Phyllis Welch MacDonald
Encyclopedia
Phyllis Welch MacDonald was an American
actress who enjoyed a brief, but successful, theater and film
career during the late 1930s. MacDonald appeared in just one film role, Professor Beware, a comedy
released in 1938.
, on July 16, 1913.
She made her Broadway
debut in the 1935 theatrical comedy
, A Slight Case of Murder
, by Howard Lindsay
and Damon Runyon
. She continued to appear in several Broadway shows over the next two years, ultimately appear in five productions in total. Her other credits included Clemence Dane
and Granite
.
Welch was awarded the New Times Critics' Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the production of End of Summer, which opened in 1937.Her last Broadway was in the 1937 theatrical production
of the fantasy
, High Tor
, which co-starred Burgess Meredith
and Peggy Ashcroft
.
Her success on Broadway led to a move to Hollywood to pursue a film career. MacDonald appeared in just one film during her brief career. In 1938, MacDonald was cast in the comedic film, Professor Beware in which she co-starred with actor, Harold Lloyd
. In order to get the part in Professor Beware, Welch had to sign a contract
pledging not to become engaged
or marry for a period of six months. According to the contract, which was reported by the Los Angeles Times in 1938, a violation of the agreement would have resulted in a $5,000 fine. The prohibition of marriage for six months was included in her contract because filmmakers felt that it would interfere with production of the movie.
Welch married her husband, Graeme K. MacDonald, in 1939 immediately after the completion of Professor Beware and left her professional acting career. The couple raised five sons during their marriage, which lasted more than fifty years. She settled with her family in Hillsborough, California
, where she resided for sixty years.
She remained active within regional theater groups in the San Francisco Bay area. MacDonald often collaborated with actress Shirley Temple Black to promote Children's theater within the region.
MacDonald co-founded the Peninsula Children's Theatre in the 1950s and served as its president. The Peninsula Children's Theatre offered plays and other productions for young audiences in the San Francisco Bay Area
. She also served on the board of the Hillbarn Theatre.
An artist, MacDonald also worked as a portrait
painter
on commission
.
Phyllis Welch MacDonald died of natural causes in her sleep at her caretaker
's home in San Mateo, California
, on September 26, 2008. She was 95 years old. Her husband, Graeme K. MacDonald, a contractor
, died in 1993. She was survived by her five sons and their grandchildren. One of her grandchildren, actress Alexis McDonald, is the founder of the Strings Attached Theater Company, which is based in New York City
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress who enjoyed a brief, but successful, theater and film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
career during the late 1930s. MacDonald appeared in just one film role, Professor Beware, a comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
released in 1938.
Biography
MacDonald was born in Toledo, OhioToledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
, on July 16, 1913.
She made her 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...
debut in the 1935 theatrical comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
, A Slight Case of Murder
A Slight Case of Murder
A Slight Case of Murder is a 1938 comedy film directed by Lloyd Bacon. The film is based on a play by Damon Runyon and Howard Lindsay. The offbeat comedy stars Edward G...
, by Howard Lindsay
Howard Lindsay
Howard Lindsay was an American theatrical producer, playwright, librettist, director and actor. He is best known for his writing work as part of the collaboration of Lindsay and Crouse, and for his performance, with his wife Dorothy Stickney, in the long-running play Life with...
and Damon Runyon
Damon Runyon
Alfred Damon Runyon was an American newspaperman and writer.He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Prohibition era. To New Yorkers of his generation, a "Damon Runyon character" evoked a distinctive social type from the...
. She continued to appear in several Broadway shows over the next two years, ultimately appear in five productions in total. Her other credits included Clemence Dane
Clemence Dane
Clemence Dane was the pseudonym of Winifred Ashton , an English novelist and playwright.-Life and career:...
and Granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
.
Welch was awarded the New Times Critics' Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the production of End of Summer, which opened in 1937.Her last Broadway was in the 1937 theatrical production
Theatrical production
A theatrical production is any theatre stage play, musical, comedy or drama produced from a written book or script. These works are protected by common law or statuary copyright unless in the public domain....
of the fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
, High Tor
High Tor
High Tor is a 1936 play by Maxwell Anderson. Twenty years after the original production, Anderson adapted it into a television musical with Arthur Schwartz.-Play:...
, which co-starred Burgess Meredith
Burgess Meredith
Oliver Burgess Meredith , known professionally as Burgess Meredith, was an American actor in theatre, film, and television, who also worked as a director...
and Peggy Ashcroft
Peggy Ashcroft
Dame Peggy Ashcroft, DBE was an English actress.-Early years:Born as Edith Margaret Emily Ashcroft in Croydon, Ashcroft attended the Woodford School, Croydon and the Central School of Speech and Drama...
.
Her success on Broadway led to a move to Hollywood to pursue a film career. MacDonald appeared in just one film during her brief career. In 1938, MacDonald was cast in the comedic film, Professor Beware in which she co-starred with actor, Harold Lloyd
Harold Lloyd
Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. was an American film actor and producer, most famous for his silent comedies....
. In order to get the part in Professor Beware, Welch had to sign a contract
Contract
A contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...
pledging not to become engaged
Engagement
An engagement or betrothal is a promise to marry, and also the period of time between proposal and marriage which may be lengthy or trivial. During this period, a couple is said to be betrothed, affianced, engaged to be married, or simply engaged...
or marry for a period of six months. According to the contract, which was reported by the Los Angeles Times in 1938, a violation of the agreement would have resulted in a $5,000 fine. The prohibition of marriage for six months was included in her contract because filmmakers felt that it would interfere with production of the movie.
Welch married her husband, Graeme K. MacDonald, in 1939 immediately after the completion of Professor Beware and left her professional acting career. The couple raised five sons during their marriage, which lasted more than fifty years. She settled with her family in Hillsborough, California
Hillsborough, California
Hillsborough is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Hillsborough is one of the wealthiest communities in America and has the highest income of places in the United States with populations of at least 10,000...
, where she resided for sixty years.
She remained active within regional theater groups in the San Francisco Bay area. MacDonald often collaborated with actress Shirley Temple Black to promote Children's theater within the region.
MacDonald co-founded the Peninsula Children's Theatre in the 1950s and served as its president. The Peninsula Children's Theatre offered plays and other productions for young audiences in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. She also served on the board of the Hillbarn Theatre.
An artist, MacDonald also worked as a portrait
Portrait
thumb|250px|right|Portrait of [[Thomas Jefferson]] by [[Rembrandt Peale]], 1805. [[New-York Historical Society]].A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness,...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
on commission
Commission (art)
In art, a commission is the hiring and payment for the creation of a piece, often on behalf of another.In classical music, ensembles often commission pieces from composers, where the ensemble secures the composer's payment from private or public organizations or donors.- Commissions for public art...
.
Phyllis Welch MacDonald died of natural causes in her sleep at her caretaker
Caregiver
Caregiver may refer to:* Caregiver or carer - an unpaid person who cares for someone requiring support due to a disability, frailty, mental health problem, learning disability or old age...
's home in San Mateo, California
San Mateo, California
San Mateo is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of approximately 100,000 , it is one of the larger suburbs on the San Francisco Peninsula, located between Burlingame to the north, Foster City to the east, Belmont to the south,...
, on September 26, 2008. She was 95 years old. Her husband, Graeme K. MacDonald, a contractor
General contractor
A general contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and communication of information to involved parties throughout the course of a building project.-Description:...
, died in 1993. She was survived by her five sons and their grandchildren. One of her grandchildren, actress Alexis McDonald, is the founder of the Strings Attached Theater Company, which is based 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...
.