Pearl Eaton
Encyclopedia
Pearl Eaton was a Broadway performer, choreographer, and dance supervisor of the 1910s and 1920s.
, Virginia
. She began attending dance lessons in Washington D.C., along with her sisters Doris
and Mary
, at a young age. In 1911, all three sisters were hired for a production of Maurice Maeterlinck
's fantasy play The Blue Bird
at the Shubert Belasco Theatre in Washington. While Eaton had a minor role in the show, it served as her introduction to the world of professional theatre.
After The Blue Bird, in 1912, the three Eaton sisters and their younger brother Joe began appearing in various plays and melodramas for the Poli stock company. They quickly gained reputations as professional, reliable, and versatile actors, and were rarely out of work. In 1915, all three sisters appeared in a new production of The Blue Bird for Poli; Doris and Mary were given the starring roles of Mytyl and Tytyl. The siblings were subsequently invited to reprise their roles for a New York and road tour of the play, produced by the Shubert Brothers.
Although Pearl had a minor role in The Blue Bird, her dancing impressed the Shuberts, who offered her a place in the chorus of Al Jolson
's latest show at the Winter Garden Theatre
, Robinson Crusoe, Jr.
It marked the beginning of her career as an adult musical theatre performer.
In the spring of 1918, Eaton was hired as a chorus dancer for the latest edition of the Ziegfeld Follies
. She would remain with Ziegfeld for five years, appearing in the Follies in 1918, 1922, and 1923 and the Midnight Frolics of 1919, 1920, and 1921. While she never was made a principal dancer with the Follies, from 1918 onwards, she also worked as an assistant to choreographer Ned Wayburn
.
In April 1923 Eaton starred in Plunder at Poli's Majestic Theater in New York City
. On one occasion she filled in for Marilyn Miller
in a Ziegfeld chorus when the star had the mumps
. Eaton was reputed to have the most beautiful legs in America. It was reported that each time Ziegfeld encountered Eaton he asked her, "How are the legs?".
After her final appearance with the Follies, in the 1923 road company, Eaton became associated with producer Charles Dillingham. She would work on Dillngham's productions for several years, both as a performer and a dance director. During this period she was a popular and respected presence on Broadway, and was even honored with a caricature on the walls at the theatrical restaurant Sardi's
. Her final Broadway show was She's My Baby at the Globe Theatre
in 1928.
In the late 1920s Eaton moved to Los Angeles and worked as a dance director and choreographer for RKO Studios, creating dances for such films as Hit the Deck with Jack Oakie
.
She was selected by Hungarian artist, Erno Bakos, for a portrait of the most typical American blonde, in December 1928. Bakos studied stage and screen beauties and went to both Vassar
and Smith College
in his search for an ideal girl. He believed Eaton possessed the perfect combination of beauty, intelligence, personality, charm, and spirit.
Eaton also dabbled in various other careers, opening a dance studio, writing songs and stories, training to be a realtor, and working for the Los Angeles County Census Bureau. As several of her siblings, she also battled alcoholism
and dependence on prescription drugs. After the death of her second husband, oil company executive Dick Enderley, she became reclusive and rarely left her home.
Pearl Eaton was found dead, at the age of 60, in her Manhattan Beach
apartment on September 10, 1958. While the police investigation ruled that the death was a homicide, the case was never solved.
Early life and career
Eaton was born in NorfolkNorfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. She began attending dance lessons in Washington D.C., along with her sisters Doris
Doris Eaton Travis
Doris Eaton Travis was a Broadway and film performer, dance instructor, and author. She was also the last surviving Ziegfeld girl.Travis began performing onstage as a young child, and made her Broadway debut at the age of 13...
and Mary
Mary Eaton
Mary Eaton was a leading stage actress, singer, and dancer in the 1910s and 1920s. A professional performer since childhood, she enjoyed success in stage productions such as the Ziegfeld Follies and early sound films such as Glorifying the American Girl and The Cocoanuts, but found her career in...
, at a young age. In 1911, all three sisters were hired for a production of Maurice Maeterlinck
Maurice Maeterlinck
Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck, also called Comte Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who wrote in French. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911. The main themes in his work are death and the meaning of life...
's fantasy play The Blue Bird
The Blue Bird
The Blue Bird may refer to:* The Blue Bird , by Maurice Maeterlinck** The Blue Bird , multiple adaptations of this play* "The Blue Bird" , by Madame d'Aulnoy...
at the Shubert Belasco Theatre in Washington. While Eaton had a minor role in the show, it served as her introduction to the world of professional theatre.
After The Blue Bird, in 1912, the three Eaton sisters and their younger brother Joe began appearing in various plays and melodramas for the Poli stock company. They quickly gained reputations as professional, reliable, and versatile actors, and were rarely out of work. In 1915, all three sisters appeared in a new production of The Blue Bird for Poli; Doris and Mary were given the starring roles of Mytyl and Tytyl. The siblings were subsequently invited to reprise their roles for a New York and road tour of the play, produced by the Shubert Brothers.
Although Pearl had a minor role in The Blue Bird, her dancing impressed the Shuberts, who offered her a place in the chorus of Al Jolson
Al Jolson
Al Jolson was an American singer, comedian and actor. In his heyday, he was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer"....
's latest show at the Winter Garden Theatre
Winter Garden Theatre
The Winter Garden Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 1634 Broadway in midtown Manhattan.-History:The structure was built by William Kissam Vanderbilt in 1896 to be the American Horse Exchange....
, Robinson Crusoe, Jr.
Robinson Crusoe, Jr.
Robinson Crusoe, Jr. is a Broadway musical with a book by Edgar Smith, lyrics by Harold R. Atteridge, and music by Sigmund Romberg and James Hanley....
It marked the beginning of her career as an adult musical theatre performer.
Success onstage and onscreen
Following her successful run in Robinson Crusoe, Jr., Eaton appeared in another show at the Winter Garden, The Passing Show. When the production went on tour, Eaton remained with the cast. While on the road, she fell in love with one of the company musicians, violinist Harry Levant. The two were married in 1917; the following year, Eaton gave birth to a daughter, named Doris, after her sister. However, shortly after giving birth, she regained her dancing form and was back at the Winter Garden, appearing as a specialty dancer in Sinbad.In the spring of 1918, Eaton was hired as a chorus dancer for the latest edition of the Ziegfeld Follies
Ziegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
. She would remain with Ziegfeld for five years, appearing in the Follies in 1918, 1922, and 1923 and the Midnight Frolics of 1919, 1920, and 1921. While she never was made a principal dancer with the Follies, from 1918 onwards, she also worked as an assistant to choreographer Ned Wayburn
Ned Wayburn
Ned Wayburn, born Edward Claudius Weyburn, was a choreographer. He was born in Pennsylvania but spent much of his childhood in Chicago where he was introduced to theater and studied classical piano. At the age of 21, he abandoned his family’s tradition of manufacturing and began teaching at the...
.
In April 1923 Eaton starred in Plunder at Poli's Majestic Theater 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...
. On one occasion she filled in for Marilyn Miller
Marilyn Miller
Marilyn Miller was one of the most popular Broadway musical stars of the 1920s and early 1930s. She was an accomplished tap dancer, singer and actress, but it was the combination of these talents that endeared her to audiences. On stage she usually played rags-to-riches Cinderella characters who...
in a Ziegfeld chorus when the star had the mumps
Mumps
Mumps is a viral disease of the human species, caused by the mumps virus. Before the development of vaccination and the introduction of a vaccine, it was a common childhood disease worldwide...
. Eaton was reputed to have the most beautiful legs in America. It was reported that each time Ziegfeld encountered Eaton he asked her, "How are the legs?".
After her final appearance with the Follies, in the 1923 road company, Eaton became associated with producer Charles Dillingham. She would work on Dillngham's productions for several years, both as a performer and a dance director. During this period she was a popular and respected presence on Broadway, and was even honored with a caricature on the walls at the theatrical restaurant Sardi's
Sardi's
Sardi's is a restaurant in New York City's theater district at 234 West 44th Street in Manhattan. Known for the hundreds of caricatures of show-business celebrities that adorn its walls, Sardi's opened at its current location on March 5, 1927....
. Her final Broadway show was She's My Baby at the Globe Theatre
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 205 West 46th Street in midtown-Manhattan.Designed by the architectural firm of Carrere and Hastings, it was built by producer Charles Dillingham and opened as the Globe Theatre, in honor of London's Shakespearean playhouse, on...
in 1928.
In the late 1920s Eaton moved to Los Angeles and worked as a dance director and choreographer for RKO Studios, creating dances for such films as Hit the Deck with Jack Oakie
Jack Oakie
Jack Oakie was an American actor, starring mostly in films, but also working on stage, radio and television.-Early life:...
.
She was selected by Hungarian artist, Erno Bakos, for a portrait of the most typical American blonde, in December 1928. Bakos studied stage and screen beauties and went to both 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,...
and Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
in his search for an ideal girl. He believed Eaton possessed the perfect combination of beauty, intelligence, personality, charm, and spirit.
1930s and beyond
As her siblings, Pearl Eaton found her career in sharp decline during the Great Depression. In spite of her well-respected work at RKO, she was let go by the studio in 1930. She continued performing in motion pictures throughout the 30s, albeit in small roles.Eaton also dabbled in various other careers, opening a dance studio, writing songs and stories, training to be a realtor, and working for the Los Angeles County Census Bureau. As several of her siblings, she also battled alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
and dependence on prescription drugs. After the death of her second husband, oil company executive Dick Enderley, she became reclusive and rarely left her home.
Pearl Eaton was found dead, at the age of 60, in her Manhattan Beach
Manhattan Beach
Manhattan Beach may refer to:PlacesIn the United States:* Manhattan Beach, California* Manhattan Beach, Minnesota* Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, New York...
apartment on September 10, 1958. While the police investigation ruled that the death was a homicide, the case was never solved.