Happy Birthday, Una O'Connor

[Subdeacon Joe]

Despite a lengthy apprenticeship in the British theatre, Una O'Connor had not attracted much attention. British critic Eric Johns recalled meeting her in 1931 in which she confessed, "I don't know what I'm going to do if I don't get work ... The end of my savings is in sight, and unless something happens soon, I'll not be able to pay the rent."

 

Her luck changed when she was chosen by Noël Coward to appear in "Cavalcade" at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in 1933. Expressing surprise that Coward noticed her, Coward responded that he had watched her for years and wrote her part with her in mind. She portrayed an Edwardian servant who transforms herself into a self-made woman. Her success led her to reprise her role in the film version of "Cavalcade," released in 1933.

 

Among O'Connor's most successful and best remembered roles are her comic performances in James Whale's "The Invisible Man" (1933) as the publican's wife, and in "Bride of Frankenstein" (1935, below) as the Baron's housekeeper. She also appeared in "The Informer" (1935) and "The Plough and the Stars" (1936) for director John Ford. Feeling homesick, in 1937 she returned to London for twelve months in the hope of finding a good part but found nothing that interested her. After her return to America, the storage facility that housed her furniture and car was destroyed in one of the Blitz strikes, which she took as a sign to remain in America. 

 

Her film career continued with roles in Michael Curtiz's "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938) and "The Sea Hawk" (1940), and in Leo McCarey's "The Bells of St. Mary's" (1944). She also appeared in supporting roles in various stage productions and achieved an outstanding success in the role of Janet McKenzie, the nearly deaf housemaid, in Agatha Christie's "Witness for the Prosecution" at Henry Miller's Theatre on Broadway from 1954–56; due to a congenital heart condition, by the time of her appearance in this play, she had to stay in bed all day, emerging only to get to the theater and then leaving curtain calls early to return to her bed. She also appeared in the film version in 1957, directed by Billy Wilder. As one of the witnesses, in what was essentially a serious drama, O'Connor's character was intended to provide comic relief. It was her final film performance. 

 

"There's no such thing as design in an acting career. You just go along with the tide. Nine times out of ten one successful part will set you in a rut from which only a miracle can pry you." (Wikipedia)

 

Happy Birthday, Una O'Connor!