Jessie Busley

Jessie Busley (1869–1950) was an American actress and comedian born in Albany, New York whose career on stage, screen, and radio spanned more than six decades. Her Broadway appearances extended from 1889 to 1949, encompassing comedies, dramas, revivals, and musicals.

In the early years of her career, Busley appeared in more than 25 productions under the management of Charles Frohman over a period of approximately fifteen years. Her stage work during this period included engagements at several prominent New York venues. She appeared in The Manoeuvres of Jane at the Garden Theatre beginning in November 1899, followed by Hearts Are Trumps at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C., and later at the Herald Square Theatre in October 1900. The Brixton Burglary, a farce, ran at the Criterion Theatre from May 1901, and A Royal Rival opened at the Garrick Theatre in August of that year. Additional early credits include Sky Farm and The New Clown, both in 1902, as well as Little Mary, which played at the Savoy Theatre beginning in January 1904 before transferring to the Lyceum Theatre. Mrs. Leffingwell's Boots followed at the Grand Opera House in 1905, and In the Bishop's Carriage played at the New Theatre in February 1907.

Busley continued her stage work into the 1910s with productions including The Cottage in the Air, Liz the Mother, and a revival of The Winter's Tale, all at the New Theatre in 1909 and 1910. A revival of Old Heidelberg opened at the Liberty Theatre in December 1910, and a revival of Twelfth Night played at the Hudson Theatre in November 1914. She appeared in Pollyanna at the Playhouse Theatre beginning in September 1916, and in A Young Man's Fancy, also at the Playhouse Theatre, in October 1919.

Her Broadway work in the 1920s and 1930s was extensive. She played Daisy Mayme Plunkett in Daisy Mayme at the Lyceum Theatre beginning in October 1926, and appeared as Grace in To-Morrow at the Broadhurst Theatre in December 1928. In 1930 she took the role of Aunt Augusta in An Affair of State at the 48th Street Theatre. The following year she appeared in two productions nearly simultaneously: The Streets of New York, or Poverty is No Crime, in which she played Mrs. Puffy, and a revival of Pillars of Society, in which she played Miss Rummel. The Bride the Sun Shines On, in which she played Mrs. Marbury, opened at the Belasco Theatre in December 1931. She appeared as Mrs. Skeats in Alien Corn at the Center Theatre in 1933, and played Greta in the operetta The Great Waltz, first at the Center Theatre beginning in September 1934 and then at the Music Box Theatre in the summer of 1935. First Lady, in which she played Belle Hardwick, opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in November 1935. From December 1936 through July 1938, she appeared as Mrs. Morehead in The Women at the Music Box Theatre.

Among her most prominent later Broadway credits, Busley played Mrs. Armina Gates in the comedy Over 21 at the John Golden Theatre, a run that began in January 1944 and extended through July of that year. She appeared as Mother Fenwick in The Rich Full Life at the Lyceum Theatre in the fall of 1945, and in 1949 played Alida Wentworth in The Happiest Years. Additional Broadway credits include Charley's Aunt and Antony and Cleopatra.

Busley made her film debut in June 1930 in The Devil's Parade, a ten-minute Warner Bros. short set in Hades, in which she appeared alongside Joan Blondell. Her subsequent film work included Personal Maid in 1931, Brother Rat in 1938, and King of the Underworld in 1939, the latter featuring Kay Francis, James Stephenson, and Humphrey Bogart, in which she played Aunt Josephine. She appeared in two more films in 1940: Brother Rat and a Baby, and It All Came True, in which she played Mrs. Nora Taylor opposite Bogart again. That same year she also appeared in Escape to Glory.

Busley's personal life attracted public attention in the years surrounding her marriage to actor Ernest Joy. Following their wedding, Joy attempted to shoot a theatrical press agent in a jealous rage after seeing him leave a theater with Busley, and the press agent subsequently left town. Later that same year the couple separated after Busley had Joy arrested for what was reported as annoying her, though all charges were dropped when she declined to testify. On August 1, 1908, The New York Times reported that Busley had sent two men to assault Joy, whom she intended to divorce, with one of them striking him over the head with an iron bar and leaving him hospitalized. The article noted that the couple had experienced frequent quarrels.