Volume III: Biographies

HENRY, Janet Clendenning *

Actress (1912-1916)

Thanhouser Career Synopsis: Janet Clendenning Henry was in many Thanhouser films during the 1912-1916 period. Her roles were primarily minor or supporting, and she was rarely mentioned in studio publicity.

Biographical Notes: In a 1914 story, quoted below, published in The New Rochelle Pioneer, Janet Clendenning Henry, a Thanhouser actress, stated that by that time she had appeared in over 300 films. Her maiden name was Janet Clendenning, under which name her credits sometimes appeared, although as early as 1912 she was known as Janet Henry. Occasionally her name appeared as Mrs. Frank Henry (as, for example, in the New Rochelle Evening Standard, October 1, 1915, which curiously stated that she "has been with the company a year"). She was among those who attended the Thanhouser employees' outing held on September 7, 1912. On April 27, 1916 she was among the Thanhouser players in attendance at a ball and minstrel show held at Germania Hall in New Rochelle.

A 1914 Sketch: The following sketch by John William Kellette appeared in The New Rochelle Pioneer, December 12, 1914: "Janet Clendenning-Henry is a New Rochelle girl who started with Thanhouser about three years ago by filling in small parts in 'mob scenes,' and has gradually risen in her work until she is being cast for roles. She has done clever work on the screen and is a favorite with directors with whom she has to work. She mixes into studio life well, and is a general favorite, and readily answers to the nickname 'Hennery' or 'Jan,' and when one has nicknames attached to them it is an evidence of popularity. Miss Henry's ambition is to someday be a leading lady, and she'll get there eventually if work means anything, because she is pretty, has a good figure, wears her clothes well and has a sunshine smile and a nice disposition.

"She came to the screen without stage experience, a condition supposed to be a considerable handicap, but it has not proven to be such in Miss Henry's case. She is quick to grasp a director's meaning, and can convert talk into action. She likes society parts best of all, and in Lost - A Union Suit she was cast with Mignon Anderson and Morris Foster in that absurd comedy, and did excellent work. In fact, in all her efforts she is sincere. She tries to interpret what the part calls for, whether it be a smile or tear, and succeeds where others would fail. She has been in about 300 photoplays, taking parts from 'one of the mob' to a 'stately dame,' but it is all the same to Janet.

"Her love for New Rochelle is proverbial. She cannot be taken from Thanhouser's despite the fact that she has had offers with other companies that were turned down because they were not located in the 'City Beautiful,' and she would rather play small parts here and be near her mother than go to the Coast and occupy the whole 'works.' Some day this loyalty will be recognized and Janet come into her own and be cast for parts that will set off her brunette type to the best advantage. Perhaps the best thing Janet ever did was as 'Nell' in Her Way, a Princess script directed by Carl Louis Gregory. Here she portrayed an habitue of the cabaret, and so well did she take her director's instructions that she made her part shine out. She taught the younger element who saw the picture what to avoid in traveling the road called straight, and answered the query that one often asks after dining and wining at a 'whiteway' cafe; 'I wonder what became of my roll?' The writer, after viewing the photoplay, oftentimes wondered how many bank rolls Janet Henry's acting saved callow youths."

A 1915 Incident: The New Rochelle Evening Standard, October 1, 1915, carried this item as part of a longer article: "Miss [Janet] Henry is the wife of former policeman Frank Henry, who suddenly resigned from the force and ran away from the city to New Jersey where he is now residing. Miss Henry has been with the Thanhouser Company for a year and she will continue with the company when she leaves the hospital in a few days." An explanation of her hospitalization was given in the next day's edition of the same paper: "Miss Janet Henry of the Thanhouser Company, while acting for director Howell at the plant in this city, had a painful but not a serious accident yesterday afternoon when her apron caught fire from a gas range in a scene, and in shaking her apron up and down her hair also caught fire. Before the flames could be extinguished Miss Henry sustained burns on her face and arms. She was taken to the New Rochelle Hospital, where it was found that her burns were not serious and that she would be able to be about again in a few days."

Thanhouser Filmography:

1913: In the Nick of Time (8-1-1913)

1914: Her Way (Princess 3-6-1914), Lost - A Union Suit (5-10-1914), A Gentleman for a Day (7/17/1914), Her Duty (Princess 8-7-1914), The Benevolence of Conductor 786 (10-9-1914)

1915: Old Jane of the Gaiety (7-18-1915), The Postmaster of Pineapple Plains (Falstaff 11-22-1915)

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