Muriel Starr

Muriel Starr (20 February 1888 – 19 April 1950) was a Canadian stage actress. She was particularly popular in Australia in the 1910s and 1920s.[1] She appeared in one film, Within the Law (1916), an adaptation of her stage success. She was also known for the plays East of Suez, Birds of Paradise and Madame X.

Muriel Starr
Portrait of Muriel Starr, c. 1913
Born20 February 1888

Australia

Starr was a favorite of Australian audiences, and at one time considered settling there. In 1913–1915 she toured Within the Law for J. C. Williamson, followed by Mid-Channel, Madame X, The Yellow Ticket, Bought and Paid For, Under Cover and The Law of the Land in which she could play strong emotion. She was less successful in the comedies The Chorus Lady and especially Sunday[2]

She returned in December 1917 for Hugh J. Ward with Richard Walton Tully's The Bird of Paradise, followed by The Easiest Way, The Man Who Came Back, Nobody's Widow, The Great Divide, Common Clay, Silent Witness and her famous pieces Within the Law and Bought and Paid For. A cousin, Norma Mitchell, accompanied her and played support roles. Her male lead, Louis Kimball (1889–1936), received good notices. Before leaving, she married W. Hartwell Johnston at the Registry Office in Sydney. Her cousin and her mother, Mrs O'Loughlin, also cited as Mrs Hughie MacIver, were present at the ceremony. Mr Johnston was managing director of the Wrigley Company in Australia.[3]

Her third season in Australia began in April 1924 and brought new plays: Robert Hichens' The Garden of Allah, East of Suez, The Pelican, The Skin Game, and Secrets and revivals of Silent Witness, Bought and Paid For, and Madame X, possibly her greatest role.[4] In Melbourne she tried a revival of The Silver King when Within the Law failed to draw the usual crowds.[5] While in Sydney, she swerved her car onto the wrong side of the road to avoid a stationary vehicle, mounting the footpath and crushing a pedestrian, causing serious injuries. She was charged with dangerous driving, but found not guilty.[6] Her farewell performances in regional centres included French Leave, The Sign on the Door, and Outcast.

In 1927, she reprised a string of her starring roles at the Palace Theatre, Sydney and momentarily saved it from conversion to a movie theatre. Harvey Adams, her leading man in many plays from 1925, now also served as producer. New plays included The House of Glass, Cornered,[7] Robert H. McLaughlin's The Eternal Magdalene, The Goldfish, The Donovan Affair, Whispering Wires, The Last Warning, Nice People, Sweeney Todd, The Hole in the Wall and Shooting Shadows. This last play was reviewed scathingly in Adelaide[8] and not attempted elsewhere.

In May 1930, she declared herself bankrupt, owing £3,427 (perhaps a million dollars in today's money), mostly to J. C. Williamson. The judge granted her an unconditional discharge on the grounds that her creditors knew the risks inherent in show business and so she was able legally to return to America.[9]

Later years

Starr died in her dressing room at the St Johns Theatre in New York while appearing in the production The Velvet Glove.[10]

Broadway roles
  • The Star-Wagon (1937) as Angela and as herb woman
  • On the Rocks (1938) as Lady Chavender
  • Outward Bound (1938) as Mrs. Clivedon-Banks (replacement)
  • The Velvet Glove (1949) as Sister Athanasius

Personal

In late 1918 she married W. Hartwell Johnston, an American business manager in Sydney.

References
  1. "A Scintillating Actress". The Register. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 19 August 1913. p. 8. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  2. "Muriel Starr and Her Plays". The Sun (Sydney). New South Wales, Australia. 8 August 1915. p. 15. Retrieved 17 January 2020 – via Trove.
  3. "Muriel Starr". The Daily Telegraph (Sydney). New South Wales, Australia. 24 September 1918. p. 5. Retrieved 17 January 2020 – via Trove.
  4. "Referee Theatreland". The Referee (Sydney newspaper). New South Wales, Australia. 4 June 1924. p. 14. Retrieved 17 January 2020 – via Trove.
  5. "Is Spoken Drama Losing Favor?". The Weekly Times (Melbourne). Victoria, Australia. 12 September 1925. p. 18. Retrieved 18 January 2020 – via Trove.
  6. "Miss Muriel Starr". The Examiner (Tasmania). Tasmania, Australia. 5 February 1926. p. 5. Retrieved 18 January 2020 – via Trove.
  7. "Muriel Starr Opens on Christmas Eve". The Daily Telegraph (Sydney). New South Wales, Australia. 18 December 1927. p. 34. Retrieved 16 January 2020 – via Trove.
  8. "Shooting Shadows". The Advertiser (Adelaide). South Australia. 30 August 1927. p. 15. Retrieved 19 January 2020 – via Trove.
  9. "Muriel Starr Bankrupt". The Advertiser (Adelaide). South Australia. 6 May 1930. p. 12. Retrieved 16 January 2020 – via Trove.
  10. "Muriel Starr Dies in U.S." The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 21 April 1950. p. 3. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
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