Maisie

Maisie Ravier is a popular fictional character, the leading character of ten films (1939–1947) and a radio show, The Adventures of Maisie (broadcast 1945–1947, 1949–1953). She was played by actress Ann Sothern (1909–2001).

The concept for the Maisie series came from the story Dark Dame by Wilson Collison. Sothern said in an interview that the series was originally planned with Jean Harlow as the star.[1]

After a string of other films failed to attract audiences, Sothern left RKO Radio Pictures and signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, making her first film for MGM in 1939. She was cast in Maisie as Mary Anastasia O'Conno, a brassy but kindhearted Brooklyn burlesque dancer who went by the stage name 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 praised Sothern and described her as "one of the smartest comediennes in the business".[2]

Filmography

Radio

On November 24, 1941, Sothern appeared in the Lux Radio Theater adaptation of Maisie Was a Lady, and the popularity of the film series led to her own radio program, The Adventures of Maisie, broadcast on CBS Radio from 1945 to 1947, on the Mutual Broadcasting System in 1952, and in syndication from 1949 to 1953.

References

  1. ↑ Bawden, James (Fall 2016). "Ann Sothern: Smartest Girl in Town". Films of the Golden Age (86): 18–27.
  2. ↑ "The New Pictures". Time. October 18, 1943.
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