Dorothy Stickney Dies at 101; Acted in Many Broadway Hit
Dorothy Stickney, who created the role of the mother in ''Life with Father'' and also appeared in many other Broadway hits during a career that spanned more than 50 years, died yesterday at her home in Manhattan. She was 101.
''Life with Father,'' by Howard Lindsay (Miss Stickney's husband) and Russel Crouse, opened at the Empire Theater on Nov. 8, 1939. When it closed after seven years and 3,224 performances, it was -- and it still is today -- the longest running nonmusical show in Broadway history. The Lindsays, who were among the most celebrated acting couples in the United States, played the leading roles of Clarence and Vinnie Day for five years. Based on Clarence Day's reminiscences about his youth in New York in the 1880's, the play told the story of a large family, led by a frequently exasperated father tempered by his charming wife who put up with all his crotchets.
The play was turned down by Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne and many other stars. Finally it was tried out in summer stock at the Lakewood Theater in Skowhegan, Me., with Mr. Lindsay and Miss Stickney thrust into the leading roles. As Miss Stickney said: ''We weren't at all sure we were good enough for the parts. We had never originally intended to play them ourselves.''
Success in summer stock eventually led to Broadway, and opening night was filled with minor disasters. In the first scene the actress playing the maid accidentally dropped a tray of dishes, and, later, several actors forgot their lines. As Miss Stickney remembered, she and her husband went home and cried: ''Little did we realize that the play would last through World War II.''
Mr. Lindsay attributed the phenomenal success to the fact that the play was not just a comedy but also had a tender, familial side: ''People who see 'Life with Father' are emotionally moved as well as amused. They see so much of themselves in the characters on the stage. Booth Tarkington summed it up well when he said the play is in reality 'promptings to memory.' ''
At the heart of the play -- and of its tenderness -- was Miss Stickney's performance as the wise and patient mother, Vinnie, who was understanding without being overly sentimental. In his review in The New York Times, Brooks Atkinson said her portrait was ''brilliant acting, both sweet and witty, with a supple response to the storminess of her domestic economy.''
The Lindsays returned to their roles in 1947 -- when the play set a record of 3,183 performances -- staying in the cast for several weeks. The following year, they played the Days again, in the sequel, ''Life with Mother,'' and that play ran for a year. When the original Empire Theater (where both plays first opened) was demolished in 1953, the couple salvaged two red plush orchestra seats and placed them in their elegant East Side town house.
Miss Stickney was born in Dickinson, N.D. Her father, Victor Hugo Stickney, a doctor who made calls on horseback, was one of the first 10 members elected to the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. Stage-struck from an early age, she studied at the North Western Dramatic School in Minneapolis, sang and danced as one of the four ''Southern Belles'' in vaudeville and acted with various stock companies. When she came to New York in the 1920's, she was turned down for so many roles that she wrote a poem about the experience. The poem, called ''You're Not the Type,'' was published in Liberty magazine and was the beginning of her sideline literary career.
For two summers she was the featured ingenue in summer stock at the Lakewood Theater, then returned to New York to look for work. In New York, she met Mr. Lindsay, who was writing vaudeville sketches. When he was hired to direct the next summer at Lakewood, he was told he could choose his own company, except for the ingenue, a role reserved for the popular Miss Stickney. They were married in 1927.
After making her Broadway debut in 1926 in a small role in ''The Squall,'' she soon became known for playing eccentric characters and was in one hit after another. She was Liz, a mad scrub woman, in ''Chicago,'' the first Broadway show directed by George Abbott. In ''The Front Page,'' she created the role of Mollie Molloy, the woman who jumps out an open courthouse window. That was followed by George Kelly's ''Philip Goes Forth,'' Rose Franken's ''Another Language'' (her first important role), Paul Osborn's ''On Borrowed Time'' and many other plays. She was a character actress who had become a star.
At the same time, as playwright and director, her husband was himself enjoying halcyon days. He and Mr. Crouse had collaborated on the book for ''Anything Goes'' and other musicals, before they began writing their adaptation of the Clarence Day stories.
After ''Life with Father,'' Miss Stickney was in, among other plays, ''The Small Hours,'' ''To Be Continued,'' ''Kind Sir'' and ''The Honeys.'' Her films included ''The Little Minister'' and ''I Never Sang for My Father.'' On television she played a bootlegger in the first episode of ''The Waltons.''
As an admirer of Edna St. Vincent Millay, she wrote ''A Lovely Light,'' a one-woman play based on Millay's poetry and letters. As with ''Life with Father,'' she tried it out in summer stock before bringing it to Broadway in 1960, in a production directed by her husband. The actress toured the show at colleges and universities and later brought it back to Broadway. In 1967, she did a revival of ''Life with Father'' at City Center, with Leon Ames as co-star.
Her husband died in 1968. No immediate family members survive.
In 1973, Miss Stickney returned to the stage and made her Broadway musical debut in ''Pippin,'' taking over the role of Berthe after the death of Irene Ryan. She sang one song, ''No Time at All.'' Previously, she had been in several musicals on television. She and her husband played the king and queen in Rodgers and Hammerstein's ''Cinderella'' in 1957, and in 1968 she appeared in Stephen Sondheim's ''Evening Primrose.''
In her 1979 memoir, ''Openings and Closings,'' Miss Stickney, who seemed to be the most quietly confident actress onstage, wrote about her lifelong battle with stage fright. She said she had learned one lesson: ''When panic overtook me and I felt absolutely unable to go on, I would tell myself, 'You don't have to do the whole play -- you don't even have to play the next scene -- all you have to do is say the next line.' '' Although she never fully conquered that fear, she was always able to say the next line and the next line, and in so doing found a lifetime of accomplishment in the theater.
Dorothy Stickney, who created the role of the mother in ''Life with Father'' and also appeared in many other Broadway hits during a career that spanned more than 50 years, died yesterday at her home in Manhattan. She was 101.
''Life with Father,'' by Howard Lindsay (Miss Stickney's husband) and Russel Crouse, opened at the Empire Theater on Nov. 8, 1939. When it closed after seven years and 3,224 performances, it was -- and it still is today -- the longest running nonmusical show in Broadway history. The Lindsays, who were among the most celebrated acting couples in the United States, played the leading roles of Clarence and Vinnie Day for five years. Based on Clarence Day's reminiscences about his youth in New York in the 1880's, the play told the story of a large family, led by a frequently exasperated father tempered by his charming wife who put up with all his crotchets.
The play was turned down by Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne and many other stars. Finally it was tried out in summer stock at the Lakewood Theater in Skowhegan, Me., with Mr. Lindsay and Miss Stickney thrust into the leading roles. As Miss Stickney said: ''We weren't at all sure we were good enough for the parts. We had never originally intended to play them ourselves.''
Success in summer stock eventually led to Broadway, and opening night was filled with minor disasters. In the first scene the actress playing the maid accidentally dropped a tray of dishes, and, later, several actors forgot their lines. As Miss Stickney remembered, she and her husband went home and cried: ''Little did we realize that the play would last through World War II.''
Mr. Lindsay attributed the phenomenal success to the fact that the play was not just a comedy but also had a tender, familial side: ''People who see 'Life with Father' are emotionally moved as well as amused. They see so much of themselves in the characters on the stage. Booth Tarkington summed it up well when he said the play is in reality 'promptings to memory.' ''
At the heart of the play -- and of its tenderness -- was Miss Stickney's performance as the wise and patient mother, Vinnie, who was understanding without being overly sentimental. In his review in The New York Times, Brooks Atkinson said her portrait was ''brilliant acting, both sweet and witty, with a supple response to the storminess of her domestic economy.''
The Lindsays returned to their roles in 1947 -- when the play set a record of 3,183 performances -- staying in the cast for several weeks. The following year, they played the Days again, in the sequel, ''Life with Mother,'' and that play ran for a year. When the original Empire Theater (where both plays first opened) was demolished in 1953, the couple salvaged two red plush orchestra seats and placed them in their elegant East Side town house.
Miss Stickney was born in Dickinson, N.D. Her father, Victor Hugo Stickney, a doctor who made calls on horseback, was one of the first 10 members elected to the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. Stage-struck from an early age, she studied at the North Western Dramatic School in Minneapolis, sang and danced as one of the four ''Southern Belles'' in vaudeville and acted with various stock companies. When she came to New York in the 1920's, she was turned down for so many roles that she wrote a poem about the experience. The poem, called ''You're Not the Type,'' was published in Liberty magazine and was the beginning of her sideline literary career.
For two summers she was the featured ingenue in summer stock at the Lakewood Theater, then returned to New York to look for work. In New York, she met Mr. Lindsay, who was writing vaudeville sketches. When he was hired to direct the next summer at Lakewood, he was told he could choose his own company, except for the ingenue, a role reserved for the popular Miss Stickney. They were married in 1927.
After making her Broadway debut in 1926 in a small role in ''The Squall,'' she soon became known for playing eccentric characters and was in one hit after another. She was Liz, a mad scrub woman, in ''Chicago,'' the first Broadway show directed by George Abbott. In ''The Front Page,'' she created the role of Mollie Molloy, the woman who jumps out an open courthouse window. That was followed by George Kelly's ''Philip Goes Forth,'' Rose Franken's ''Another Language'' (her first important role), Paul Osborn's ''On Borrowed Time'' and many other plays. She was a character actress who had become a star.
At the same time, as playwright and director, her husband was himself enjoying halcyon days. He and Mr. Crouse had collaborated on the book for ''Anything Goes'' and other musicals, before they began writing their adaptation of the Clarence Day stories.
After ''Life with Father,'' Miss Stickney was in, among other plays, ''The Small Hours,'' ''To Be Continued,'' ''Kind Sir'' and ''The Honeys.'' Her films included ''The Little Minister'' and ''I Never Sang for My Father.'' On television she played a bootlegger in the first episode of ''The Waltons.''
As an admirer of Edna St. Vincent Millay, she wrote ''A Lovely Light,'' a one-woman play based on Millay's poetry and letters. As with ''Life with Father,'' she tried it out in summer stock before bringing it to Broadway in 1960, in a production directed by her husband. The actress toured the show at colleges and universities and later brought it back to Broadway. In 1967, she did a revival of ''Life with Father'' at City Center, with Leon Ames as co-star.
Her husband died in 1968. No immediate family members survive.
In 1973, Miss Stickney returned to the stage and made her Broadway musical debut in ''Pippin,'' taking over the role of Berthe after the death of Irene Ryan. She sang one song, ''No Time at All.'' Previously, she had been in several musicals on television. She and her husband played the king and queen in Rodgers and Hammerstein's ''Cinderella'' in 1957, and in 1968 she appeared in Stephen Sondheim's ''Evening Primrose.''
In her 1979 memoir, ''Openings and Closings,'' Miss Stickney, who seemed to be the most quietly confident actress onstage, wrote about her lifelong battle with stage fright. She said she had learned one lesson: ''When panic overtook me and I felt absolutely unable to go on, I would tell myself, 'You don't have to do the whole play -- you don't even have to play the next scene -- all you have to do is say the next line.' '' Although she never fully conquered that fear, she was always able to say the next line and the next line, and in so doing found a lifetime of accomplishment in the theater.
Dorothy Stickney Dies at 101; Acted in Many Broadway Hit
Dorothy Stickney, who created the role of the mother in ''Life with Father'' and also appeared in many other Broadway hits during a career that spanned more than 50 years, died yesterday at her home in Manhattan. She was 101.
''Life with Father,'' by Howard Lindsay (Miss Stickney's husband) and Russel Crouse, opened at the Empire Theater on Nov. 8, 1939. When it closed after seven years and 3,224 performances, it was -- and it still is today -- the longest running nonmusical show in Broadway history. The Lindsays, who were among the most celebrated acting couples in the United States, played the leading roles of Clarence and Vinnie Day for five years. Based on Clarence Day's reminiscences about his youth in New York in the 1880's, the play told the story of a large family, led by a frequently exasperated father tempered by his charming wife who put up with all his crotchets.
The play was turned down by Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne and many other stars. Finally it was tried out in summer stock at the Lakewood Theater in Skowhegan, Me., with Mr. Lindsay and Miss Stickney thrust into the leading roles. As Miss Stickney said: ''We weren't at all sure we were good enough for the parts. We had never originally intended to play them ourselves.''
Success in summer stock eventually led to Broadway, and opening night was filled with minor disasters. In the first scene the actress playing the maid accidentally dropped a tray of dishes, and, later, several actors forgot their lines. As Miss Stickney remembered, she and her husband went home and cried: ''Little did we realize that the play would last through World War II.''
Mr. Lindsay attributed the phenomenal success to the fact that the play was not just a comedy but also had a tender, familial side: ''People who see 'Life with Father' are emotionally moved as well as amused. They see so much of themselves in the characters on the stage. Booth Tarkington summed it up well when he said the play is in reality 'promptings to memory.' ''
At the heart of the play -- and of its tenderness -- was Miss Stickney's performance as the wise and patient mother, Vinnie, who was understanding without being overly sentimental. In his review in The New York Times, Brooks Atkinson said her portrait was ''brilliant acting, both sweet and witty, with a supple response to the storminess of her domestic economy.''
The Lindsays returned to their roles in 1947 -- when the play set a record of 3,183 performances -- staying in the cast for several weeks. The following year, they played the Days again, in the sequel, ''Life with Mother,'' and that play ran for a year. When the original Empire Theater (where both plays first opened) was demolished in 1953, the couple salvaged two red plush orchestra seats and placed them in their elegant East Side town house.
Miss Stickney was born in Dickinson, N.D. Her father, Victor Hugo Stickney, a doctor who made calls on horseback, was one of the first 10 members elected to the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. Stage-struck from an early age, she studied at the North Western Dramatic School in Minneapolis, sang and danced as one of the four ''Southern Belles'' in vaudeville and acted with various stock companies. When she came to New York in the 1920's, she was turned down for so many roles that she wrote a poem about the experience. The poem, called ''You're Not the Type,'' was published in Liberty magazine and was the beginning of her sideline literary career.
For two summers she was the featured ingenue in summer stock at the Lakewood Theater, then returned to New York to look for work. In New York, she met Mr. Lindsay, who was writing vaudeville sketches. When he was hired to direct the next summer at Lakewood, he was told he could choose his own company, except for the ingenue, a role reserved for the popular Miss Stickney. They were married in 1927.
After making her Broadway debut in 1926 in a small role in ''The Squall,'' she soon became known for playing eccentric characters and was in one hit after another. She was Liz, a mad scrub woman, in ''Chicago,'' the first Broadway show directed by George Abbott. In ''The Front Page,'' she created the role of Mollie Molloy, the woman who jumps out an open courthouse window. That was followed by George Kelly's ''Philip Goes Forth,'' Rose Franken's ''Another Language'' (her first important role), Paul Osborn's ''On Borrowed Time'' and many other plays. She was a character actress who had become a star.
At the same time, as playwright and director, her husband was himself enjoying halcyon days. He and Mr. Crouse had collaborated on the book for ''Anything Goes'' and other musicals, before they began writing their adaptation of the Clarence Day stories.
After ''Life with Father,'' Miss Stickney was in, among other plays, ''The Small Hours,'' ''To Be Continued,'' ''Kind Sir'' and ''The Honeys.'' Her films included ''The Little Minister'' and ''I Never Sang for My Father.'' On television she played a bootlegger in the first episode of ''The Waltons.''
As an admirer of Edna St. Vincent Millay, she wrote ''A Lovely Light,'' a one-woman play based on Millay's poetry and letters. As with ''Life with Father,'' she tried it out in summer stock before bringing it to Broadway in 1960, in a production directed by her husband. The actress toured the show at colleges and universities and later brought it back to Broadway. In 1967, she did a revival of ''Life with Father'' at City Center, with Leon Ames as co-star.
Her husband died in 1968. No immediate family members survive.
In 1973, Miss Stickney returned to the stage and made her Broadway musical debut in ''Pippin,'' taking over the role of Berthe after the death of Irene Ryan. She sang one song, ''No Time at All.'' Previously, she had been in several musicals on television. She and her husband played the king and queen in Rodgers and Hammerstein's ''Cinderella'' in 1957, and in 1968 she appeared in Stephen Sondheim's ''Evening Primrose.''
In her 1979 memoir, ''Openings and Closings,'' Miss Stickney, who seemed to be the most quietly confident actress onstage, wrote about her lifelong battle with stage fright. She said she had learned one lesson: ''When panic overtook me and I felt absolutely unable to go on, I would tell myself, 'You don't have to do the whole play -- you don't even have to play the next scene -- all you have to do is say the next line.' '' Although she never fully conquered that fear, she was always able to say the next line and the next line, and in so doing found a lifetime of accomplishment in the theater.
Dorothy Stickney, who created the role of the mother in ''Life with Father'' and also appeared in many other Broadway hits during a career that spanned more than 50 years, died yesterday at her home in Manhattan. She was 101.
''Life with Father,'' by Howard Lindsay (Miss Stickney's husband) and Russel Crouse, opened at the Empire Theater on Nov. 8, 1939. When it closed after seven years and 3,224 performances, it was -- and it still is today -- the longest running nonmusical show in Broadway history. The Lindsays, who were among the most celebrated acting couples in the United States, played the leading roles of Clarence and Vinnie Day for five years. Based on Clarence Day's reminiscences about his youth in New York in the 1880's, the play told the story of a large family, led by a frequently exasperated father tempered by his charming wife who put up with all his crotchets.
The play was turned down by Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne and many other stars. Finally it was tried out in summer stock at the Lakewood Theater in Skowhegan, Me., with Mr. Lindsay and Miss Stickney thrust into the leading roles. As Miss Stickney said: ''We weren't at all sure we were good enough for the parts. We had never originally intended to play them ourselves.''
Success in summer stock eventually led to Broadway, and opening night was filled with minor disasters. In the first scene the actress playing the maid accidentally dropped a tray of dishes, and, later, several actors forgot their lines. As Miss Stickney remembered, she and her husband went home and cried: ''Little did we realize that the play would last through World War II.''
Mr. Lindsay attributed the phenomenal success to the fact that the play was not just a comedy but also had a tender, familial side: ''People who see 'Life with Father' are emotionally moved as well as amused. They see so much of themselves in the characters on the stage. Booth Tarkington summed it up well when he said the play is in reality 'promptings to memory.' ''
At the heart of the play -- and of its tenderness -- was Miss Stickney's performance as the wise and patient mother, Vinnie, who was understanding without being overly sentimental. In his review in The New York Times, Brooks Atkinson said her portrait was ''brilliant acting, both sweet and witty, with a supple response to the storminess of her domestic economy.''
The Lindsays returned to their roles in 1947 -- when the play set a record of 3,183 performances -- staying in the cast for several weeks. The following year, they played the Days again, in the sequel, ''Life with Mother,'' and that play ran for a year. When the original Empire Theater (where both plays first opened) was demolished in 1953, the couple salvaged two red plush orchestra seats and placed them in their elegant East Side town house.
Miss Stickney was born in Dickinson, N.D. Her father, Victor Hugo Stickney, a doctor who made calls on horseback, was one of the first 10 members elected to the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. Stage-struck from an early age, she studied at the North Western Dramatic School in Minneapolis, sang and danced as one of the four ''Southern Belles'' in vaudeville and acted with various stock companies. When she came to New York in the 1920's, she was turned down for so many roles that she wrote a poem about the experience. The poem, called ''You're Not the Type,'' was published in Liberty magazine and was the beginning of her sideline literary career.
For two summers she was the featured ingenue in summer stock at the Lakewood Theater, then returned to New York to look for work. In New York, she met Mr. Lindsay, who was writing vaudeville sketches. When he was hired to direct the next summer at Lakewood, he was told he could choose his own company, except for the ingenue, a role reserved for the popular Miss Stickney. They were married in 1927.
After making her Broadway debut in 1926 in a small role in ''The Squall,'' she soon became known for playing eccentric characters and was in one hit after another. She was Liz, a mad scrub woman, in ''Chicago,'' the first Broadway show directed by George Abbott. In ''The Front Page,'' she created the role of Mollie Molloy, the woman who jumps out an open courthouse window. That was followed by George Kelly's ''Philip Goes Forth,'' Rose Franken's ''Another Language'' (her first important role), Paul Osborn's ''On Borrowed Time'' and many other plays. She was a character actress who had become a star.
At the same time, as playwright and director, her husband was himself enjoying halcyon days. He and Mr. Crouse had collaborated on the book for ''Anything Goes'' and other musicals, before they began writing their adaptation of the Clarence Day stories.
After ''Life with Father,'' Miss Stickney was in, among other plays, ''The Small Hours,'' ''To Be Continued,'' ''Kind Sir'' and ''The Honeys.'' Her films included ''The Little Minister'' and ''I Never Sang for My Father.'' On television she played a bootlegger in the first episode of ''The Waltons.''
As an admirer of Edna St. Vincent Millay, she wrote ''A Lovely Light,'' a one-woman play based on Millay's poetry and letters. As with ''Life with Father,'' she tried it out in summer stock before bringing it to Broadway in 1960, in a production directed by her husband. The actress toured the show at colleges and universities and later brought it back to Broadway. In 1967, she did a revival of ''Life with Father'' at City Center, with Leon Ames as co-star.
Her husband died in 1968. No immediate family members survive.
In 1973, Miss Stickney returned to the stage and made her Broadway musical debut in ''Pippin,'' taking over the role of Berthe after the death of Irene Ryan. She sang one song, ''No Time at All.'' Previously, she had been in several musicals on television. She and her husband played the king and queen in Rodgers and Hammerstein's ''Cinderella'' in 1957, and in 1968 she appeared in Stephen Sondheim's ''Evening Primrose.''
In her 1979 memoir, ''Openings and Closings,'' Miss Stickney, who seemed to be the most quietly confident actress onstage, wrote about her lifelong battle with stage fright. She said she had learned one lesson: ''When panic overtook me and I felt absolutely unable to go on, I would tell myself, 'You don't have to do the whole play -- you don't even have to play the next scene -- all you have to do is say the next line.' '' Although she never fully conquered that fear, she was always able to say the next line and the next line, and in so doing found a lifetime of accomplishment in the theater.
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