Ann Sothern
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ann Sothern (born Harriette Arlene Lake; January 22, 1909 – March 15, 2001) was an American actress who worked on stage, radio, film, and television, in a career that spanned nearly six decades. Sothern began her career in the late 1920s in bit parts in films. In 1930, she made her Broadway stage debut and soon worked her way up to starring roles. In 1939, MGM cast her as Maisie Ravier, a brash yet lovable Brooklyn showgirl. The character, based on the Maisie short stories by Nell Martin, proved to be popular and spawned a successful film series (Congo Maisie, Gold Rush Maisie, Up Goes Maisie, etc.) and a network radio series (The Adventures of Maisie).
In 1953, Sothern moved into television as the star of her own sitcom Private Secretary. The series aired for five seasons on CBS and earned Sothern three Primetime Emmy Award nominations. In 1958, she starred in another sitcom for CBS, The Ann Sothern Show, which aired for three seasons. From 1965 to 1966, Sothern provided the voice of Gladys Crabtree, the title character in the sitcom My Mother the Car. She continued her career throughout the late 1960s with stage and film appearances and guest-starring roles on television. Due to health issues, she worked sporadically during the 1970s and 1980s.
In 1987, Sothern appeared in her final film The Whales of August, starring Bette Davis and Lillian Gish. Sothern earned her first and only Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film. After filming concluded, she retired to Ketchum, Idaho, where she spent her remaining years before her death from heart failure in March 2001. Lucille Ball called Sothern "the best comedian in the business, bar none."
Known for
Family Affair
What's My Line?
Self
Love, American Style
Mrs. Devlin
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
Helen Cox
The Virginian
Della Spencer
The Lucy Show
Rosie Harrigan
The Steve Allen Show
Self - Guest
The Ford Television Theatre
Christine Emerson
Flying High
Private Secretary
Susie McNamara
The Match Game
Herself
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
Martha
Alias Smith and Jones
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
The Legend of Jesse James
Widow Fay
MGM Parade
The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.
Aunt Magda
My Mother the Car
Gladys Crabtree
The Ann Sothern Show
Katy O'Connor
A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound
Self
The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour
Susie MacNamara
Letter to Loretta
Self - Guest Host
Medical Story
Captains and the Kings
Mrs. Finch
The Outsider
Mrs. Kozzek
Panama Hattie
Hattie Maloney
The Chicago Teddy Bears
Chubasco
Angela
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Liz Quiz
Madam Satan
Zeppelin Reveler (uncredited)
Crazy Mama
Sheba
A Letter to Three Wives
Rita Phipps
Grand Exit
Adrienne Martin / Adeline Maxwell
The Manitou
Mrs. Karmann
Words and Music
Joyce Harmon
Dangerous Number
Eleanor
Super-Sleuth
Mary Strand
Lady in a Cage
Sade
Broadway Thru a Keyhole
Singer
Sylvia
Mrs. Argona / Grace Argona
Ringside Maisie
Maisie Ravier
The Best Man
Sue Ellen Gamadge
Eight Bells
Marge Walker
That's Entertainment, Part II
(archive footage)
A Letter to Three Wives
Ma Finney
The Whales of August
Tisha Doughty
The Blue Gardenia
Crystal Carpenter
Golden Needles
Finzie
The Killing Kind
Thelma Lambert
Brother Orchid
Florence 'Flo' Addams
A Death of Innocence
Annie La Cossit
Cry 'Havoc'
Pat
The Judge Steps Out
Peggy
Blind Date
Kitty Taylor
Three Hearts for Julia
Julia Seabrook
Congo Maisie
Maisie Ravier
Kid Millions
Joan Larrabee
Fast and Furious
Garda Sloane
Don't Gamble with Love
Ann Edwards
The Little Dragons
Angel
Shadow on the Wall
Dell Faring
Lady Be Good
Dixie Donegan Crane
That's Entertainment! III
(archive footage)
The Show of Shows
Performer in 'Meet My Sister' & 'Bicycle Built for Two' Numbers (as Harriet Lake)
Folies Bergère de Paris
Mimi
Ali Baba Goes to Town
Herself
Danger – Love at Work
Antoinette "Toni" Pemberton
Dulcy
Dulcy Ward
Maisie Goes to Reno
Maisie Ravier
Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President
Ethel Turp
Up Goes Maisie
Maisie Ravier
The Greatest Mother of 'em All
Dolly Murdock
Undercover Maisie
Maisie Ravier
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
Self
Thousands Cheer
Ann Sothern
Walking on Air
Kit Bennett
Maisie Was a Lady
Maisie Ravier
Maisie
Maisie Ravier / Mary Anastasia O'Connor
Twenty Years After
(archive footage)
The Great Man's Whiskers
Aunt Margaret Bancroft
Broadway Nights
Showgirl (uncredited)
Whoopee!
Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)
April Showers
June Tyme
Nancy Goes to Rio
Frances Elliott
The Weekend Nun
Mother Bonaventure
Trade Winds
Jean Livingstone
Swing Shift Maisie
Maisie Ravier
Fol-de-Rol
Queen Gertrude
She's Got Everything
Carol Rogers
Hotel for Women
Ellen Connelly
Maisie Gets Her Man
Maisie Ravier
The Hell Cat
Geraldine Sloane
Hooray for Love
Patricia Thatcher
Let's Fall in Love
Jean
Congratulations, It's a Boy!
Ethel Gaines
Gold Rush Maisie
Maisie Ravier
Song of the West
Bit Part
There Goes the Groom
Bettina Louise "Betty" Russell
You May Be Next!
Fay Stevens
The March of Time
Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Good News
Student
Smartest Girl in Town
Frances Cooke
There Goes My Girl
Connie Taylor
You, John Jones!
Mary Jones
The Party's Over
Ruth Walker
The Girl Friend
Linda Henry
Fifty Roads to Town
Millicent Kendall
Melody in Spring
Jane Blodgett
Lady in the Dark
Liza
My American Wife
Mary Cantillon
Hell-Ship Morgan
Mary Taylor
The Merv Griffin Show
Self