Largely-Forgotten, Nevada-Born Actors in the Early 20th Century

Edna Purviance

  Despite being one of the smallest and least populated states in the union during the late 19th and early to mid 20th centuries, Nevada produced several actors and actresses who experienced some kind of noteworthy fame and success in their time.

  Among the most prominent was probably actress Edna Purviance (born in Paradise Valley, Nevada in 1895), who was a co-star in a number of Charlie Chaplin’s early films. At the age of three, Purviance and her parents relocated to Lovelock, where they operated a hotel for a few years.

  In 1913, Purviance moved to San Francisco to attend business school. Two years later, she was working as a stenographer when a talent agent suggested her to Chaplin, who was looking for a leading lady for a studio film he was making in Niles, California, which is 28 miles southeast of San Francisco.

  After meeting with Chaplin, she was offered the part in the film, “A Night Out.” The pairing was a success and Purviance went on the appear in 33 of Chaplin’s works, including the iconic 1921 film, “The Kid,” and her last role, “A Woman of Paris,” in 1923.

  Purviance and Chaplin were also romantically involved from about 1915 to 1917, when she broke off the relationship after learning he had gotten married.

  After retiring from movie-making in 1924, Purviance spent the next 30 years living in a small bungalow outside of Hollywood. During those years, she received a small stipend from Chaplin, who was grateful for the role she played at the start of his career.

  Purviance died from throat cancer in the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California in January 1958.

  Another Nevada-born thespian who had success on Broadway and in Hollywood was Hobart Cavanaugh. Born in Virginia City in 1886, Cavanaugh worked in vaudeville for a few years before appearing in several Broadway productions such as the 1919 musical “Irene.”

  Cavanaugh’s first film was “San Francisco Nights” in 1928 and he later appeared in “I Cover the Waterfront” in 1933, “Mary Stevens, M.D.” that same year and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in 1935.

  Typically, Cavanaugh was cast in comedic, supporting roles, often as a henpecked husband or a down-on-his-luck character. He eventually appeared in more than 180 films.

  Cavanaugh died of stomach cancer in April 1950.

  Another longtime actor with Nevada roots was Ben Alexander, who was born in Goldfield in 1911. Alexander started out as a child actor in silent movies, then, after briefly retiring, returned to the screen with “All Quiet on the Western Front” in 1930.

  In the late 1940s, Alexander had considerable success as a radio announcer and acting in radio plays. In 1952, he was cast as Jack Webb’s new partner in the “Dragnet” radio show. He continued in the role in film and on television until 1959, when the show went off the air. From 1966 to 1969, he appeared on the television show “Felony Squad.”

  Alexander died of a heart attack in July 1969.

  The final member of the nearly-forgotten film stars with Nevada ties was actress Reno Browne (real name Josephine Ruth Clarke), who was born in Reno in April 1921. Browne, who also went by the stage name Reno Blair, was a trained pilot and active horsewoman and, in 1945, was crowned queen of the Reno Rodeo.

  After taking acting lessons, she was signed to a contract by B-Movie company, Monogram Pictures. Because of her riding experience, Browne soon appeared in a series of Monogram westerns (14 in all), co-starring with popular screen cowboys such as Johnny Mack Brown, Whip Wilson and Jimmy Wakely.

  In 1949, she was the lead in a 13-episode radio program titled, “Reno Rides Again.” Additionally, she was the star of her own four-issue comic book series (called, appropriately, “Reno Browne”) published by Atlas Comics.

  In 1950, she retired from acting and returned to Reno. From 1962 to 1964, she was married to former western movie star Lash LaRue and the two operated a motel in Reno.

  Browne died of cancer in 1991.

Famed 19th and 20th Century Nevadans in the Arts

Singer Emma Nevada

  Despite being one of the smallest and least populated states in the union during the late 19th and early to mid 20th centuries, Nevada produced several figures in the entertainment industry who experienced considerable fame and success in their time.

  While most have been largely forgotten today, each was considered among the best, most accomplished, or respectable in their fields.

  For example, one of the most famous singers in the late 19th century was balladeer Richard Jose, who got his start singing for meals in Virginia City’s saloons.

  Jose, who was born on the Cornish Coast of England but moved to Virginia City when he was nine, was once called “the greatest living ballad singer” by opera star Enrico Caruso. In addition to a successful concert career, Jose was also one of the first performers ever to make a record.

  According to some accounts, Jose was sent to Virginia City to live with an uncle but when he arrived the uncle had moved away and he was left to fend for himself.

  Gifted with a beautiful voice, he soon discovered he could sing for meals in local saloons and eventually became a kind of child celebrity, particularly among Virginia City’s Cornish miners.

  Eventually, Jose moved to Reno to attend school and began working as a blacksmith. His habit of singing while pounding on an anvil came to the attention of a touring minstrel company, which he joined.

  With the group, Jose toured the country and ultimately gained fame as a ballad singer in New York. He had a successful performing career until the 1920s, when the musical styles began to change during the Jazz Age and he retired. He died in 1941.

  Another famous 19th century performer, who has also been largely forgotten, was Emma Nevada Wixom. Born near Nevada City, California in 1859, Emma Wixom’s family moved to Austin, Nevada when she was about three years old.

  Like Richard Jose, young Emma Wixom had a beautiful voice that seemed to enchant the early miners, eager for entertainment.

  While growing up in Austin, Wixom gained a measure of fame as a singer. It has been reported that at the age of seven, she was invited to sing at the dedication of the new Methodist Church in Austin (which is still there) and was a regular in the Sunday choir. She also began performing in mining camps throughout Central Nevada.

  In 1873, Wixom’s mother died and her father, who was a doctor, enrolled her at Mrs. Mills Seminary in Oakland, California, so that she could be formally trained as a singer.

  While at Mills, Wixom joined the “International Academy,” which offered her a chance to study voice in Europe. While there, she came to the attention of Mrs. John Mackay, wife of one of the Comstock’s wealthiest mining magnates, who sponsored her studies.

  In 1883, Wixom, who chose the stage name, “Emma Nevada” to honor her home state, made her debut at Her Majesty’s Theater in London. During the next several decades she performed all over Europe and America—including sold-out appearances in Virginia City and Austin in 1885— becoming one of the most famous opera singers of the time.

  Emma Nevada retired in 1906 at the age of 47. During the next three decades, she lived a quiet life in England, attending to her family (she had a daughter) and occasionally giving voice lessons.

  In June 1940, the voice of the woman known as the “Comstock Nightingale” was forever stilled when a German bomb exploded in her home in Liverpool, England.

  You can still find Emma Nevada’s childhood home at the corner of Water and Virginia streets in Austin (about a block northeast of the International Hotel).

New Reno Historic Markers Offer More Glimpses of the City's Rich Past

Martha Wingfield House, built in 1902 (Photo by Julia Moreno)

  While Reno hasn’t always been diligent about preserving its history, or telling its story, a series of fourteen new historic plaques in the city’s Midtown area are an attempt to change that.

  Supported by the Reno City Council, the Reno Public Works Department, the Reno Historic Resource Commission, the Midtown Business Association, the Regional Transit Commission and local historian Alicia Barber, the plaques note the location of more than a dozen historic commercial buildings and homes in the area south of the Truckee River and largely along South Virginia Street.

  Among the sites included are:

  • The Carr Residence and Office (669 So. Virginia St.), a bungalow built in about 1922 for the Sharpe family. Two years later, they sold it to local dentist George A. Carr and his wife, Grace. In 1938, Carr hired the noted architectural firm of Frederic DeLongchamps and George O’Brien to design an addition on the front of the house for his dental office. After using it for about 15 years, Carr retired and since then the house has served as a commercial property (most recently as home of a popular local restaurant named Süp).

  • Peerless Cleaners (698 Forest St.) has been in the same building since it was constructed in 1947. Prior to that, the site was the home of the Commercial Soap Factory, which opened in 1905 but burned down in 1935. While originally owned by Bob Cantrell, the two-story brick building was sold to Fred Bonnenfant Sr. in 1949. The Bonnenfant family has operated Peerless since then, with Fred’s grandson, Mark, the current manager.

  • The Martha Wingfield House (735 So. Center St.) is a lovely Craftsman-style home built in 1902 for Henry F. Alps, who was then head of the Reno station of the U.S. Weather Bureau. In 1911, it was acquired by Martha Wingfield, mother of prominent Reno banker/power broker George Wingfield. She lived in the house until her death in 1940. Over the years, it was converted into a commercial building, serving as the home of the Modern Music Center and a construction company. More recently, it has become the home of the Mountain Music Parlor, which hosts traditional American musical performances, workshops and instructional lessons.

  • The Giraudo Building (717 So. Virginia St.) is another structure designed by noted architect Frederic DeLongchamps. In 1928, DeLongchamps designed this two-story brick building with two storefronts for Paul Giraudo, an Italian immigrant who previously operated a shop in Virginia City. The building had six upstairs apartments and a grocery store (Gunter’s) and a wardrobe cleaner on the ground floor. Over the years, the two storefronts have been used as markets, several taverns, a drug store, and a florist. From 1935 and into the 1980s, the southern-most space was the home of Penguin Ice Cream.

  • The Dr. Pepper Bottling Company Building (1049 So. Virginia St.) traces its beginnings to 1939, when Chris Weske constructed the single-story, 6,000 square-foot brick building to house Reno’s first bottling plant for Dr. Pepper soft drinks. Weske operated the facility until 1941, when he left to join the Navy. The plant was sold in 1944 and became Ray’s Auto Body Works, then later became a furniture store. In 1950, it became the home of Sellman and Gravelle Upholstery, which later became Interiors by Gravelle. Since 2006, it has been the home of Melting Pot World Emporium.

  An interactive map of the full list of 14 historic sites can be found at: bit.ly/4c3sfXT. Additionally, the Reno Historical website, www.renohistorical.org, features longer descriptions of the sites written by Alicia Barber.