Maisie Ravier is a fictional character, best known as the leading character of ten American films (1939–1947), the ''Maisie'' films, and the radio show ''

The Adventures of Maisie ''The Adventures of Maisie'' (aka ''Maisie'') was a radio comedy series starring Ann Sothern as underemployed entertainer Maisie Ravier. It was a spin-off of Sothern's successful 1939–1947 ''Maisie'' movie series, based on a character created ...

'' (broadcast 1945–1947, 1949–1953). In these, she was played by actress

Ann Sothern 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 ...

. A 1960 unsold

television pilot A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie) in United Kingdom and United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television netwo ...

called ''Maisie'' reprised the character, with

Janis Paige Janis Paige (born Donna Mae Tjaden; September 16, 1922 – June 2, 2024) was an American actress and singer. With a career spanning nearly 60 years, she was one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Born in Tacoma, Wash ...

playing the role of the title character.

Background

The concept for the original ''Maisie'' film came from the novel ''Dark Dame'' by

Wilson Collison Wilson Collison (November 5, 1893 – May 25, 1941) was a writer and playwright. Early years Wilson Collison was the son of John B. Collison, a clerk in the City Engineer's Office, and Mary E. Gardner. Wilson Collison abandoned plans to bec ...

, and Collison is credited as original writer or creator of the character on many of the other ''Maisie'' films. Some sources credit the inspiration for the character as the "Maisie" short stories by Nell Martin, published in ''Top Notch Magazine'' in 1927–1928. Sothern said in an interview that the series was originally planned with

Jean Harlow Jean Harlow (born Harlean Harlow Carpenter; March 3, 1911 – June 7, 1937) was an American actress. Known for her portrayal of "bad girl" characters, she was the leading sex symbol of the early 1930s and one of the defining figures of the ...

as the star.

Film

After a string of other films failed to attract audiences, Sothern left

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, is an American film production and distribution company, historically one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Kei ...

and signed with

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

, making her first film for MGM in 1939. She was cast in '' Maisie'' as Mary Anastasia O'Connor, a brassy but kindhearted

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

dancer who went by the

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

of Maisie Ravier. ''Maisie'' brought Sothern her first real success. A string of sequels followed, beginning with ''Congo Maisie'' (1940) and continuing until ''Undercover Maisie'' (1947). Reviewing ''Swing Shift Maisie'' (1943), ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' praised Sothern and described her as "one of the smartest comediennes in the business".

Films in the series

Eight of the ten ''Maisie'' films were written by Mary C. McCall Jr. Unusually, there was no continuity from one picture to the next. For example, the first film ends with her marrying the leading man and inheriting a ranch, but in the next one she is single and footloose again. * '' Maisie'' (1939) * '' Congo Maisie'' (1940) * ''

Gold Rush Maisie ''Gold Rush Maisie'' is a 1940 drama film, the third of ten films starring Ann Sothern as Maisie Ravier, a showgirl with a heart of gold. In this entry in the series, she joins a gold rush to a ghost town. The film was directed by Edwin L. Mar ...

'' (1940) * '' Maisie Was a Lady'' (1941) * '' Ringside Maisie'' (1941) * '' Maisie Gets Her Man'' (1942) * '' Swing Shift Maisie'' (1943) * '' Maisie Goes to Reno'' (1944) * '' Up Goes Maisie'' (1946) * ''

Undercover Maisie ''Undercover Maisie'' is a 1947 American comedy film directed by Harry Beaumont and starring Ann Sothern, Barry Nelson, and Mark Daniels. It was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the final film of the ten film Maisie series starring Ann Sothern ...

'' (1947)

Radio

On November 24, 1941, Sothern appeared in the ''

Lux Radio Theater ''Lux Radio Theatre'', sometimes spelled ''Lux Radio Theater'', a old-time radio, classic radio anthology series, was broadcast on the Blue Network, NBC Blue Network (1934–35) (owned by the National Broadcasting Company, later predecessor of A ...

'' adaptation of ''Maisie Was a Lady'', and the popularity of the film series led to her own radio program, ''

'', broadcast on CBS Radio from 1945 to 1947, on the

Mutual Broadcasting System The Mutual Broadcasting System (commonly referred to simply as Mutual; sometimes referred to as MBS, Mutual Radio or the Mutual Radio Network) was an American commercial radio network in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the Golden Age of Radio, ...

in 1952, and in syndication from 1949 to 1953.

Television

In 1960,

took the role of Maisie Ravier in the unsold

''Maisie'', directed by

Edward Ludwig Edward Irving Ludwig (October 7, 1899 – August 20, 1982) was a Russian-born American film director and writer. He directed nearly 100 films between 1921 and 1963 (some under the names Edward I. Luddy and Charles Fuhr). Edward Ludwig was bo ...

, based on

's novel ''Dark Dame''. It aired as an episode of the

anthology series An anthology series is a written series, radio, television, film, or video game series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a different ca ...

'' New Comedy Showcase'' on September 12, 1960.

References

Film serial characters American film series Female characters in film Female characters in radio Film characters introduced in 1939 Radio characters introduced in 1941 {{film-char-stub