Classically trained singer who briefly appeared in several films from the late 1920s before making her mark on Broadway. Sothern joined Columbia in 1933 and coasted as a star of B vehicles there; she also teamed five times with Gene Raymond for a series of modest programmer comedies and musicals at RKO. Sothern signed on with MGM in 1939 and emerged as the slightly dizzy but wisecracking lead of the popular, long-running comedy-adventure series, "Maisie." She also went on to enliven a number of musical comedies (even though she was miscast recreating Ethel Merman's stage role in "Panama Hattie" 1942) and exhibited a flair for dramatics in such engaging melodramas as "A Letter to Three Wives" (1949).
Sothern and MGM parted company after a decade and fewer good leading roles came her way in early middle age. So she turned her attention to TV in the early 1950s, starring in two very successful series "Private Secretary" (1953-57) and "The Ann Sothern Show" (1958-61), and intermittently appeared in features from the mid-60s. She did well in the political drama "The Best Man" (1964), and pulled off an especially striking dramatic performance as the mother of a compulsive murderer in Curtis Harrington's harrowing "The Killing Kind" (1973). Sothern also made another noteworthy return to the screen in a supporting role in "The Whales of August" (1987), for which she received an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actress. Married to actors Roger Pryor and Robert Sterling and mother of actress Tisha Sterling.
Family
MOTHER: Annette Yde-Lake. Concert singer, diction coach. Worked in Hollywood in early sound era as diction and vocal coach.
DAUGHTER: Tisha Sterling. Actor. Born December 10, 1944; father Robert Sterling; survived her.
Companion
HUSBAND: Roger Pryor. Orchestra leader. Maried in 1936; divorced in 1942.
HUSBAND: Robert Sterling. Socialite, actor. Married in 1943; divorced in 1949; father of Tisha Sterling.
Milestone
Nomadic childhood, following mother's travels as a concert singer
1929: Had bit in early sound musical, "The Show of Shows" (as Harriet Lake)
1930: Broadway debut in chorus of Florenz Ziegfeld's "Smiles"
1931: First leading role on Broadway in Rodgers and Hart's "America's Sweetheart"
1933: Returned to Hollywood and appeared (unbilled) in "Broadway Through a Keyhole"
1933: Signed contract with Columbia; dyed hair from red to platinum blonde
1934 - 1935: Began achieving success in leading roles
1936: Left Columbia and signed seven-year contract with RKO; acted opposite Gene Raymond in several popular comedies and musicals
1939: Sought to be released from RKO contract and joined MGM in first of series of "Maisie" films
1947: Last film as Maisie, "Undercover Maisie"
1950: Left MGM; last films there, "Nancy Goes to Rio" and "Shadow on the Wall"
Starred on first TV series, "Private Secretary"
Provided the voice of a woman reincarnated as an automobile on the sitcom "My Mother, the Car"
Toured in "The Glass Menagerie", "Gypsy" and "The Solid Gold Cadillac"
1987: Returned to films to play supporting role in "The Whales of August"; received Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination
Education
University of Washington - Seattle, Washington - attended three years
Bibliography
"Ann Sothern: A Bio-Bibliography" Marie Schultz 1990
Sothern's agents reportedly turned down an offer for the actress to play the older courtesan in "Zorba the Greek" when Simone Signoret withdrew from the project. The part went to Lila Kedrova who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar.
"I guess in the old days we just got by on glamor. Hollywood sold its stars on good looks and personality buildups. We weren't really actresses in the true sense. We were just big names--the products of a good publicity department". --Ann Sothern (in 1970s)
Keith
Ann Sothern is Great!
I first saw her in "Maisie", she was so entertaining I had to learn more about her. It is interesting ...
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Jane
A Unique Combination of Charm and Talent
Since I first saw her fifty years ago, I've always loved this charming lady! There is no one like Ann ...
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