Zasu Pitts

Zasu Pitts, the classic comedienne known for her timid, forlorn blue eyes, trademark woebegone vocal pattern, and fidgety hands, was born to Rulandus and Nellie (Shay) Pitts, the third of four children, on January 3, 1894. Her aged New York-native father, who had lost a leg during the Civil War era, had settled the family in Kansas by the time ZaSu was born but moved them to Santa Cruz, California, when she was nine, in search of a warmer climate and better job opportunities. She attended Santa Cruz High and managed to overcome her excessively shy nature to join the school's drama department. She later turned what was once considered her negative qualities into a successful career, using her unglamorous looks and wallflower tendencies to great effect in scores of screwball comedies. Pitts made her stage debut in 1915 and was discovered two years later by pioneer screenwriter Frances Marion, who secured her small, obscure parts in films for Paramount stars such as Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford. Mary cast her more effectively in another of her films, and Pitts' career took off. She gained popularity following a series of Universal one-reeler comedies and earned her first feature-length lead in King Vidor's *Better Times* (1919). She married matinée idol Tom Gallery in 1920 and appeared with him in several films, including *Bright Eyes* (1921), *Heart of Twenty* (1920), *Patsy* (1921), and *A Daughter of Luxury* (1922). Their daughter Ann was born in 1922. In 1924, the actress, now a reputable comedy farceur, was cast in what was considered the greatest tragic role of her career in Erich von Stroheim's epic *Greed* (1924), a film over four hours long that was cut down by the studio to less than two. The surprise casting initially shocked Hollywood but demonstrated that she could draw both tears and laughter with her doleful demeanor. The film has since gained in reputation, although it failed at the box office due to its extensive cutting. Alternating between comedy shorts and features, she received additional acclaim in dramas such as *Sins of the Fathers* (1928), *The Wedding March* (1928), also directed by Von Stroheim, and *War Nurse* (1930). By the time sound films arrived, which she transitioned to easily, she was firmly established in comedy. One major disappointment came when she was replaced in the war film *All Quiet on the Western Front* (1930) by Beryl Mercer after her initial appearance drew unintentional laughter from preview audiences. She decided, however, to make the most of the situation, drawing laughs in films such as *The Dummy* (1929), *Finn and Hattie* (1931), *The Guardsman* (1931), *Blondie of the Follies* (1932), *Sing and Like It* (1934), and *Ruggles of Red Gap* (1935). She also excelled in comedy partnerships with Thelma Todd in short films and with Slim Summerville in features. Breezing through the 1940s in various films, she also found work in vaudeville and on radio, engaging in banter with Bing Crosby, Al Jolson, and Rudy Vallee, among others. She made her Broadway debut in the mystery "Ramshackle Inn" in 1944, a play written especially for her, which was well-received and frequently taken on the road. Postwar films continued to offer Pitts roles as comic snoops and flighty relatives in quality fare such as *Life with Father* (1947). By the 1950s, she began focusing on television, culminating in her best-known series role as Nugie, the shipboard beautician and partner-in-crime, in *The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna* (1956) [also known as "Oh, Susannah"], where she played second banana to Gale Storm. Ill health dominated her later years when she was diagnosed with cancer in the mid-1950s. She continued to work until her death, making brief appearances in *The Thrill of It All* (1963) and *It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World* (1963). After her divorce from Gallery, she married a second time. The beloved comedienne passed away at age 69 on June 6, 1963, leaving behind a gallery of memorable, scene-stealing characters for audiences to enjoy.