Olive Brasno

Olive Brasno
Born (1917-10-17)October 17, 1917
Old Bridge, New Jersey, U.S.
Died January 25, 1998(1998-01-25) (aged 80)
Lakeland, Florida, U.S.
Resting place Saint Marys Cemetery, East Brunswick, New Jersey
Occupation Actress, dancer
Years active 1933–1959
Spouse(s) Gus Wayne (?-1998) (his death)[1]

Olive Brasno (October 17, 1917 – January 25, 1998) was a little person dancer and actor who was known for her singing-and-dancing act with her brother George Brasno. She also appeared in a few films through the 1930s and 1940s.

Born in Old Bridge Township, New Jersey, Olive Brasno and her brother George Brasno were first recognized as a brother-and-sister midget singing team in a partnership with Buster Shaver's vaudeville act.[2]

Career

Dancer/actress Olive Brasno Wayne spent the bulk of her career performing on stage, but she also occasionally appeared in feature films. She launched her professional career dancing and singing in vaudeville along with her brother George Brasno. The act was called "Buster Shaver, Olive and George", and it toured nationally. She and George appeared in Little Miss Broadway (1938) opposite Shirley Temple. Other film credits include The Mighty Barnum (1934) and Sitting Pretty (1933). She and her brother appeared in one of the original Charlie Chan films with Warner Oland, "Charlie Chan at the Circus", in 1936. She appeared with her brother in at least two Our Gang shorts, singing "The Ice Cream Song" in "Shrimps for a Day."

She was offered a part as a "Munchkin" in The Wizard of Oz (1939) but turned it down because she and her brother were making more money in vaudeville.[2][3]

Personal life

Olive Brasno married little person actor Gus Wayne, who played one of the Munchkin soldiers in The Wizard of Oz; the couple were married for 37 years.[3]

Death

Olive Brasno died in Lakeland, Florida, on January 25, 1998, at the age of 80. After 37 years of marriage, she outlived her husband, Gus Wayne, by two days.[1][4]

References

  1. 1 2 Galloway, Doug. "Olive Brasno Wayne, 80; Midget actress turned down role in Oz", Variety (magazine), March 2, 1998. Accessed December 26, 2017. "Olive Brasno Wayne, a midget actress who worked with a number of top entertainment luminaries during the 1930s, died Jan. 25 of heart failure at a hospital in Lakeland, Fla. She was 80.... Her husband of 37 years, Gus Wayne, also a midget actor who did appear in The Wizard of Oz, predeceased her by two days (see accompanying obituary)."
  2. 1 2 Kemp, Heather Wendt for Weird NJ. "Weird NJ: The Brasnos – Old Bridge’s movie heroes", Asbury Park Press, April 23, 2017. Accessed December 26, 2017. Persons short in stature historically have found work in the entertainment industry. The members of the Brasno family of Old Bridge were able to benefit from this trend. They were a family of six, four of whom were little people. As 'proportional' dwarfs, or 'midgets' as they were commonly known in the 1930s, siblings Olive and George Brasno were offered Munchkin roles in The Wizard of Oz.... Not foreseeing that the movie would become a classic, Olive and George declined MGM’s offer, choosing instead to continue with their own more lucrative vaudeville act, 'Buster Shaver, Olive and George.'"
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