Broadway Peg Entwistle

peg entwistle in wild duck, circa 1925

entwistle later played role of hedvig in henrik ibsen s wild duck. after seeing play, bette davis told mother, ...i want peg entwistle. years later broadway director blanche yurka sent note davis asking if play hedvig , sent word ever since had seen entwistle in wild duck, knew someday play hedvig. through years davis said entwistle inspiration take acting.

by 1926 entwistle had been recruited new york theatre guild , first credited broadway performance in june of year, martha in man toronto, opened @ selywn theatre , ran 28 performances. entwistle performed in ten broadway plays member of theatre guild between 1926 , 1932, working noted actors such george m. cohan, william gillette, robert cummings, dorothy gish, hugh sinclair, henry travers , laurette taylor. longest-running play 1927 hit tommy in starred sidney toler, ran 232 performances , became play remembered.

in april 1927 entwistle married actor robert keith @ chapel of new york city clerk s office. granted divorce in may 1929. along charges of cruelty, claimed husband did not tell had been married before , father of six-year-old boy, brian keith (who later became actor , himself committed suicide).

the play uninvited guest closed after 7 performances in september 1927; however, new york times critic j. brooks atkinson wrote, ...peg entwistle gave performance considerably better play warranted.

she went on tour theatre guild between broadway productions. changing characters every week, entwistle garnered publicity, such article in sunday edition of new york times in 1927 , in oakland tribune 2 years later.

aside part in suspense drama sherlock holmes , strange case of miss faulkner , desire play more-challenging roles, entwistle cast comedian, attractive, good-hearted ingénue. in 1929 told reporter:

rather play roles carry conviction. maybe because easiest , yet hardest things me do. play kind of emotional scene must work pitch. if reach in first word, rest of words , lines take care of themselves. if fail, have build balance of speeches, , in doing whole characterisation falls flat. feel cheating myself. don t know whether other actresses same reaction or not, worry me.

in 1932 entwistle made last broadway appearance, in j. m. barrie s alice sit-by-the-fire, starred laurette taylor, alcoholism led 2 missed evening performances , refunds ticket-holders. show cancelled , in aftermath entwistle , other players given week s salary, rather percentage of box office gross had been agreed upon before show opened.