Patsy Kelly

Patsy Kelly, born Bridget Sarah Veronica Rose Kelly on January 12, 1910, in Brooklyn, New York, was an American actress whose career spanned Broadway, film, and television across five decades. The daughter of Irish immigrant parents, John and Delia Kelly, she was the youngest of five children, only two of whom were born in America. Her father, a police officer who had left Ballinrobe, County Mayo, Ireland around 1900, died in 1942; her mother Delia died in 1930. The nickname "Patsy" came from her role as the family's good-natured fall guy. Kelly made her first foray into New York entertainment as a member of a vaudeville chorus at age 12, learning tap dance at Jack Blue's School of Rhythm and Tap, where she befriended fellow dancer Ruby Keeler. She attended St. Paul's Cathedral School and later Professional Children's School alongside Keeler. By age 13, Kelly had advanced from student to instructor at the dancing school, earning $18 a week.

Before reaching Broadway, Kelly performed in Frank Fay's vaudeville act at The Palace Theatre, initially in a song-and-dance capacity and later as Fay's comic foil. She remained with Fay for several seasons before he eventually dismissed her. Her Broadway debut came in 1927 in Harry Delmar's Revels with Bert Lahr and Winnie Lightner at the Shubert Theatre. She followed that with Three Cheers in 1928 alongside Will Rogers and Dorothy Stone, and Earl Carroll's Sketch Book in 1929 with William Demarest and Faith Bacon. Kelly then appeared in Earl Carroll's Vanities in 1930 with Jack Benny and Jimmy Savo, The Wonder Bar in 1931 with Al Jolson, and the Howard Dietz–Arthur Schwartz revue Flying Colors in 1932, which featured Clifton Webb, Imogene Coca, Buddy Ebsen, and Charles Butterworth.

In 1933, producer Hal Roach hired Kelly after reportedly seeing her in Flying Colors, pairing her with Thelma Todd in a series of short-subject comedies for which Kelly became widely recognized. The two appeared together beginning with Beauty and the Bus in 1933, and Kelly's screen persona — a brash, wisecracking woman who deflated the pomposity of those around her — was established through that collaboration. Many of the shorts were directed by Gus Meins and included titles such as Air Fright, Maid in Hollywood, and Babes in the Goods, all from 1933 and 1934. Later entries such as Slightly Static in 1935 highlighted Kelly's dancing abilities. Todd's death in 1935 ended the partnership, and Kelly continued in similar film roles afterward. In August 1933, during the production period of the Todd-Kelly shorts, Kelly was seriously injured as a passenger in a car driven by performer Gene Malin, which reversed off a pier into the water in Venice, Los Angeles; Malin was killed, and Kelly suffered significant injuries.

After her film career declined in the mid-1940s, Kelly returned to New York, where she worked in radio and summer stock. During this period she became a lifelong friend and personal assistant to Tallulah Bankhead. She eventually returned to screen work after seventeen years away, taking on guest appearances in television and sporadic film roles.

Kelly's return to Broadway proved to be among the most celebrated chapters of her career. In 1971 she appeared in the revival of the musical No, No, Nanette alongside Ruby Keeler and Jack Gilford, a production that earned her the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Two years later she appeared in the musical Irene in 1973 with Debbie Reynolds. Her Broadway career, which had begun in 1927, extended through 1974. Kelly died on September 24, 1981.