Biographical Sketch

Biographical Sketch

Kathleen Lockhart, daughter of Otis Lockhart and Cora Smith Lockhart, was born on October 24, 1890, on a Burbank ranch now occupied by Universal Studios. She and her older sister, Ethel, enjoyed an indulgent childhood and spent carefree days at the family’s city home in Los Angeles and their ranches in Sierra Madre and Santa Paula. These distinctive settings, filled with music, sewing, riding and roaming fashioned Kathleen into a woman who was both refined and rambunctious. In this photo, taken c. 1894, Kathleen is on the right.

Her talent was recognized at an early age, and at her mother's encouragement, she left high school to focus soley on her musical education. Her lessons with pianist Elizatbeth Jordan Eichelberger and soprano Blanche Ruby, were coupled with private tutors in French and German, all in preparation for European study. In 1908, Manning, along with her mother and sister, left for Paris where she studied with Regina de la Sales. Mme. de la Sales was not only a gifted teacher, but was influential with musical directors in France and beyond. As a member of her studio, Manning sang for French, German and English directors, all of whom were interested in her development. She sang briefly for Hammerstein in London in 1911, and had offers from German opera houses for the 1911-1912 season. With WWI quicky approaching, her father insisted that she return to the United States. Kathleen obeyed her father, but defied her heart.

She returned to Los Angeles in 1911, and found solace in Edward (Ned) Manning, her childhood sweetheart and the love of her life. After a long courtship, extended by Ned's struggle for financial stability, they married in 1921. She and Ned were stereotypical socialites in the "Roaring Twenties," partying most nights of the week. Manning's social calendar was whirlwind of concerts, teas, and dinner parties. When considering that during these years, she was also an active soloist in greater Los Angeles, a teacher, a composer, and a prolific writer of poetry, her stamina was remarkable.

During the Depression, life slowed considerably, as did Ned's heart. He died in 1938 after suffering a heart attack a yachting regatta in Balboa, California. Kathleen was distraught and her only comfort was a pen and paper. She wrote several lengthy responses to widowhood, including a beautiful summary of her and Ned's love affair that began in their elementary school days. In an attempt to escape her grief, she went to Hawaii in 1939 where she met Carl Engel and her life unraveled.

The details of her encounter with Engel are not yet certain, but Manning became obsessed with him. When she returned home, she closed down her Hollywood home and rented a penthouse in New York. During this transition, she experienced mental collapse, became paranoid schizophrenic, and was tortured for the next 12 years by her alternate reality. Her delusions included physical assault, sexual deviants, communication with the dead, and the belief that the government condoned her assailants' actions. She returned home in 1941 and was a recluse for the final ten years of her life. She died on March 20, 1951