1, 1954 to February 8, 1974. The series was created by Roy Winsor, who also created the long-running soap operas Search for Tomorrow and Love of Life...
(1954),
Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
(1975), Threesome
Threesome
A threesome is a group of three engaged in the same activity. In relation to a sexual activity a threesome refer to the activity involving three people of any gender or sexual orientation...
(1984), and Kate & Allie
Kate & Allie
Kate & Allie is an American television situation comedy which ran from March 19, 1984 to May 22, 1989. Kate & Allie first aired on CBS as a midseason replacement series and only six episodes were initially commissioned, but the favorable response from critics and viewers alike easily convinced CBS...
(1989). She played a very rich lady, Grace Tyrrell, on The Secret
Storm, from 1970 to 1973. She once did a commercial for Hershey
The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company, known until April 2005 as the Hershey Foods Corporation and commonly called Hershey's, is the largest chocolate manufacturer in North America. Its headquarters are in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which is also home to Hershey's Chocolate World. It was founded by Milton S...
in which she played an elegant lady getting in an elevator with a cow.
Among her passions was Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
and wearing the bright colors and Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
designs which reflected her interest.
Phelps died in September 2001 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Additional reading
- Fresno, California Bee, Where Fifty Million Dollars Works For $7.50 A Day, August 12, 1934, Page 36.
- The Frederick, MarylandFrederick, MarylandFrederick is a city in north-central Maryland. It is the county seat of Frederick County, the largest county by area in the state of Maryland. Frederick is an outlying community of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of a greater...
News, Personalities, The Best Drama Teacher Is The Audience, March 21, 1973, Page 6. - Houghton, Norris, But Not Forgotten: The Adventure of the University Players, William Sloane Associates (New York 1951).