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Ada May Weeks

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Ada May Weeks
A white woman with curly bobbed hair, seated, wearing a dress with short sleeves and lace trim
Ada May Weeks, from a 1922 publication
BornMarch 8, 1896
Oyster Bay, New York
DiedApril 25, 1978
New York City
Other namesAda May, Ada Mae Weeks, Ada May Potter, Ada May Castegnaro
Occupation(s)Actress, dancer, musical comedy performer

Ada May Weeks Potter Castegnaro (March 8, 1896[1] – April 25, 1978), sometimes billed as Ada May or Ada Mae Weeks, or referred to as the Countess Castegnaro, was an American actress and dancer, on stage, film, and radio.

Early life

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Weeks was born in Oyster Bay, New York, the daughter of Charles Meeks and Ada M. Thomson Weeks.[2] She started dancing as a very young child.[3] Her sisters Marion, Grace, and Ruth also became actresses.[4]

Career

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Weeks was a dancer, actress, and musical comedy performer. She used the name "Ada May" on advice from Zelda Sears.[3] Her stage credits included roles in Around the Map (1915 –1916, as understudy for Marilyn Miller), Come to Bohemia (1916), Miss Springtime (1916 –1917), Miss 1917 (1917), Listen, Lester (1918–1919, dancing with Clifton Webb),[5][6] Jim Jam Jems (1920–1921), The O'Brien Girl (1921 –1922), Lollipop (1924),[7] Rio Rita (1927–1928),[8] and The Good Fairy (1932–1933).[9] She appeared in the films The Dancing Town (1928), The Shaming of the True (1930), Dance, Girl, Dance (1933), and Monsieur Verdoux (1947), and was seen on television in Fireside Theatre (1950). She also performed on radio programs.[10]

In 1920, Weeks sued impresario John Cort for back pay.[11] She also sought a court order to keep Cort from claiming she was under contract to him; his claims were preventing her from finding another theatrical role.[12]

Personal life

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Weeks married twice. Her first husband was American sportsman and big game hunter Wilson Potter;[13] they married in 1924[14][15] and divorced in 1932.[16][17][18] Her second husband was an Italian film editor, Count Mario Castegnaro; they married in California in 1946.[19][20] They were still married when she died in 1978, aged 82 years, at her home in New York City.[21][22]

References

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  1. ^ Weeks's birth year is sometimes given as 1898; 1896 is the year given on her gravestone, on IMDB, and in other sources.
  2. ^ "Four Little American Girls' Fight for Scotland's Proudest Duchy". The San Francisco Examiner. 1917-11-18. p. 53. Retrieved 2022-07-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b Makay, Marion P. (1924-02-18). "Star of 'Lollipop' First Danced at Oyster Bay When Five Years Old". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 18. Retrieved 2022-07-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Bubble and Squeak: Stories from Everywhere". The Tatler. 67: 94. January 16, 1918.
  5. ^ "Theatre in Review: A Singing Trio". Forum. 61: 249. February 1919.
  6. ^ Webb, Clifton (2011-05-17). Sitting Pretty: The Life and Times of Clifton Webb. Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1-4968-0064-0.
  7. ^ Bordman, Gerald (2001-03-01). American Musical Theater: A Chronicle. Oxford University Press. p. 432. ISBN 978-0-19-977117-2.
  8. ^ "Ada-May Hired for Ziggy Show". Daily News. 1926-11-13. p. 21. Retrieved 2022-07-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ David S. Shields, "Ada May", Broadway Photographs.
  10. ^ Hall, Edwin (1922). "An Interview with Ada May Weeks". The Wireless Age. 10: 40.
  11. ^ "Miss Weeks Sues Cort for $1,200 Stage Pay". Daily News. 1921-05-02. p. 27. Retrieved 2022-07-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Seeks to Restrain Cort; Justice Ford Reserves Decision on Ada May Weeks's Application". The New York Times. 1921-01-20. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-07-01.
  13. ^ "Col. Wilson Potter; Big-Game Hunter Obtained Heads for Smithsonian Institution". The New York Times. 1946-06-13. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-07-02.
  14. ^ "Betrothed". Lincoln Journal Star. 1924-05-29. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-07-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Ada May Dances Her Way into Society as Wife of Millionaire". Star-Gazette. 1924-05-28. p. 19. Retrieved 2022-07-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Ada May Sues Col. Potter; Actress Brings Philadelphia Action to Divorce Game Hunter". The New York Times. 1932-06-14. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-07-02.
  17. ^ "Ada May Gets Divorce; Grounds Not Revealed In Suit Against Capt. Potter of Philadelphia". The New York Times. 1933-10-14. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-07-02.
  18. ^ "Rumors of Year Turn into Truth as Ada May, Musical Comedy Star, Asks Divorce from Clubman". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 1932-06-12. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-07-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Count and Actress Marry at Laguna". The Los Angeles Times. 1946-04-22. p. 11. Retrieved 2022-07-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Tea Leads Actress and Count to Troth". The Los Angeles Times. 1946-04-16. p. 9. Retrieved 2022-07-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Ada May Weeks". The New York Times. 1978-04-27. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-07-02.
  22. ^ "Ada May Weeks". Daily News. 1978-04-27. p. 88. Retrieved 2022-07-02 – via Newspapers.com.
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