Biography
Born on 19 August 1873 in Valmont, Colorado, the performer died on 6 March 1959 in Hollywood, California. As a youngster he entered the circus, later touring with minstrel troupes in medicine shows and performing across every type of theatre before crossing the Atlantic to play British music halls. There he honed a song-and-dance specialty that showcased his flexible physique and comic timing. In 1894 he formed a partnership with David Montgomery; their double act soon headlined nationwide Keith-circuit vaudeville routes for several years. They reached Broadway in The Girl From Up There (1901) and repeated the production in London the next year. Their greatest triumph arrived in 1903 with the Broadway staging of The Wizard Of Oz, Montgomery as the Tin Man and Stone as the Scarecrow. After an extended New York run the production toured widely. Subsequent Broadway successes included The Red Mill (1906), in which the pair introduced Victor Herbert’s “The Streets Of New York,” followed by The Old Town (1909), The Lady Of The Slipper (1912) and Chin-Chin (1914).
The duo remained among America’s foremost song-and-dance teams until Montgomery’s sudden passing in 1917, after which Stone pursued a solo path. He starred in Jack O’ Lantern (1917) and Tip Top (1920). Early screen credits encompassed the silent features The Goat (1918), Under The Top and Johnny Get Your Gun (both 1919), Duke Of Chimney Butte (1921), Billy Jim (1922) and Broadway After Dark (1924). A 1928 airplane crash left him unable to continue his most strenuous acrobatic choreography. He returned to the screen in Alice Adams (1935), portraying the father of Katharine Hepburn’s central character, then appeared in The Trail Of The Lonesome Pine and My American Wife (both 1936), Life Begins In College (1937) and The Westerner (1940). Stage work continued into the mid-1940s, including a 1945 Broadway revival of You Can’t Take It With You. His three daughters—Dorothy, Carol and Paula—each pursued acting careers.
The duo remained among America’s foremost song-and-dance teams until Montgomery’s sudden passing in 1917, after which Stone pursued a solo path. He starred in Jack O’ Lantern (1917) and Tip Top (1920). Early screen credits encompassed the silent features The Goat (1918), Under The Top and Johnny Get Your Gun (both 1919), Duke Of Chimney Butte (1921), Billy Jim (1922) and Broadway After Dark (1924). A 1928 airplane crash left him unable to continue his most strenuous acrobatic choreography. He returned to the screen in Alice Adams (1935), portraying the father of Katharine Hepburn’s central character, then appeared in The Trail Of The Lonesome Pine and My American Wife (both 1936), Life Begins In College (1937) and The Westerner (1940). Stage work continued into the mid-1940s, including a 1945 Broadway revival of You Can’t Take It With You. His three daughters—Dorothy, Carol and Paula—each pursued acting careers.