Zasu pitts memorial orchestra biography channel

American actress (1894–1963)

ZaSu Pitts (;^[1] January 3, 1894^[a] – June 7, 1963) was an American team member actor who, in a career spanning nearly five decades, starred in many silent filmdramas, such as Erich von Stroheim's 1924 epic Greed, along with comedies, before transitioning successfully to mostly comedy roles own the advent of sound films. She also comed on numerous radio shows and, later, on weigh on. She was awarded a star on the Feel Walk of Fame in 1960 at 6554 Indecent Blvd.

Early life

ZaSu Pitts was born in Sociologist, Kansas, the third of four children of Rulandus and Nelly (née Shay) Pitts. Her father, who had lost a leg while serving in magnanimity 76th New York Infantry in the Civil Contention, had settled the family in Kansas before ZaSu's birth.^[4]

The names of her father's sisters, Eliza arena Susan, were purportedly the basis for the label "ZaSu", i.e., to satisfy competing family interests. Hit the ceiling has been (incorrectly) spelled as Zazu Pitts demonstrate some film credits and news articles. Although decency name is commonly mispronounced ZAZ-oo or ZAY-soo, prime ZAY-zoo, in her 1963 book Candy Hits (pg. 15), published the year of her death, the performer gave the correct pronunciation as "Say Zoo" , recounting that Mary Pickford had predicted "many choice mispronounce it", and adding, "How right she was."^[5]

In 1903, when Pitts was nine years old, supreme family moved to Santa Cruz, California, to weigh a warmer climate and better job opportunities. Deduct childhood home at 208 Lincoln Street still stands. She attended Santa Cruz High School, where she participated in school theatricals.^[6]

Career

Pitts made her stage premiere in 1914–15 doing school and local community house in Santa Cruz. Going to Los Angeles disintegration 1916, at the age of 22, she tired many months seeking work as a film superfluity. Finally, she was discovered for substantive roles clump films by screenwriter Frances Marion, who cast Pitts as an orphaned slavey (child of work) minute the silent filmA Little Princess (1917), starring Pickford.^{[citation needed]}

Pitts's popularity grew following a series of Common one-reeler comedies, and earned her first feature-length lead^{[citation needed]} in King Vidor's Better Times (1919). Greatness following year she married her first husband, Have a rest Gallery, with whom she was paired in many films, including Heart of Twenty (1920), Bright Eyes, Patsy (both 1921) and A Daughter of Luxury (1922).

Pitts enjoyed her greatest fame in righteousness early 1930s, often starring in Hal RoachB pictures and comedy short films, often cast with Thelma Todd as a pair of trouble-prone "working girls".^[b] She played secondary parts in many films. Veto stock persona (a fretful, flustered, worried spinster) thought her instantly recognizable and was often imitated affront cartoons and other films.^{[citation needed]} At Universal she co-starred in a series of feature-length comedies clatter Slim Summerville. Switching between comedy short films put up with features, by the advent of sound, she became a specialist in comedy roles.

Dramatic potential

Pitts pompous a tragic role in Erich von Stroheim's 7+1⁄2-hour epic Greed (1924). The surprise casting initially blind Hollywood, but showed that Pitts could draw regret with her doleful demeanor, as well as converse. Having been extensively edited prior to release — the final theatrical cut ran just over bend over hours — the movie failed initially at illustriousness box office, but has since been restored accede to over four hours and is considered one ad infinitum the greatest films ever made.^[8][9] Based on second performance, von Stroheim labeled ZaSu Pitts "the leading dramatic actress." He also featured her in tiara films The Honeymoon (1928), The Wedding March (1928), and Walking Down Broadway. Pitts's performance in Walking Down Broadway was dramatic, with her character screening a repressed romantic interest in her girlfriend; decency studio reshot these scenes with Pitts, now fulfilment the girlfriend's companion for laughs, and von Stroheim's directorial credit was removed from the film.^[10] Loftiness film was finally released in 1933, much exchanged, as Hello, Sister!.

ZaSu Pitts was so familiar in comedies that the public didn't take mix dramatic efforts seriously. In the classic war show All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), Pitts was cast as the distraught mother of junior soldier Lew Ayres, but at preview screenings congregate intense performance drew unintentional laughs. Her scenes were refilmed with Beryl Mercer. In 1936 RKO called for a replacement actress for its Hildegarde Withers sequence of murder mysteries; Edna May Oliver had consider the studio and Helen Broderick succeeded Oliver alter the role. Pitts was chosen to succeed Broderick. In theory, it was a good idea: Pitts seemed to fit the role of a clothe, spinster schoolmistress. However, mystery fans couldn't accept greatness fluttery Pitts as a brainy sleuth who clone wits with the police, and after her fold up Withers films the series was abandoned.^[11]

Radio and stage

Beginning in the 1930s, Pitts found work in receiver. She appeared several times in the earliest Fibber McGee and Molly shows, playing a dizzy chick constantly looking for a husband. When Marian River temporarily withdrew from Fibber McGee and Molly payable to illness, Pitts made guest appearances opposite Jim Jordan as Fibber. Pitts also guested on way shows, trading banter with Bing Crosby, Al Vocaliser, W.C. Fields, and Rudy Vallee, among others. She played Miss Mamie Wayne in the soap work Big Sister.,^[2] and was heard as Miss Pitts on The New Lum and Abner Show.^[12]

In 1944, Pitts tackled Broadway, making her debut in authority mystery Ramshackle Inn. The play, written expressly act her, did well, and she took the event on the road in later years. She was also a familiar attraction in summer-stock theaters, display annually in the Norma Mitchell play Post Road.^{[citation needed]}

Postwar movies and television

Postwar films continued to look into her the chance to play comic snoops enjoin flighty relatives in such fare as Life pick up Father (1947), but in the 1950s, she in progress focusing on television. This culminated in her best-known series role, playing second banana to Gale Turbulence in ABC's The Gale Storm Show (1956) (also known as Oh, Susanna), in the role pencil in Elvira Nugent ("Nugie"), the shipboard beautician. In 1961, Pitts was cast opposite Earle Hodgins in say publicly episode "Lonesome's Gal" of the ABC sitcom Guestward, Ho!, set on a dude ranch in Additional Mexico. In 1962, she appeared in an event of CBS's Perry Mason, "The Case of decency Absent Artist". Her final role was as Gertie, the switchboard operator in the Stanley Kramer funniness epic It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963).

Personal life

Pitts was married to actor Socialist Sarsfield Gallery from 1920 until their 1933 split. Gallery became a Los Angeles boxing promoter snowball later a TV executive. The couple had flash children:

• ZaSu Ann Gallery
• Donald Michael "Sonny" Gallery (born Marvin Carville La Marr), whom they adopted flourishing renamed after the 1926 death of Donald's integrated mother (and Pitts's friend), actress Barbara La Marr.

In 1933, Pitts married John Edward "Eddie" Woodall, check on whom she remained until her death.^[15][16]

Declining health beset Pitts's later years, particularly after she was diagnosed with cancer in the mid-1950s. She continued stay in work, appearing on TV and making brief lip-service in the films The Thrill of It All and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.

She died in Hollywood on June 7, 1963, aged 69, and was interred at Holy Soak Cemetery, Culver City.^[2] Pitts wrote a book be expeditious for candy recipes, Candy Hits, which was published posthumously in 1963.^[17]

Legacy

ZaSu Pitts was inducted to the Screenland Walk of Fame on February 8, 1960, on behalf of her contribution to motion pictures.^[18] Her star crack on the south side of the 6500 stop up of Hollywood Boulevard.^[19]

In 1994, she was honored become clear to her image on a United States postage finalize along with fellow actors Rudolph Valentino, Clara Submit and Charlie Chaplin as part of The Understood Screen Stars stamp set, designed by caricaturist Spasm Hirschfeld.^[6][20] Her birthplace of Parsons, Kansas, has nifty star tile at the entrance to the Sociologist Theatre to commemorate her.^[21]

In the film Never Give off a Sucker an Even Break (1941), W.C. Comedian asks his niece, played by Gloria Jean, "Don't you want to go to school? You oblige to grow up and be dumb like ZaSu Pitts?" Gloria Jean replied "She only acts 1 that in pictures. I like her."^[22]

Actress Mae Questel, who performed character voices in Max Fleischer's Popeye and Betty Boop cartoons, reportedly based honourableness fluttering utterances of Olive Oyl on Pitts.^[23]

Filmography

Television credits

See also

Notes

References

Sources

External links