Gracie Allen was one of America's most popular female comedians of the 1930s, rising to fame as the comic foil of her husband and straight man, George Burns. Recognizing that Allen was a natural comedian, Burns rewrote their sketches to give her the witty lines and assumed for himself a secondary role. The performances relied heavily on Allen's singing and dancing talents and always concluded with Allen dancing an exuberant Irish jig. After three years of traveling together, Burns and Allen married in January of 1926.
Audiences immediately fell in love with Allen's character, who combined the traits of naiveté, zaniness, and total innocence. Still, even outside of her stage persona Allen had her own quirks. In 1940, for instance, Allen decided to run for president as the candidate of the Surprise party. She declared her political philosophy to be the avoidance of overconfidence. "I realize," she said, "that the president of today is merely the postage stamp of tomorrow." |
Examples of Work:
Lambchops (1929) International House (1933) Six of a Kind (1934) A Damsel in Distress (1937) The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1950-1958) |
An American actress of Broadway, silent film, and sound film, Billie Burke is best known today for her performance as Glinda the Good Witch of the North in The Wizard of Oz (1939). Burke was married to Broadway producer Florenz Ziegfeld of Ziegfeld Follies fame, only amplifying her success - she reputedly had the highest salary ever granted to a motion picture actress up to that time. Burke was a favorite among film fans, and her high-pitched, wavering, aristocratic voice was her trademark, which made her a frequent choice to play dim-witted, spoiled society types. In addition, Burke's girlish charm rivaled her acting ability, and as she dressed to the hilt in fashionable gowns, furs and jewelry, her clothes sense also won the devotion of female audiences.
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Examples of Work:
Peggy (1915) Gloria's Romance (1916) Dinner at Eight (1933) The Wizard of Oz (1939) |
An African American entertainer, activist, and French Resistance agent, Josephine Baker's career was unique, international, and diverse in form. She began performing in vaudeville shows at the age of 15, moving on to chorus lines in Broadway shows. Possibly Baker's most infamous performance was in "Danse Sauvage," in which she wore a costume consisting of a revealing skirt made from a string of bananas. She also had a pet cheetah named "Chiquita" who would often join her onstage.
In the United States, Baker was often faced with rejection due to her race: "One day I realized I was living in a country where I was afraid to be black. It was only a country for white people. Not black. So I left. I had been suffocating in the United States.... A lot of us left, not because we wanted to leave, but because we couldn't stand it anymore.... I felt liberated in Paris." A 1936 return to the United States to star in the Ziegfeld Follies proved disastrous, despite the fact that she was a major celebrity in Europe. American audiences rejected the idea of a black woman with so much sophistication and power, newspaper reviews were equally cruel (The New York Times called her a “Negro wench”), and Baker returned to Europe heartbroken. |
Examples of Work:
Shuffle Along (1921) Un Vent de Folie (1927) Siren of the Tropics (1927) Zouzou (1934) Princess Tam Tam (1935) |
American actress Thelma "Butterfly" McQueen started her career as a dancer. Performing in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1935, McQueen danced the "Butterfly Ballet," from which she earned her nickname "Butterfly" due to how much and how quickly she moved her arms. McQueen is most famous for her role as the slave Prissy in Gone with the Wind (1939), wherein she spoke the famous line "Oh, Miss Scarlett, I don't know nuthin' 'bout birthin' babies." Despite this soon-to-be iconic performance, McQueen wasn't even allowed to attend the premiere of the movie because it was held in a whites-only theater. After Gone with the Wind, McQueen was almost exclusively cast in domestic roles and/or racial stereotypes. On this subject, McQueen said, "I didn't mind playing a maid the first time, because I thought that was how you got into the business. But after I did the same thing over and over, I resented it. I didn't mind being funny, but I didn't like being stupid." McQueen made efforts to rebel against Hollywood's racial stereotyping, but this only hindered her career. After being all but blacklisted by Hollywood, McQueen devoted herself to school, receiving a bachelor's degree in political science from City College of New York in 1975.
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Examples of Work:
Gone with the Wind (1939) Affectionately Yours (1941) Cabin in the Sky (1943) Mildred Pierce (1945) Duel in the Sun (1947) |