Pearl Eaton
| Pearl Eaton | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Pearl Eaton Levant August 1, 1898 Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | September 10, 1958 (aged 60) Manhattan Beach, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | broadway performer choreographer dance supervisor |
| Years active | 1911-1958 |
| Spouse(s) | Dick Enderley |
Pearl Eaton Levant (August 1, 1898 – September 10, 1958) was an American Broadway performer, choreographer, and dance supervisor of the 1910s and 1920s.
Eaton was born in Norfolk, Virginia. She began attending dance lessons in Washington D.C., along with her sisters Doris and Mary, at a young age. In 1911, all three sisters were hired for a production of Maurice Maeterlinck's fantasy play The Blue Bird at the Shubert Belasco Theatre in Washington. While Eaton had a minor role in the show, it served as her introduction to the world of professional theatre.
After The Blue Bird, in 1912, the three Eaton sisters and their younger brother Joe began appearing in various plays and melodramas for the Poli stock company. They quickly gained reputations as professional, reliable, and versatile actors, and were rarely out of work. In 1915, all three sisters appeared in a new production of The Blue Bird for Poli; Doris and Mary were given the starring roles of Mytyl and Tytyl. The siblings were subsequently invited to reprise their roles for a New York and road tour of the play, produced by the Shubert Brothers.
Although Pearl had a minor role in The Blue Bird, her dancing impressed the Shuberts, who offered her a place in the chorus of Al Jolson's latest show at the Winter Garden Theatre, Robinson Crusoe, Jr. It marked the beginning of her career as an adult musical theatre performer.
Following her successful run in Robinson Crusoe, Jr., Eaton appeared in another show at the Winter Garden, The Passing Show. When the production went on tour, Eaton remained with the cast. While on the road, she fell in love with one of the company musicians, violinist Harry Levant. The two were married in 1917; the following year, Eaton gave birth to a daughter, named Doris, after her sister. However, shortly after giving birth, she regained her dancing form and was back at the Winter Garden, appearing as a specialty dancer in Sinbad.
In the spring of 1918, Eaton was hired as a chorus dancer for the latest edition of the Ziegfeld Follies. She would remain with Ziegfeld for five years, appearing in the Follies in 1918, 1922, and 1923 and the Midnight Frolics of 1919, 1920, and 1921. While she never was made a principal dancer with the Follies, from 1918 onwards, she also worked as an assistant to choreographer Ned Wayburn.
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