Annabelle Moore
Whitford in 1895
Whitford in 1895
BornAnnabella Whitford
(1878-07-06)July 6, 1878
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedNovember 29, 1961(1961-11-29) (aged 83)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Notable worksAnnabelle Serpentine Dance
Spouse
Edward James Buchan
​
​
(m. 1910; died 1958)​

Annabelle Moore (born Annabella Whitford,[1] July 6, 1878 – November 29, 1961), also known as Peerless Annabelle, was an American dancer and actress who appeared in numerous early silent films. She was the original Gibson Girl in the 1907 Ziegfeld Follies.[2]

Life and career

Annabelle Whitford was born in Chicago. She made her debut at age 15 dancing at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.[3] She later moved to New York City, where she performed in several films for the Edison Studios[4] and appeared on Broadway.

Annabelle was quite popular in her youth. The sale of her films was further boosted in December 1896[5] when it was revealed that she had been approached to appear naked at a private dinner party at Sherry's Restaurant.[6][7] It was said she introduced eroticism in film.[8]

She married Edward James Buchan in 1910. He died in 1958.

Although she was very popular before her marriage,[9] Annabelle died penniless in Chicago in 1961.[10][11]

Selected filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1894 Annabelle Butterfly Dance Self (as Annabelle) Short film
Annabelle Sun Dance
Annabelle Serpentine Dance Self
1895 Annabelle Serpentine Dance, no 2 No
Annabelle Serpentine Dance Self (as Annabelle)
1896 Butterfly Dance
Annabelle in Flag Dance Self
Serpentine Dance by Annabelle
Tambourine Dance by Annabelle
1897 Butterfly Dance
Serpentine Dance, Annabelle
Sun Dance – Annabelle
1902 A Mermaid Dance Mermaid (as Annabellle)
1998 Glorious Technicolor Self – Dancer (as Annebelle) Archive Footage, posthumously release, TV movie
2003 Sex at 24 Frames Per Second Self Archive Footage, uncredited, posthumously release
2013 The Quiet Room: A Story of Cinema Archive Footage, posthumously release

Other work

  • The Charity Girl (1912)
  • The Happiest Night of His Life (1911)
  • Ziegfeld Follies of 1909 (in scene with Grace La Rue, Nora Bayes and Lucy Weston)
  • Ziegfeld Follies of 1908
  • The Belle of Mayfair (1906)
  • A Venetian Romance (1904)
  • The Sleeping Beauty and the Beast (1901)
  • The Sprightly Romance of Marsac (1900)

References

  1. ↑ Annabelle Moore: early film dancer
  2. ↑ Encyclopaedia of Early Cinema by Richard Abel
  3. ↑ United Press International (December 1, 1961). 'Original Gibson Girl' dies at 83. Pittsburgh Press.
  4. ↑ Yumibe, Joshua (2012). Moving Color: Early Film, Mass Culture, Modernism. Rutgers University Press, ISBN 9780813552989
  5. ↑ Paul McDonald (2000). The Star System: Hollywood and the Production of Popular Identities.
  6. ↑ Biography of Annabelle by Barry Anthony – American skirt dancer and stage beauty
  7. ↑ The Mysterious Annabelle Whitford
  8. ↑ Serpentine Dance (1895)
  9. ↑ André Gaudreault. American Cinema 1890–1909: Themes and Variations.
  10. ↑ Staff report (December 2, 1961). PEERLESS ANNABELLE, 83; Former Dancer and Showgirl Dies Penniless in Chicago. The New York Times.
  11. ↑ Staff report (December 3, 1961). Obituary. Chicago Tribune.
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