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Zasu Pitts

Zasu Pitts

Birthday: 1894-01-03 | Place of Birth: Parsons, Kansas, USA

Zasu Pitts was an American actress who starred in many silent dramas and comedies, transitioning successfully to mostly comedy films with the advent of sound films. She may be best known for her performance in Erich von Stroheim's epic silent film Greed. Based on her performance, von Stroheim labeled Pitts "the greatest dramatic actress". He also featured her in his films The Honeymoon (1928), The Wedding March (1928), War Nurse (1930) and Walking Down Broadway, released as Hello, Sister! (1933). However, for the most part, with the advent of sound Pitts was mostly relegated to comedy parts. A bitter disappointment was when she was replaced in the classic war drama All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) by Beryl Mercer after her initial appearance in previews drew unintentional laughs, despite her intense performance. She had viewers rolling in the aisles in Finn and Hattie (1931), The Guardsman (1931), Blondie of the Follies (1932), Sing and Like It (1934) and Ruggles of Red Gap (1935). In 1936 and 1937 she portrayed Hildegarde Withers in two movies, succeeding Edna May Oliver as the spinster sleuth, but they were not well received. In the 1950s she started focusing on television. This culminated in her best known series role, playing second banana to Gale Storm on CBS's The Gale Storm Show (1956) (also known as Oh, Susannah) in the role of Elvira Nugent ("Nugie"), the shipboard beautician. In 1961, Pitts was cast opposite Earle Hodgins in the episode "Lonesome's Gal" on the ABC sitcom, Guestward, Ho!, set on a dude ranch in New Mexico. In 1962, Pitts appeared in an episode of CBS's Perry Mason, "The Case of the Absent Artist". Her final role was as Gertie, the switchboard operator in the Stanley Kramer comedy epic It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963).

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Known For

Acting

Year
Title

Role

1963
The Thrill of It All

as    Olivia

1954
Francis Joins the WACS

as    Valerie Humpert

1952
Denver and Rio Grande

as    Jane Dwyer

1950
Francis

as    Valerie Humpert

1947
Life with Father

as    Cousin Cora Cartwright

1942
The Bashful Bachelor

as    Geraldine

1940
It All Came True

as    Miss Flint

1939
Naughty But Nice

as    Aunt Penelope Hardwick

1939
Eternally Yours

as    Cary Bingham

1939
Nurse Edith Cavell

as    Mme. Moulin

1937
Forty Naughty Girls

as    Hildegarde Withers

1936
Sing Me a Love Song

as    Gwen Logan

1936
Mad Holiday

as    Mrs. Fay Kinney

1935
Going Highbrow

as    Cora Upshaw

1935
She Gets Her Man

as    Esmeralda

1935
Ruggles of Red Gap

as    Mrs. Judson

1934
Dames

as    Matilda Hemingway

1934
The Gay Bride

as    Mirabelle

1933
Professional Sweetheart

as    Elmerada de Leon

1933
Mr. Skitch

as    Maddie Skitch

1933
Aggie Appleby, Maker of Men

as    Sybby 'Sib'

1932
Shopworn

as    Aunt Dot

1932
Roar of the Dragon

as    Gabby Woman

1932
Is My Face Red?

as    Morning Gazette Telephone Operator

1932
Make Me a Star

as    Mrs. Scudder

1932
The Crooked Circle

as    Nora Rafferty

1932
Strangers of the Evening

as    Sybil Smith

1932
Destry Rides Again

as    Temperance Worker