Edna May Oliver 135 remembered
Nov 9, 2018 9:39:42 GMT
Doghouse6, MiketheMechanic, and 3 more like this
Post by teleadm on Nov 9, 2018 9:39:42 GMT
Who on earth was Edna May Oliver? One of those important supporting actors and actresses that was and still are very important to any move, either in dramatic roles or as comic reliefs. Back in the days when even the supporting or character actresses could be nearly as much stars as the leads, they usually created a persona that was recognisable and reliable in movie after movie, and helped the leading stars to shine, and sometimes helped the stars on the right tracks, it could be in solving crimes or helping the stars in romantic ways. It even happened that they would play leads in entertaining B-movies.
"With a horse face like mine? What else can I do but play comedy?"
Edna May Oliver was born way back in 1883 in Malden, Massachusetts. It has been claimed that Oliver was a descendant of John Quincy Adams and John Adams, the sixth and second presidents of the United States. This was probably a Hollywood publicity stunt. Her father's stepfather, Samuel Oliver, did have a mother named Julia Adams descended from a John Adams (born 1724), but not the John Adams (born 1735) who was president of the United States or his son (also president), John Quincy Adams.
She quit school at age fourteen in order to pursue a career on stage and achieved her first success in 1917 on Broadway in P.G. Wodehouse and Jerome Kern's musical comedy Oh,Boy!, playing a comic aunt. In 1925, Oliver appeared on Broadway in another success, The Cradle Snatchers, co-starring Mary Boland, Gene Raymond and a young Humphrey Bogart. Oliver's most notable stage appearance was as Parthy, wife of Cap'n Andy, in the original 1927 stage production of the musical Show Boat. She turned down the part when offered to play the role in the 1936 movie version.
Her film debut was in 1923 in Wife in Name Only. Oliver first gained major notice in films for her appearances in several comedy films starring the nowdays mostly forgotten team of Wheeler & Woolsey including Half Shot at Sunrise, her first film under her RKO Radio Pictures contract in 1930. While usually playing featured parts, she starred in ten films, including the popular spinster sleath movies about Hildegarde Withers. In 1935 she became part of MGM's stock company, where they had "more stars than there was in heaven". She continued to act in movies until 1941.
Oliver died on her 59th birthday in 1942 following a short intestinal ailment that proved terminal. She was only 59!
Some examples from her career:
Standing at the door in the silent The American Venus 1926, her face is instantly recognisable, the other girl is probably Louise Brooks.
Cimarron 1931, with Irene Dunne. Edna May did a few dramatic roles too, and this is one of them.
The Penguin Pool Murder 1932, with James Gleason, the first of three movies she did as spinster sleuth Hildegarde Withers, the others were Murder on the Blackboard 1934 and Murder on a Honeymoon 1935.
As Aunt March in Little Women 1933, with Katherine Hepburn.
As The Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland 1933, with a teapot and Charlotte Henry.
As Aunt Betsy in David Copperfield 1935, with Lennox Pawle.
As Miss Pross in A Tale of Two Cities 1935
Romeo and Juliett 1936, with Norma Shearer
Paradise for Three 1938, with Frank Morgan and Florence Rice.
Lobby card for Little Miss Broadway 1938, with Donald Meek, Shirley Temple and George Murphy.
The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle 1939, with Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire.
Nurse Edith Cavell 1939, with Anna Neagle
Drums Along the Mohawk 1939, with Claudette Colbert. Edna May earned her only Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for this role.
As Lady Catherine de Bourgh in Pride and Prejudice 1940, with Greer Garson
Lydia 1941, a Merle Oberon vehicle, sadly this was Edna May's last on-screen acting role. She repeated her role in a radio version.
Hope everyone enjoyed this little trip down memory lane about a not too obvious subject.
If it falls out well, I might do more of these.
Thoughts and opinions are as always welcome.
"With a horse face like mine? What else can I do but play comedy?"
Edna May Oliver was born way back in 1883 in Malden, Massachusetts. It has been claimed that Oliver was a descendant of John Quincy Adams and John Adams, the sixth and second presidents of the United States. This was probably a Hollywood publicity stunt. Her father's stepfather, Samuel Oliver, did have a mother named Julia Adams descended from a John Adams (born 1724), but not the John Adams (born 1735) who was president of the United States or his son (also president), John Quincy Adams.
She quit school at age fourteen in order to pursue a career on stage and achieved her first success in 1917 on Broadway in P.G. Wodehouse and Jerome Kern's musical comedy Oh,Boy!, playing a comic aunt. In 1925, Oliver appeared on Broadway in another success, The Cradle Snatchers, co-starring Mary Boland, Gene Raymond and a young Humphrey Bogart. Oliver's most notable stage appearance was as Parthy, wife of Cap'n Andy, in the original 1927 stage production of the musical Show Boat. She turned down the part when offered to play the role in the 1936 movie version.
Her film debut was in 1923 in Wife in Name Only. Oliver first gained major notice in films for her appearances in several comedy films starring the nowdays mostly forgotten team of Wheeler & Woolsey including Half Shot at Sunrise, her first film under her RKO Radio Pictures contract in 1930. While usually playing featured parts, she starred in ten films, including the popular spinster sleath movies about Hildegarde Withers. In 1935 she became part of MGM's stock company, where they had "more stars than there was in heaven". She continued to act in movies until 1941.
Oliver died on her 59th birthday in 1942 following a short intestinal ailment that proved terminal. She was only 59!
Some examples from her career:
Standing at the door in the silent The American Venus 1926, her face is instantly recognisable, the other girl is probably Louise Brooks.
Cimarron 1931, with Irene Dunne. Edna May did a few dramatic roles too, and this is one of them.
The Penguin Pool Murder 1932, with James Gleason, the first of three movies she did as spinster sleuth Hildegarde Withers, the others were Murder on the Blackboard 1934 and Murder on a Honeymoon 1935.
As Aunt March in Little Women 1933, with Katherine Hepburn.
As The Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland 1933, with a teapot and Charlotte Henry.
As Aunt Betsy in David Copperfield 1935, with Lennox Pawle.
As Miss Pross in A Tale of Two Cities 1935
Romeo and Juliett 1936, with Norma Shearer
Paradise for Three 1938, with Frank Morgan and Florence Rice.
Lobby card for Little Miss Broadway 1938, with Donald Meek, Shirley Temple and George Murphy.
The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle 1939, with Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire.
Nurse Edith Cavell 1939, with Anna Neagle
Drums Along the Mohawk 1939, with Claudette Colbert. Edna May earned her only Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for this role.
As Lady Catherine de Bourgh in Pride and Prejudice 1940, with Greer Garson
Lydia 1941, a Merle Oberon vehicle, sadly this was Edna May's last on-screen acting role. She repeated her role in a radio version.
Hope everyone enjoyed this little trip down memory lane about a not too obvious subject.
If it falls out well, I might do more of these.
Thoughts and opinions are as always welcome.
