Mercedes Delpino

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.

Mercedes Delpino Lahr
A young woman with fair skin and dark eyes, wearing a satiny scarf that covers her head, knotted at the nape
Mercedes Delpino Lahr, from a 1926 newspaper
Born(1898-02-19)February 19, 1898
San Juan, Puerto Rico
DiedMay 12, 1965(1965-05-12) (aged 67)
Tucson, Arizona, US
Other namesMercedes Delpino Lahrheim (married name), E. Mercedes (stage name)
OccupationActress
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1929; annulled 1939)​

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.
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