Mercedes Delpino

American actress
Bert Lahr
​
​
(m. 1929; ann. 1939)​

Mercedes Delpino (February 19, 1898 – May 12, 1965) was an American dancer and comedian, born in Puerto Rico. She was half of a successful vaudeville and burlesque comedy act in the 1920s with Bert Lahr, who was also her husband.

Early life

Delpino was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and raised in New York City.

Career

Delpino was a chorus girl, comedian, and dancer, touring the United States and Canada[1] on the vaudeville and burlesque stages in the 1920s. She was described as "one of the most beautiful women on vaudeville... dark and alluring".[2] She shared an "ultra smart" comedy act[3] with comedian Bert Lahr,[4][5] usually billed as "Lahr & Mercedes".[6][7] They were on Broadway together in Harry Delmar's Revels in 1927;[8] by then, bouts of mental instability were beginning to affect her work, and she left the stage while Lahr continued to greater success.[9]

In 1997, archival footage of Mercedes Delpino Lahr appeared in a documentary about vaudeville, part of the American Masters series on PBS.

Personal life and legacy

Delpino and Lahr had a son together, Herbert E. Lahr, in 1928. They were married until 1939, when the marriage was annulled on the basis of her longterm chronic mental illness,[10][11][12] so that he was able to remarry.[13] She was institutionalized, and later lived in her sister Isabel's home. She died at home in 1965, aged 67 years, in Tucson, Arizona.[14][15] The play Max and Maxie by James McLure is a fictionalized account of her life with Lahr; the Maxie character, based on Delpino, was played by Sandy Roveta in the show's 1989 New York run.[16]

References

  1. ^ "Four Headline Acts Coming to the Orpheum". The Winnipeg Tribune. 1926-09-11. p. 25. Retrieved 2022-01-12 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Keith Headliner Gets Big Portion of Laughs". The Dayton Herald. 1927-02-22. p. 18. Retrieved 2022-01-12 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Lahr & Mercedes and Bower's Revue at Proctor's Tomorrow". The Yonkers Herald. 1926-05-12. p. 4. Retrieved 2022-01-12 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Up from 'Gung, Gung'". Life. May 13, 1957. p. 127.
  5. ^ "Bert Lahr". Broadway: The American Musical. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  6. ^ "ACTORS IN THE BROADWAY SPOTLIGHT'S GLARE; Bert Lahr and the Havel Brothers, New Musical Show Funny Men--And Something About That Doorman In "Night Hostess" Two More Comics. Considering Mr. Hall". The New York Times. 1928-10-21. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  7. ^ Lahr, John (2013-01-22). Notes on a Cowardly Lion: The Biography of Bert Lahr. Open Road Media. ISBN 978-1-4532-8874-0.
  8. ^ "E. Mercedes". IBDB. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  9. ^ Cullen, Frank; Hackman, Florence; McNeilly, Donald (2007). Vaudeville old & new: an encyclopedia of variety performances in America. Psychology Press. p. 644. ISBN 978-0-415-93853-2.
  10. ^ "LAHR ASKS ANNULMENT; Actor, in Westchester Suit, Says Wife Has Been Insane 5 Years". The New York Times. 1939-03-03. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  11. ^ "Milestones, Nov. 13, 1939". Time. 1939-11-13. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  12. ^ "Lahr Annulment Due". Daily News. 1939-10-24. p. 296. Retrieved 2022-01-12 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Wife is Insane, Says Lahr; Asks an Annulment". Daily News. 1939-01-09. p. 207. Retrieved 2022-01-12 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Mercedes Lahr, 67, Comedian's Ex-Wife". Newsday (Suffolk Edition). 1965-05-14. p. 46. Retrieved 2022-01-12 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Mrs. Lahr Dies at Home in Tucson". Tucson Citizen. 1965-05-13. p. 55. Retrieved 2022-01-12 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Gussow, Mel (1989-01-18). "Review/Theater; A Fictional Bert Lahr In Crisis". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-01-12.

External links