Kathleen McShane, a remarkably mature 15-year-old, tied the knot with Arthur Lucan, a 26-year-old English comedian, in 1913, while he was on tour in Ireland. This union marked the beginning of a nearly 40-year-long music hall favorite act, which would eventually evolve into the beloved stage characters of Old Mother Riley and her charming daughter Kitty.
Kitty, as the attractive and flighty daughter, often found herself at the center of Mother Riley's hilarious tirades, which were triggered by her wayward ways. Notably, Kitty appeared in 14 of the 15 low-budget but popular Old Mother Riley films produced between 1937 and 1952. As the "straight man" for Lucan's comedy, Kitty also played the love interest in the films, always remaining single at the start of each new film, even if her character's marriage was imminent by the end.
Despite the success of the act, Arthur and Kitty's own marriage began to unravel, and they eventually separated in 1951. In Kitty's final film, Jungle Treasure (1951),their scenes were filmed on separate days. After the separation, Kitty opened a beauty salon, which unfortunately failed. Arthur continued to support her, appearing in one more film and numerous stage performances before his sudden death in a theatre.
Following Arthur's passing, Kitty enlisted an impersonator (often Roy Rolland) to carry on the act, but with little success. Tragically, Kitty was found dead in her London home at the age of 66, with the cause of her death remaining unreported.
