Zasu Pitts: The Life and Career

225 Pages·2010·5.15 MB·English

by  Charles Stumpf

ZASU PITTS

Z S P
A U ITTS
The Life and Career
Charles Stumpf
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Jefferson, North Carolina, and London
Frontispiece:A 1920s studio “glamour” shot of ZaSu Pitts.
Publisher’s note: Charles Stumpf died on August 28, 2009,
after completing the manuscript for this book.
LIBRARYOFCONGRESSCATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATIONDATA
Stumpf, Charles.
ZaSu Pitts : the life and career / Charles Stumpf.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Includes filmography.
ISBN 978-0-7864-4620-9
softcover : 50# alkaline paper
¡. Pitts, ZaSu, 1898 [sic]–1963. 2. Actors—
United States—Biography. I. Title.
PN2287.P55S78 2010 791.4302'8092—dc22 [B] 2010000272
British Library cataloguing data are available
©2010 Joseph G. Hill. All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying
or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher.
On the cover: ZaSu Pitts publicity photo (courtesy of the author)
Manufactured in the United States of America
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Box 6¡¡, Je›erson, North Carolina 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com
T C
ABLE OF ONTENTS
Acknowledgments
vi
Introduction
1
Biography
3
Filmography
Shorts
109
Feature Films
113
Television Credits
179
Radio Credits
186
Stage Appearances
188
Bibliography
189
Index
191
v
A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS
Bill Bell
Mike Brotherton
Ed Colbert
Richard Edmunds
Don Gallery
Ross Gibson
Eve Golden
Susan B. Grimes
G.D. Hamann
Luther Hathcock
Lois Laurel Hawes
House and Garden Magazine
Jim King
Bill R. Kizer
Karl Malkames
Cynthia Mathews
Fred McFadden
Andrew Rehak
John Reynolds
Ralf Reynolds
Don Roegge
Robert Rosterman
Melodie Shorey
Jon Guyot Smith
Fredrick Tucker
Raymond B. Wood
E. Ron Wright
vi
I
NTRODUCTION
Why a book about the life and career of ZaSu Pitts? Any film fan or historian will rec-
ognize the name and tell you that ZaSu Pitts was not just one, but twoof Hollywood’s top
personalities.
First and foremost, ZaSu Pitts established herself as one of the silent screen’s greatest
tragediennes. She went on to become one of the finest character actresses in talking film.
She was frequently cast as a befuddled, flustered, hand-wringing spinster, and became type-
cast in that category. ZaSu was a multitalented actress who could project every type of emo-
tion with her large, expressive eyes, her extremely graceful hands, and her general body
language. Today she is mainly remembered by Baby Boomers because of the Hal Roach–pro-
duced comedy Oh!Susanna!, a 1956–1960 TV series starring Gale Storm as the social direc-
tor on a cruise ship, the S.S.Ocean Queen. ZaSu co-starred as Miss Elvira “Nugey” Nugent,
the ship’s fluttery beautician. But it is unfair to judge the importance of Miss Pitts’ 50-
plus-year career by only this aspect of her work, no matter how popular the show was.
During her career ZaSu appeared in hundreds of films, in leads and in support, and
some popular shorts with Thelma Todd. But, of all her films, it is her work with director
Erich von Stroheim which has put her in the history books.
In 1923, the eccentric, Austrian-born filmmaker Von Stroheim set to work on his epic
adaptation of Frank Norris’s novel McTeague. He retitled the film Greed and astonished
everyone in Hollywood when he announced that he had cast none other than ZaSu Pitts,
known for her comedy roles, in the leading role of Trina McTeague. Trina was a young,
sweet-natured married woman who wins the lottery; thereafter, her only passion is for the
gold coins she has hoarded in a trunk. To add to her treasure, she becomes a shrewish wife
and begins to cheat her own husband by skimping on daily household expenses. The very
demanding role called for ZaSu to express every facet of her complex character using only
her eyes and body language.
The great director had total faith in her talents, despite her multitude of previous com-
edy roles, and considered her one of the world’s foremost dramatic actresses of the silent
screen. He was convinced she would give him the performance he needed, and ZaSu did
not disappoint him, receiving high acclaim. He nodded knowingly as he declared, “Art
must weep when ZaSu Pitts plays a comedy role.”
When the realistic drama Greedwas released in 1924, it was not appreciated or approved
of by many (not helped by the studio-enforced cuts), and one critic went so far as to call
it “an epic of the sewers.” It received limited screenings and was finally withdrawn from
exhibition. It took many years for the film to gain the following and reputation it retains
to this day.
Most of ZaSu’s succeeding film assignments were of a comedic nature, with very few
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2 INTRODUCTION
exceptions, such as Lazybones and Mannequin, both released in 1926, and (again with Von
Stroheim) The Wedding March. She was so popular and likable in comedy it was only nat-
ural that she would be typecast. Von Stroheim was basically the only one to see beyond
that, to see the pathos within ZaSu, giving her a chance to stretch as an actress.
In 1929, ZaSu was assigned the comedy role of Rose Gleason, a highly nervous gun
moll, in The Dummy. She later recalled that fateful role:
The talkies had only been with us a very short time when the axe crashed down on my head.
It was a low-budget gangster film, The Dummy, in which I played a scene of heart-rending
anguish and I was directed to wring my hands for effect. In disgust, I cupped my hands over
my forehead and let out a doleful, “Ooooh, dear!!!” Everyone on the set went into convul-
sions of laughter, and in my next picture they had me do more of the same.
The funny line and the accompanying gestures became ever after her trademark. She later
added, “It was the opening up of a new career for me as a comedienne, but it finished the
career I loved most, as a dra-
matic actress.”
ZaSu remained busy in
films, starring in Hal Roach
shorts with Thelma Todd,
appearing on radio, acting on
the stage, and venturing into TV
starting in 1948. She remained
an audience favorite up until her
untimely death in 1962.
And she is still remem-
bered today, especially by view-
ers of TCM, where her films
are consistently shown. Greed
is still regarded as a movie mas-
terpiece, topping many greatest
film lists. With its continued
appeal and exposure to new
generations, ZaSu’s brilliant
work lives on.
It is my wish that, with
this book, those who know
Miss Pitts for Greed will be
introduced to her brilliant
comedy—and vice versa. ZaSu
was a versatile actress, and it is
time for her to finally receive
her due. There are numerous
reasons why she is remem-
bered—not only for her
In Erich von Stroheim’s 1924 silent dramatic masterpiece
Greed, ZaSu, as Trina McTeague, brushes her long, luxuri- expressive hands, but also for
ant hair. her kind and generous heart.
B
IOGRAPHY
In 1900, although the flag of the United States boasted 48 stars, there were only 45
states in the Union. Kansas ranked 22nd in size, with nearly a million and a half residents.
Teddy Roosevelt was in the White House, having become the nation’s youngest president
at the age of 42. There had been no war for almost two full generations. The average Amer-
ican worker earned 22 cents an hour. Most males worked ten hours per day, six days a week,
and took home an average $12 for a week’s labors.
Business was brisk and taxes were low. Automobiles sold for an average of $1,150, but
there were not many around in those days, as there was only a total of 150 miles of paved
road in the entire country. The U.S. Treasury showed a surplus of more than $45 million,
and the three uppermost things in everyone’s life were peace, prosperity and progress.
Parsons, Kansas, was a railroading town through which more than 100 passenger trains
passed monthly, as well as more than 1,000 freight trains. The city became known as
“the Infant Wonder of the South West.” It’s no surprise, then, that International Harvester
Company chose Parsons as its main distribution point. The official census confirmed a
population of 6,808 residents, making it the 12th largest city in the state. Its business dis-
trict was constantly changing, and its unpaved streets were lined with brick sidewalks.
The two main centers of entertainment were Edwards Hall and Russell Hall. Each night at
8:00 P.M. a bell atop the city’s firehouse sounded a curfew for all children to get off the
streets.
Rulandus Pitts, a New Yorker by birth, enlisted in Company F, 30th Infantry Regi-
ment, on June 1, 1861. Two years later he was transferred to the 76th New York. On June
1, 1863, as part of Cutler’s Brigade, he participated in the infamous “Railroad Cut” outside
of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. During the bloody Battle of Gettysburg, Rulandus was
shot in the right knee and the right shoulder. When his troop pulled back, he was left behind,
badly wounded on the field of battle. Medical help was delayed, and because of this
and the seriousness of his injuries, when help did arrive, his leg had to be amputated above
the knee. In later years he was also unable to use his right hand. He stayed in the army,
however, working in the commissary. He left the service on July 1, 1864, on a medical dis-
charge.
After the war he returned to New York, working the best he could with his disabili-
ties. He married and had a daughter, Clara Belle, but he was widowed after a few years. In
1879 he remarried, moving to Parsons, Kansas, where he lived on his pension and some odd
jobs. The bride was the former Nellie Shay (born January 1, 1860, died February 16, 1941),
of Irish immigrant parents.
It had been a cold, crisp January 3, 1894, in Parsons, Kansas, when a dark-haired,
blue-eyed baby girl was delivered to the Pitts home. The family already consisted of a
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