Sarah Padden
Encyclopedia
Sarah Padden was a character actress in theater and vaudeville
from Chicago, Illinois. She performed on stage in the early 20th century. She is noted for
her psychological studies of characters which she portrayed and her expressive voice. Her finest single
act performance was in The Clod. In this stage production she played an uneducated woman who lived
on a farm during the American Civil War
.
Catholic Church school she attended in Chicago. Her fellow students enjoyed her talent as a mimic (entertainment). A
liberal-minded priest, Father Dorney, encouraged her ambition to become an actress. He assisted her in obtaining her first role on the stage, a theatrical featuring Otis Skinner
.
, Gaston, South Carolina
. On one occasion she ventured onto a dam, and upon reaching its center, she was frightened by
a whistle which blew near a power station around midday. Padden lost her balance, fell over, yet managed to cling to a steel eyebolt with her fist. Fortunately she was rescued by an African American
servant of the power company superintendent. Afterwards Padden's parents hired the man and
took him to New York
, where he died at the age of 108.
. Padden had a role in His Grace de Grammont, a romantic comedy by Clyde Fitch
, which came to the Park Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts, in September 1905. The production starred Skinner and was based on the life of a chevalier
in the court of Charles II
. Padden appeared again with Skinner in a four-act play
produced by Charles Frohman
, The Honor of the Family, by Emile Fabre
. The production was presented in New Rochelle, New York
in September 1907.
Another of her theatrical parts was in Hell-Bent Fer Heaven
, a Pulitzer Prize
winning play by Hatcher Hughes
. It was performed at the Wilkes Orange Grove Theater (Majestic Theater), 845 South Broadway (Los Angeles)
,
in November 1925.
female golfers in the United States
. In Los Angeles, California
she was fond of playing the
municipal links at Griffith Park
.
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
from Chicago, Illinois. She performed on stage in the early 20th century. She is noted for
her psychological studies of characters which she portrayed and her expressive voice. Her finest single
act performance was in The Clod. In this stage production she played an uneducated woman who lived
on a farm during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Youth
As a young woman Padden's parents hoped she would enter a convent. She took part in recitations in theCatholic Church school she attended in Chicago. Her fellow students enjoyed her talent as a mimic (entertainment). A
liberal-minded priest, Father Dorney, encouraged her ambition to become an actress. He assisted her in obtaining her first role on the stage, a theatrical featuring Otis Skinner
Otis Skinner
Otis Skinner was an American actor.He was the son of a Universalist minister; his brother, Charles Montgomery Skinner, was a noted journalist and critic in New York. Skinner was educated in Hartford, Connecticut, with an eye towards a career in commerce. A visit to the theater left him stage-struck...
.
Her life is saved
Padden lived for many years in the vicinity of the Broad RiverBroad River (South Carolina)
The Broad River is a tidal channel, in Beaufort and Jasper County, South Carolina. The channel flows between mainland on the west and Port Royal and Parris Islands on the east. The Coosawhatchie River flows into the Broad River at the head. It joins Coosaw River channel Northeast and continues...
, Gaston, South Carolina
Gaston, South Carolina
Gaston is a town in Lexington County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 1,645 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Columbia, South Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Gaston is located at ....
. On one occasion she ventured onto a dam, and upon reaching its center, she was frightened by
a whistle which blew near a power station around midday. Padden lost her balance, fell over, yet managed to cling to a steel eyebolt with her fist. Fortunately she was rescued by an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
servant of the power company superintendent. Afterwards Padden's parents hired the man and
took him to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, where he died at the age of 108.
Theatrical career
She was a feature player on the Orpheum Circuit, Inc.Orpheum Circuit, Inc.
Orpheum Circuit, Inc., was a company started by Martin Beck who owned a series of vaudeville theaters and motion picture theaters.- The company :...
. Padden had a role in His Grace de Grammont, a romantic comedy by Clyde Fitch
Clyde Fitch
Clyde Fitch was an American dramatist.-Biography:Born William Clyde Fitch at Elmira, New York, he wrote over 60 plays, 36 of them original, which varied from social comedies and farces to melodrama and historical dramas.As the only child to live to adulthood, his father, Captain William G...
, which came to the Park Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts, in September 1905. The production starred Skinner and was based on the life of a chevalier
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
in the court of Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
. Padden appeared again with Skinner in a four-act play
produced by Charles Frohman
Charles Frohman
Charles Frohman was an American theatrical producer. Frohman was producing plays by 1889 and acquired his first Broadway theatre by 1892. He discovered and promoted many stars of the American theatre....
, The Honor of the Family, by Emile Fabre
Émile Fabre
Émile Fabre in Metz, France – September 25, 1955 in Paris) was a French dramatic author and general administrator of the Comédie-Française from December 2, 1915 to October 15, 1936....
. The production was presented in New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state.The town was settled by refugee Huguenots in 1688 who were fleeing persecution in France...
in September 1907.
Another of her theatrical parts was in Hell-Bent Fer Heaven
Hell-Bent Fer Heaven
Hell-Bent Fer Heaven is a play by Hatcher Hughes that won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1924.The play ran at the Klaw Theatre from January to April 1924, featuring George Abbott, Glenn Anders and Margaret Borough...
, a Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
winning play by Hatcher Hughes
Hatcher Hughes
Hatcher Hughes was an American playwright who lived in Grover, NC, as featured in the book Images of America. He was on the teaching staff of Columbia University from 1912 onward...
. It was performed at the Wilkes Orange Grove Theater (Majestic Theater), 845 South Broadway (Los Angeles)
Broadway (Los Angeles)
Broadway is a major thoroughfare in Los Angeles, California, that runs from Lincoln Heights on the Eastside, through Chinatown, passing through Central Plaza and the Dragon Gate, the Los Angeles Civic Center, passing the Los Angeles Times building at First Street, and Broadway's historic commercial...
,
in November 1925.
Avid golfer
She was athletic, taking part in skating, tennis, and swimming. She played eighteen to thirty-six holes of golf daily. In 1919 Padden was considered one of the bestfemale golfers in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
she was fond of playing the
municipal links at Griffith Park
Griffith Park
Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park covers of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America...
.