Irene Lewisohn (1886-1944) and Albert Carroll (1895-1956) in THE ROYAL FANDANGO (1921). Photo by Francis Bruguière (1879-1945)
While not a name to conjure with today, Carroll was an important figure in Manhattan cultural circles a hundred years ago. There is something Zelig-like in the career of this journeyman actor, singer, dancer, diarist, and crossword puzzle author who appeared in the 1931 ZIEGFELD FOLLIES, the last edition produced by Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.
Ian Maclaren (1875-1952) by White Studios.
A native of Devon, Maclaren made his Broadway début in THE BONNIE BRIER BUSH (1901); a decade later, he supported George Arliss in DISRAELI (1911). (In the aftermath of the TITANIC disaster in April 1912, he organized a benefit performance of HAMLET to mark William Shakespeare’s birthday.) His next Broadway appearance was in THE ZIEGFELD FOLLIES OF 1913.
His later Broadway roles ran the gamut, from a production of Shaw’s ANDROCLES AND THE LION (1915) to THE GREEN RING (1922) and THE LITTLE CLAY CART (1924-25, as Charudatta) with Albert Carroll (“A shampooer who turns monk” in the latter) and Carroll’s frequent co-star Irene Lewisohn. Carroll would appear in the last FOLLIES produced by Florenz Ziegfeld Jr., in 1931.
In films, Maclaren appeared in MONSIEUR BEAUCAIRE (1924), a vehicle for Rudolph Valentino; one of his first sound roles was in JOURNEY’S END (1930). By the end of the 1930s, he had slid into uncredited film roles; his last Broadway appearance was in 1941, in Charles Kennedy’s THE SEVENTH TRUMPET.
