Chauncey Olcott: Difference between revisions

Chauncey Olcott
Chauncey Olcott
Born	John Chancellor Olcott; July 21, 1858; Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Died	March 18, 1932 (aged 73); Monte Carlo, Monaco
Resting place	Woodlawn Cemetery, New York City, United States
Spouses	Cora Estell Henderson; Margaret O'Donovan;
Awards	Songwriters Hall of Fame

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Chauncey Olcott, born John Chancellor Olcott^[1] and often spelled Chauncey Alcott (July 21, 1858 – March 18, 1932), was an American stage actor, songwriter and singer of Irish descent.^[2]

Biography

He was born in Buffalo, New York. His mother, Margaret (née Doyle), was a native of Killeagh, County Cork.^[3]

In the early years of his career Olcott sang in minstrel shows, before studying singing in London during the 1880s. Lillian Russell played a major role in helping make him a Broadway star.^[4] When the producer Augustus Pitou approached him in 1893 to succeed William J. Scanlan as the leading tenor in sentimental operettas on Irish themes, Olcott accepted and performed pseudo-Irish roles for the remainder of his career.

Olcott combined the roles of tenor, actor, lyricist and composer in many productions. He wrote the complete scores to Irish musicals such as Sweet Inniscara (1897), A Romance of Athlone (1899), Garrett O'Magh (1901), and Old Limerick Town (1902). For other productions he collaborated with Ernest R. Ball and George Graff in works such as The Irish Artist (1894), Barry of Ballymore (1910), Macushla (1912), and The Isle o' Dreams (1913). There are some 20 such works between 1894 and 1920.^[5]

He was a good songwriter who captured the mood of his Irish-American audience by combining melodic and rhythmic phrases from traditional Irish music with melancholy sentiment. Some numbers from his musicals became popular, such as "My Wild Irish Rose" from A Romance of Athlone, "Mother Machree" from Barry of Ballymore, and "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" from The Isle o' Dreams. Sometimes he used tunes from others, such as that of the title song from Macushla from Irish composer Dermot Macmurrough (pseudonym of Harold R. White) or "Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral" by James Royce Shannon for his production Shameen Dhu (1914).^[6]

In 1925, a serious illness forced him to retire, and he moved to Monte Carlo where he died of pernicious anemia in 1932. His body was brought home and interred in the Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York City.

Legacy

Dennis Morgan as Chauncey Olcott and Andrea King as Lillian Russell in *My Wild Irish Rose* (1947)

Olcott's life story was told in the 1947 Warner Bros. motion picture My Wild Irish Rose starring Dennis Morgan as Olcott. The film's plot was based on the biography by Olcott's widow, Rita Olcott, Song in His Heart (1939).^[7]

In 1970, Olcott was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

References

^ The Green Book Magazine, page 519 and 521, Volume 9 Retrieved September 7, 2016
^ Walter Brown & E. De Roy Koch. "OLCOTT, Chauncy (John Chancellor)". Who's Who on Stage, 1908. NY: B. W. Dodge & Co. p. 333.
^ Axel Klein: "Olcott, Chauncey", in: The Encyclopaedia of Music in Ireland, ed. by Harry White & Barra Boydell (Dublin: UCD Press, 2013), p. 775–76; ISBN 978-1-906359-78-2.
^ One of his shows not listed in the IBDb database is Pepita; or, the Girl with the Glass Eyes. See Welch, Deshler. – The Theatre, vol. 1, 1886, p. 150. Retrieved June 27, 2013; and Brown, Thomas Alston. A History of the New York Stage, 1903, p. 176. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
^ Klein (2013), as above.
^ "Shameen Dhu". SHAMEEN DHU [musical show]:Bibliographic Record Description. Performing Arts Encyclopedia. Library of Congress. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
^ "The screen play was based on the story written by Chauncey's widow, Rita Olcott, in her book, "Song in My [sic] Heart." (liner notes to 1947 RCA Victor album).

External links

Chauncey Olcott at the Internet Broadway Database
Chauncey Olcott at Find a Grave
Chauncey Olcott at IMDb
selected recordings of Chauncey Olcott
Chauncey Olcott portraits ; University of Washington, Sayre collection
Chauncey Olcott portraits ; NY Public Library, Billy Rose collection
Chauncey Olcott; PeriodPaper.com c. 1910
Free scores by Chauncey Olcott in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
Chauncey Olcott at Carving for a Cause
Chauncey Olcott, cover THE THEATRE magazine October 1905
Chauncey Olcott recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.

[1] The Green Book Magazine, page 519 and 521, Volume 9 Retrieved September 7, 2016

[2] Walter Brown & E. De Roy Koch. "OLCOTT, Chauncy (John Chancellor)". Who's Who on Stage, 1908. NY: B. W. Dodge & Co. p. 333.

[3] Axel Klein: "Olcott, Chauncey", in: The Encyclopaedia of Music in Ireland, ed. by Harry White & Barra Boydell (Dublin: UCD Press, 2013), p. 775–76; ISBN 978-1-906359-78-2.

[4] One of his shows not listed in the IBDb database is Pepita; or, the Girl with the Glass Eyes. See Welch, Deshler. – The Theatre, vol. 1, 1886, p. 150. Retrieved June 27, 2013; and Brown, Thomas Alston. A History of the New York Stage, 1903, p. 176. Retrieved June 27, 2013.

[5] Klein (2013), as above.

[urlSHAMEEN_DHU-PAE-loc-6] "Shameen Dhu". SHAMEEN DHU [musical show]:Bibliographic Record Description. Performing Arts Encyclopedia. Library of Congress. Retrieved December 18, 2014.

[7] "The screen play was based on the story written by Chauncey's widow, Rita Olcott, in her book, "Song in My [sic] Heart." (liner notes to 1947 RCA Victor album).

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2019}}
+{{short description|American actor and musician}}
 <!-- moved image to Infobox [[File:ChaunceyOlcott-pre1897.jpg|thumb|250px|Chauncey Olcott (1858-1932) & co-star, c. 1895]] -->
 {{Infobox person <!-- See [[Template:Infobox actor]] for more -->
-| name = Chauncey Olcott
+| name               = Chauncey Olcott
-| image = ChaunceyOlcott-pre1897.jpg
+| image              = Chauncey Olcott, c. 1918.jpg
+| caption            =
-| imagesize = 150px
+| birth_name         = John Chancellor Olcott
-| caption = Chauncey Olcott & co-star, c.1895
+| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1858|7|21|mf=y}}
-| birth_name =
+| birth_place        = [[Buffalo, New York]], U.S.
-| birth_date = {{Birth date|1858|7|21|mf=y}}
+| death_date         = {{death date and age|1932|3|18|1858|7|21|mf=y}}
-| birth_place = [[Buffalo, New York]], U.S.
+| death_place        = [[Monte Carlo, Monaco]]
-| death_date = {{death date and age|1932|3|18|1858|7|21|mf=y}}
+| awards             = [[Songwriters Hall of Fame]]
-| death_place = [[Monte Carlo, Monaco]]
-| restingplace = [[Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx|Woodlawn Cemetery]], [[The Bronx, New York]], [[United States]]
+| imagesize          =
+| restingplace       = [[Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx|Woodlawn Cemetery]], New York City, United States
+| spouse             = {{plainlist|
-| awards = [[Songwriters Hall of Fame]]
-| spouse = Cora Estell Henderson<br>Margaret O'Donovan
+* Cora Estell Henderson
+* Margaret O'Donovan
+}}
-| children = 2}}
+}}
-'''Chauncey Olcott''' (born '''John Chancellor Olcott''') (July 21, 1858 – March 18, 1932) was an American [[theatre|stage]] [[actor]], [[songwriter]] and [[singer]] of Irish descent.<ref>{{cite book|author=Walter Brown & E. De Roy Koch|chapter='''OLCOTT, Chauncy (John Chancellor)'''|title=Who's Who on Stage, 1908|location=NY|publisher=B. W. Dodge & Co|page=333|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=1BpAAAAAYAAJ&pg=333}}</ref>
+'''Chauncey Olcott''', born '''John Chancellor Olcott'''<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=XloiAQAAMAAJ&q=chauncey+olcott The Green Book Magazine, page 519 and 521, Volume 9] Retrieved September 7, 2016</ref> and often spelled '''Chauncey Alcott''' (July 21, 1858 – March 18, 1932), was an American stage actor, songwriter and singer of Irish descent.<ref>{{cite book|author=Walter Brown & E. De Roy Koch|chapter=OLCOTT, Chauncy (John Chancellor)|title=Who's Who on Stage, 1908|location=NY|publisher=B. W. Dodge & Co|page=[https://archive.org/details/whoswhoonstage00browiala/page/333 333]|url=https://archive.org/details/whoswhoonstage00browiala}}</ref>
 ==Biography==
-He was born in [[Buffalo, New York]]. His mother, Margaret (née Doyle), was a native of [[Killeagh]], [[County Cork]].<ref>Axel Klein: "Olcott, Chauncey", in: ''The Encyclopaedia of Music in Ireland'', ed. by Harry White & Barra Boydell (Dublin: UCD Press, 2013), p. 775–76; ISBN 978-1-906359-78-2.</ref> [[File:Actor Chauncey Olcott, c. 1896.png|thumb|left|Actor Chauncey Olcott, c. 1896, photo by [[William McKenzie Morrison|W. M. Morrison]]]]In the early years of his career Olcott sang in [[minstrel shows]], before studying singing in London during the 1880s. [[Lillian Russell]] played a major role in helping make him a [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] star.<ref>One of his shows not listed in the IBDb database is ''[[Pepita; or, the Girl with the Glass Eyes]]''. See Welch, Deshler. [http://books.google.com/books?id=s-URAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA150  - ''The Theatre''], vol. 1, 1886, p. 150, accessed June 27, 2013; and Brown, Thomas Alston. [http://books.google.com/books?id=EzELAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA176  ''A History of the New York Stage''], 1903, p. 176, accessed June 27, 2013.</ref> When the producer [[Augustus Pitou]] approached him in 1893 to succeed [[William J. Scanlan]] as the leading tenor in sentimental operettas on Irish themes, Olcott accepted and performed pseudo-Irish roles for the remainder of his career.
+He was born in Buffalo, New York. His mother, Margaret (née Doyle), was a native of Killeagh, County Cork.<ref>Axel Klein: "Olcott, Chauncey", in: ''The Encyclopaedia of Music in Ireland'', ed. by Harry White & Barra Boydell (Dublin: UCD Press, 2013), p. 775–76; {{ISBN|978-1-906359-78-2}}.</ref>
+[[File:Actor Chauncey Olcott, c. 1896.png|thumb|left|upright|Actor Chauncey Olcott, c. 1896, photo by [[William McKenzie Morrison|W. M. Morrison]]]]In the early years of his career Olcott sang in [[minstrel shows]], before studying singing in London during the 1880s. [[Lillian Russell]] played a major role in helping make him a [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] star.<ref>One of his shows not listed in the IBDb database is ''[[Pepita; or, the Girl with the Glass Eyes]]''. See Welch, Deshler. [https://books.google.com/books?id=s-URAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA150  – ''The Theatre''], vol. 1, 1886, p. 150. Retrieved June 27, 2013; and Brown, Thomas Alston. [https://books.google.com/books?id=EzELAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA176  ''A History of the New York Stage''], 1903, p. 176. Retrieved June 27, 2013.</ref> When the producer [[Augustus Pitou]] approached him in 1893 to succeed [[William J. Scanlan]] as the leading tenor in sentimental operettas on Irish themes, Olcott accepted and performed pseudo-Irish roles for the remainder of his career.
-Olcott combined the roles of tenor, actor, lyricist and composer in many productions. He wrote the complete scores to Irish musicals such as ''Sweet Inniscara'' (1897), ''A Romance of Athlone'' (1899), ''Garret O'Magh'' (1901), and ''Old Limerick Town'' (1902). For other productions he collaborated with [[Ernest R. Ball]] and [[George Graff, Jr.|George Graff]] in works such as ''The Irish Artist'' (1894), ''Barry of Ballymore'' (1910), ''Macushla'' (1912), and ''The Isle o' Dreams'' (1913). There are some 20 such works between 1894 and 1920.<ref>Klein (2013), as above.</ref>
+Olcott combined the roles of tenor, actor, lyricist and composer in many productions. He wrote the complete scores to Irish musicals such as ''Sweet Inniscara'' (1897), ''A Romance of Athlone'' (1899), ''Garrett O'Magh'' (1901), and ''Old Limerick Town'' (1902). For other productions he collaborated with [[Ernest R. Ball]] and [[George Graff, Jr.|George Graff]] in works such as ''The Irish Artist'' (1894), ''Barry of Ballymore'' (1910), ''Macushla'' (1912), and ''The Isle o' Dreams'' (1913). There are some 20 such works between 1894 and 1920.<ref>Klein (2013), as above.</ref>
-He was a good songwriter who captured the mood of his Irish-American audience by combining melodic and rhythmic phrases from traditional Irish music with melancholy sentiment. Some numbers from his musicals became very popular, such as "My Wild Irish Rose" from ''A Romance of Athlone'', "Mother Machree" from ''Barry of Ballymore'', and "[[When Irish Eyes Are Smiling]]" from ''The Isle o' Dreams''. Sometimes he borrowed tunes from others, such as the title track from ''Macushla'' from Irish composer Dermot Macmurrough (pseudonym of Harold R. White) or ''[[Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral]]'' (''Irish Lullaby'') by [[James Royce Shannon]] for his production ''Shameen Dhu'' (1914).<ref name="urlSHAMEEN DHU-PAE-loc">{{cite web|url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.natlib.smor.19140202/default.html|title=SHAMEEN DHU [musical show]:Bibliographic Record Description|work=Performing Arts Encyclopedia|publisher=Library of Congress|accessdate=2014-12-18}}</ref>
+He was a good songwriter who captured the mood of his Irish-American audience by combining melodic and rhythmic phrases from traditional Irish music with melancholy sentiment. Some numbers from his musicals became popular, such as "My Wild Irish Rose" from ''A Romance of Athlone'', "Mother Machree" from ''Barry of Ballymore'', and "[[When Irish Eyes Are Smiling]]" from ''The Isle o' Dreams''. Sometimes he used tunes from others, such as that of the title song from ''Macushla'' from Irish composer Dermot Macmurrough (pseudonym of Harold R. White) or "[[Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral]]" by [[James Royce Shannon]] for his production ''Shameen Dhu'' (1914).<ref name="urlSHAMEEN DHU-PAE-loc">{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.natlib.smor.19140202/default.html|title=SHAMEEN DHU [musical show]:Bibliographic Record Description|chapter=Shameen Dhu |encyclopedia=Performing Arts Encyclopedia|publisher=Library of Congress|access-date=December 18, 2014}}</ref>
-In 1925, a serious illness forced him to retire, and he moved to [[Monte Carlo]] where he died of [[pernicious anemia]] in 1932. His body was brought home and interred in the [[Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx|Woodlawn Cemetery]] in [[The Bronx]], New York City.
+In 1925, a serious illness forced him to retire, and he moved to Monte Carlo where he died of [[pernicious anemia]] in 1932. His body was brought home and interred in the [[Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx|Woodlawn Cemetery]] in The Bronx, New York City.
 ==Legacy==
-Olcott's life story was told in the 1947 [[Warner Bros.]] [[motion picture]] ''[[My Wild Irish Rose]]'' starring [[Dennis Morgan]] as Olcott. The film's plot was based on the biography by Olcott's widow, Rita Olcott, ''Song in His Heart'' (1939).<ref>"The screen play was based on the story written by Chauncey's widow, Rita Olcott, in her book, "Song in My [sic] Heart." (liner notes to 1947 RCA Victor album).</ref>
+[[File:My-Wild-Irish-Rose-1947-1.jpg|thumb|[[Dennis Morgan]] as Chauncey Olcott and [[Andrea King]] as [[Lillian Russell]] in ''[[My Wild Irish Rose]]'' (1947)]]
+Olcott's life story was told in the 1947 [[Warner Bros.]] motion picture ''[[My Wild Irish Rose]]'' starring [[Dennis Morgan]] as Olcott. The film's plot was based on the biography by Olcott's widow, Rita Olcott, ''Song in His Heart'' (1939).<ref>"The screen play was based on the story written by Chauncey's widow, Rita Olcott, in her book, "Song in My [sic] Heart." (liner notes to 1947 RCA Victor album).</ref>
 In 1970, Olcott was posthumously inducted into the [[Songwriters Hall of Fame]].
-==Bibliography==
+==Further reading==
 *Rita Olcott: ''Song in His Heart'' (New York: House of Field, Inc., 1939).
-*Mari Kathleen Fielder: "Chauncey Olcott: Irish-American Mother-Love, Romance and Nationalism", in: ''Éire-Ireland'' 22 (1987) no. 2, p. 4–26.
+*Mari Kathleen Fielder: "Chauncey Olcott: Irish-American Mother-Love, Romance and Nationalism", in: ''Éire-Ireland'' 22 (1987) no. 2, p.&nbsp;4–26.
-*William H.A. Williams: ''"'Twas Only an Irishman's Dream". The Image of the Irish and Ireland in American Popular Song Lyrics 1800–1920'' (Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press, 1996), ISBN 0-252-02246-7 (cloth); ISBN 0-252-06551-4 (paperback).
+*William H.A. Williams: ''"'Twas Only an Irishman's Dream". The Image of the Irish and Ireland in American Popular Song Lyrics 1800–1920'' (Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press, 1996), {{ISBN|0-252-02246-7}} (cloth); {{ISBN|0-252-06551-4}} (paperback).
+==References==
+{{reflist}}
 ==External links==
 {{Portal|Biography}}
+{{commons category|Chauncey Olcott}}
-*{{IBDB name|55076}}
+*{{IBDB name}}
 *{{Find a Grave|776}}
 * {{IMDb name|0646052|Chauncey Olcott}}
@@ Line 44: / Line 55: @@
 *[http://digitalcollections.lib.washington.edu/cdm/search/collection/sayre/searchterm/chauncey%20olcott/field/all/mode/all/conn/and/cosuppress/ Chauncey Olcott] portraits ; University of Washington, Sayre collection
 *[http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchresult.cfm?parent_id=1037038&word= Chauncey Olcott] portraits ; NY Public Library, Billy Rose collection
-*[http://www.periodpaper.com/index.php/1910-chancellor-olcott-stage-actor-will-bradley-print Chauncey Olcott; PeriodPaper.com c. 1910]
+*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120320073050/http://www.periodpaper.com/index.php/1910-chancellor-olcott-stage-actor-will-bradley-print Chauncey Olcott; PeriodPaper.com c. 1910]
 *{{ChoralWiki|Chauncey Olcott}}
-*[http://www.carvingsforacause.com/olcott.htm ''Chauncey Olcott'' at Carving for a Cause]
+*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100430202538/http://www.carvingsforacause.com/olcott.htm ''Chauncey Olcott'' at Carving for a Cause]
-*[http://vintagetheaterads.ecrater.com/p/6113799/1905-chauncey-olcott-magazine-cover-edmund Chauncey Olcott, cover THE THEATRE magazine October 1905]
+*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160304032322/http://vintagetheaterads.ecrater.com/p/6113799/1905-chauncey-olcott-magazine-cover-edmund Chauncey Olcott, cover THE THEATRE magazine October 1905]
+* [https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107788 Chauncey Olcott recordings] at the [[Discography of American Historical Recordings]].
-==References==
-{{reflist}}
 {{Authority control}}
@@ Line 59: / Line 66: @@
 [[Category:1932 deaths]]
 [[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
-[[Category:Songwriters from New York]]
+[[Category:Songwriters from New York (state)]]
-[[Category:Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees]]
+[[Category:Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)]]
-[[Category:People from Buffalo, New York]]
+[[Category:American vaudeville performers]]
-[[Category:Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx)]]
-[[Category:Vaudeville performers]]
 [[Category:American people of Irish descent]]
 [[Category:Male actors from Buffalo, New York]]
-[[Category:Singers from New York]]
+[[Category:Singers from New York (state)]]
+[[Category:Members of The Lambs Club]]

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