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←Created page with '{{Infobox person | name = Patsy O'Connor | image = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1930|1|23|mf=yes}} | birth_place = New York, New York, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|2017|7|4|1930|1|23|mf=yes}} | death_place = New Jersey, U.S. | resting_place = | occupation = Actress | years_active = 1935-1950 | spouse = | children = }} '''Patsy O'Connor''' (Janu...'
 
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{{Short description|American actress and entertainer}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Patsy O'Connor
| name = Patsy O'Connor
| image =
| image =
| caption =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1930|1|23|mf=yes}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1930|1|23|mf=yes}}
| birth_place = [[New York, New York]], U.S.
| birth_place = [[Bay Shore, New York]], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2017|7|4|1930|1|23|mf=yes}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2017|7|4|1930|1|23|mf=yes}}
| death_place = [[New Jersey]], U.S.
| death_place = [[New Jersey]], U.S.
| resting_place =
| resting_place =
| occupation = Actress
| occupation = Actress
| years_active = 1935-1950
| years_active = 1935-1950
| spouse =
| spouse =
| children =
| children =
}}
}}


'''Patsy O'Connor''' (January 23, 1930 – July 4, 2017) was an American actress.
'''Patsy O'Connor''' (January 23, 1930 – July 4, 2017) was an American actress and entertainer who achieved fame as a young child for her [[vaudeville]] performances. She also performed on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] and in film.


==Early life==
== Early life ==
O'Connor was born in 1930 in [[Bay Shore, New York]].<ref name="ACFC">{{cite web |title=Patsy O'Connor |url=https://abbottandcostellofanclub.com/it-aint-hay-co-star-patsy-oconnor-dies-at-87/ |access-date=November 30, 2023 |website=Abbott & Costello Fan Club}}</ref><ref name="Francis" /> Her parents were Mildred and John "Jack" O'Connor, members of "The O'Connor Family—Royal Family of Vaudeville".<ref name="Francis" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Markley |first=Patricia L. |title=O'Connor, Donald David Dixon Ronald |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/oconnor-donald-david-dixon-ronald |access-date=2023-12-01 |website=The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives |via=Cengage Encyclopedia.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://fwembassytheatre.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Berger.pdf |title=Catalogue of the Photographs of Vaudevillians Inscribed to Bud Berger in the Archives of the Embassy Theatre Foundation |date=January 2020 |publisher=Embassy Theatre Foundation |page=224 |access-date=December 1, 2023}}</ref>
O'Connor was born in 1930 in the O'Connor family, which was a family that belonged to the world of vaudeville, known as the "Royal Family of Vaudeville". This act consisted of three generations of O'Connors , her parents John and Effie, her sons Jack, Bill and Donald, the wife of Jack, Millie and their daughter Patsy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abbottandcostellofanclub.com/it-aint-hay-co-star-patsy-oconnor-dies-at-87/|title=Patsy O'Connor|website=Abbott & Costello Fan Club|access-date=November 30, 2023}}</ref>


The O'Connor family act was established in 1907 by her paternal grandparents, John Edward "Chuck" O'Connor who had been an acrobat with [[Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus|Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus]] and Effie Irene (née Crane) O'Connor who was a dancer and bareback rider in the circus.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Donald O'Connor [biography] |url=https://memory.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.music.tdabio.146/ |access-date=December 1, 2023 |website=Performing Artist Database |publisher=The Library of Congress}}</ref><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">Fanning, Charles. "[http://www.jstor.org/stable/23068129 Dueling Cultures: Ireland and Irish America at the Chicago World's Fairs of 1933 and 1934]." ''New Hibernia Review / Iris Éireannach Nua'' 15, no. 3 (2011): 108-109. via JSTOR, accessed December 1, 2023. </ref> All four of their children joined the act, including Patsy's father and her uncle, actor and tap dancer [[Donald O'Connor]].<ref name="Francis" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=1942-10-30 |title=Has Film Role |pages=15 |work=The Record |location=Hackensack, New Jersey |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-record-has-film-role/136097884/ |access-date=2023-12-01 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Chuck O'Connor died on stage from a heart attack in 1926 on and his daughter was killed by a car that same year, but the act continued to perform under the leadership of Effie O'Connor with her three sons and daughter-in-law.<ref name=":2" />
⚫
==Career==

O'Connor started her film career in 1935, appearing in films like [[Redheads on Parade]], [[Girl Loves Boy]], [[I Promise to Pay]], [[Saratoga (film)|Saratoga]], [[Too Hot to Handle (1938 film)|Too Hot to Handle]], [[It Ain't Hay]], [[Mister Big (1943 film)|Mister Big]], [[You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith]],[[Moonlight in Vermont (film)|Moonlight in Vermont]], [[Pardon My Rhythm]], [[Patrick the Great]], [[Oil's Well That Ends Well]], [[Quicksand (1950 film)| Quicksand]].
The O'Connor family was friends with fellow vaudevillians [[Bud Abbott]] and [[Lou Costello]].<ref name="InquirerApr1943" />

⚫
== Career ==
O'Connor made her stage debut at three months of age alongside family members.<ref name="InquirerApr1943">{{cite news
| date = Apr 23, 1943
| page = 23
| title = Patsy O'Connor A Veteran at 12
| url = https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer-patsy-oconnor/136079516/
| work = [[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]
| access-date = 2023-12-01
}}</ref> She joined The Royal Family of Vaudeville act permanently at age two.<ref name="Kelling" /> When she was three, O'Connor performed at the Irish Village in [[A Century of Progress International Exposition]], also known as the Chicago World's Fair of 1933–1934, alongside her parents, her grandmother, and her two uncles.<ref name=":2" /> Her young age, along with that of her nine-year-old uncle Donald, brought complaints from the [[Juvenile Protective Association of Chicago]].<ref name=":2" />

O'Connor started her film career in 1935, at age four, appearing in ''[[Redheads on Parade]]''.<ref name="Kelling" /> She became known as a singer, dancer, and comedian.<ref name=":0" /> In 1936, she continued to perform with her family, singing, and dancing under the stage name "Baby Patsy".<ref>{{cite news
| date = April 5, 1936
| page = 51
| title = A Spring Bill at Tower
| url = https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-kansas-city-star-baby-patsy-oconn/136080947/
| work = [[The Kansas City Star]]
| access-date = 2023-12-01
}}</ref> In 1940, she had a year-long contract with [[Columbia Pictures]].<ref name="Francis" /> She was part of a vaudeville tour through Canada with her family in 1941.<ref name="Francis" /> That same year, she performed in her first [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] show, the [[Cole Porter]] musical ''[[Panama Hattie]]''.<ref name="Francis">{{cite news
| last = Francis
| first = Robert
| date = Jul 22, 1941
| page = 8
| title = Patsy O'Connor at 9 Makes Friends Along Broadway
| url = https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-patsy-oconnor/136079757/
| work = The Brooklyn Daily Eagle
| access-date = 2023-12-01
}}</ref><ref name="Kelling">{{cite news
| last = Kelling
| first = Vesta
| date = Jun 7, 1941
| page = 21
| title = A Confident Lot, Stage's Juniors
| url = https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-buffalo-news-patsy-oconnor-stages/136080114/
| work = The Buffalo News
| access-date = 2023-12-01
}}</ref> She replaced [[Joan Carroll]] in the role of Hattie and performed "Let's Be Buddies" with [[Ethel Merman]].<ref name="Francis" />

In 1942 when she was eleven years old, O'Connor and [[Universal Studios, Inc.|Universal Studios]] entered into a long-term contract; this was facilitated by Abbott and Costello.<ref name="InquirerApr1943" /><ref name=":0" /> She had a featured role in the film with the duo in ''[[It Ain't Hay]]'', singing "Sunbeam Serenade" and "Old Timer".<ref>{{cite news
| date = Apr 26, 1943
| page = 3
| title = At Local Theatres
| url = https://www.newspapers.com/article/republican-and-herald-it-aint-hay-pats/136079446/
| work = [[Republican Herald|Evening Herald]]
| location = [[Shenandoah, PA]]
| access-date = 2023-12-01
}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

In 1946, critics praised her singing in the vaudeville act; her performances included renditions of "[[Yes, My Darling Daughter]]", "[[My Buddy (song)|My Buddy]]",<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Abbott |first=Sam |date=Mar 28, 1942 |title=Vaudeville Reviews |volume=54 |page=24 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |issue=13 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FgwEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Patsy+O%27Connor%22+-wikipedia+vaudeville&pg=PT23 |access-date=2023-12-01}}</ref> and "[[Come Rain or Come Shine]]".<ref>{{cite magazine |date=July 6, 1946 |title=Vaudeville Review |volume=58 |page=47 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |issue=27 |location=New York |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DhoEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Patsy+O%27Connor%22+-wikipedia+vaudeville&pg=PT46 |access-date=2023-12-01}}</ref>


==Death==
==Death==
O'Connor died in New Jersey on July 4, 2017 of complications from Alzheimer's disease.
O'Connor died in New Jersey on July 4, 2017, of complications from [[Alzheimer's disease]].<ref name=ACFC/>


==Filmography==
==Filmography==
Following is a list of O'Connor's films, with the role.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Patsy O'Connor |url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/143107%7C121400/Patsy-O'connor/ |access-date=2023-12-01 |website=Turner Classic Movies |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Patsy O'Connor |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Person/121400-Patsy-O |access-date=2023-12-01 |website=AFI Catalog}}</ref>
===Film===
* ''[[Redheads on Parade]]'' (1935) - Patsy Blair
* ''[[Redheads on Parade]]'' (1935) – Patsy Blair
* ''[[Girl Loves Boy]]'' (1937) - Penny McCarthy
* ''[[I Promise to Pay]]'' (1937) – Judy Lang
* ''[[I Promise to Pay]]'' (1937) - Judy Lang
* ''[[Girl Loves Boy]]'' (1937) – Penny McCarthy
* ''[[Saratoga (film)|Saratoga]]'' (1937) - Katie Hurley (uncredited)
* ''[[Saratoga (film)|Saratoga]]'' (1937) – Katie Hurley (uncredited)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Saratoga (1937) |url=https://www.svenskfilmdatabas.se/sv/item/?type=film&itemid=16216 |access-date=2023-12-01 |website=Swedish Film Database |publisher=Swedish Film Institute |language=sv}}</ref>
* ''[[Too Hot to Handle (1938 film)|Too Hot to Handle]]'' (1938) - Fake Hulda
* ''[[Too Hot to Handle (1938 film)|Too Hot to Handle]]'' (1938) – "Fake" Hulda Harding
* ''[[It Ain't Hay]]'' (1943) - Peggy - Princess O'Hara
* ''[[It Ain't Hay]]'' (1943) - Peggy / Princess O'Hara
* ''[[Mister Big (1943 film)|Mister Big]]'' (1943) - Genius Dancing Partner (uncredited)
* ''[[Mister Big (1943 film)|Mister Big]]'' (1943) – Genius' dancing partner (uncredited)
* ''[[You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith]]'' (1943) - Peggy Crandall
* ''[[You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith]]'' (1943) – Peggy Crandall
* ''[[Moonlight in Vermont (film)|Moonlight in Vermont]]'' (1943) - Alice
* ''[[Moonlight in Vermont (film)|Moonlight in Vermont]]'' (1943) – Alice
* ''[[Pardon My Rhythm]]'' (1944) - Doodles
* ''[[Pardon My Rhythm]]'' (1944) – Doodles
* ''[[Patrick the Great]]'' (1944) - Member, Jivin' Jills (uncredited)
* ''[[Patrick the Great]]'' (1945) – Member, Jivin' Jills (uncredited)
* ''[[Oil's Well That Ends Well]]'' (1949) – uncredited<ref>{{Cite book |last=Webb |first=Graham |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZGDwDwAAQBAJ&dq=Oil's+Well+That+Ends+Well+(1949)+%E2%80%93+Short+patsy+oconnor&pg=PA396 |title=Encyclopedia of American Short Films, 1926-1959 |date=2020-07-10 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-3926-0 |page=396 |language=en |via=Google Books}}</ref>
* ''[[Oil's Well That Ends Well]]'' (1949) - Short
* ''[[Quicksand]]'' (1950) - Millie
* ''[[Quicksand (1950 film)|Quicksand]]'' (1950) - Millie


==References==
==References==
Line 46: Line 97:


==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{IMDb name|id=0640474|name=Patsy O'Connor}}
* {{IMDb name|id=0640474|name=Patsy O'Connor}}


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[[Category:2017 deaths]]
[[Category:2017 deaths]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:People from Bay Shore, New York]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:People from New York]]
[[Category:American vaudeville performers]]
[[Category:American stage actresses]]

Latest revision as of 21:38, 25 December 2024

Patsy O'Connor
Born(1930-01-23)January 23, 1930
Bay Shore, New York, U.S.
DiedJuly 4, 2017(2017-07-04) (aged 87)
New Jersey, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1935-1950

Patsy O'Connor (January 23, 1930 – July 4, 2017) was an American actress and entertainer who achieved fame as a young child for her vaudeville performances. She also performed on Broadway and in film.

Early life

[edit]

O'Connor was born in 1930 in Bay Shore, New York.[1][2] Her parents were Mildred and John "Jack" O'Connor, members of "The O'Connor Family—Royal Family of Vaudeville".[2][3][4]

The O'Connor family act was established in 1907 by her paternal grandparents, John Edward "Chuck" O'Connor who had been an acrobat with Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus and Effie Irene (née Crane) O'Connor who was a dancer and bareback rider in the circus.[5][3][6] All four of their children joined the act, including Patsy's father and her uncle, actor and tap dancer Donald O'Connor.[2][7] Chuck O'Connor died on stage from a heart attack in 1926 on and his daughter was killed by a car that same year, but the act continued to perform under the leadership of Effie O'Connor with her three sons and daughter-in-law.[6]

The O'Connor family was friends with fellow vaudevillians Bud Abbott and Lou Costello.[8]

Career

[edit]

O'Connor made her stage debut at three months of age alongside family members.[8] She joined The Royal Family of Vaudeville act permanently at age two.[9] When she was three, O'Connor performed at the Irish Village in A Century of Progress International Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair of 1933–1934, alongside her parents, her grandmother, and her two uncles.[6] Her young age, along with that of her nine-year-old uncle Donald, brought complaints from the Juvenile Protective Association of Chicago.[6]

O'Connor started her film career in 1935, at age four, appearing in Redheads on Parade.[9] She became known as a singer, dancer, and comedian.[7] In 1936, she continued to perform with her family, singing, and dancing under the stage name "Baby Patsy".[10] In 1940, she had a year-long contract with Columbia Pictures.[2] She was part of a vaudeville tour through Canada with her family in 1941.[2] That same year, she performed in her first Broadway show, the Cole Porter musical Panama Hattie.[2][9] She replaced Joan Carroll in the role of Hattie and performed "Let's Be Buddies" with Ethel Merman.[2]

In 1942 when she was eleven years old, O'Connor and Universal Studios entered into a long-term contract; this was facilitated by Abbott and Costello.[8][7] She had a featured role in the film with the duo in It Ain't Hay, singing "Sunbeam Serenade" and "Old Timer".[11][7]

In 1946, critics praised her singing in the vaudeville act; her performances included renditions of "Yes, My Darling Daughter", "My Buddy",[12] and "Come Rain or Come Shine".[13]

Death

[edit]

O'Connor died in New Jersey on July 4, 2017, of complications from Alzheimer's disease.[1]

Filmography

[edit]

Following is a list of O'Connor's films, with the role.[14][15]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Patsy O'Connor". Abbott & Costello Fan Club. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Francis, Robert (Jul 22, 1941). "Patsy O'Connor at 9 Makes Friends Along Broadway". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 8. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  3. ^ a b Markley, Patricia L. "O'Connor, Donald David Dixon Ronald". The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives. Retrieved 2023-12-01 – via Cengage Encyclopedia.com.
  4. ^ Catalogue of the Photographs of Vaudevillians Inscribed to Bud Berger in the Archives of the Embassy Theatre Foundation (PDF). Embassy Theatre Foundation. January 2020. p. 224. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  5. ^ Donald O'Connor [biography]. The Library of Congress. Retrieved December 1, 2023. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  6. ^ a b c d Fanning, Charles. "Dueling Cultures: Ireland and Irish America at the Chicago World's Fairs of 1933 and 1934." New Hibernia Review / Iris Éireannach Nua 15, no. 3 (2011): 108-109. via JSTOR, accessed December 1, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d "Has Film Role". The Record. Hackensack, New Jersey. 1942-10-30. p. 15. Retrieved 2023-12-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b c "Patsy O'Connor A Veteran at 12". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Apr 23, 1943. p. 23. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  9. ^ a b c Kelling, Vesta (Jun 7, 1941). "A Confident Lot, Stage's Juniors". The Buffalo News. p. 21. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  10. ^ "A Spring Bill at Tower". The Kansas City Star. April 5, 1936. p. 51. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  11. ^ "At Local Theatres". Evening Herald. Shenandoah, PA. Apr 26, 1943. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  12. ^ Abbott, Sam (Mar 28, 1942). "Vaudeville Reviews". Billboard. Vol. 54, no. 13. p. 24. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  13. ^ "Vaudeville Review". Billboard. Vol. 58, no. 27. New York. July 6, 1946. p. 47. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  14. ^ "Patsy O'Connor". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  15. ^ "Patsy O'Connor". AFI Catalog. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  16. ^ "Saratoga (1937)". Swedish Film Database (in Swedish). Swedish Film Institute. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  17. ^ Webb, Graham (2020-07-10). Encyclopedia of American Short Films, 1926-1959. McFarland. p. 396. ISBN 978-1-4766-3926-0 – via Google Books.
[edit]
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