Helen Shipman(1901-1984)
- Actress
Helen Shipman was born in Pennsylvania, USA in 1899 (the exact month
and day is in question). Her obituary in 1984 (which was written by her
husband, Edward J. Pawley) stated that she was 85, which would have
made her birth in the year 1899. Other newspaper articles also reveal
that she was born in 1899. Helen was the daughter of William H. and
Annie L. (Mitchell) Shipman. Her mother, Annie, was a stage actress of
some note. By the age of 12, Helen was recognized as one of the
foremost child impersonators (of various stars) of the early 1900s. Her
first professional job was as "Baby Phyllis" appearing at the Duquesne
theater in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. She later (1908) toured on the B.
F. Keith show circuit in a play titled "Little Nemo." She was one of
the "Melvin Stoltz Little Players in Kiddyland." After the tour with
"Little Nemo" was over, Helen and her mother and older sister moved to
New York City in order to further Helen's career. In between tours on
the B.F. Keith circuit, she worked in small shows which included
various types of acts at the Palace Theatre in NYC. She sang songs
composed for her by the well-known lyricist, Neville Fleeson. In 1915,
Helen was invited by Flo Ziegfeld to co-star in his new "Midnight
Frolic" production which opened at the Rooftop Theatre of the New
Amsterdam Hotel in NYC. Helen was a childhood friend of George and Ira
Gershwin and, later, Rudy Valee. Both George Gershwin and Rudy Valee
became enamored with Helen at different times in her career. The first
known Broadway show in which Helen performed was "Robinson Crusoe, Jr."
which debuted in 1916 when she was only 17. It was a musical
extravaganza which featured Al Jolson and Kitty Doner and opened at the
"Little Theatre" (now the "Helen Hayes Theatre"). Most of Helen's stage
roles were in musicals and musical comedies. Her vocal range was
mezzo-soprano. She is known to have sung/acted/danced in at least 16
Broadway shows. One of those 16 Broadway shows, titled "Oh Boy!", was
the longest-running play at the Princess Theatre in NYC. Helen is
probably best known for her starring role in the Broadway production
titled "Irene." She toured with this play to cities across the country.
Helen Shipman also appeared in at least 13 movies; such as, "Naughty
Marietta", "Christopher Bean", "The Great Power", and "Wife vs.
Secretary." Helen effectively retired after her marriage to the
Broadway/movie/radio actor, Edward J. Pawley in 1937. She is sometimes
erroneously noted as the second wife of the actor/writer Robert Keith
and mother of his son, Brian Keith (the actor). This information is
incorrect. Brian Keith's mother was Helena Shipman of Aberdeen,
Washington. She was a stage actress of some note, but never achieved
the stardom of Helen Shipman. The similarity of names has, evidently,
led to this confusion. Helen (Shipman) Pawley died April 13, 1984 while
a resident of Rock Mills, Rappahannock County, Virginia. She died after
being operated on for a twisted bowel. She also had a rather weak
heart. Helen and her husband did not have any children together. Her
husband, Edward Pawley, had one child... a son by his first marriage to
stage actress Martina May Martin. The son's name is Martin Herbert
Pawley. Edward Pawley was a leading man on Broadway in the 1920s &
early 1930s. He appeared in over 50 movies from the early 1930s to the
early 1940s. He then gravitated to radio where he played "Steve Wilson"
on the very popular radio drama show, "Big Town" from 1943 to 1951. He
replaced Edward G. Robinson in that role. Both Edward and Helen
(Shipman) Pawley were cremated and their ashes were scattered near their
home in Rock Mills, Rappahannock County, Virginia.
