Ilka Chase

Biography

Born in New York City and educated at convent and boarding schools in the United States, England, and France, Chase was the only child of Francis Dane Chase (1873-1949), a merchant marine who became a dry goods salesman and then the general manager of New York's Hotel Colonial, and the former Edna Woolman Allaway, aka Edna Woolman Chase, an editor. Her mother, who became the editor-in-chief of Vogue, described Chase's father, who she married in 1902, as "a lovable, good-looking, irresponsible young man from Boston. His father had been a banker and, depending on when you met them, the family had money." After her parents' divorce, her father married artist Theodora Larsh (1887-1955). Her mother's second husband was engineer Richard Newton.

After graduating from France's Château de Groslay boarding school, Chase made her society debut in December 1923, at a large dinner and dance held in her honor, and hosted by her mother, at the Cosmopolitan Club in New York City. The 250 guests included her mother's employer, Condé Nast, Vanity Fair editor in chief Frank Crowninshield, artist Abram Poole and his wife, Mercedes de Acosta, interior decorators Ruby Ross Goodnow and Nancy McClelland, artist Albert Sterner, future Harper's Bazaar editor in chief Carmel Snow, British nobleman and pilot Viscount Holmesdale, architect Harrie T. Lindeberg, and fashion designer Adrian.

Stage

Chase's Broadway debut occurred in 1924 in The Red Falcon. Her stage appearances included roles in Days Without End, Forsaking All Others, While Parents Sleep, Small Miracle, On to Fortune, Tampico, Co-Respondent Unknown, Keep Off the Grass and In Bed We Cry, an adaptation of her novel of the same name. She was in the original Broadway cast of Clare Boothe Luce's play, The Women (1938), and many years later appeared in Neil Simon's Broadway hit Barefoot in the Park.

Films

Her films included Fast and Loose, 1930, Animal Kingdom, 1932, Now, Voyager, 1942, No Time For Love, 1943, Once a Sinner, 1950 and The Big Knife, 1955. Her last motion picture appearance came in Ocean's 11, 1960 as Mrs. Restes.

Radio

In the early 1940s, Chase was the hostess for Penthouse Party on CBS and Luncheon Date With Ilka Chase, on NBC Red. For several years, she hosted the radio program, Luncheon at the Waldorf.

Television

Chase was a regular in Trials of O'Brien on CBS in the mid-1960s. In 1957, she performed the role of the Stepmother in the television production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, which starred Julie Andrews. Chase made a rare television sitcom appearance as "Aunt Pauline" on The Patty Duke Show.

Personal life

Chase was married to:

Autobiography

Her autobiography Past Imperfect (Volume I), which said "Those who never fail are those who never try," was published in 1942, with Volume II, Free Admission, being published in 1948. She also wrote more than a dozen other books including "The Care and Feeding of Friends", A guide to lighthearted entertaining with over 80 recipes and 20 menus, copyright 1973, Doubleday & Company, Inc.

Death

Chase died in Mexico City, Mexico, aged 72. She is interred at Westchester Hills Cemetery in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. Her epitaph reads: "I've finally gotten to the bottom of things."

Partial filmography