Inez Courtney (October 12, 1897 – April 5, 1975) was an American actress on the Broadway stage and in films.
Early years Born in Amsterdam, New York, Courtney came from a large Irish-American family. After her father's death when she was fifteen, she decided to go onto the stage.
Career Before beginning her theatrical career, Courtney worked as an apprentice in a millinery shop in New York City. According to a 1937 newspaper account, the shop's forelady discovered her during a nightly inspection, singing a German-dialect song and tap-dancing while wearing a long-plumed hat. The incident resulted in Courtney losing her first job. Courtney later said that, had it not occurred, she might still have been designing hats.
At age 16, Courtney was doing a specialty dance that earned her the nicknames of St Vitis, Mosquito and Lightning. In 1923 she began performing in vaudeville "after several successful engagements in musical comedy". Her skit combined comedy and dancing.
Courtney's first role as a singer and dancer came in the musical The Little Whopper in 1919. She became known among New York theatrical audiences for her work in Good News (1927), a musical comedy about college life. Her other credits include Spring Is Here (1929) and America's Sweetheart (1931). In the early 1930s, she left Broadway and went to Hollywood.
Courtney's early films included Loose Ankles (1930), Song of the Flame (1930), and Spring Is Here (1930). She acted in 58 films between 1930 and 1940. She secured her first movie work by asking Harry Cohn of Columbia Pictures for his assistance. She made her screen debut as Cousin Betty in Loose Ankles (1930). Her movie credits include The Raven (1935), Suzy (1936), The Shop Around the Corner (1940), and Turnabout (1940), her last film.
Personal life and death In July 1938, Courtney was injured on a film set when she sat in a chair on which there was a crochet needle. The needle became embedded in her flesh and required an operation for removal; a contemporary newspaper reported that it penetrated two inches.
On June 20, 1931, Courtney married broker Howard S. Paschal in Rye, New York. The marriage was not revealed publicly for one year. They were divorced on May 10, 1933. Courtney married Italian nobleman Marchese Luigi Filiasi, a wine merchant, in Los Angeles on September 28, 1935, whereby she acquired the title Marchesa, but did not use it. On April 5, 1975, Courtney died at the Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune, New Jersey.
Partial filmography
Makers of Melody (1929) dance number. 'The Girlfriend' with Allan Gould Loose Ankles (1930) as Betty Spring is Here (1930) as Mary Jane Braley Not Damaged (1930) as Maude Graham Song of the Flame (1930) as Grusha Bright Lights (1930) as Peggy North Sunny (1930) as 'Weenie' The Hot Heiress (1931) as Margie Big City Blues (1932) as Faun The World Gone Mad (1933) as Susan Bibens, Telephone Operator (uncredited) Cheating Blondes (1933) as Polly Hold Your Man (1933) as Maizie I Love That Man (1933) as Public Stenographer (scenes deleted) The Captain Hates the Sea (1934) as Flo Jealousy (1934) as Penny Broadway Bill (1934) as Nurse Mae (uncredited) Sweepstake Annie (1935) as Marge Carnival (1935) as Girl (uncredited) Men of the Hour (1935) as Miss Allison (uncredited) Air Hawks (1935) as Second Nurse (uncredited) Break of Hearts (1935) as Miss Wilson Dizzy Dames (1935) as Arlette The Raven (1935) as Mary Burns The Affair of Susan (1935) as Mrs. Barnes The Girl Friend (1935) as Hilda Ship Cafe (1935) as Molly Another Face (1935) as Mamie, Joe's Secretary (uncredited) Millions in the Air (1935) as Miss Waterbury Magnificent Obsession (1935) as Nurse May (uncredited) The Reckless Way (1936) as Laura Jones Brilliant Marriage (1936) as Sally Patrick Let's Sing Again (1936) as Marge Wilkins Three Cheers for Love (1936) as Dorothy Suzy (1936) as Maisie It Couldn't Have Happened – But It Did (1936) as Linda Sands Two in a Crowd (1936) as Mrs. Flynn (uncredited) Wedding Present (1936) as Mary Lawson Time Out for Romance (1937) as Mabel Clarence (1937) as Della The Hit Parade (1937) as Tillie Armored Car (1937) as Blind Date The 13th Man (1937) as Julie Walters Partners in Crime (1937) as Lillian Tate The Hurricane (1937) as Girl on Ship (uncredited) Having Wonderful Time (1938) as Emma Crime Ring (1938) as Kitty Letter of Introduction (1938) as Woman at Barry's Party (uncredited) Five of a Kind (1938) as Libby Long Beauty for the Asking (1939) as Gwen Morrison Blondie Meets the Boss (1939) as Betty Lou Wood When Tomorrow Comes (1939) as Waitress (uncredited) Missing Evidence (1939) as Nellie Conrad The Shop Around the Corner (1940) as Ilona The Farmer's Daughter (1940) as Emily French Turnabout (1940) as Miss Edwards (final film role)
References
Bibliography Albert Lea, Minnesota Evening Tribune, Friday, August 10, 1936, p. 6. Oakland, California Tribune, Smile!-It Pays, Sunday, December 13, 1936. p. 72. Winnipeg, Manitoba Free Press, Saturday, May 17, 1930, p. 23.
External links