JANIS, ELSIE

(1889-1956)

Although her Broadway stage career was in musicals, Elsie Janis merits inclusion here for her authorship of produced plays. Born Elsie Janet Bierbower in Marion, Ohio, "Little Elsie" began performing at age five. At 10, she was noted for her impersonations of celebrities. During the period of American involvement inWorldWar I, Janis entertained on the front lines and was regarded as the "Sweetheart" of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF). She wrote the book forElsie Janis and Her Gang, produced at the George M. Cohan Theatre in December 1919 and revived at the Gaiety in 1922, performed by soldiers. Her other produced plays wereA Star for a Night(off-Broadway for the Actors' Fund, 1911),It's All Wrong(London, 1920), andPuzzles of 1925(Broadway, 1925).