The Ohio Connection

“It’s best to write of the things you know. I made Ohio pay off.”

– Mary Orr, Canton Repository, June 5, 1955

Mary Orr was born in Brooklyn, New York, but her family moved to Canton, Ohio, in 1926.
Her family lived at 1819 Market Ave. N in Canton, and her parents continued to reside there until their deaths.
Mary attended McKinley and Lehman high schools in Canton.
According to Mary Orr’s mother, Jessica Orr, Mary considered Ohio her home until she was married, in 1947.
“Wallflower,” which Orr co-wrote with her husband, Reginald Denham, was performed by the Canton Little Theater of Jewish Center in April, 1949. The play is set in Ironville, Ohio, a fictionalized version of Canton.
In reference to her play, “Be Your Age,” Mary Orr said: “I remember that in my mind I set it in Canton although I didn’t call the setting Canton. There’s a reference to the Brookside Country Club and the McKinley Hotel…”