Walter C. Kelly

Walter C. Kelly (October 29, 1873 – January 6, 1939) was a vaudeville comedian and actor.

He was born in Mineville, New York. He was the elder brother of Jack Kelly (Olympic Gold Medalist and father of actress Grace Kelly) and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright George Kelly. Kelly toured for years as The Virginian Judge, and was sometimes credited as Walter "Judge" Kelly.

Although Kelly did a number of different Southern dialects playing the various characters in his "Virginian Judge" sketches, an Irish flavor sometimes sneaked through. In one such sketch where three men appear before the Judge for "disturbin' the peace and quarrelin' on the highway", the word "highway" came through as very Irish. Most of his sketches, however, were racist humor at the expense of African-Americans, which reflected his personal feelings. For instance, in 1908 Bert Williams and George Walker, then starring in the successful Broadway production Bandanna Land, were asked to appear at a charity benefit by George M. Cohan. Kelly protested and encouraged the other acts to withdraw from the show rather than appear alongside black performers; only two of the acts joined Kelly's boycott. Kelly released five recordings of his act on Victor Records and also appeared in several Broadway productions himself.

He brought his signature role to the movies in the 1935 Paramount film The Virginian Judge. His other movie acting roles include "'Guns' Costello" in Seas Beneath (1931); "Dan McFadden" in McFadden's Flats (1935); "Judge Calhoun Davis" in The Virginia Judge (1935); "Capt. Zack Livermore" in Tugboat Princess (1936); and "Pat Kelly" in Laughing Irish Eyes (1936).

His autobiography, Of Me I Sing: An Informal Autobiography, was published in 1953. He was also the author of a 1935 short story, "The Virginian Judge", which served as the basis for the 1935 movie.

On December 8, 1938, Kelly was struck by a car in Hollywood, California. He was taken to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he died on January 6, 1939, from the injuries he sustained.

Birth and Death Data: Born October 29, 1873, Died January 6, 1939

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1920 - 1926

Roles Represented in DAHR: speaker, author

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor B-24197 10-in. 7/6/1920 Southern court scene, first session Walter C. Kelly Monologue speaker, author  
Victor B-24198 10-in. 7/6/1920 Southern court scene, first session Walter C. Kelly Monologue speaker, author  
Victor B-24199 10-in. 7/6/1920 Southern court scene, second session Walter C. Kelly Monologue speaker, author  
Victor B-24300 10-in. 7/6/1920 Southern court scene, second session Walter C. Kelly Monologue speaker, author  
Victor B-25074 10-in. 5/4/1921 Darky stories Walter C. Kelly Comic monologue speaker  
Victor B-25075 10-in. 5/4/1921 Irish stories Walter C. Kelly Comic monologue speaker  
Victor B-25076 10-in. 5/4/1921 Southern court scene, third session Walter C. Kelly Monologue speaker, author  
Victor B-25077 10-in. 5/4/1921 Southern court scene, third session Walter C. Kelly Monologue speaker, author  
Victor BVE-35297 10-in. 4/8/1926 Southern court scene, fourth session Walter C. Kelly Monologue speaker, author  
Victor BVE-35298 10-in. 4/8/1926 Southern court scene, fourth session Walter C. Kelly Monologue speaker, author  
Victor BVE-35396 10-in. 5/12/1926 Southern court scene, fifth session Walter C. Kelly Monologue speaker, author  
Victor BVE-35397 10-in. 5/12/1926 Southern court scene, fifth session Walter C. Kelly Monologue speaker, author  
Victor [Trial 1920-05-10-02] Not documented 5/10/1920 Virginia judge Walter C. Kelly Monologue speaker  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Kelly, Walter C.," accessed March 28, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/108882.

Kelly, Walter C.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/108882.

"Kelly, Walter C.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 28 March 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/108882

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