LOUISE BEAVERS
BIRTH: March 8, 1902
DEATH: October 26, 1962
AGED: 60 years old
DIED FROM: Heart Attack, after years of ill health..had diabetes
MARRIED: Twice, the second time lasted until her death
CHILDREN: No Children
OSCAR WINS: None, No Nominations even though many people felt, at the time, she deserved an Oscar nom. for her role in Imitation of Life
TALENT: She was a noted singer and played in a few bands during the 20s.
KNOWN FOR: Playing maids even though she could not cook at all. A vocal advocate for African-American rights.
The sweet-faced Louise Beavers was an actress at the wrong time, being African-American, because she would have won an Oscar and be a much bigger name today given her talents. She made the most of it and championed equal rights at a time when racism was very open even in Hollywood. Today, she is known for plying a multitude of maids who cooked up a storm and offered her own advice and talents to her white employers often helping them with their own problems and, making them rich on her ideas or cooking prowess. Funny anecdote, Louise could not cook a stitch! She, probably, didn’t even know how to boil water…lol. This lady did all she could to fight for her own rights and the rights of the African-Americans. She would, successfully, change words in the script to soften the way people spoke to the black people ( ie. she changed the word..N@#& to Negro), and she would inflect her own style into her characters so you would feel for her character whether it be sadness, hope, or empathy. Off screen she fought for equal rights, she was part of a group who were successful in fighting land covenants that barred African Americans from buying homes in her L. A. neighbourhood. She also co-founded the Doll League which gave dolls to underprivileged girls.
She started in Hollywood as an actual maid to a famous Hollywood star, Leatrice Joy ( the Meryl Streep of her day) to having her own TV Show, “Beulah” in the early 1950s. Yes, she played a maid, but she was the star and the first African-American to have her own show( albeit, Ethel Waters and then, Hattie McDaniel played the character first). She should have been nominated, if not won the Oscar, for her role in Imitation of Life, fought for the rights of her people, helped underprivileged children and was known as a sweet and good natured lady. She deserves a place right beside many famous stars of the classic era.
FILMS
1. Imitation of Life-1934
2. Mr. Blandings Build His Dream House-1948
3. Reform School-1939
4. She Done Him Wrong-1933
5. The Jackie Robinson Story-1950
6. Holiday Inn-1942
7. Wives Never Know-1936
8. Bullets or Ballets-1936
9. Gold Diggers of Broadway-1929
10. Make Way For Tomorrow-1937
I remember her! What a shame she did not get the recognition she deserved.
ReplyDeleteAh yes, Imitation of Life. She carried that movie.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, I hadn’t heard of her.
ReplyDeleteHi Birgit!
ReplyDeleteWonderful choice, I’m a huge Louise Beavers fan and agree she never really received her due.
Like Hattie McDaniel she had an extra something that made her stand out from the pack, a sweet slyness to Hattie’s more sandpapery snap. But both were no nonsense ladies who brightened up whatever film they were in.
It is a shame she rarely received parts that were worthy of her though I’m sure she adhered to Hattie’s maxim when people gave her a tough time about playing a servant “I’d rather PLAY a maid for 700 dollars a week than BE one for 7!” Something that I read that was more distressing to me was the fact that in her private life she was naturally slender, but the studios insisted she put on weight to fit the stereotype of a maid which was a contributing factor to her later health issues.
I’ve seen a great deal of her work but a Grail title that I’ve sought for years is “Reform School” (1939) which was re-released in 1944 under the title “Prison Bait” in which she had the lead as a sympathetic probation officer. It was long thought to be lost but Larry Fishburne and Giancarlo Esposito got their hands on a rare print and donated it to Academy Film Archive who restored it. It is held there but as far as access to the general public that seems limited. Sadly, her other starring role in “Life Goes On” from 1938 is a lost film.
My favorites of her films based on her participation rather than the films would run this way:
“No Time for Comedy” (1940)-She’s a hoot as Rosalind Russell’s maid and occasional costar Clementine who trades barbs with both Jimmy Stewart and Allyn Joslyn.
“Imitation of Life” (1934)-I much prefer the ’59 Lana Turner version and Juanita Moore’s performance is inimitable, but Louise is excellent in this even if her role is written as weepier.
“Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House” (1948)-Her role as Gussie is small but she’s the linchpin that saves the day.
“Holiday Inn” (1942)-She gets to strut her stuff a bit as Mamie even getting a musical number.
Otherwise, she was always a delight, but I cannot think of any roles that really stretched her gifts. She could be razor sharp with a comeback though.