Margaret Prussing

Margaret Prussing
A young white woman with dark hair and eyes
Margaret Prussing, from a 1912 newspaper
Born
Margaret Alice Prussing

March 29, 1890
Highland, Illinois, U.S.
DiedJanuary 13, 1944 (age 53)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other namesMargaret P. Levino
Occupation(s)Actress, screenwriter
FatherEugene Prussing

Margaret Alice Prussing LeVino (March 29, 1890 – January 13, 1944) was an American actress and screenwriter, who was also involved in starting a progressive school in Los Angeles.

Early life and education

Prussing was born in Highland, Illinois, the daughter of Eugene Prussing and Louise Schenck Prussing. Her mother was born in Germany, as were her paternal grandparents. Her father was a lawyer and judge, born in Chicago.[1][2] She attended the Latin School of Chicago, and graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 1911.[3] At Bryn Mawr she was active in the College Equal Suffrage League, the student government,[4] and college theatricals.[5]

Career

Prussing was a stage actress in Boston,[6] Chicago,[7] and New York City, early in her career.[1] She appeared in more than thirty silent films made between 1912 and 1916. She was considered a good fit for film work because she was "adept at all outdoor sports", able to swim, ride a horse, fly a plane, and drive an automobile.[8]

In 1927, LeVino started The Progressive School of Los Angeles, with psychologist Dorothy Walter Baruch and literary agent Adeline Jaffe Schulberg.[9] The children of John Ford, Victor McLaglen, Hoot Gibson, Harry Rapf, Frances Marion, and other filmmakers were at the school with her children.[10]

Filmography

In addition to four full-length silent films in 1914 and 1915, Prussing appeared in at least 29 short silent films, beginning with The Passing Parade (1912) and ending with The Goad of Jealousy (1916).

  • The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1914)
  • On Dangerous Paths (1915)
  • The Ploughshare (1915)
  • The Ring of the Borgias (1915)

Prussing also earned writing credits on films in the 1930s, under the name Margaret P. Levino. She was co-writer of the story for Queen Christina (1933) with Salka Viertel,[11][12] and she co-adapted the screenplay of Confession (1937) with Julius J. Epstein.[13]

Personal life

Prussing married writer and studio executive Albert (Bert) Shelby LeVino in 1916, in New York.[14] They had two sons, Shelby and Theodore; Shelby died in childhood.[15] The LeVinos socialized with other screenwriters, including Dashiell Hammett, Nunnally Johnson, Lucien Hubbard, Herbert Asbury, and Joel Sayre.[16] She died in 1944, at the age of 53, in Los Angeles.[17]

References

  1. ^ a b "A Bryn Mawr Girl Chooses Stage Career". The Evening Sun. 1912-11-15. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-07-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Collection: Eugene E. Prussing papers". Modern Manuscripts & Archives at the Newberry. Archived from the original on 2024-08-26. Retrieved 2025-07-30.
  3. ^ Bryn Mawr College. Senior Class (1911). Bryn Mawr College Yearbook. Class of 1911. Special Collections Bryn Mawr College Library.
  4. ^ "Chicago Girl Leaves Her Classroom for an Engagement on the Stage". Chicago Tribune. 1909-07-30. p. 5. Retrieved 2025-07-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Society Girl Who Makes Her Debut on Chicago Stage". The Inter Ocean. 1909-07-26. p. 10. Retrieved 2025-07-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Louisa Alcott's 'Little Women'; Dramatization of the Charming Story Delightfully Staged". The Boston Globe. 1913-12-30. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-07-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "College Girl Who Will Go on Stage". Chicago Tribune. 1911-08-29. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-07-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Margaret Prussing for 'Movies'". The Morning Union. 1914-06-14. p. 38. Retrieved 2025-07-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Prochner, Larry (December 1923). "The Learning Career of Teacher Meredith Smith (1871-1956): Influences from Froebel and Dewey" Archived 2024-12-15 at the Wayback Machine UK Froebel Trust Project.
  10. ^ "New Teaching Idea Success; Progressive School Scores with Unusual System". The Los Angeles Times. 1929-06-23. p. 20. Retrieved 2025-07-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Nelmes, Jill; Selbo, Jule (2015-09-29). Women Screenwriters: An International Guide. Springer. p. 215. ISBN 978-1-137-31237-2.
  12. ^ Larkin, T. Lawrence (2019-04-02). In Search of Marie-Antoinette in the 1930s: Stefan Zweig, Irving Thalberg, and Norma Shearer. Springer. p. 193. ISBN 978-3-030-14600-9.
  13. ^ "Stage and Screen". The Ann Arbor News. 1937-10-18. p. 12. Retrieved 2025-07-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Shaffer, George (1932-08-19). "2 Movie Wives Beat Men to Garbo Story". Daily News. p. 478. Retrieved 2025-07-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Boy Selected for Award". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. 1941-06-07. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-07-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Hammett, Dashiell (2002-04-25). Selected Letters of Dashiell Hammett: 1921-1960. Catapult. p. 89. ISBN 978-1-58243-210-6.
  17. ^ "Mrs. Margaret Le Vino". The Los Angeles Times. 1944-01-14. p. 23. Retrieved 2025-07-30 – via Newspapers.com.
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