The Clarice Vance Mystery

A Clarice Vance sighting?

As mentioned in Sterling Morris' biography of Clarice Vance, after her last film appearance in 1924, nothing more is known of Miss Vance until 1951 when she was admitted to a mental facility suffering from advanced senility. As far as is presently known, she simply disappeared throughout much of the 1920's, and all of the 30's and 40's. Or did she?

Take a look at this brief four-second film clip and associated stills, taken from a scene in the 1936 movie Stolen Holiday, showing members of an audience reacting to a fashion show. Miss Vance would have been in her mid-60's in 1936.

Congratulations to Sterling Morris for this sighting (who, while watching this movie with friends, had just concluded remarking that one day he would probably see Vance doing a bit part in some old movie, when this shot appeared).

'Stolen Holiday', 1936, with Clarice Vance??'

Click on the placard image to see the clip.
280k Realvideo movie clip
presented non-streaming for uninterrupted playback.

What is your vote? "I'm XXX% sure the person in the shot [is or is not] Clarice Vance."

Circa 1899 (Age: 29)

Circa 1904 (Age: 34)

Circa 1914 (Age: 44)

Photos credit 6.

Can you help research this question?

An archive of Warner Brothers business papers (including names of bit players) is held at the Cinema-Television Library at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. If you would be able to visit the Library and locate any documentation relating to Clarice Vance in this or any other Warner picture, please let me know. The contact person at the Cinema-Television Library is Stewart Ng.

Thanks to Sam Brylawski, Head of the Recorded Sound section at the Library of Congress for this research lead.

Home	Early recorded sounds & wax cylinders	Cylinder music shop	An Edison commemorative
2^nd page	Note to early recordings collectors	Cylinder of the month	Links to related topics
What's new	Tinfoil resource center	Cylinders of the month archive	Donate to Tinfoil.com