Ilka Chase (1900–1978)

Ilka Chase was born in New York City, the only chilld of Edna Woolman Chase, the longtime editor-in-chief of Vogue, and her husband Francis Dane Chase. Her parents divorced when she was a small child and she was educated at a series of convent and boarding schools in the USA and abroad. After graduating from the Château de Groslay boarding school in France, Ilka made her debut in society in December 1923. Her ambition was to become an actress, and she spent a season in stock theater. She made her professional stage debut in 1924 in the Broadway play The Red Falcon. Chase appeared in nearly two dozen plays over four decades in the theater, including the original Broadway production of Clare Boothe Luce's play The Women (1938). She made her big screen debut in 1929 in Paris Bound, and had roles in a total of 21 films, including Fast and Loose (1930), The Animal Kingdom (1932), Now, Voyager (1942), The Big Knife (1955), and Ocean's 11 (1960). In the early 1940s, Chase was the host of Penthouse Party on CBS Radio and Luncheon Date with Ilka Chase, on NBC Red. For several years, she hosted the popular radio program Luncheon at the Waldorf. She appeared as a panelist on several programs in the early years of television. In 1957, she played the Stepmother in the TV production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical Cinderella, starring Julie Andrews. Chase was also a writer. Her first novel In Bed We Cry was published in 1943 and adapted for the stage, with Chase in the leading role. She also wrote plays and musicals. The first volume of her autobiography, Past Imperfect, was published in 1942, followed by Free Admission (1948). She also wrote more than a dozen other books, including The Care and Feeding of Friends (1973), a lighthearted guide to entertaining with recipes and menus. She served on the Council of Actors Equity and defended other members who were blacklisted.