Audrie Alspaugh

Audrie Alspaugh Chase (24 October 1886 – 19 November 1965), better known by the pen name of Kitty Kelly, was an American journalist and pioneering film critic. Her work for the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Examiner helped establish film criticism as a serious form of journalism during the silent-movie era. She developed an analytical approach that encouraged audiences to evaluate films not only for acting and characterization but also for narrative structure, atmosphere, and editing.

Early life and education Raised in the small town of Chase, Iowa, Kelly attended the University of Iowa where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1909. In July 1914, she began writing the Tribune's daily film-review column “Today’s Best Photo Play Stories.” This is where she first began using the pseudonym Kitty Kelly. Soon afterward, she renamed the column “Flickerings from Filmland.” Cultural historian Richard Abel describes Kelly's writing style as exuberant and characterized by a love of language. In a statement she gave at the 1920 meeting of the Chicago Motion Picture Commission, she opposed censorship and presented the idea of an organization that would instead rate films according to their adult content.

Personal life During her time on the Chicago Tribune, Kelly was active in the city's social scene. In 1915, she served as a charter member of the Cordon Club, a social club for women in the arts. They remained married until his death in 1956 at age 76. That same year, Kelly donated 43 acres (17 hectares) of land in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, to the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County for preservation. Formerly used by the couple as their summer retreat, she requested the new reserve be named Willowbrook and a portion be maintained as a bird sanctuary.

Death Kelly died of cancer in her San Antonio, Texas home on November 19, 1965, at the age of 79.

Published works Harmon, Ada Douglas. (1928). The Story of an Old Town - Glen Ellyn. (A. A. Chase, Ed.) Glen Ellyn, Ill., Glen News Printing Company