Mary Philips
Encyclopedia
Mary Philips was an American
stage and film actress.
, she was the only child of Anna Hurley and Charles Philips of New Haven
. She was educated in New Haven at what was then St. Mary's Academy. In 1920 she made her stage debut as a chorus girl. She then went on to have a very successful stage career appearing in such shows as The Postman Always Rings Twice (1936) and Chicken Every Sunday (1944). She had a long working relationship with the New York theatre and as her own personal scrapbook shows, worked closely with such greats as George M. Cohan
. In 1924 she appeared in the Broadway
play Nerves with Humphrey Bogart
and Kenneth MacKenna
, both life-long friends and future husbands.
Philips was married on April 3, 1928 to Humphrey Bogart at her mother's apartment at 24 Hopkins Street in Hartford, Connecticut
by a Justice of the Peace
. This was Philips' first marriage and Bogart's second (Helen Menken
m. 20 May 1926-1927). Bogart was a little-known stage actor then, and Mary was an established actress in the New York theatre. When Bogart got film roles in Hollywood, Mary declined to move with him to California, as her stage career was firmly established in New York at that time. After a marriage that lasted ten years, Philips and Bogart divorced in 1938. The couple had no children. Bogart later went on to marry Mayo Methot
(m.1938-1945) and then Lauren Bacall
(m. 21 May 1945-until Bogart's death on 14 January 1957). Mary Philips and Humphrey Bogart remained friends throughout their lives. Mary and her second husband, Kenneth MacKenna (1899–1962) both were invited friends to Bogart's memorial in California following his death in 1957.
Continuing on with her stage career in New York, Mary Philips then went on to marry her longtime friend, actor and director Kenneth MacKenna (August 19, 1899 - January 15, 1962). Kenneth was an American actor and film director, born Leo Mielziner, Jr. in Canterbury, New Hampshire
, brother of the well-known, five-time Tony winner, Jo Mielziner
(See: Mielziner: Master of Modern Stage Design by Mary C. Henderson, 2001). Mary and Kenneth were married in August 1938; it was the second and final marriage for both. Mary and Kenneth later made their home in California, where Kenneth was Story Head for MGM. They remained married until Kenneth's death in 1962. More information about Mary Philips and Kenneth Mackenna can be found in: Mielziner Family Papers, 1890–1935, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, New York, New York and through MGM. Numerous photos of Mary Philips and articles can be viewed.
Mary Philips's career would later expand into films. One of her fondest memories was the role she played as Helen Ferguson in A Farewell to Arms (1932). Her complete filmography is listed below.
During the later days of Kenneth's life, both Mary's mother, Anna Philips, and Kenneth's mother, Ella Lane McKenna Friend (March 18, 1873 – February 2, 1968), lived with them in their home in Brentwood, California
. Following Kenneth's death and the death of her own mother, Anna, Mary later moved to a lovely apartment overlooking the Pacific Palisades
in Santa Monica
. She was generous to her extended family, and both she and Kenneth made major contributions to charitable organizations, colleges and to the arts. Their home was frequented by the adopted son of Jo Mielziner, Michael, and by her cousin, Lucille Hackett and her children. Ms. Philips was a gracious lady of the golden age of the theatre and of film. When she would go out to dinner in Santa Monica in the early 1970s, she was often observed to still wear white gloves.
Philips died at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California on April 22, 1975, after a long and painful battle with lung cancer that had metastasized to her brain. She had been unaware of the growing cancer until she was in a minor car accident in Santa Monica that resulted in follow-up diagnostics and treatment. Her cousin, "Sister," (Lucille Hackett of New Haven, Connecticut), arranged for one of her daughters, Deborah Hackett, to be with her in Santa Monica during Mary's final months. Mary had long been a godmother to the children of the Hackett family, sending them to camp in the summer time and visiting them in their homes in New England
and in Dobbs Ferry, New York
. As Philips had been an only child who had lost her father to a railroad accident when she was a small child, her extended family was important to her. Her relationship with Lucille Hackett was one of long affection and care that spanned their lives. The majority of her estate and her private belongings were left to Lucille. Mary Philips was buried with her husband, Kenneth MacKenna, at Forest Lawn Memorial Park
, Glendale, California
.
Mary Philips had many beloved friends and extended family, including the son of Jo Mielziner, Michael Mielziner, her longtime business manager, Yvonne West, her beloved cousin, Lucille Bardorf Hackett, and the Hackett children.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
stage and film actress.
Biography
Born in New London, ConnecticutNew London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
, she was the only child of Anna Hurley and Charles Philips of New Haven
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
. She was educated in New Haven at what was then St. Mary's Academy. In 1920 she made her stage debut as a chorus girl. She then went on to have a very successful stage career appearing in such shows as The Postman Always Rings Twice (1936) and Chicken Every Sunday (1944). She had a long working relationship with the New York theatre and as her own personal scrapbook shows, worked closely with such greats as George M. Cohan
George M. Cohan
George Michael Cohan , known professionally as George M. Cohan, was a major American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, and producer....
. In 1924 she appeared in the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
play Nerves with Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
and Kenneth MacKenna
Kenneth MacKenna
Kenneth MacKenna was an American actor and film director, born Leo Mielziner, Jr. in Canterbury, New Hampshire.-Family:Parents were portrait artist Leo Mielziner, Sr.,...
, both life-long friends and future husbands.
Philips was married on April 3, 1928 to Humphrey Bogart at her mother's apartment at 24 Hopkins Street in Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
by a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
. This was Philips' first marriage and Bogart's second (Helen Menken
Helen Menken
Helen Menken was an American actress, born Helen Meinken to a German-French father, Frederick Meinken, and an Irish-born mother, Mary Madden....
m. 20 May 1926-1927). Bogart was a little-known stage actor then, and Mary was an established actress in the New York theatre. When Bogart got film roles in Hollywood, Mary declined to move with him to California, as her stage career was firmly established in New York at that time. After a marriage that lasted ten years, Philips and Bogart divorced in 1938. The couple had no children. Bogart later went on to marry Mayo Methot
Mayo Methot
Mayo Methot , also known as Mayo Methot Bogart, was an American film and theater actress.-Biography:Methot was born in Portland, Oregon. A petite brunette, she became a popular actress on Broadway during the 1920s where she was admired for both her acting and singing ability...
(m.1938-1945) and then Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall is an American film and stage actress and model, known for her distinctive husky voice and sultry looks.She first emerged as leading lady in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have And Have Not and continued on in the film noir genre, with appearances in The Big Sleep and Dark Passage ,...
(m. 21 May 1945-until Bogart's death on 14 January 1957). Mary Philips and Humphrey Bogart remained friends throughout their lives. Mary and her second husband, Kenneth MacKenna (1899–1962) both were invited friends to Bogart's memorial in California following his death in 1957.
Continuing on with her stage career in New York, Mary Philips then went on to marry her longtime friend, actor and director Kenneth MacKenna (August 19, 1899 - January 15, 1962). Kenneth was an American actor and film director, born Leo Mielziner, Jr. in Canterbury, New Hampshire
Canterbury, New Hampshire
Canterbury is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,352 at the 2010 census. Canterbury is home to Ayers State Forest and Shaker State Forest. On the last Saturday in July, the town hosts the annual .- History :...
, brother of the well-known, five-time Tony winner, Jo Mielziner
Jo Mielziner
Joseph "Jo" Mielziner was an American theatrical scenic, and lighting designer born in Paris, France. He is "the most successful set designer of the Golden era of Broadway", and worked on both stage plays and musicals.-Career:He was the son of artist Leo Mielziner, Sr...
(See: Mielziner: Master of Modern Stage Design by Mary C. Henderson, 2001). Mary and Kenneth were married in August 1938; it was the second and final marriage for both. Mary and Kenneth later made their home in California, where Kenneth was Story Head for MGM. They remained married until Kenneth's death in 1962. More information about Mary Philips and Kenneth Mackenna can be found in: Mielziner Family Papers, 1890–1935, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, New York, New York and through MGM. Numerous photos of Mary Philips and articles can be viewed.
Mary Philips's career would later expand into films. One of her fondest memories was the role she played as Helen Ferguson in A Farewell to Arms (1932). Her complete filmography is listed below.
During the later days of Kenneth's life, both Mary's mother, Anna Philips, and Kenneth's mother, Ella Lane McKenna Friend (March 18, 1873 – February 2, 1968), lived with them in their home in Brentwood, California
Brentwood, Los Angeles, California
Brentwood is a district in western Los Angeles, California, United States. The district is located at the base of the Santa Monica Mountains, bounded by the San Diego Freeway on the east, Wilshire Boulevard on the south, the Santa Monica city limits on the southwest, the border of Topanga State...
. Following Kenneth's death and the death of her own mother, Anna, Mary later moved to a lovely apartment overlooking the Pacific Palisades
Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California
Pacific Palisades is an affluent neighborhood and district within the U.S. city of Los Angeles, California, located among Brentwood to the east, Malibu and Topanga to the west, Santa Monica to the southeast, the Santa Monica Bay to the southwest, and the Santa Monica Mountains to the north. The...
in Santa Monica
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
. She was generous to her extended family, and both she and Kenneth made major contributions to charitable organizations, colleges and to the arts. Their home was frequented by the adopted son of Jo Mielziner, Michael, and by her cousin, Lucille Hackett and her children. Ms. Philips was a gracious lady of the golden age of the theatre and of film. When she would go out to dinner in Santa Monica in the early 1970s, she was often observed to still wear white gloves.
Philips died at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California on April 22, 1975, after a long and painful battle with lung cancer that had metastasized to her brain. She had been unaware of the growing cancer until she was in a minor car accident in Santa Monica that resulted in follow-up diagnostics and treatment. Her cousin, "Sister," (Lucille Hackett of New Haven, Connecticut), arranged for one of her daughters, Deborah Hackett, to be with her in Santa Monica during Mary's final months. Mary had long been a godmother to the children of the Hackett family, sending them to camp in the summer time and visiting them in their homes in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
and in Dobbs Ferry, New York
Dobbs Ferry, New York
Dobbs Ferry is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 10,875 at the 2010 census.The Village of Dobbs Ferry is located in, and is a part of, the town of Greenburgh...
. As Philips had been an only child who had lost her father to a railroad accident when she was a small child, her extended family was important to her. Her relationship with Lucille Hackett was one of long affection and care that spanned their lives. The majority of her estate and her private belongings were left to Lucille. Mary Philips was buried with her husband, Kenneth MacKenna, at Forest Lawn Memorial Park
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
Forest Lawn Memorial Park is a privately owned cemetery in Glendale, California. It is the original location of Forest Lawn, a chain of cemeteries in Southern California. The land was formerly part of Providencia Ranch.-History:...
, Glendale, California
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
.
Mary Philips had many beloved friends and extended family, including the son of Jo Mielziner, Michael Mielziner, her longtime business manager, Yvonne West, her beloved cousin, Lucille Bardorf Hackett, and the Hackett children.
Broadway credits
- The Canary (1918)
- Poor Little Ritz Girl (1920)
- Lilies of the Field (1921)
- Pins and Needles (1922)
- The Old Soak (1922)
- Nerves (1924)
- Big Boy (1925)
- One of the Family (1925)
- Two Girls Wanted (1926)
- Gay Paree (1926)
- The Wisdom Tooth (1926)
- The Five O'Clock GirlThe Five O'Clock GirlThe Five O'Clock Girl is a musical with a book by Guy Bolton and Fred Thompson, music by Harry Ruby, and lyrics by Bert Kalmar. It focuses on wealthy Beekman Place playboy Gerald Brooks and impoverished shopgirl Patricia Brown, who become acquainted with each other via a series of anonymous 5...
(1927) - Skyrocket (1929)
- Gambling (1929)
- The Tavern (1930)
- The Song and Dance Man (1930)
- Oh, Promise Me (1930)
- The House Beautiful (1930)
- The Laugh Parade (1931)
- Black Sheep (1932)
- Both Your Houses (1933)
- All Good Americans (1933)
- The Pure in Heart (1934)
- Come What May (1934)
- Merrily We Roll Along (1934)
- Anything GoesAnything GoesAnything Goes is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap antics aboard an ocean liner bound from New York to London...
(1934) - A Touch of Brimstone (1934)
- The Postman Always Rings Twice(1936)
- The Show is On (1936)
- Spring Thaw (1938)
- Chicken Every Sunday (1944)
Filmography
- Broadway's Like ThatBroadway's Like ThatBroadway's Like That is a 10-minute Vitaphone short film with Ruth Etting, Joan Blondell, Humphrey Bogart, and Mary Philips. Bogart and Philips were married at the time of this film.-Film preservation:...
(1930) - Life BeginsLife Begins (film)Life Begins is a drama film set in a 1930s maternity ward and deals with unwed mothers. It was adapted from the play of the same name by Mary M. Axelson.-Cast:*Loretta Young as Grace Sutton*Eric Linden as Jed Sutton...
(1932) - A Farewell to ArmsA Farewell to Arms (1932 film)A Farewell to Arms is a 1932 American romantic drama film directed by Frank Borzage, and starring Gary Cooper and Helen Hayes. The screenplay by Oliver H.P...
(1932) - Wings Over Honolulu (1937)
- As Good as Married (1937)
- That Certain WomanThat Certain WomanThat Certain Woman is a 1937 American drama film written and directed by Edmund Goulding. It is a remake of Goulding's 1929 film The Tresspasser, Gloria Swanson's first sound film.-Synopsis:...
(1937) - The Bride Wore RedThe Bride Wore RedThe Bride Wore Red is a 1937 motion picture, directed by Dorothy Arzner, and starring Joan Crawford, Franchot Tone, Robert Young and Billie Burke. It was based on the unproduced play The Bride from Trieste by Ferenc Molnár. In this "rags to riches" tale, Crawford plays a cabaret singer who poses as...
(1937) - MannequinMannequin (1937 film)Mannequin is 1937 film directed by Frank Borzage, and starring Joan Crawford, Spencer Tracy and Alan Curtis. In the film, Crawford plays Jessie, a young working class woman who seeks to improve her life by marrying her boyfriend, only to find out that he is no better than what she left behind...
(1937) - Lady in the DarkLady in the Dark (film)Lady in the Dark is a 1944 Technicolor musical film directed by Mitchell Leisen and starring Ginger Rogers. It was nominated for three Academy Awards; for Best Cinematography, Best Music and Best Art Direction ....
as Maggie Grant (1944) - Captain Eddie (1945)
- Incendiary BlondeIncendiary BlondeIncendiary Blonde is a 1945 American musical drama film of 1920s nightclub star Texas Guinan. Filmed in Technicolor by director George Marshall, it starred actress Betty Hutton in the title role. The music was written by Robert Emmett Dolan...
(1945) - Kiss and Tell (1945)
- Leave Her to HeavenLeave Her to HeavenLeave Her to Heaven is a 1945 American 20th Century Fox Technicolor film noir motion picture starring Gene Tierney, Cornel Wilde, Jeanne Crain, with Vincent Price, Darryl Hickman, and Chill Wills...
(1945) - Dear RuthDear RuthDear Ruth is a 1947 romantic comedy film starring Joan Caulfield, William Holden, Mona Freeman, and Edward Arnold. It was based on the Broadway play of the same name by Norman Krasna. A teenage girl has a soldier for a pen pal, but uses her older sister's name and photograph...
(1947) - A Woman's SecretA Woman's SecretA Woman's Secret is a 1949 film noir. It was based on the novel Mortgage on Life by Vicki Baum. It was directed by Nicholas Ray and starred Maureen O'Hara, Gloria Grahame and Melvyn Douglas.-Plot summary:...
(1949) - The Life of RileyThe Life of RileyThe Life of Riley, with William Bendix in the title role, is a popular American radio situation comedy series of the 1940s that was adapted into a 1949 feature film, a long-run 1950s television series , and a 1958 Dell comic book...
(uncredited, 1949) - Dear Wife (1949)
- I Can Get It for You WholesaleI Can Get It for You Wholesale (film)I Can Get It for You Wholesale is a 1951 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Gordon. The screenplay by Abraham Polonsky is based on Vera Caspary's loose adaptation of the 1937 novel of the same title by Jerome Weidman.-Plot:...
(1951) - Dear Brat (1951)
- Lights OutLights Out (radio show)Lights Out is an extremely popular American old-time radio program, an early example of a network series devoted mostly to horror and the supernatural, predating Suspense and Inner Sanctum...
(1 episodes, 1952) - Geraldine (uncredited, 1953)
- Prince ValiantPrince Valiant (1954 film)Prince Valiant is a 1954 adventure film in Technicolor and Cinemascope, based on the comic strip of the same name by Hal Foster. A young man seeks to join the Knights of the Round Table in order to restore his father to his own kingship, and uncovers a plot against King Arthur.-Plot summary:The...
(1954)