Victor Moore

Victor Fred Moore (February 24, 1876[3] – July 23, 1962) was an American actor of stage and screen, a major Broadway star from the late 1920s through the 1930s. He was also a writer and director, but is best remembered today as a comedian, playing timid, mild-mannered roles. Today's audiences know him as the star of a Christmas-themed movie that has become a perennial: It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947). Moore plays a vagrant who occupies a millionaire's mansion—without the millionaire's knowledge—while the owner is vacationing.

For other people named Victor Moore, see Victor Moore (disambiguation).

Victor Moore
Moore circa 1908
Born
Victor Fred Moore

(1876-02-24)February 24, 1876
Hammonton, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedJuly 23, 1962(1962-07-23) (aged 86)
East Islip, New York, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1893–1957[1][2]
Spouses
Emma Littlefield
​
​
(m. 1903; died 1934)​
    Shirley Paige
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1942)​

    Career

    Victor Moore appeared in 21 Broadway shows and more than 50 films. His first appearance on Broadway was in Rosemary (1896).[4] He also appeared in George M. Cohan's Forty-five Minutes from Broadway, which opened January 1, 1906, and its sequel, The Talk of New York (1907). He went on to star in shows such as Oh, Kay! (1926) as Shorty McGee, Hold Everything! (1928) as Nosey Bartlett, Gershwin's Of Thee I Sing (1931) as Vice-president Alexander Throttlebottom, Let 'Em Eat Cake (1933), Cole Porter's Anything Goes (1934) as Moonface Martin, and Irving Berlin's Louisiana Purchase (1940) as Senator Oliver P. Loganberry. Moore often appeared with actor William Gaxton, with Gaxton's self-assured slicker playing opposite Moore's worried friend.

    Moore's talent was first recognized by screenwriter Beatrice deMille.[5] He made his film debut in 1915. He starred in three films that year, two of which were directed by Cecil B. DeMille – Chimmie Fadden and Chimmie Fadden Out West. He also appeared in Swing Time (1936) with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Make Way for Tomorrow (1937), The Heat's On with Mae West, Duffy's Tavern (1945), Ziegfeld Follies (1946), On Our Merry Way (1948), A Kiss in the Dark (1949), and We're Not Married (1952), working with Ginger Rogers for a second time. His last screen appearance was a role as a plumber in The Seven Year Itch (1955).

    He worked in film twice with Bob Hope, first in Louisiana Purchase (1941) and again in Star Spangled Rhythm (1942). In the film Ziegfeld Follies (1946), Moore enacted the famous "Pay the Two Dollars" sketch (in which Moore is arrested on a minor charge, only to have his lawyer steamroll the case into higher courts). Edward Arnold played the William Gaxton lawyer role.

    Moore made a guest appearance as himself on The Martin and Lewis radio show on August 16, 1949, and was a regular (as himself) on The Jimmy Durante Show.

    In 1945, Moore appeared in the Daffy Duck cartoon Ain't That Ducky. He was so pleased with his caricature he offered to add his voice free of charge—on the condition that the animators draw him with a little more hair.[6]

    Moore also appeared on television on such shows as The Colgate Comedy Hour and So This Is Hollywood alongside former child star Mitzi Green.

    Personal life

    Moore was married twice: first to actress Emma Littlefield from June 23, 1903 until her death on June 23, 1934,[7][8] and then to Shirley Paige on January 16, 1942, when Moore was 65 and Paige was 20.[9] The marriage was not publicly announced for more than a year.[10] They remained married until Moore's death 20 years later.

    He had three children with his first wife: an adopted son Victor, Jr.,[11] Ora Victora[12][13] and Robert Emmett.[14][15]

    Moore was well liked by his colleagues. In 1915, among the actors' colony in Long Island, New York he established a social group called L.I.G.H.T.S. (Long Island Good Hearted Thespians Society), based in Freeport.[16] The membership included many showbusiness notables, including John Philip Sousa, Irving Berlin, Al Jolson, Will Rogers and the Ringling Brothers. Moore noted that people in showbusiness often had to work during the Christmas season, so he instituted annual "Christmas in July" celebrations especially for actors.

    Moore campaigned for Republican Thomas E. Dewey during the 1944 presidential election campaign.[17]

    Moore died of a heart attack on July 23, 1962. He was 86 years old. He is interred at Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.[18]

    Legacy

    The Victor Moore Bus Terminal and business arcade at the New York City Subway's Roosevelt Avenue / 74th Street station in Jackson Heights, Queens was named for him when it opened in 1941.[19][20] In 2005, the arcade was replaced by an Intermodal Transportation Complex serving the same subway and bus lines.[21]

    Filmography
    The Clown (1916)
    Nutty Knitters (1917)
    Moore in trailer for Louisiana Purchase (1941)

    Radio appearances
    YearProgramEpisode/source
    1944 Amos 'n' Andy Between Life and Death
    1947Lux Radio TheatreIt's a Wonderful Life[22]
    1948Hallmark PlayhouseOld Man Minnick[23]

    References
    1. "No. 1 Funny Man Got His Start in 'Babes'". Nassau Daily Review-Star. September 15, 1941. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
    2. Hischak, Thomas S. (2008). The Oxford Companion to the American Musical. Oxford University Press. p. 504. ISBN 978-0-1953-3533-0. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
    3. Stockwell, Mary Lebaron (1904). Descendants of Francis LeBaron of Plymouth, Mass. Boston: T.R. Marvin & Son. p. 351.
    4. Green, Stanley (1984). The Great Clowns of Broadway. Oxford University Press. p. 203. ISBN 978-0-1950-3471-4.
    5. "Beatrice deMille – Women Film Pioneers Project". wfpp.cdrs.columbia.edu. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
    6. Maltin, Leonard; Beck, Jerry (December 1987). Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons. Penguin. p. 252. ISBN 978-0-4522-5993-5.
    7. "Moores to Celebrate". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. June 18, 1928. p. 32.
    8. "Mrs. Victor Moore Dies in Hospital; 53". The New York Times. June 24, 1934. p. 24.
    9. "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JBPM-3ZF: January 7, 2021), Shirley I Moore, July 11, 1989; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
    10. “Moore Reveals Wedding”. The New York Times. July 5, 1943. p. 11.
    11. Niemeyer, H.H. “VETERAN Comedian a FILM 'FIND.' Victor Moore, Long On Stage, Was Passed Up 24 Years Ago.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch. December 17, 1936. p. 2D.
    12. “Mr. and Mrs. Victor Moore (Emma Littlefield) Wish to Thank Their Many Friends for the Beautiful Gifts, Letters and Telegrams of Congratulations upon the Birth of Their Daughter ORA VICTORA MOORE Nov. 19th, 1917. They Also Wish to Announce That Ora Is Some Baby”. Variety. November 30, 1917. p. 23.
    13. "California Death Index, 1940–1997," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VP8Q-L7D : November 26, 2014), Ora Mora, October 26, 1993; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.
    14. "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X78T-VWF: accessed November 3, 2020), Victor F Moore, Hempstead, Nassau, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 125, sheet 1B, line 99, family 28, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1460; FHL microfilm 2,341,195.
    15. "United States Social Security Death Index". database, FamilySearch(https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JGZJ-J43 : December 4, 2020), Robert E Moore, July 23, 2004; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
    16. "Actors Form Club". Nassau County Review. August 13, 1915. p. 8. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
    17. "Dewey Coliseum Address Cheered". Los Angeles Times. September 23, 1944. p. 1.
    18. "Celebrities Attend Victor Moore Rites". The New York Times. July 27, 1962. p. 25. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
    19. "Bus Terminal Opened at Jackson Heights: Victor Moore Enterprise in Queens Lauded by Officials" (PDF). The New York Times. December 12, 1941. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
    20. "Real Politics Scares L.I.'s 'Senator' Moore". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. April 13, 1941. p. 9. Retrieved November 1, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
    21. "Officials Applaud Opening Of Renovated Bus Terminal". Queens Gazette. July 20, 2005. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
    22. "It's a Wonderful Life (1946)". Retrieved January 5, 2017.
    23. "Radio's Golden Age". Nostalgia Digest. Vol. 41, no. 2. Spring 2015. pp. 40–41.
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