Mae Dahlberg
Dahlberg in Rupert of Hee Haw (1924)
Born
Mae Charlotte Dahlberg

(1888-05-24)24 May 1888
Brunswick, Melbourne, Australia
Died1969 (aged 80–81)
New York City, U.S.
Other namesMae Laurel
Occupations
  • Vaudeville performer
  • actress
Spouse
Rupert Cuthbert
​
​
(m. 1906, divorced)​
PartnerStan Laurel (1917–1925)
Children1

Mae Charlotte Dahlberg (24 May 1888 – 1969), also known as Mae Laurel, was an Australian-born vaudeville performer and actress.[1] She was Stan Laurel's professional partner and common-law wife from 1917 to 1925.

Childhood and career in Australia

She was born May Dahlberg on 24 May 1888 in the inner Melbourne suburb of Brunswick, Victoria, Australia, to Mary Jane (née Gundry) and labourer Louis Dahlberg. By 1905, she had begun to earn a reputation performing as a singer and dancer on the Australian stage, with positive reviews.[2][3] In 1906, she married baritone and fellow performer Rupert Cuthbert while in Hobart, Tasmania.[4] A child, Rupert Clifton Saxe Cuthbert, was born of the union in 1908, in Melbourne.[5]

In about 1913, Dahlberg and Cuthbert sailed for the United States.

Career in the U.S.

Dahlberg and Cuthbert's personal and professional relationship apparently did not last. While performing in a "sister act" in California, Dahlberg met and formed a variety act with Stan Laurel. In 1917 she played in a comedy short, Nuts in May, notable as the screen debut of Stan Laurel (credited as Stan Jefferson). Mae Dahlberg is credited as "Mae Laurel" in several of her films.

Though Stan and Mae never married, as professional partners they lived together as common-law husband and wife from 1917 to 1925. Mae maintained that it was she who suggested Stan change his name to Laurel.[6]

By 1924, Laurel had given up the stage for full-time film work under contract with Joe Rock for 12 two-reel comedies. The contract had one stipulation: Dahlberg was not to appear in any of the films. Rock thought her temperament was hindering Laurel's career. In 1925, when she started interfering with Laurel's work, Rock offered her a cash settlement and a one-way ticket back to her Australia, which she accepted.[7][8] Her last film had been Wide Open Spaces, made for Hal Roach in 1924 with Laurel and fellow Australian Ena Gregory in the leading roles.

Dahlberg returned to the U.S. a few years later, and in November 1937, she sued the now successful Stan Laurel for financial support. The matter was settled out of court.[9] She was described as a "relief project worker" by the court.

Although Dahlberg appears to have lived in Melbourne again for some time during the 1940s, she returned to the United States again. She died in New York in 1969.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1917 Nuts in May short film
1918 Huns and Hyphens Woman
Bears and Bad Men Scared Woman
1922 Mud and Sand La Paloma aka Pavaloosky
The Pest Court Woman
1923 When Knights were Cold Countless Out, a Classy Eve
Under Two Jags The Princess
Frozen Hearts Madame XXX
The Soilers Woman in Saloon
Mother's Joy Miss Flavia de Lorgnette
1924 Near Dublin Villager
Rupert of Hee Haw The Princess
Wide Open Spaces Calamity Jane
2011 Laurel & Hardy: Their Lives and Magic Self archive footage, uncredited, posthumously release

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2003 Living Famously Pavaloosky archive footage, uncredited, posthumously release, episode: Laurel & Hardy

References

  1. ↑ "Family History Search". Department of Justice & Regulation, Victoria State Government. Retrieved 2017-04-15.
  2. ↑ Critic, Sat 5 Nov 1910, Page 2, "Miss May Dahlberg" Accessed 2017-4-15
  3. ↑ The Brisbane Courier, Mon 15 Jan 1912, Page 5, "Entertainments" Accessed 2017-15-4
  4. ↑ Punch, Thursday 13 Jan 1910, Page 34, "Greenroom Gossip" Accessed 2017-15-4
  5. ↑ "Family History Search". Department of Justice & Regulation, Victoria State Government. Retrieved 2017-04-15.
  6. ↑ Simon Louvish, Stan and Ollie, The Roots of Comedy, Faber & Faber 2001 ISBN 0-571-21590-4
  7. ↑ Bergan 1992, p. 33.
  8. ↑ The Sun, Tue 3 Mar 1925, Page 10 "NINE YEARS IN U.S.A" Accessed 2017-4-15
  9. ↑ San Bernardino Sun, Volume 44, 7 December 1937, Page 4, "Stan Laurels in Agreement" Accessed 2017-4-15

Bibliography

  • Bergen, Ronald. The Life and Times of Laurel and Hardy. New York: Smithmark, 1992. ISBN 0-8317-5459-1.
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