Alta King

Alta L. King (March 21, 1899 – March 1981) was an American dancer, singer, and Ziegfeld girl in musical theatre.

Alta King
A young white woman with a dimpled chin, wearing a light-colored costume with lacing across the bodice.
Alta King, from a 1921 publication
BornMarch 21, 1899
Barnesville, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedMarch 1981 (aged 81–82)
Troy, New York, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Dancer, singer
Spouse
James Edward Royce
​
(m. 1925)​

Early life

King was born in Barnesville, Minnesota,[1] the daughter of John F. King (1866–1939) and Alta Mae Kimpton King (1876–1956), who had both been born in Wisconsin. She had a younger brother named Kenneth.[2] She left school after completing 10th grade.[3]

Career

King's stage career began in a stock company in Minneapolis.[4] Her Broadway credits included appearances in Ziegfeld Follies of 1919, Ziegfeld Follies of 1920, Sally (1920–1922), Orange Blossoms (1922), and Cinders (1923).[5] She was also in the Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic,[6] and performed on the roof of the New Amsterdam Theatre.[7] She was considered to have the "stage's most beautiful legs", along with Ann Pennington and Mistinguett.[8] She was in the same sextet of Ziegfeld dancers as Elizabeth Meehan and Billie Dove.[9]

After her marriage, she gave recitals as a soprano singer.[10]

Personal life

King married English-born theatrical producer and director James Edward Royce (1870-1964)[11] in 1925.[12] In 1940, her occupation was listed as model.[13]

References
  1. "Ziegfeld Follies". New-York Tribune. June 20, 1920. p. 50. Retrieved August 23, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. Ancestry.com https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/169214195:7884. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. "Ancestry - Sign up". Ancestry.com.
  4. "Flowers in Broadway's Beauty Garden" Theatre Magazine (September 1921): 160.
  5. Dietz, Dan (2019-04-10). The Complete Book of 1920s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 45, 122, 157. ISBN 9781538112823.
  6. Mantle, Burns (December 1919). "Play-Time". The Green Book Magazine. 22: 56.
  7. "The Stage". Munsey's Magazine. 71: 508. December 1920.
  8. "Who Has Stage's Most Beautiful Legs?". El Paso Herald. September 6, 1919. p. 31. Retrieved August 23, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Extra-Girl Writes Way to Fame". Bismarck Tribune. December 14, 1928. p. 29. Retrieved August 23, 2019 – via NewspaperArchive.
  10. "Mrs. Royce in Recital". Times Union. March 8, 1927. p. 74. Retrieved August 23, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Edward Royce". The Greenwich Village Bookshop Door. Retrieved 2019-08-24.
  12. "Legitimate: Edward Royce Marries Alta King, of 'Follies'". Variety. 81: 20. December 16, 1925.
  13. "Ancestry - Sign up". Ancestry.com.
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