Ernestine Myers

Ernestine Myers Morrissey (January 7, 1900 – June 29, 1991), sometimes credited as Ernestine Meyers, was an American dancer, Ziegfeld girl, and dance educator.

Ernestine Myers
A young white woman with dark hair, seated, wearing a hat with a wide trim and a white gown
Ernestine Myers
Born(1900-01-07)January 7, 1900
Terre Haute, Indiana
DiedJune 29, 1991(1991-06-29) (aged 91)
Terre Haute, Indiana
Other namesErnestine Myers Morrissey
Occupation(s)Dancer, vaudeville performer, dance educator
ParentAl Myers

Early life

Myers was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, the daughter of professional baseball player Al Myers and Flora LaTart Myers. She trained as a dancer at the Chicago Musical College, then pursued further dance studies with Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn in Los Angeles.[1]

Ernestine Myers - Jan 1920 Shadowland

Career

Myers appeared on Broadway and on vaudeville stages.[2][3] She toured with Ruth St. Denis's dance company, which also featured Martha Graham, Florence O'Denishawn, and Doris Humphrey at the time. In 1917 she toured in a singing and dancing act with Carl Randall,[4][5] including "a pseudo Egyptian fox trot in costume with just enough burlesque in it to give it pep," noted reviewer Giles P. Cain.[6] She wore a purple wig while performing in 1921, creating a "weirdly beautiful" effect, according to Billboard magazine.[7] Her credits included roles in the shows Sinbad (1918), Follow the Girl (1918),[8] Silks and Satins (1920),[9] and Ziegfeld Follies. "Miss Myers is a splendid dancer, and works hard to put her selections over," commented one reviewer in 1921.[2]

From 1923 to 1978, Myers ran a dance school in her hometown.[1][10] She produced, choreographed, and designed costumes and lighting for the school's biennial revue,[11][12][13] which included over two hundred performers in some years.[14] Elise Reiman, a teacher at the School of American Ballet, was one of Myers' many students.[15][16] In 1976, her photo was part of a Bicentennial salute to American theatre at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.[17] In 1980 she gave an oral history interview for the Vigo County Oral History Project.[18]

Personal life

Myers married Chicago businessman Daniel E. Morrissey in 1948.[19] Her husband died in 1949,[20] and she died in 1991, in Terre Haute, aged 91 years.[18]

References
  1. Sarkar, Dipa (June 5, 2011). "Historical Treasure: An outstanding woman of the American stage". Terre Haute Tribune-Star. Retrieved 2022-08-31.
  2. "Ernestine Myers in Vaudeville". Dramatic Mirror and Theatre World. 33: 773. May 7, 1921.
  3. "Good Bill at 81st Street; Eddie Ross and Ernestine Myers are Features". Dramatic Mirror and Theatre World. 83: 772. May 7, 1921.
  4. "Orpheum". Pacific Coast Musical Review. 32 (13): 6. June 30, 1917.
  5. Nunan, Thomas (1917-07-02). "Fox-Trot Tickles Audience; Ernestine Myers Does It". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-09-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Cain, Giles P. (September 8, 1917). "Little Stories of Plays and Players". The Independent. 38 (4): 3.
  7. Paul, Marcie (November 19, 1921). "The Missing Rib". Billboard. Vol. 33, no. 47. p. 22 – via Internet Archive.
  8. Dietz, Dan (2021-06-15). The Complete Book of 1910s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 419. ISBN 978-1-5381-5028-3.
  9. Hornblow (September 1920). "Mr. Hornblow Goes to the Play". Theatre Magazine. 32: 105.
  10. Roznowski, Tom (2009-11-17). An American Hometown: Terre Haute, Indiana, 1927. Indiana University Press. p. 166. ISBN 978-0-253-00503-8.
  11. "Ernestine Myers Revue to be Presented June 2". The Terre Haute Star. 1966-05-13. p. 9. Retrieved 2022-09-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. Slover, Euleta (1962-08-22). "Ernestine Myers Morrissey to be Honored by Pupils". The Terre Haute Tribune. p. 17. Retrieved 2022-09-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Ernestine Myers Dance Recital Well Received". The Terre Haute Tribune. 1968-06-12. p. 11. Retrieved 2022-09-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. Perry, Marian (1954-05-30). "Two Hundred and Fifty Dancers Appear in Ernestine Myers Revue". The Terre Haute Tribune. p. 12. Retrieved 2022-09-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. Nattkemper, Jane (1965-09-26). "Dancing Lessons are Fun to Girls Studying Ballet". The Terre Haute Tribune. p. 42. Retrieved 2022-09-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. "Elise Reiman, Teacher Of Ballet, Dies at 79". The New York Times. 1993-08-28. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-09-01.
  17. "Ernestine Myers Photo Showing at JFK Center". The Terre Haute Tribune. 1976-03-16. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-09-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. "Interview with Ernestine Myers Morrissey". Vigo County Public Library. 2016-10-18. Retrieved 2022-08-31.
  19. "Ernestine Myers Becomes Bride of Daniel E. Morrissey of Chicago". The Terre Haute Tribune. 1948-08-31. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-09-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. "Morrissey Burial in Chicago Today". The Terre Haute Tribune. 1949-10-29. p. 2. Retrieved 2022-09-01 – via Newspapers.com.
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