Marjorie Bentley
A young white woman with dark hair set in long curls; one hand on her chin; photographed in profile
Marjorie Bentley, from a 1915 publication
Bornabout 1895
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania or Brooklyn, New York
OccupationDancer
Years active1913 to 1920

Marjorie Bentley (born 1890s) was an American dancer who appeared on Broadway in Oh, My Dear! (1918) and La La Lucille (1919).

Early life and education

Bentley was born in Philadelphia[1] or Brooklyn,[2] and raised Brooklyn.[3] She said that she began dancing when a doctor recommended more exercise.[4] She trained at the Metropolitan Opera Ballet School,[5][6] as the "favorite pupil" of ballet teacher Malvina Cavallazzi.[1]

Career

Sheet music from La La Lucille (1919); muted pastel color scheme
Sheet music from La La Lucille (1919)

Bentley was a professional dancer from her teen years.[5][7][8] Her roles on the New York stage included appearances in Chin-Chin (1914–1915),[9][10] The Riviera Girl (1917),[11] Oh, My Dear! (1918)[12] and La La Lucille (1919).[13] She was premiere danseuse at the New York Hippodrome in 1915, when she appeared in Hip-Hip-Hooray.[14] She contributed a recipe for "welsh rarebit au gratin" to a charity cookbook compiled by Mabel Rowland during World War I.[15] She modeled a dress made of net flouncing for a garment industry magazine in 1916.[16] She toured in La La Lucille in 1919 and 1920.[17][18]

Boston artist Louis Kronberg made a pastel portrait of Bentley in 1913.[19] Of her performance as "Mademoiselle Victorine" in the musical La La Lucille, Dorothy Parker wrote that "The comedy introduces a charming new dancer, Marjorie Bentley—you can stand even another bedroom farce for the sake of seeing her."[20]

References

  1. 1 2 "Sees America Rival to Russia in Dance". New-York Tribune. 1915-05-09. p. 25. Retrieved 2023-04-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "Untitled item". New York Tribune. July 11, 1919. p. 26. Retrieved 2023-04-08 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  3. ↑ "Easter Party for Children". The Chat. 1909-04-24. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-04-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Dancer by Accident" The Two Step 29(October 1919): 24.
  5. 1 2 "Marjorie Toes the Mark". The Cosmopolitan. 59 (2): 208. July 1915.
  6. ↑ "Training Children for the Grand Opera Ballet". The New York Times. 1911-10-08. p. 47. Retrieved 2023-04-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "'The Lady of the Slipper' Prospers at the Colonial". The Boston Globe. 1913-11-30. p. 52. Retrieved 2023-04-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "'Lady of the Slipper' Opens at Lyceum Today". The Ithaca Journal. 1914-04-29. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-04-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ Caryll, Ivan (1914). Chin-Chin: A Musical Fantasy in 3 Acts. Chappell.
  10. ↑ "'Society Vaudeville' at High School for Passaic Day Nursery Tonight". Passaic Daily News. 1915-02-16. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-04-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "New Attractions for New York Theatergoers". Dramatic Mirror. 77: 5. October 6, 1917.
  12. ↑ Allen, Kelcey (November 27, 1918). "'Oh, My Dear' Wins Warm Approval at 'Invite' Performance". Women's Wear. p. 16 – via ProQuest.
  13. ↑ Dietz, Dan (2021-06-15). The Complete Book of 1910s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 286, 484. ISBN 978-1-5381-5028-3.
  14. ↑ "The New Theatrical Season in Full Swing". The Green Book Magazine. 14: 964–965. December 1915.
  15. ↑ Celebrated Actor Folks' Cookeries: A Collection of the Favorite Foods of Famous Players. Mabel Rowland, Incorporated. 1916. p. 255.
  16. ↑ "Movements in the Dress Accessories Field". Notions and Fancy Goods. 50: 18. April 1916.
  17. ↑ "Noted Performers Here this Week". The Pittsburgh Press. 1920-02-08. p. 55. Retrieved 2023-04-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ "'La La Lucille' at the Mishler Tonight". Altoona Tribune. 1919-11-21. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-04-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ "Attractions at the Theatres". The Boston Globe. 1913-12-21. p. 44. Retrieved 2023-04-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ Parker, Dorothy (August 1919). "The First Shows of Summer". Vanity Fair.
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