Katherine Witchie

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Katherine Witchie
A smiling young white woman with dark hair, wearing a dark hat and a light-colored top
Katherine Witchie, from a 1916 newspaper
BornMarch 4, 1884
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedApril 19, 1967 (age 84)
Babylon, New York, U.S.
Other namesKatharine Witchie, Katherine Witchie Riggs
Occupation(s)Dancer, writer, vaudeville performer

Katherine Witchie Riggs (March 4, 1884 – April 19, 1967)[1] was an American dancer, singer, actress, writer, and vaudeville performer.

Early life and education

Witchie was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota,[2] the daughter of William Ferdinand Witchie and Mary Agnes Conroy Witchie.[3][4]

Career

Ralph Riggs as Bertie Ashland and Katherine Witchie as Gabrielle Fourneaux in "The Princess Pat"

Witchie was a dancer in a duet act with her husband, Ralph Riggs;[5] she also sang and acted on the stage.[4][6] One of her earliest roles was as a Floradora girl in a company in Iowa.[7] Her Broadway credits included appearances in The Enchantress (1911–1912),[8] All Aboard (1913), The Princess Pat (1915–1916, an operetta by Victor Herbert),[9] The Passing Show of 1919 (1919–1920), Cinders (1923),[10] The Grab Bag (1924–1925),[11][12] Nic Nax of 1926 (1926),[13] Oh, Ernest! (1927), Louisiana Purchase (1941), and Oklahoma! (1943).[14] She and her husband also performed as Riggs and Witchie on vaudeville bills[15][16] and on the London stage.[17][18] "This act should be a good closer in the family houses," noted a Billboard report in 1928.[19]

Witchie wrote two one-act musical plays, The Garden[20] and The Gipsy, and a screenplay, The Royal Waltz.[21] In 1917 she danced on the radiator cap of a Hupmobile, as a publicity stunt.[22]

Personal life

Witchie married actor and dancer Ralph Riggs in 1910.[23] Her husband died in 1951,[24] and she died in 1967, at the age of 83, at a nursing home in Babylon, New York.[14]

References

  1. ^ Her 1884 date of birth appears in her father's naturalization application, via Ancestry. Like many performers, she often gave a younger age, and was described as 80, not 83, in her 1967 New York Times obituary.
  2. ^ "The Lounger in the Lobby". The Minneapolis Journal. 1916-11-30. p. 8. Retrieved 2024-08-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Mrs. William Witchie". The Minneapolis Star. 1934-10-12. p. 22. Retrieved 2024-08-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b "Singer Saves Day; Young Minneapolis Woman Takes Place of Prima Donna in 'Mascott' and Wins Applause". Star Tribune. 1906-01-01. p. 6. Retrieved 2024-08-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Mr. and Mrs. Riggs Leave for New York". The Minneapolis Star. 1933-07-26. p. 11. Retrieved 2024-08-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "'Witcheries': A Dainty Dancer and Singer at the Empire". The Sketch. 100: 8. December 19, 1917.
  7. ^ "City News". The Minneapolis Journal. 1905-11-28. p. 7. Retrieved 2024-08-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Dietz, Dan (2021-05-26). The Complete Book of 1910s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 108. ISBN 978-1-5381-5028-3.
  9. ^ Gould, Neil (2009-08-25). Victor Herbert: A Theatrical Life. Fordham Univ Press. ISBN 978-0-8232-2873-7.
  10. ^ Dietz, Dan (2019-04-10). The Complete Book of 1920s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 157, 380. ISBN 978-1-5381-1282-3.
  11. ^ Le Maitre, Victor E. "The Grab Bag" Columbia Daily Spectator (November 15, 1924): 2, 4; via Columbia Spectator Archive.
  12. ^ Everett, William A. (2024-07-11). The Year that Made the Musical: 1924 and the Glamour of Musical Theatre. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-009-31650-7.
  13. ^ Mantle, Burns (1926-08-06). "'Nic-Nax' Not So Good at Delayed Opening". Daily News. p. 34. Retrieved 2024-08-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ a b "Katharine Witchie Riggs, Member of Dance Team". The New York Times. April 21, 1967. p. 39. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  15. ^ "Vaudeville Reviews" New York Clipper (March 29, 1922): 9; via Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections.
  16. ^ "New Brighton Theatre". Long Island Life. 1 (5): 20. August 1915.
  17. ^ "Riggs and Witchie to Return" New York Clipper (July 23, 1919): 17; via Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections.
  18. ^ "'Here and There' at the Empire". The Tatler. 66 (861): 385. December 26, 1917.
  19. ^ "Riggs and Witchie". The Billboard. 40: 22. May 26, 1928.
  20. ^ Library of Congress Copyright Office (1919). Catalogue of Title-entries of Books and Other Articles Entered in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, Under the Copyright Law ... Wherein the Copyright Has Been Completed by the Deposit of Two Copies in the Office. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 1407.
  21. ^ Library of Congress Copyright Office (1953). Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series. p. 157.
  22. ^ "Pretty Orpheum Danseuse Picks Hupp Cap for Aerial Fantasies". Los Angeles Evening Express. 1917-03-14. p. 21. Retrieved 2024-08-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Married". The New York Dramatic Mirror. 63: 10. June 18, 1910.
  24. ^ "Ralph Riggs, Actor, Made Debut as Baby". The New York Times. September 17, 1951. p. 21. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
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