Charlotte Greenwood

Charlotte Greenwood
Charlotte Greenwood 001.jpg
Born
Frances Charlotte Greenwood

(1890-06-25)June 25, 1890
DiedDecember 28, 1977(1977-12-28) (aged 87)
Occupation(s)Actress, dancer
Years active1915–61
Spouse(s)Cyril Ring (1915–22; divorced)
Martin Broones (1924–71; his death)
Charlotte Greenwood was known for being a very limber performer.
lithograph poster for Greenwood's follow up Letty play, Linger Longer Letty, 1919.
Charlotte Greenwood in Down Argentine Way (1940)

Frances Charlotte Greenwood (June 25, 1890 – December 28, 1977) was an American actress and dancer. Born in Philadelphia, Greenwood started in vaudeville, and starred on Broadway, movies and radio. Standing almost six feet tall (some sources say 5'10"), she was best known for her long legs and high kicks. She earned the unique praise of being, in her words, the "...only woman in the world who could kick a giraffe in the eye."

Theatre

In 1913, Oliver Morosco cast her as Queen Ann Soforth of Oogaboo late in the run of L. Frank Baum and Louis F. Gottschalk's The Tik-Tok Man of Oz (better known in its novelization as Tik-Tok of Oz). In 1916, Morosco commissioned a successful star vehicle stage play titled So Long Letty. In 1919 Morosco brought her back in the sequel Linger Longer Letty. This role made her a star; she reprised it in the 1929 movie of the same name.

She appeared with actors including Charles Ruggles, Betty Grable, Jimmy Durante, Eddie Cantor, Buster Keaton, and Carmen Miranda. Most of Greenwood's best work was done on the stage, and was lauded by such critics as James Agate, Alexander Woollcott, and Claudia Cassidy. One of her most successful roles was that of Juno in Cole Porter's Out of This World in which she introduced the Porter classic "I Sleep Easier Now". She had some discomfort with that play, as she had become a devout Christian Scientist and feared the play was too risqué.

Film

Greenwood appeared in numerous moving pictures. When not showcasing her trademark high kick in comic roles she could be found in the occasional serio comic role such as Lon McAllister's aunt in Home in Indiana. Her last memorable role was as the feisty "Aunt Eller" in the 1955 film adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! (1955), starring Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones.

Radio

Greenwood had her own radio program, The Charlotte Greenwood Show, a situation comedy. It was broadcast 1944-1946, first on ABC and later on NBC. She also was in "Home in Indiana" on Lux Radio Theatre October 2, 1944.

Recordings

Greenwood ventured into recorded music with an album of songs from Cole Porter's musical Out of This World and another from the musical comedy Oh, by Jingo.

Personal life

Greenwood first married actor Cyril Ring, brother of actress Blanche Ring. They divorced. Her second husband was composer Martin Broones. He died in 1971. Both unions were childless.

In her post-retirement years, this comedienne who, in her own words, was “the only woman in the world who could kick a giraffe in the eye”, suffered severely from arthritis, though that word was not part of her vocabulary. She and Broones were Christian Scientists – he was a C.S. practitioner and teacher of Christian Science for over two decades, and consulted with Doris Day in that capacity. Greenwood also became a listed public Christian Science practitioner until her death in 1977 using the name Charlotte Greenwood Broones.

Greenwood died in Los Angeles, California, aged 87. She had been out of the public eye for decades and it was months before the world took notice.

Stage work

Stage credits of Charlotte Greenwood
Date Title Role Ref(s)
Jul 22, 1912 - Nov 16, 1912 The Passing Show of 1912 Performer
Jan 23, 1913 - Mar 08, 1913 The Man with Three Wives Performer
Jul 24, 1913 - Sep 1913 The Passing Show of 1913 Performer
Sep 21, 1914 - Oct 31, 1914 Pretty Mrs. Smith Letititia Proudfoot
1916 The Tik-Tok Man of Oz Queen Ann Soforth
Oct 23, 1916 - Jan 13, 1917 So Long Letty Letty Robbins
Oct 23, 1916 - Jan 1917 Les So Long Performer
Nov 20, 1919 - Jan 21, 1920 Linger Longer Letty Letty
Apr 10, 1922 - May 6, 1922 Letty Pepper Letty Pepper
Oct 23, 1922 - Aug 04, 1923 Music Box Revue [1922-23] Performer
Sep 17, 1924 - Dec 1924 Hassard Short's Ritz Revue Performer
Mar 28, 1927 - May 1927 Rufus LeMaire's Affairs Performer, The Dove, Nervous Patient, Leading Lady, Lorelei
Dec 21, 1950 - May 5, 1951 Out of This World June

Filmography

Film credits of Charlotte Greenwood
Year Title Role Silent Sound Studio/Distributor Ref(s)
1915 Jane Jane X Morosco Photoplay Company
1916 Miss George Washington Attendee at tea social (uncredited) X Famous Players Film Company
1926 Crossed Signals (uncredited) Mother with baby at train station X Rayart
1927 Women Love Diamonds (uncredited/deleted) X MGM
1928 Baby Mine Emma X MGM
1929 So Long Letty Letty Robbins X Warner Bros. Pictures
1931 Parlor, Bedroom and Bath Polly Hathaway X MGM
1931 Flying High Pansy X MGM
1931 The Man in Possession Clara X MGM
1931 Stepping Out Sally Smith X MGM
1931 Palmy Days Helen Martin X Howard Productions Inc.
1932 Cheaters at Play Crozier X Fox Film
1934 Orders Is Orders Wanda Sinclair X Gaumont-British
1940 Young People Kit Ballantine X 20th Century Fox
1940 Star Dust Lola Langdon X 20th Century Fox
1940 Down Argentine Way Binnie Crawford X 20th Century Fox
1941 Moon Over Miami Susan Latimer X 20th Century Fox
1941 Tall, Dark and Handsome Mrs. Winnie Sage X 20th Century Fox
1941 The Perfect Snob Martha Mason X 20th Century Fox
1942 Springtime in the Rockies Phoebe Gray X 20th Century Fox
1943 The Gang's All Here Mrs. Peyton Potter X 20th Century Fox
1943 Dixie Dugan Mrs. Dugan X 20th Century Fox
1944 Home in Indiana Penny Bolt X 20th Century Fox
1944 Up in Mabel's Room Martha X Edward Small Productions
1946 Wake Up and Dream Sara March X 20th Century Fox
1947 Driftwood Mathilda X Republic Pictures
1949 Oh, You Beautiful Doll Anna Breitenbach X 20th Century Fox
1949 The Great Dan Patch Aunt Netty X W. R. Frank Productions
1950 Peggy Mrs. Emelia Fielding X Universal Pictures
1953 Dangerous When Wet Ma Higgins X MGM
1955 Oklahoma! Aunt Eller X Rodgers & Hammerstein Pictures, Inc.
1956 Glory Miz Agnes Tilbee X David Butler Productions, Inc.
1956 The Opposite Sex Lucy X MGM

This page was last updated at 2023-07-05 00:27 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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