Mammy Lou (born c. 1804 - died after 1918) claimed an age which would have made her one of the earliest-born people to appear in a motion picture.
Life
In 1918, she appeared in the silent film ''
The Glorious Adventure'', directed by
Hobart Henley
Hobart Henley (born Hess Manassah Henle; November 23, 1887 – May 22, 1964) was an American silent film actor, director, screenwriter and producer. He was involved in over 60 films either as an actor or director or both from 1914 to 1934.
Early ...
, playing the part of The Mansion's Servant, the mansion being the Hermitage Plantation in
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...
. Mammy Lou claimed she was 114 years of age, and had been a
slave
Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
in Savannah until
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
abolished slavery; if proven, this would mean that Mammy Lou was around 60 years of age at the time she received her freedom from slavery.
If this legend is true, then Mammy Lou was one of the earliest-born individuals to appear in a feature film up until that time. The claim is unauthenticated, though, and a better claim may be made for Rebecca Clark(e), who appeared in a
Kinora reel made no later than 1912 (Reel 145, "Rebecca Clarke and kitten"), and who has been proved to have been born in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, on 5 June 1810.
Earliest born person to be filmed
/ref>
See also
*Longevity claims
Longevity claims are unsubstantiated cases of asserted human longevity. Those asserting lifespans of 110 years or more are referred to as supercentenarians. Many have either no official verification or are backed only by partial evidence. Cases w ...
*List of slaves
Slavery is a social-economic system under which people are enslaved: deprived of personal freedom and forced to perform labor or services without compensation. These people are referred to as slaves, or as enslaved people.
The following is a ...
References
Bibliography
*Patrick Robinson, ''Film Facts'', 1st edition (London: Aurum Press Ltd., 2001)
External links
*
19th-century births
Actresses from Savannah, Georgia
Year of death unknown
African-American actresses
American film actresses
Longevity claims
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