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."
Photos
Movies (86)
That's Entertainment! III
1994 · (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Whales of August
1987 · Tisha Doughty
A Letter to Three Wives
1985 · Ma Finney
The Little Dragons
1980 · Angel
The Manitou
1978 · Mrs. Karmann
That's Entertainment, Part II
1976 · (archive footage)
Crazy Mama
1975 · Sheba
Golden Needles
1974 · Finzie
The Killing Kind
1974 · Thelma Lambert
The Weekend Nun
1972 · Mother Bonaventure
The Great Man's Whiskers
1972 · Aunt Margaret Bancroft
Fol-de-Rol
1972 · Queen Gertrude
A Death of Innocence
1971 · Annie La Cossit
Congratulations, It's a Boy!
1971 · Ethel Gaines
The Greatest Mother of 'em All
1969 · Dolly Murdock
Chubasco
1968 · Angela
The Outsider
1967 · Mrs. Kozzek
Sylvia
1965 · Mrs. Argona / Grace Argona
Lady in a Cage
1964 · Sade
The Best Man
1964 · Sue Ellen Gamadge
Lady in the Dark
1954 · Liza
The Blue Gardenia
1953 · Crystal Carpenter
Shadow on the Wall
1950 · Dell Faring
Nancy Goes to Rio
1950 · Frances Elliott
A Letter to Three Wives
1949 · Rita Phipps
Words and Music
1948 · Joyce Harmon
April Showers
1948 · June Tyme
The Judge Steps Out
1947 · Peggy
Undercover Maisie
1947 · Maisie Ravier
Up Goes Maisie
1946 · Maisie Ravier
Maisie Goes to Reno
1944 · Maisie Ravier
Twenty Years After
1944 · (archive footage)
Cry 'Havoc'
1943 · Pat
Swing Shift Maisie
1943 · Maisie Ravier
Thousands Cheer
1943 · Ann Sothern
Three Hearts for Julia
1943 · Julia Seabrook
You, John Jones!
1943 · Mary Jones
Panama Hattie
1942 · Hattie Maloney
Maisie Gets Her Man
1942 · Maisie Ravier
Lady Be Good
1941 · Dixie Donegan Crane
Ringside Maisie
1941 · Maisie Ravier
Maisie Was a Lady
1941 · Maisie Ravier
A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound
1940 · Self
Dulcy
1940 · Dulcy Ward
Gold Rush Maisie
1940 · Maisie Ravier
Brother Orchid
1940 · Florence 'Flo' Addams
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
1940 · Self
Congo Maisie
1940 · Maisie Ravier
Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President
1939 · Ethel Turp
Fast and Furious
1939 · Garda Sloane
Hotel for Women
1939 · Ellen Connelly
Maisie
1939 · Maisie Ravier / Mary Anastasia O'Connor
Trade Winds
1938 · Jean Livingstone
She's Got Everything
1937 · Carol Rogers
There Goes the Groom
1937 · Bettina Louise "Betty" Russell
Ali Baba Goes to Town
1937 · Herself
Danger – Love at Work
1937 · Antoinette "Toni" Pemberton
Super-Sleuth
1937 · Mary Strand
Fifty Roads to Town
1937 · Millicent Kendall
There Goes My Girl
1937 · Connie Taylor
Dangerous Number
1937 · Eleanor
Smartest Girl in Town
1936 · Frances Cooke
Walking on Air
1936 · Kit Bennett
My American Wife
1936 · Mary Cantillon
Don't Gamble with Love
1936 · Ann Edwards
Hell-Ship Morgan
1936 · Mary Taylor
You May Be Next!
1936 · Fay Stevens
Grand Exit
1935 · Adrienne Martin / Adeline Maxwell
The Girl Friend
1935 · Linda Henry
Hooray for Love
1935 · Patricia Thatcher
Eight Bells
1935 · Marge Walker
Folies Bergère de Paris
1935 · Mimi
Kid Millions
1934 · Joan Larrabee
The Party's Over
1934 · Ruth Walker
Blind Date
1934 · Kitty Taylor
The Hell Cat
1934 · Geraldine Sloane
Melody in Spring
1934 · Jane Blodgett
Let's Fall in Love
1933 · Jean
Broadway Thru a Keyhole
1933 · Singer
Whoopee!
1930 · Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)
Madam Satan
1930 · Zeppelin Reveler (uncredited)
The March of Time
1930 · Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Good News
1930 · Student
Song of the West
1930 · Bit Part
The Show of Shows
1929 · Performer in 'Meet My Sister' & 'Bicycle Built for Two' Numbers (as Harriet Lake)
Broadway Nights
1927 · Showgirl (uncredited)
TV shows (26)
Flying High
1978 · Miss Kirkeby
Captains and the Kings
1976 · Mrs. Finch
Medical Story
1975 · Mrs. Metulski
The Chicago Teddy Bears
1971
Alias Smith and Jones
1971
Love, American Style
1969 · Mrs. Devlin
The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.
1966 · Aunt Magda
Family Affair
1966
My Mother the Car
1965 · Gladys Crabtree
The Legend of Jesse James
1965 · Widow Fay
The Match Game
1962 · Herself
The Lucy Show
1962 · Rosie Harrigan
The Merv Griffin Show
1962 · Self
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
1962 · Helen Cox
The Virginian
1962 · Della Spencer
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
1959 · Martha
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
1958
The Ann Sothern Show
1958 · Katy O'Connor
The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour
1957 · Susie MacNamara
The Steve Allen Show
1956 · Self - Guest
MGM Parade
1955
Letter to Loretta
1953 · Self - Guest Host
Private Secretary
1953 · Susie McNamara
The Ford Television Theatre
1952 · Christine Emerson
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951 · Liz Quiz
What's My Line?
1950 · Self