Biography of Helen Stickney
Born in Dickinson, North Dakota, Helen Stickney's journey in the world of acting began in Minneapolis, where she studied the craft. Prior to her professional career, she spent several years honing her skills in summer stock and vaudeville. Her father, Victor Hugo Stickney, was a doctor who made house calls on horseback, and he was one of the first 10 individuals to be inducted into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame.
Helen Stickney's formal education in acting took place at the North Western Dramatic School in Minneapolis. She was one of the four singer/dancer "Southern Belles" in vaudeville, and her initial struggles to secure acting roles in New York during the 1920s led her to write a poem, "You're Not the Type," which was published in Liberty magazine.
Her Broadway debut in 1926 was a small part in "The Squall," after which she often played character roles as an eccentric. Helen Stickney created the role of Mollie Molloy, who famously jumps out of the window, in "The Front Page." Her other notable plays included "Chicago," "Another Language," and "On Borrowed Time."
One of her most significant achievements was her role in "Life With Father," which was written by her husband, Howard Lindsay. Initially, the play was met with rejection by everyone, including the legendary duo Lunt and Fontanne. Undeterred, Helen Stickney and Lindsay decided to stage the play in summer stock, and it eventually made its way to Broadway's Empire Theater on November 8, 1939. The play went on to run for seven years and 3,224 performances, a record that still stands as the longest-running non-musical on Broadway.
After the Empire Theater was demolished, Helen Stickney and Lindsay salvaged two orchestra seats from the venue and incorporated them into their East Side townhouse. Helen Stickney passed away at the age of 101, surrounded by the memories of her illustrious career.
