Lily Elsie

Lily Elsie (April 8 1886 - December 16 1962), born Elsie Bullough, was a popular English actress during the Edwardian era, best known for her starring role in the London premier of Franz Lehár's operetta The Merry Widow (1907).

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Life and career

Child star

A precocious child star, young Elsie Cotton (her name changed when her mother re-married) appeared in music hall entertainments as a child impersonator known as 'Little Elsie'. Nevertheless, she was reportedly painfully shy, even as an adult. In 1895-96, she appeared in concerts at the London and North Western Hotel on Cross Lane, Salford; the Prince of Wales Theatre, Liverpool Street; and The Regent Theatre (later The Palace), Cross Lane, both in Salford. In 1896, she played the role of Princess Mirza in The Arabian Nights at the Queen's Theatre (later The Palace) in Manchester. Then, for Christmas 1896-97, at the age of ten, she appeared in the title role of Little Red Riding Hood at the same theatre for six weeks, followed by six weeks on tour. She then appeared in King Klondike in 1898.

 She toured the provinces, travelling as far as Bristol (South west England) and Hull (North east), before coming to Daly's Theatre in London as a chorus girl. From about 1900 she adopted the stage name "Lily Elsie". From 1900 to 1906, before her famous appearance in The Merry Widow, she appeared in 14 shows, generally under the management of George Edwardes, most notably the hit musical A Chinese Honeymoon in 1903, The Cingalee in 1904, The Little Michus in 1905, and The New Aladdin in 1906.

Merry Widow and peak years

The Merry Widow, with English lyrics by Adrian Ross, opened in June 1907 and ran for 778 performances at Daly's Theatre. Elise created the title role at Daly's and toured with it beginning in August 1908. The show was an enormous success for its creators and for Elise. Her image was in great demand by advertisers, and she received unsolicited gifts of great value from many male admirers (and even bequests). However, she professed to find men's company unpleasant. Eventually, in 1911, she married six foot three inch Major Ian Bullough, the son of a wealthy textile manufacturer, but the marriage was not reported to be happy.

 After The Merry Widow, Elsie appeared in another 16 shows, including the very successful The Dollar Princess in 1909, A Waltz Dream and The Count of Luxembourg, both in 1911, and The Admirable Crichton in 1916, garnering continuous praise. Elsie, however, never enjoyed robust health and had several operations. The theatrical gossip pages of The Pelican referred to her as "the occasional actress". Presumably, she suffered from anemia, among other ailments.

Later years

In 1920, Elsie moved with her husband to the Gloucestershire village of Redmarley D'Abitôt, enjoying a few years away from the stage, which she had always found stressful. She returned to theatre, touring in 1927 in Robert Stulz's musical The Blue Train. Her last show before retiring was the very successful The Truth Game in 1928.

Finally, in 1930, Elsie's unhappy marriage came to an end. In later life, Elsie's health deteriorated further. She became a hypochondriac and spent much time in nursing homes and Swiss sanatoria. She was diagnosed to have serious psychological ailments and underwent brain surgery that reportedly resulted in an improvement in her health. Her last years were spent at St. Andrew's Hospital in London. Elsie was reported to be happy in her anonymity.

Elsie died at St. Andrew's Hospital at age 76.

Recordings and films

  From Pamela, Duets with Owen Nares. Music by Frederick Norton. Lyrics by Arthur Wimperis. Recorded in 1918:

• "I'm so very Glad I met You". HMV 04224 (Matrix No. HO-3046 af)
• "It's not the things you've got". HMV 04225 (Matrix No. HO-3051 af)
• "I Loved you so". HMV 03602 (Matrix No. HO 3048 af)
• "Waltz theme and Cupid" (Finales, Act 2). HMV 04223(Matrix No. HO 3053 af)
• "Cupid, Cupid". HMV 03601 (Matrix No. HO 3054 af)

From The Blue Train. Music by Robert Stolz, Ivy St. Helier and Gorney, lyrics by Dion Titheradge and Reginald Arkell. Recorded in 1927:

• "The Blue Train". (Titheradge and Gorney) Columbia 4438 (Matrix No. 5661)
• "When a Girl is in Love with a Man". (Titheradge, Arkell, and Stolz) Duet with Arthur Margetson. Columbia 9223 (Matrix No. AX 2866)
• "Eileen". (Arkell and Stolz) Duet with Arthur Margetson. Columbia 4439 (Matrix No. A 5660)
• "Swiss Fairyland". (Arkell and Stolz) Columbia 4438 (Matrix No. A 5662)
• "You Didn't Ask Me First". (Arkell and St.Helier) Duet with Arthur Margetson. Columbia 9223 (Matrix No. AX 2867)

Elsie appeared in two films: First, the D.W. Griffith film The Great Love (1918), which starred Lillian Gish. Her role was a cameo. Second, Comradeship (1919), a black & white, silent picture. The film was very popular in its day.

References

Elsie wrote How to Succeed in Musical Comedy an article in Every-Woman's Encyclopaedia, circa 1911. [1]