Theresa Mae Harris"Harris-Robinson"
''Camarillo Star''. August 25, 1933. p. 3. Retrieved July 8, 2024. (December 31, 1906 – October 8, 1985) was an American television and film actress, singer and dancer.

Early life

A native of

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, Harris was one of five children born to Ina and Anthony Harris."Theresa Harris, Someday, Wants to Be a Great Actress"
''California Eagle''. January 11, 1940. p. 10. Retrieved July 8, 2024. A "well-known elocutionist," Ina Harris was said to be the source of her daughter's "histrionic talent."Matthews, Ralph (March 31, 1934)
"Looking at the Stars: Theresa Harris – A Movie Personality to Keep Your Eyes On"
''The Afro-American''. p. 22. Retrieved July 8, 2024. Harris' family relocated to Southern California in the early 1920s. After graduating Jefferson High School, she studied at the USC Conservatory of Music and the Zoellner Conservatory of Music. She then joined the Lafayette Players, an African American musical comedy theatre troupe.

Career

She made her film debut in 1929 in ''

Thunderbolt A thunderbolt or lightning bolt is a symbolic representation of lightning when accompanied by a loud thunderclap. In Indo-European mythology, the thunderbolt was identified with the 'Sky Father'; this association is also found in later Hel ...

'', singing the song "Daddy Won't You Please Come Home". As she entered the 1930s, she played, often without credit, maids to characters acted by

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympatheti ...

Sylvia Sidney Sylvia Sidney (born Sophia Kosow; August 8, 1910 – July 1, 1999) was an American stage, screen, and film actress whose career spanned 70 years. She rose to prominence in dozens of leading roles in the 1930s. She was nominated for the Academy ...

Frances Dee Frances Marion Dee (November 26, 1909 – March 6, 2004) was an American actress. Her first film was the musical ''Playboy of Paris'' (1930). She starred in the film ''An American Tragedy (film), An American Tragedy'' (1931). She is also known ...

Myrna Loy Myrna Loy (born Myrna Adele Williams; August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American film, television and stage actress. As a performer, she was known for her ability to adapt to her screen partner's acting style. Born in Helena, Monta ...

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 ...

Thelma Todd Thelma Alice Todd (July 29, 1906 – December 16, 1935) was an American actress and businesswoman who carried the nicknames "The Ice Cream Blonde" and "Hot Toddy". Appearing in about 120 feature films and shorts between 1926 and 1935, she ...

Kay Francis Kay Francis (born Katharine Edwina Gibbs; January 13, 1905 – August 26, 1968) was an American stage and film actress. After a brief period on Broadway in the late 1920s, she moved to film and achieved her greatest success between 1930 an ...

, Mary Duncan, and

Barbara Stanwyck Barbara Stanwyck (; born Ruby Catherine Stevens; July 16, 1907 – January 20, 1990) was an American actress and dancer. A stage, film, and television star, during her 60-year professional career, she was known for her strong, realistic screen p ...

. She also floated around studios doing bit-parts, usually at

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

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 ...

, variously as a blues singer, waitress, tribal woman, prostitute, and hat check girl. Harris had a featured role as a friend of star

in MGM's '' Hold Your Man'' (1933), co-starring

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American actor often referred to as the "King of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". He appeared in more than 60 Film, motion pictures across a variety of Film genre, genres dur ...

. In 1933, she appeared as Chico in the Warner Bros.

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was an era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry that occurred between the widespread adoption of sound in film in the late 1920s and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship gui ...

production of '' Baby Face'', starring

. That same year, Harris starred in a substantial role opposite

in '' Professional Sweetheart''. As Rogers's character's maid, Harris's character subs for Rogers's character as a singer on the radio. Despite the fact that Harris's character was a major point for the story's plot development, she was uncredited for the role. Throughout the 1930s, Harris played many uncredited parts in films such as '' Horse Feathers'' (1932), ''

Gold Diggers of 1933 ''Gold Diggers of 1933'' is an American Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code musical film directed by Mervyn LeRoy with songs by Harry Warren (music) and Al Dubin (lyrics). The film's numbers were staged and choreographed by Busby Berkeley. It starr ...

'' (1933), ''Mary Stevens, M.D.'' (1933) and ''

Morning Glory Morning glory (also written as morning-glory) is the common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae, whose taxonomy and systematics remain in flux. These species are distributed across numerous genus, gene ...

'' (1933). She also played

's maid Zette in the film ''

Jezebel Jezebel ()"Jezebel"
(US) and

'' (1938). In 1937, she appeared in the

race film The race film or race movie was a genre of film produced in the United States between about 1915 and the early 1950s, consisting of films produced for African American, black audiences, and featuring black casts. Approximately five hundred race ...

'' Bargain with Bullets'' opposite Ralph Cooper for Million Dollar Productions, co-owned by Cooper. While doing promotion for the film, Harris spoke about her frustration over the difficulty African American actors faced in the film industry stating,

I never had the chance to rise above the role of maid in Hollywood movies. My color was against me anyway you looked at it. The fact that I was not "hot" stamped me either as uppity or relegated me to the eternal role of stooge or servant. ..My ambition is to be an actress. Hollywood had no parts for me.

She also praised Ralph Cooper for starting a production company that produced films starring African American actors. She said,

We have nothing to lose in the development of an all-colored motion picture company. The competition will make Hollywood perk up and produce better films with our people in a variety of roles.

Harris continued to lobby for better parts within Hollywood but found few opportunities. In the 1939 movie ''Tell No Tales'' she was credited for playing Ruby, the wife of a murdered man. Harris played an emotional scene with Melvin Douglas at the funeral. She appears in a small but vivid role as Kathie Moffat's ex-maid Eunice Leonard in

Jacques Tourneur Jacques Tourneur (; ; November 12, 1904 – December 19, 1977) was a French-American filmmaker, active during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known as an auteur of stylish and atmospheric genre films, many of them for RKO Pictures, including ...

's 1947

film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...

, ''

Out of the Past ''Out of the Past'' (billed in the United Kingdom as ''Build My Gallows High'') is a 1947 American film noir directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and Kirk Douglas. The film was adapted by Geoffrey Homes (Daniel ...

''. In addition to films, Harris also performed in many radio programs, including '' Hollywood Hotel''. Harris was often paired with Eddie Rochester Anderson, who portrayed her on-screen boyfriend. They appeared together in '' Buck Benny Rides Again'' (1940) and ''What's Buzzin' Cousin'' (1943). In ''Buck Benny Rides Again'', Harris and Anderson performed the musical number "My, My," where they sing and dance tap, classical, Spanish, and swing. She also appeared in several prominent roles for

RKO 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 major film studios, "Big Five" film studios of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood's Clas ...

as she was a favorite of producer

Val Lewton Val Lewton (May 7, 1904 – March 14, 1951) was a Russian-American novelist, film producer, and screenwriter best known for a string of low-budget horror films he produced for RKO Pictures in the 1940s. His son, also named Val Lewton, was a pai ...

who routinely cast African American actors in non-stereotypical roles. In 1942, Lewton cast Harris as a sarcastic waitress in '' Cat People'', followed by roles in ''

I Walked with a Zombie ''I Walked with a Zombie'' is a 1943 American horror film directed by Jacques Tourneur and produced by Val Lewton for RKO Pictures. It stars James Ellison, Frances Dee, and Tom Conway, and follows a Canadian nurse who travels to care for th ...

'' (1943), ''

Phantom Lady Phantom Lady is a fictional superheroine appearing in media published by Quality Comics and DC Comics. She was created by the Eisner & Iger studio, one of the first to produce comics on demand for publishers. The character's early adventures we ...

'' (1944), and '' Strange Illusion'' (1945). During the 1950s, Harris appeared several times on television on such shows as ''

Lux Video Theatre ''Lux Video Theatre'' is an American television anthology series that was produced from 1950 until 1957. The series presented both comedy and drama in original teleplays, as well as abridged adaptations of films and plays. Overview The ''Lux Vi ...

'', ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

'', and '' Letter to Loretta''. She made her last film appearance in an uncredited role in '' The Gift of Love'' in 1958.

Personal life

Harris married John Marshall Robinson, a doctor, in 1933. Barely had news of their wedding been published when it was reported that Robinson had been arrested and charged with receiving stolen goods (paid for with morphine supplied to his drug-addicted benefactor). As of March 1934, Harris was still being described as "very much in love" with her husband, but by June of that year, Robinson was a convicted felon, and in 1936, amidst reports of wife-beating having entered the equation, she filed for divorce. Harris retired from acting in the late 1950s, living comfortably off careful investments made during her career. Harris was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

. A Democrat, she supported the presidential campaign of

Adlai Stevenson Adlai Stevenson may refer to: * Adlai Stevenson I Adlai Ewing Stevenson (October 23, 1835 – June 14, 1914) was an American politician and diplomat who served as the 23rd vice president of the United States from 1893 to 1897 under President Gr ...

in 1952. On October 8, 1985, Harris died of undisclosed causes in Inglewood, California. She was buried in

Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery is a cemetery, located at 1831 West Washington Boulevard in the West Adams, Los Angeles, West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles, southwest of Downtown Los Angeles, Downtown. History Located in the West Adams, Los Angeles ...

in Los Angeles, California.

Legacy

The title character in

Lynn Nottage Lynn Nottage (born November 2, 1964) is an American playwright whose work often focuses on the experience of working-class people, particularly working-class people who are black. She has received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice: in 2009 for he ...

's 2011 play '' By the Way, Meet Vera Stark'' is based in part on Theresa Harris.

Selected filmography

*''

'' (1929) as Black Cat Cafe Singer (uncredited) *''

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

'' (1930) as Camp Follower (uncredited) *'' The Road to Reno'' (1931) as Maid at Dude Ranch (uncredited) *'' Arrowsmith'' (1931) as Native Mother (uncredited) *'' Union Depot'' (1932) as Black Woman (uncredited) *'' Merrily We Go to Hell'' (1932) as Powder Room Attendant (uncredited) *'' Week Ends Only'' (1932) as Chloë (uncredited) *'' Horse Feathers'' (1932) as Laura, Connie's maid (uncredited) *'' Free Wheeling'' (1932, Short) as Maid *''

Faithless Faithless are an English dance music Band (rock and pop), band that formed in 1995, with its core original members being Rollo Armstrong, Rollo, Sister Bliss and Maxi Jazz. During the band's initial period of success, Sister Bliss and Maxi Ja ...

'' (1932) as Amanda (uncredited) *'' Night After Night'' (1932) as Ladies' Room Attendant (uncredited) *''

The Sport Parade ''The Sport Parade'' is a 1932 American Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code sports film, sports drama film directed by Dudley Murphy and starring Joel McCrea, Marian Marsh, William Gargan, Robert Benchley, and Richard "Skeets" Gallagher. It was released ...

'' (1932) as Nightclub Dancer (uncredited) *'' The Half-Naked Truth'' (1932) as Emily, Teresita's Maid (uncredited) *'' Grand Slam'' (1933) as Ladies' Room Attendant (uncredited) *''

'' (1933) as Black Woman in 'Pettin' in the Park' Number (uncredited) *'' Professional Sweetheart'' (1933) as Vera, Glory's Maid (uncredited) *'' Private Detective 62'' (1933) as Janet's Maid (uncredited) *'' Hold Your Man'' (1933) as Lily Mae Crippen, reformatory inmate (uncredited) *'' Baby Face'' (1933) as Chico *'' Mary Stevens, M.D.'' (1933) as Alice, Andrews' Maid (uncredited) *''

'' (1933) as Minor Role (uncredited) *'' Penthouse'' (1933) as Lili, Mimi's Maid (uncredited) *'' Broadway Through a Keyhole'' (1933) as Joan's Maid (uncredited) *'' Blood Money'' (1933) as Jessica (uncredited) *'' The Worst Woman in Paris?'' (1933) as Lily, the Maid *'' Roman Scandals'' (1933) as Handmaiden (uncredited) *'' Flying Down to Rio'' (1933) as Dancer (uncredited) *'' Success at Any Price'' (1934) as Marie, Agnes' Maid (uncredited) *'' A Modern Hero'' (1934) as Leah's Maid (uncredited) *'' Sleepers East'' (1934) as Gloria Washington (uncredited) *''

Finishing School A finishing school focuses on teaching young women social graces and upper-class cultural rites as a preparation for entry into society. The name reflects the fact that it follows ordinary school and is intended to complete a young woman's ...

'' (1934) as Evelyn, Mrs Radcliff's maid (uncredited) *'' Drums O' Voodoo'' (1934) *'' Operator 13'' (1934) as Slave at Medicine Show (uncredited) *'' Black Moon'' (1934) as Sacrificed Girl (uncredited) *'' Desirable'' (1934) as Ladies Room Maid at Party (uncredited) *''

Go Into Your Dance ''Go into Your Dance'' is a 1935 American musical drama film starring Al Jolson, Ruby Keeler, and Glenda Farrell. The film was directed by Archie Mayo, and is based on the novel of the same name by Bradford Ropes. It was released by Warner Br ...

'' (1935) as Luana's Maid (uncredited) *''

Broadway Melody of 1936 ''Broadway Melody of 1936'' is a musical film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1935. In New York, the film opened at the Capitol Theatre, the site of many prestigious MGM premieres. In New York, the film opened at the Capitol Theatre, the sit ...

'' (1935) as Theresa (uncredited) *'' In Person'' (1935) as Carol's Maid (uncredited) *'' Strike Me Pink'' (1936) as Dancer / Singer in 'First You Have Me High (Then You Have Me Low)' (uncredited) *''

The Green Pastures ''The Green Pastures'' is a play written in 1929 by Marc Connelly adapted from '' Ol' Man Adam an' His Chillun'' (1928), a collection of stories written by Roark Bradford. The play was the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1930. It ha ...

'' (1936) as Angel (uncredited) *'' 15 Maiden Lane'' (1936) as Ladies Room Maid (uncredited) *'' Banjo On My Knee'' (1936) as Black Blues Singer (uncredited) *'' Charlie Chan at the Olympics'' (1937) as Black US Team Member On Sidelines Rooting for Jesse Owens (uncredited) *'' The Lady Escapes'' (1937) as Maid (uncredited) *''

Big Town Girl ''Big Town Girl'' is a 1937 American drama film directed by Alfred L. Werker and written by Lou Breslow, Robert Ellis (actor, born 1892), Robert Ellis, Helen Logan and John Patrick. The film stars Claire Trevor, Donald Woods (actor), Donald Woods ...

'' (1937) as Maid (uncredited) *''Gangsters on the Loose'' (1937) as Grace Foster *''

Jezebel Jezebel ()"Jezebel"
(US) and

'' (1938) as Zette *'' The Toy Wife'' (1938) as 'Pick' *'' Passport Husband'' (1938) as Maid (uncredited) *'' Tell No Tales'' (1939) as Ruby *'' The Women'' (1939) as Olive (uncredited) *''One Hour to Live'' (1939) as High Yaller girl *'' City of Chance'' (1940) as Beulah, Powder Room Attendant (uncredited) *'' Buck Benny Rides Again'' (1940) as Josephine *''

Santa Fe Trail The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, who departed from the Boonslick region along the Missouri River, the ...

'' (1940) as Maid (uncredited) *'' Love Thy Neighbor'' (1940) as Josephine *''

The Flame of New Orleans ''The Flame of New Orleans'' is a 1941 American historical comedy film directed by René Clair and starring Marlene Dietrich and Bruce Cabot in his first comedy role. The supporting cast features Roland Young, Andy Devine and Franklin Pangborn. ...

'' (1941) as Clementine *''

Blossoms in the Dust ''Blossoms in the Dust'' is a 1941 American biographical drama film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Felix Bressart, Marsha Hunt, Fay Holden and Samuel S. Hinds. It tells the story of Edna Gladney, who help ...

'' (1941) as Cleo *'' Our Wife'' (1941) as Hattie *''

Here Comes Mr. Jordan ''Here Comes Mr. Jordan'' is a 1941 American Fantasy film, fantasy romantic comedy film directed by Alexander Hall, in which a boxer, mistakenly taken to Heaven before his time, is given a second chance back on Earth. It stars Robert Montgomery ...

'' (1941) as Mother Listening to Hurdy-gurdy (uncredited) *''

Sing Your Worries Away ''Sing Your Worries Away'' is a 1942 musical film directed by A. Edward Sutherland and starring Buddy Ebsen, June Havoc, Patsy Kelly, Bert Lahr, Dorothy Lovett and Sam Levene. Plot Cast * Buddy Ebsen as Tommy Jones * Patsy Kelly as Bebe Mc ...

'' (1942) as Hat Check Girl (uncredited) *'' Tough as They Come'' (1942) as Bessie Mae *'' Cat People'' (1942) as Minnie (uncredited) *''

'' (1943) as Alma, Maid *'' What's Buzzin', Cousin?'' (1943) as Blossom (uncredited) *''

'' (1944) *'' Strange Illusion'' (1945) as Maid (uncredited) *'' Men in Her Diary'' (1945) as Violet (uncredited) *'' The Dolly Sisters'' (1945) as Ellabelle (uncredited) *''

Miss Susie Slagle's ''Miss Susie Slagle's'' is a 1946 American drama film directed by John Berry. It was based on the popular novel by Augusta Tucker. The film was Berry's directorial debut and first starring role for Joan Caulfield. Plot A nursing student falls ...

'' (1946) as Maid (uncredited) *'' Smooth as Silk'' (1946) as Louise *'' Three Little Girls in Blue'' (1946) as Maid (uncredited) *''Swingtime Jamboree'' (1946) *'' Hit Parade of 1947'' (1947) as Maid (uncredited) *''

Miracle on 34th Street ''Miracle on 34th Street'' (initially released as ''The Big Heart'' in the United Kingdom) is a 1947 American Christmas film, Christmas comedy-drama film released by 20th Century-Fox, written and directed by George Seaton and based on a story ...

'' (1947) as Cleo, the Walkers' maid / housekeeper (uncredited) *'' Merton of the Movies'' (1947) as Beulah's Maid (uncredited) *''

'' (1947) as Eunice Leonard (uncredited) *''

The Lady from Shanghai ''The Lady from Shanghai'' is a 1947 American film noir produced and directed by Orson Welles and starring Rita Hayworth, Welles, Everett Sloane, and Glenn Anders. Welles's screenplay is based on the novel ''If I Die Before I Wake'' by Sherwo ...

'' (1947) as Spectator in Courtroom (uncredited) *'' The Big Clock'' (1948) as Daisy, Strouds' Maid (uncredited) *'' The Velvet Touch'' (1948) as Nancy *'' Alias Nick Beal'' (1949) as Opal, Donna's Maid (uncredited) *'' Neptune's Daughter'' (1949) as Matilda the Maid (uncredited) *'' Tension'' (1949) as Woman in Drugstore (uncredited) *'' And Baby Makes Three'' (1949) as Wanda's Maid (uncredited) *'' The File on Thelma Jordon'' (1950) as Esther *'' Grounds for Marriage'' (1951) as Stella *'' Al Jennings of Oklahoma'' (1951) as Terese *'' The Company She Keeps'' (1951) as Lilly Johnson (uncredited) *'' Angel Face'' (1953) as Nurse Theresa (uncredited) *'' Small Town Girl'' (1953) as Backstage Maid (uncredited) *'' Here Come the Girls'' (1953) as Josie, Irene's Maid (uncredited) *'' The French Line'' (1953) as Clara, Mame's Maid (uncredited) *''

'' (1956) (Season 1 Episode 23: "Back for Christmas") as California Maid *''

Back from Eternity ''Back from Eternity'' is a 1956 American Drama (film and television), drama film about a planeload of people stranded in the South American jungle and subsequently menaced by Headhunting, headhunters. The film stars Robert Ryan, Rod Steiger, An ...

'' (1956) as Mamie (uncredited) *''

Spoilers of the Forest ''Spoilers of the Forest'' is a 1957 American drama film directed by Joseph Kane, written by Bruce Manning, and starring Rod Cameron, Vera Ralston, Ray Collins, Hillary Brooke, Edgar Buchanan and Carl Benton Reid. It was released on April 5 ...

'' (1957) as Nancy the Maid (uncredited) *'' The Gift of Love'' (1958) as Dora, Sam's Wife (uncredited) (final film role)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Theresa 1906 births 1985 deaths African-American women singers American female dancers American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Burials at Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery Actresses from Houston Actresses from Inglewood, California 20th-century African-American actresses 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American dancers California Democrats Texas Democrats African-American Methodists 20th-century Methodists RKO Pictures contract players Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players Warner Bros. contract players