Meiser, Edith, 1898-1993

Edith Meiser's career spans vaudeville, Broadway, radio, and motion pictures. Her accomplishments in the fields of acting, writing and producing were most prominent in the 1920s, 30s and 40s. In addition she was on many committees and boards supporting theaters and actors. Born on May 9, 1898 in Detroit, Michigan her father was a journalist for the Detroit Free Press and her mother was an avid socialite active in many committees. She was educated at the Liggett School, Detroit; Kox Schule in Dresden, Germany; Ecole de la Cour de St. Pierre, Geneva, Switzerland; and Vassar College which she attended from 1917 to 1921. At Vasser she was the head of the dramatic society, which began her career in the performing arts. From there she performed in the American Shakespeare Festival Co., Jessie Bonstelle's Summer Stock Co. (Detroit 1921), The Theatre Guild, and was the first women to work with Sock and Buskin. She was also one of the original actors in the Garrick Gaeities revue in 1925, 1926, and 1930. From 1927-1928 she performed in Edward Albee's Keith Orpheum vaudville circuit. It was during this time that she married Thomas McKnight in Chicago, the marriage ended in divorce. With Tom and another partner she did form the McKnight and Jordan Inc, during which time in the 1930s she produced her most notable work, the dramatization of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes for the radio. As radio drama enthusiasm waned Edith Meiser returned to the stage in the 1940s acting in a number of productions, including: Jupiter Laughs (1940); Let's Face it (1941); Mexican Hayride (1944); Round Trip (1945); The Rich Full Life (1945); Twilight Bar (1946); The Magnificent Heel (1946); The Stars Weep (1947); I Gotta Get Out (1947); Getting Married (1951); Sabrina Fair (1954); The Magic and the Loss (1954); The Carefree Heart (1955); American Shakespeare Festival productions (1956), King John and Measure for Measure ; Janus (1956-57); Happy Hunting (1957); The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1960); Murder in the Cathedral (1966); National Repertory Theatre, (1968), The Comedy of Errors ; Blithe Spirit (1968-69); Pygmalion (1972); Philadelphia Drama Guild, (1972), Tartuffe ; Hobson's Choice (1972); The Unsinkable Molly Brown, (1973) and A Little Night Music (1976). In motion pictures she appeared in Middle of the Night (1959), It Grows on Trees (1952), Go West, Young Lady (1941), and Glamour Boy (1940). Her television appearances include Queen for a Day (1951). She wrote a novel entitled Death Catches Up with Mr. Kluck as well as authored a Sherlock Holmes comic strip published by ACG Comics in the 1950s. She was a member of the Board of Governors of the Actors Equity Association from 1954 until her death as well as chairwoman of the Equity Library Theater. Edith Meiser died Sept 26, 1993 at the Roosevelt Hotel in NYC.

From the guide to the Edith Meiser papers, 1902-1985, (The New York Public Library. Billy Rose Theatre Division.)

Edith Meiser was born on May 9, 1898 in Detroit, Michigan. She was educated at the Liggett School in Detroit, Kox Schule in Dresden, Germany, the Ecole de la Cour de St. Pierre in Geneva, Switzerland, and Vassar College. While at Vassar (1917-1921), she led the college dramatic society. Following her time at Vassar, Meiser performed in the American Shakespeare Festival Company, Jessie Bonstelle's Summer Stock Company, The Theatre Guild, Edward Albee's vaudeville circuit, and in the Garrick Gaieties revue. In the late 1920s Meiser and her husband Thomas McKnight left vaudeville for the world of radio and an opportunity to put Sherlock Holmes stories on the air. The first Holmes tale, "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," was broadcast on October 20, 1930 and featured William Gillette in the lead role. These shows continued until 1936. According to William Nadel, "the golden age of Sherlockian radio began in California in the fall of 1939 when the success of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce in two Twentieth-Century Fox films precipitated a radio revival of the Edith Meiser scripts." These shows were heard on both the "Red" and "Blue" networks of NBC and continued into 1942. Mutual Radio picked up the series broadcast until the summer of 1946. According to Nadel, "one of the conditions of continuing the show on the Mutual network was the Edith would come up with 'new' adventures." This she did through the middle of 1944 and then picked it up again in 1947 through the summer of 1948. In the midst of her 1940s script-writing, Meiser also returned to the stage and appeared in a number of productions. She continued acting into the 1970s while also appearing on television and in motion pictures. In the 1950s she worked with Franck Giacoia to produce a Holmes comic strip. Meiser was a member of the Board of Governors of the Actors Equity Association from 1954 until her death on September 26, 1993 in New York.

From the description of Meiser Collection, 1926-1999. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 320187928

Edith Meiser was born on May 9, 1898 in Detroit, Michigan. Her education had an international flavor from the Liggett School in Detroit, to Kox Schule in Dresden, Germany, the Ecole de la Cour de St. Pierre in Geneva, Switzerland, to Vassar College. While at Vassar (1917-1921), she led the college dramatic society. Following her time at Vassar, and now very interested in the performing arts, Meiser performed in the American Shakespeare Festival Company, Jessie Bonstelle's Summer Stock Company, The Theatre Guild, Edward Albee's vaudeville circuit, and in the Garrick Gaieties revue. In the late 1920s Meiser and her husband Thomas McKnight left vaudeville for the world of radio and an opportunity to put Sherlock Holmes stories on the air. The first Holmes tale, "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," was broadcast on October 20, 1930 and featured William Gillette in the lead role. These shows continued until 1936. According to William Nadel, "the golden age of Sherlockian radio began in California in the fall of 1939 when the success of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce in two Twentieth-Century Fox films precipitated a radio revival of the Edith Meiser scripts." These shows were heard on both the "Red" and "Blue" networks of NBC and continued into 1942. Mutual Radio picked up the series broadcast until the summer of 1946. According to Nadel, "one of the conditions of continuing the show on the Mutual network was the Edith would come up with 'new' adventures." This she did through the middle of 1944 and then picked it up again in 1947 through the summer of 1948. In the midst of her 1940s script-writing, Meiser also returned to the stage and appeared in a number of productions. She continued acting into the 1970s while also appearing on television and in motion pictures. In the 1950s she worked with Franck Giacoia to produce a Holmes comic strip. Meiser was a member of the Board of Governors of the Actors Equity Association from 1954 until her death on September 26, 1993 in New York.

From the guide to the Meiser Collection, 1926-1999, (University of Minnesota Libraries. Special Collections and Rare Books)

Edith Meiser (1898-1993) was a writer, producer, actress and director active in several media, but best known for her work in dramatic radio, particularly her association with THE SHADOW and SHERLOCK HOLMES series.

Born in Detroit on May 9, 1898, Edith Meiser was educated in Europe and at Vassar, where she was head of the dramatic society, and from which she graduated in 1921. In the years that followed Meiser acted in Shakespearean productions, summer stock, vaudeville and on Broadway. In 1927 Meiser married Thomas McKnight, with whom she co-founded a production company, and also began work on scripting a Sherlock Holmes series for radio. Eventually the show was accepted by NBC and premiered on October 20, 1930, featuring veteran stage actor William Gillette as Holmes. Early episodes were adapted from Arthur Conan Doyle's tales, but soon Meiser was forced to create new stories. She continued to write for the series into the 1940s, when Basil Rathbone was playing the lead, meanwhile working as story editor for THE SHADOW, which for a time starred Orson Welles. In addition to writing, directing, and producing work in various media, Meiser continued to work as an actress on stage, in films, and on television. Edith Meiser died in New York on September 26, 1993, at the age of 95.

From the description of Edith Meiser papers, 1902-1985. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122517229