George MacFarlane

George MacFarlane (November 17, 1878 – February 22, 1932) was a Canadian-born American actor of both the stage and screen. He began his stage career in Montreal, before moving to New York City. His short film career spanned both the silent and sound film eras. In addition to his acting, he was also a well-known recording artist, who was very popular during World War I, including at least one song which reached number one on the charts in 1915. His career was cut short when he died in an accident in 1932.

George MacFarlane
Born
George Jarvis McFarlane

(1878-11-17)November 17, 1878
Kingston, Ontario, Canada
DiedFebruary 22, 1932(1932-02-22) (aged 53)
Hollywood, California, United States
OccupationActor, singer
Years active1902–1932
Spouse(s)Viola Gillette

Early life and career

MacFarlane was born in Kingston, Ontario on November 17, 1878. He had six older siblings, and was the son of Alice Gentle (not to be confused with Alice Gentle, opera singer), who was also a musical theatrical performer.[1] The turn of the century would see him appearing in musicals in Montreal, eventually leading to him being cast in 1902 in the role of Captain Corcoran in the Gilbert and Sullivan light opera HMS Pinafore.[2] By 1903 he was in New York City, where he had a starring role in the musical comedy The Fisher Maiden at the Victoria Theater.[3]

Stage, music, and film career

Between 1903 and 1928 he would appear in over two dozen Broadway productions, including musical comedies, straight plays, and operettas,[4] including several stints as Corcoran in HMS Pinafore. In 1907 he would appear in the play The Girl and the Bandit, the most notable fact of which is where he would meet his second wife, Viola Gillette;[5] the two would marry on April 10, 1920. The two would appear in several plays together, including MacFarlane's first big success, 1909's The Beauty Spot.[6] 1913 would see the beginning of his recording relationship with Victor Records, which would last until 1917. In 1918, he would switch to Columbia Records, where he would record four records, all in that year. He would return to Victor in the early 1920s, where he would make several more records.[7] He would earn the nickname of "America's Favorite Baritone".[5]

Other notable Broadway performances were in the title role in The Mikado in 1912 and again in 1913. 1913 would also see MacFarlane appear in the operetta Miss Caprice (an Americanized version of the German piece, Lieber Augustin),[8] in which he would record the Jerome Kern song, "Look in Her Eyes", which would be his first recording hit.[5] His next Broadway performance, the Lee Shubert and Jacob Shubert musical The Midnight Girl (from the German book Das Mitternacht Madel), garnered him another hit, this time in a duet with Margaret Romaine on "Oh Gustave".[9] He would have two other hits that year, "Can't You Hear Me Calling, Caroline" and "Your Eyes", with the former being one of the biggest hits of the year.[5] 1915 would see him have another hit, "A Little Bit of Heaven", which reached number one on the charts that year.[10]

The following year he would appear in the Klaw & Erlanger production of Miss Springtime, which ran from 1916 to 1917.[11] Although he did not perform the song in the play, MacFarlane would record the Kern song "My Castles in the Air" for Victor Records, which would become another hit for him in 1917.[5][7] 1917 would see his first foray into the film industry, although he would not appear in front of the camera. Webb Singing Pictures was a silent film where the on-screen performers mimed performing to recorded songs. Along with Enrique Caruso and other singers, MacFarlane was one of the recording artists.[5] The rest of the 1910s, and most of the 1920s would see MacFarlane focusing on the stage, both as an actor and a producer.[4][12]

1929 would see MacFarlane's return to the big screen, appearing in five films that year in supporting roles. Over the next three years he would be in an additional twelve films, also in supporting roles. On February 22, 1932, MacFarlane was rushing to a preview of one of the five films to be released that year in which he appeared. After mailing a letter, he was struck and killed as he crossed the street on the way to the theater.[5][13] Two of the films he appeared in, The Famous Ferguson Case and The Heart of New York, would be released after his death.[14]

Broadway credits

(Per Broadway Internet Database[4])

Year Title Role Notes
1903 The Fisher Maiden Robert Luckstone
1909 The Beauty Spot Jacques Baccarel
1911 H.M.S. Pinafore Captain Corcoran
1912 Patience Colonel Calverley
1912 The Pirates of Penzance Edward
1912 H.M.S. Pinafore Captain Corcoran
1912 The Mikado The Mikado of Japan
1913 The Beggar Student Symon Symonovicz
1913 The Mikado The Mikado of Japan
1913 H.M.S. Pinafore Captain Corcoran
1913 Iolanthe Strephon
1913 Lieber Augustin Augustin Hoffer
1914 The Midnight Girl Gustave Criquet II
1915 Trilby Alexander McAllister
1915 H.M.S. Pinafore Captain Corcoran
1916-1917 Miss Springtime Jo Varady
1918 Out There
1922 Springtime of Youth Roger Hathaway
1925 A Lucky Break John Bruce
1926 Rainbow Rose (non-performer) Produced by George MacFarlane Productions Inc.
1926 Honest Liars
1927 We All Do (non-performer) Produced by George MacFarlane Productions Inc.
1927 Revelry Dan Lurcock
1928 Salvation Brady

Filmography

(Per AFI database)[14]

Year Title Role Silent (S)/Talkie (T) Notes
1917 Webb Singing Pictures Singer S Off-screen recorded singing
1929 Frozen Justice Singer T
1929 Nix on Dames Ed Foster T
1929 The Painted Angel Oldfield T
1929 South Sea Rose Tavern keeper and trader T
1929 Wall Street Ed Foster T
1930 Cameo Kirby George T
1930 Double Cross Roads Warden T
1930 Half Shot at Sunrise Colonel Marshall T
1930 Happy Days Interlocutor T
1930 Up the River Jessup T
1931 Behind Office Doors T
1931 Rich Man's Folly Marston T
1932 The Heart of New York Marshall T
1932 Union Depot Train caller T
1930 Taxi! Father Nulty T
1930 The Famous Ferguson Case T
1932 Fireman Save My Child St. Louis fire chief T
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References
  1. "Alice Gentle". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  2. "George MacFarlane, baritone and actor (1877 or 1878-1932)". The Virtual Gramophone. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  3. "The Fisher Maiden". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  4. "George MacFarlane". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  5. Harry Prescott Hanaford; Dixie Hines (1914). Who's who in music and drama: an encyclopedia of biography of notable men and women in music and the drama. H.P. Hanaford. p. 134. Retrieved August 1, 2012. Bandit.
  6. "The Beauty Spot". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  7. "George MacFarlane (vocalist : baritone vocal)". Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  8. "Lieber Augustin". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  9. "The Midnight Girl". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  10. "George MacFarlane — A Little Bit of Heaven (Shure, They Call it Ireland) (1915)". YouTube. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  11. "Miss Springtime". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  12. "George MacFarlane Productions Inc". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  13. "Geo. MacFarlane Killed". The Film Daily. February 24, 1932. p. 2.
  14. "George MacFarlane". American Film Institute. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
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