# Helen Ford > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Helen_Ford > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Helen_Ford.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Ford > Source revision: 1357185490 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|American actress (1894–1982)}} thumb|Helen Ford on the cover of ''Theatre Magazine'' December 1925 '''Helen Ford''' (born '''Helen Isabel Barnett'''; June 6, 1894 –January 19, 1982) was an American actress. A native of [Troy, New York](/source/Troy%2C_New_York), she trained as a singer and pianist at a music conservatory in her native city. She began her career as a [musical theatre](/source/musical_theatre) actress in 1918 and was active in [Broadway](/source/Broadway_theatre) musicals from that point into the 1930s. She was a frequent collaborator with [Rodgers and Hart](/source/Rodgers_and_Hart); creating the title roles in ''[Peggy-Ann](/source/Peggy-Ann)'' (1926) and ''Chee-Chee'' (1928) as well as starring in ''[Dearest Enemy](/source/Dearest_Enemy)'' (1925). In her later career she worked in television and film. ==Biography== Helen Ford was born Helen Isabel Barnett{{sfn|Hischak|2003|page=112}} in [Troy, New York](/source/Troy%2C_New_York) on June 6, 1894.{{sfn| Benjamin| Rosenblatt|2006|page=263}} Her father was a manufacturer in Troy, and she was considered a musical prodigy as a child. She studied voice and piano at a conservatory of music in her native city.{{sfn|Nolan|1995|page=37}} She first appeared in a production of ''The Heart of Annie Wood'' in New York in 1918.{{sfn|Nolan|1995|page=37}} The following year she joined the [Broadway](/source/Broadway_theatre) cast of [Rudolf Friml](/source/Rudolf_Friml)'s ''[Sometime](/source/Sometime_(musical))'' at the [Casino Theatre](/source/Casino_Theatre_(New_York_City)) in the role of Enid Vaughn.{{sfn| Benjamin| Rosenblatt|2006|page=263}} On August 9, 1918, she married George Ford, who produced touring Shakespearean festivals.{{sfn|Nolan|1995|page=37}} Ford was a stage actress in Broadway musicals of the 1920s and 1930s.{{sfn| Benjamin| Rosenblatt|2006|page=263-264}} In 1920 she portrayed Natalie Blythe in [Hugo Felix](/source/Hugo_Felix)'s musical ''The Sweetheart Shop'' at the [Knickerbocker Theatre](/source/Knickerbocker_Theatre_(Broadway)).{{sfn|Dietz|2019|page=24}} That same year she had the role of Toinette Fontaine in ''Always You'', Oscar Hammerstein's first musical.{{sfn|Hischak|2008|page=258}} In 1922 she performed the roles of Marjorie Leeds in [William Merrigan Daly](/source/William_Merrigan_Daly)'s ''[For Goodness Sake](/source/For_Goodness_Sake_(musical))'' at the [Lyric Theatre](/source/Lyric_Theatre_(New_York_City%2C_1903)),{{sfn|Dietz|2019|page=100}} and Mary Thompson in [Albert Von Tilzer](/source/Albert_Von_Tilzer)'s ''The Gingham Girl'' at the [Earl Carroll Theatre](/source/Earl_Carroll_Theatre).{{sfn|Dietz|2019|page=116}} In 1923 she starred in the title role of [Harry Ruby](/source/Harry_Ruby) and [Bert Kalmar](/source/Bert_Kalmar)'s ''Helen of Troy, New York'' at first the [Selwyn Theatre](/source/Selwyn_Theatre) and later [Times Square Theater](/source/Times_Square_Theater).{{sfn|Dietz|2019|pages=165-166}} This was followed by another Ruby and Kalmar musical, ''No Other Girl'' (1924), in which she appeared as Hope Franklin at the [Morosco Theatre](/source/Morosco_Theatre).{{sfn|Dietz|2019|page=208}} A "[Rodgers](/source/Richard_Rodgers), [Hart](/source/Lorenz_Hart), and [Fields'](/source/Herbert_Fields) favorite",{{cite web|url=http://www.amclass.org/pa.html |title=American Classics - ''Peggy-Ann'' |publisher=American Classics |access-date=January 23, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127045751/http://www.amclass.org/pa.html |archive-date=January 27, 2012 }} Ford starred in three of their [Broadway](/source/Broadway_theatre) productions: ''[Dearest Enemy](/source/Dearest_Enemy)'' (1925, as Betsy Burke), ''[Peggy-Ann](/source/Peggy-Ann)'' (1926, as Peggy-Ann) and ''Chee-Chee'' (1928, as Chee-Chee).{{sfn|Benjamin| Rosenblatt|2006|page=263-264}} She also starred in the touring production of ''Dearest Enemy''.{{cite news |last1=Taaffe |first1=Agnes |title=Helen Ford, Charles Purcell, Met Stars; Marie Gale, Shubert |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/12579159/the_minneapolis_star/ |access-date=9 January 2019 |work=The Minneapolis Star |date=October 22, 1926 |location=Minnesota, Minneapolis |page=28|via = [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)}} In 1926, Ford was involved in a court case in District Court in New York City. The trial related to her appearance at the Knickerbocker Theater "clad only in a barrel".{{cite news |last1=Diamond |first1=Emanuel |title=More Reporters in Trouble |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27009160/helen_ford/ |access-date=9 January 2019 |work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle |date=May 30, 1926 |location=New York, Brooklyn |page=E 3|via = [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)}} The trial focused on whether her husband, George Ford, had committed perjury when he told a grand jury that the barrel did not contain champagne. In 1933-1934 Ford played the role of Adele in the Broadway musical ''Champagne, Sec''; a production which began at the [Morosco Theatre](/source/Morosco_Theatre) and then transferred to the [Shubert Theatre](/source/Shubert_Theatre_(Broadway)) before ending its run at the [44th Street Theatre](/source/44th_Street_Theatre).{{sfn|Dietz|2018|pages=288-289}} She returned to Broadway as Freelove Clark in [Frederick Loewe](/source/Frederick_Loewe)'s 1938 musical ''Great Lady'' which had a short run at the [Majestic Theatre](/source/Majestic_Theatre_(Broadway)).{{sfn|Dietz|2018|pages=527-528}} She went on to appear in films and television programs, including ''[The Raid](/source/The_Raid_(1954_film))''.{{sfn|Lentz|2015|page=46}} She died of a stroke on January 19, 1982. She was cremated and her ashes interred in the crypt below the chapel at [Grand View Memorial Park Cemetery](/source/Grand_View_Memorial_Park_Cemetery) in [Glendale, California](/source/Glendale%2C_California).{{sfn| Wilson|2016|page=251}} == Filmography == {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- |1948|| ''[Apartment for Peggy](/source/Apartment_for_Peggy)'' || Della || Uncredited |- |1951|| ''[The Model and the Marriage Broker](/source/The_Model_and_the_Marriage_Broker)'' || Emmy Swasey || |- | rowspan="2" |1952|| ''[Secret People](/source/Secret_People_(film))'' || Scarf Woman || |- | ''[Sound Off](/source/Sound_Off_(film))'' || Mrs. Rafferty || Uncredited |- |1954|| ''[The Raid](/source/The_Raid_(1954_film))'' || Delphine Coates || |- | rowspan="3" |1957|| ''[The Curse of Frankenstein](/source/The_Curse_of_Frankenstein)'' || Ellen || rowspan="6" | Uncredited |- | ''[Hell Drivers](/source/Hell_Drivers_(film))'' || Woman at Dance |- | ''[The Naked Truth](/source/The_Naked_Truth_(1957_film))'' || Dinner Guest |- |1958|| ''[A Night to Remember](/source/A_Night_to_Remember_(1958_film))'' || Steerage Passenger |- |1960|| ''[Village of the Damned](/source/Village_of_the_Damned_(1960_film))'' || Villager |- |1966|| ''[The Ghost Goes Gear](/source/The_Ghost_Goes_Gear)'' || An Old Lady |- |1967|| ''[Carry On Doctor](/source/Carry_On_Doctor)'' || Nurse || |- |1971|| ''[A Clockwork Orange](/source/A_Clockwork_Orange_(film))'' || Old Lady at Duke of York || Scene deleted |- |1975|| ''[Confessions of a Pop Performer](/source/Confessions_of_a_Pop_Performer)'' || Old Lady with Ear Trumpet || (final film role) |} ==References== ===Citations=== {{reflist}} ===Bibliography=== *{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/whosangwhatonbro0000benj/mode/2up|title=Who sang what on Broadway, 1866-1996: Volume I, The Singers A-L|year=2006|last= Benjamin|first=Ruth|last2=Rosenblatt|first2= Arthur|publisher=[McFarland & Company](/source/McFarland_%26_Company)|isbn=9780786415069|chapter=Helen Ford}} *{{cite book|first1=Dan|last1=Dietz|title=The Complete Book of 1920s Broadway Musicals|publisher=[Rowman & Littlefield Publishers](/source/Rowman_%26_Littlefield_Publishers)|year=2019|isbn=9781442245280|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LRmGDwAAQBAJ}} *{{cite book|first1=Dan|last1=Dietz|title=The Complete Book of 1930s Broadway Musicals|publisher=[Rowman & Littlefield Publishers](/source/Rowman_%26_Littlefield_Publishers)|year=2018|isbn=9781538102770|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L0hNDwAAQBAJ&q=The+Complete+Book+of+1930s+Broadway+Musicals}} *{{cite book |last1=Hischak |first1=Thomas S. |title=Enter the Players: New York Stage Actors in the Twentieth Century |year=2003 |publisher=[Scarecrow Press](/source/Scarecrow_Press) |isbn=9780810847613 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d3NJn0zF3nQC&q=%22Helen+Isabel+Barnett%22&pg=PA112}} *{{cite book |title=The Oxford Companion to the American Musical |isbn=9780195335330 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XbBz3C4Gr0EC&q=%22Helen+Isabel+Barnett%22&pg=PA258|last1=Hischak |first1=Thomas S. |year=2008 |publisher=[Oxford University Press](/source/Oxford_University_Press)}} *{{cite book|title=Lee Marvin: His Films and Career|first= Robert J.|last= Lentz |publisher=[McFarland & Company](/source/McFarland_%26_Company)|year=2015|isbn=9781476604053}} *{{cite book |last1=Nolan |first1=Frederick |title=Lorenz Hart: A Poet on Broadway |date=1995 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780195102895|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w0_nCwAAQBAJ&q=%22Helen+Isabel+Barnett%22&pg=PA37}} *{{cite book|last=Wilson|first=Scott|title=Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons|location=Jefferson, N.C.|publisher=[McFarland & Company](/source/McFarland_%26_Company)|year=2016|isbn=9780786479924|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FOHgDAAAQBAJ}} ==External links== {{commons category|Helen Ford}} *{{IMDb name|0285676}} *{{IBDB name}} {{authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Helen}} Category:1894 births Category:1982 deaths Category:American stage actresses Category:American film actresses Category:20th-century American actresses Category:Burials at Grand View Memorial Park Cemetery --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Helen Ford](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Ford) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Ford?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.