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- Edward Joel Pawley was a native of Kansas City, Missouri, and attended Manuel Training High School. He took drama classes in high school, and after graduation he worked for six months in his half-brother's traveling stage show (under canvas). He went to New York in 1920 to seek his fame and fortune. He acted in various shows both on and off Broadway before getting his first starring role on Broadway (in 1928) as "Elmer Gantry" in the popular and controversial show of the same name. While still performing on Broadway in the early 1930s, he became interested in movies and obtained some small parts in a couple of films. He also supplemented his income from the theater by performing, on radio, skits from some of his Broadway shows.
Around 1933, he left Broadway and moved to Hollywood, where he found work in more than 50 films over a ten-year period. He was a versatile character actor and appeared in some of the better known films of the 1930s with stars like James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, Mickey Rooney, The Dead End Kids, Rita Hayworth and John Garfield, among others. He became disenchanted with Hollywood in the early 1940s because of what he saw as attempted Communist infiltration of the movie industry. After making a searing speech against those in the industry who he believed had joined the Communist party, he found himself unable to obtain work because of what he saw as "blackballing" by several producers and directors. Consequenly, he found it more difficult to find worthwhile roles, so he left Hollywood in 1942 and returned to the New York stage. He also worked for a while on the popular radio series "Portia Faces Life". He and Lucille Wall were the Love Story Boy and Girl on that show.
In 1943 he auditioned for the leading role in the very popular drama series "Big Town, and won the part. He played Steve Wilson, the idealistic managing editor of the Illustrated Press who was not afraid to fight for what he believed in. His sidekick on the show was Fran Carlon, who played Lorelei Kilbourne, the paper's "girl reporter." Pawley played the role until 1952.
He retired to Rappahannock County, Virginia, where he lived a very domesticated existence, raising and selling championship goats, writing poetry and working part-time as a radio announcer. His rich baritone voice was quite mellifluous and could charm any audience. He married (in 1922) his high school sweetheart, Martina May Martin, who was a stage actress. They had one child, a son they named Martin Herbert Pawley (b. 1923). After they divorced and later remarried (only to divorce again), he married (in 1937) the famous Broadway musical star Helen Shipman, of Pennsylvania. They remained married until her death in 1984; however, there were no children born of this union. His magnificent voice was stilled on January 27, 1988, as the result of a heart attack. He was a man of integrity, charm, eloquence, modesty, and patriotism, not to mention his ability to perform successfully in three different entertainment mediums: stage, movies, and radio. - Helen Shipman was born in Pennsylvania, USA in 1899 (the exact month and day is in question). Her obituary in 1984 (which was written by her husband, Edward J. Pawley) stated that she was 85, which would have made her birth in the year 1899. Other newspaper articles also reveal that she was born in 1899. Helen was the daughter of William H. and Annie L. (Mitchell) Shipman. Her mother, Annie, was a stage actress of some note. By the age of 12, Helen was recognized as one of the foremost child impersonators (of various stars) of the early 1900s. Her first professional job was as "Baby Phyllis" appearing at the Duquesne theater in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. She later (1908) toured on the B. F. Keith show circuit in a play titled "Little Nemo." She was one of the "Melvin Stoltz Little Players in Kiddyland." After the tour with "Little Nemo" was over, Helen and her mother and older sister moved to New York City in order to further Helen's career. In between tours on the B.F. Keith circuit, she worked in small shows which included various types of acts at the Palace Theatre in NYC. She sang songs composed for her by the well-known lyricist, Neville Fleeson. In 1915, Helen was invited by Flo Ziegfeld to co-star in his new "Midnight Frolic" production which opened at the Rooftop Theatre of the New Amsterdam Hotel in NYC. Helen was a childhood friend of George and Ira Gershwin and, later, Rudy Valee. Both George Gershwin and Rudy Valee became enamored with Helen at different times in her career. The first known Broadway show in which Helen performed was "Robinson Crusoe, Jr." which debuted in 1916 when she was only 17. It was a musical extravaganza which featured Al Jolson and Kitty Doner and opened at the "Little Theatre" (now the "Helen Hayes Theatre"). Most of Helen's stage roles were in musicals and musical comedies. Her vocal range was mezzo-soprano. She is known to have sung/acted/danced in at least 16 Broadway shows. One of those 16 Broadway shows, titled "Oh Boy!", was the longest-running play at the Princess Theatre in NYC. Helen is probably best known for her starring role in the Broadway production titled "Irene." She toured with this play to cities across the country. Helen Shipman also appeared in at least 13 movies; such as, "Naughty Marietta", "Christopher Bean", "The Great Power", and "Wife vs. Secretary." Helen effectively retired after her marriage to the Broadway/movie/radio actor, Edward J. Pawley in 1937. She is sometimes erroneously noted as the second wife of the actor/writer Robert Keith and mother of his son, Brian Keith (the actor). This information is incorrect. Brian Keith's mother was Helena Shipman of Aberdeen, Washington. She was a stage actress of some note, but never achieved the stardom of Helen Shipman. The similarity of names has, evidently, led to this confusion. Helen (Shipman) Pawley died April 13, 1984 while a resident of Rock Mills, Rappahannock County, Virginia. She died after being operated on for a twisted bowel. She also had a rather weak heart. Helen and her husband did not have any children together. Her husband, Edward Pawley, had one child... a son by his first marriage to stage actress Martina May Martin. The son's name is Martin Herbert Pawley. Edward Pawley was a leading man on Broadway in the 1920s & early 1930s. He appeared in over 50 movies from the early 1930s to the early 1940s. He then gravitated to radio where he played "Steve Wilson" on the very popular radio drama show, "Big Town" from 1943 to 1951. He replaced Edward G. Robinson in that role. Both Edward and Helen (Shipman) Pawley were cremated and their ashes were scattered near their home in Rock Mills, Rappahannock County, Virginia.