Ann Sothern
Singer and comedienne Ann Sothern turned heads and amused audiences via her ability to deliver sharp dialogue with verve and comedic bite. After appearances in Broadway musicals, Sothern earned her keep in B-movies, but finally hit her stride as a contract player at MGM, where she toplined the company's popular series of "Maisie" pictures. Although Sothern eventually tired of playing the brassy Brooklyn showgirl, audiences loved her in the role, and the actress also impressed with her turn in the critically acclaimed "A Letter to Three Wives" (1949). Upon hitting her forties, Sothern found fewer motion pictures opportunities, but her popularity was reignited with the sitcoms "Private Secretary" (CBS, 1953-57) and "The Ann Sothern Show" (CBS, 1958-1961), which earned Sothern several Emmy nominations. Her movie and television work slowed down in the decade that followed and an unfortunate accident during the 1970s gave Sothern back issues that rendered her unable to act for an extended period. She did manage to step before the cameras again, but unlike many veteran performers who end their career on a depressing note, Sothern exited the business with Lindsay Anderson's widely praised "The Whales of August" (1987), which earned her a long overdue Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination. Widely respected by both audiences and her peers for the sharp comedic ability she displayed for years in film and on television, Sothern earned her place in both mediums and enjoyed a solid and loyal fan base right up to the end of her life.
Photos
Ann Sothern
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
64% |
|
The Whales of August | Tisha Doughty (Character) | $127.3K | 1987 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | A Letter to Three Wives | Ma Finney (Character) | - | 1985 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Little Dragons | Angel (Character) | - | 1980 |
45% |
|
The Manitou | Mrs. Karmann (Character) | - | 1978 |
92% |
|
Crazy Mama | Sheba (Character) | - | 1975 |
No Score Yet |
|
Golden Needles | Fenzie (Character) | - | 1974 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Killing Kind | Thelma Lambert (Character) | - | 1973 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Great Man's Whiskers | Aunt Margaret Bancroft (Character) | - | 1973 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Weekend Nun | Mother Bonaventure (Character) | - | 1972 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Congratulations, It's a Boy! | Ethel Gaines (Character) | - | 1971 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | A Death of Innocence | Annie La Cossit (Character) | - | 1971 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Greatest Mother of 'Em All | Dolly Murdock (Character) | - | 1969 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Chubasco | Angela (Character) | - | 1968 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Outsider | Mrs. Kozzek (Character) | - | 1967 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Sylvia |
Mrs. Argona/ |
- | 1965 |
100% |
|
The Best Man | Sue Ellen Gamadge (Character) | - | 1964 |
20% |
|
Lady in a Cage | Sade (Character) | - | 1964 |
84% |
|
The Blue Gardenia | Crystal Carpenter (Character) | - | 1953 |
No Score Yet |
|
Nancy Goes to Rio | Frances Elliott (Character) | - | 1950 |
No Score Yet |
|
Shadow on the Wall | Dell Faring (Character) | - | 1950 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Judge Steps Out | Peggy (Character) | - | 1949 |
100% |
|
A Letter to Three Wives | Rita Phipps (Character) | - | 1949 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | April Showers | June Tyme (Character) | - | 1948 |
17% |
|
Words and Music | Joyce Harmon (Character) | - | 1948 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Undercover Maisie | Maisie Ravier (Character) | - | 1947 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Up Goes Maisie | Maisie Ravier (Character) | - | 1946 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Maisie Goes to Reno | Maisie Ravier (Character) | - | 1944 |
No Score Yet |
|
Cry Havoc | Pat (Character) | - | 1943 |
No Score Yet |
|
Thousands Cheer | Self | - | 1943 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Swing Shift Maisie | Maisie (Character) | - | 1943 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | You, John Jones! | Mary Jones (Character) | - | 1943 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Three Hearts for Julia | Julia Seabrook (Character) | - | 1943 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Maisie Gets Her Man | Maisie Ravier (Character) | - | 1942 |
No Score Yet |
|
Panama Hattie | Hattie Maloney (Character) | - | 1942 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | We Must Have Music | Self | - | 1942 |
No Score Yet |
|
Ringside Maisie | Maisie Ravier (Character) | - | 1941 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Maisie Was a Lady | Maisie Ravier (Character) | - | 1941 |
No Score Yet |
|
Lady Be Good | Dixie Donegan Crane (Character) | - | 1941 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Gold Rush Maisie | Maisie Ravier (Character) | - | 1940 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Congo Maisie | Maisie Ravier (Character) | - | 1940 |
No Score Yet |
|
Brother Orchid | Florence "Flo" Addams (Character) | - | 1940 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Dulcy | Dulcy Ward (Character) | - | 1940 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Maisie |
Maisie Ravier/ |
- | 1939 |
No Score Yet |
|
Fast and Furious | Garda Sloane (Character) | - | 1939 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President | Ethel Turp (Character) | - | 1939 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Hotel for Women | Eileen Connelly (Character) | - | 1939 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Trade Winds | Jean Livingstone (Character) | - | 1938 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | She's Got Everything | Carol Rogers (Character) | - | 1938 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Danger, Love at Work | Toni Pemberton (Character) | - | 1937 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | There Goes My Girl | Reporter Connie Taylor (Character) | - | 1937 |
No Score Yet |
|
Super Sleuth | Mary Strand (Character) | - | 1937 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Fifty Roads To Town | Millicent Kendall (Character) | - | 1937 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | There Goes the Groom | Betty Russell (Character) | - | 1937 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Dangerous Number | Eleanor Breen Medhill (Character) | - | 1937 |
No Score Yet |
|
My American Wife | Mary Cantillon (Character) | - | 1936 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | You May Be Next | Fay Stevens (Character) | - | 1936 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Smartest Girl in Town | Frances `'Cookie'` Cooke (Character) | - | 1936 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Don't Gamble With Love | Jerry Edwards (Character) | - | 1936 |
No Score Yet |
|
Walking on Air | Kit Bennett (Character) | - | 1936 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Hell-Ship Morgan | Mary Taylor (Character) | - | 1936 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Hooray for Love | Patricia Thatcher (Character) | - | 1935 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Girl Friend | Linda Henry (Character) | - | 1935 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Grand Exit | Adrienne Martin (Character) | - | 1935 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Folies Bergère de Paris | Mimi (Character) | - | 1935 |
No Score Yet |
|
Kid Millions | Joan Larrabee (Character) | - | 1934 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Hell Cat | Geraldine (Character) | - | 1934 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Party's Over | Unknown (Character) | - | 1934 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Blind Date | Kitty Taylor (Character) | - | 1934 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Let's Fall in Love | Jean Kendall (Character) | - | 1934 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Melody in Spring | Jane Blodgett (Character) | - | 1934 |
TV
Credit | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Alias Smith and Jones | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1971 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Virginian | Della Spencer (Guest Star) | 1971 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Family Affair | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1968 |
10% | No Score Yet | The Girl From U.N.C.L.E. | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1967 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | My Mother the Car |
Gladys Crabtree/ |
1965-1966 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Lucy Show | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1965 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | What's My Line? | Guest | 1953 1957 1965 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Unknown (Character) | 1964 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | I've Got a Secret | Guest | 1963 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Ann Sothern Show | Katy O'Connor (Character) | 1958-1961 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1957 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | We Love Lucy | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1957 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Private Secretary | Susie McNamara (Character) | 1953-1957 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Showcase 39 | Unknown (Character) | 1957 |