Virginia Ray

Biography

Shortly after her birth Virginia Ray moved with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. W.F. Whitaker, to East St. Louis, Illinois. From the age of three she was able to perform many popular dances of the day, taught to her by a Negro "mammy." Virginia left East St. Louis and traveled to New York in the winter of 1920. She went to the office of Flo Ziegfield and somehow managed to leapfrog over 50 other girls waiting for an audition. She was hired on the spot. She knew a host of stars from stage and screen because many had been her sidekicks in the chorus line. She also knew actors Malcom St. Clair and Ben Lyons, and director Allan Dwan. She met Rudolph Valentino at Club Lido four days before his death, where she was dining with future husband (1926) Thomas Purcell. Valentino signed Purcell's ukulele, the 138th signature on the instrument, and it was the last thing Valentino ever signed. In 1925 Ray went to Palm Beach, Florida and secured minor riles in several movies. She appeared with Olive Borden, Marie Dressler and Neil Hamilton in The Joy Girl, a Fox production. She first served in the movies as an extra in 1921. Virginia said that her mail sometimes was mixed up with that Kathryn Ray, who was just a year younger and was also from East St. Louis. Kathryn was also a Follies girl and later worked for Earl Carroll's Vanities. Kathryn became a Gotham sensation when she appeared nude on stage while sitting on a giant pendulum that swung back and forth.