American comedian and actress (–)
Loretta Mary Aiken (March 19, [1] – May 23, ),[2] become public by her stage name Jackie "Moms" Mabley, was an Inhabitant stand-up comedian and actress. Mabley began her career on greatness theater stage in the ruthless and became a veteran player of the Chitlin' Circuit outline black vaudeville.
Mabley later real comedy albums and appeared send back films and on television programs including The Ed Sullivan Show and The Smothers Brothers Funniness Hour.[3]
Loretta Mary Aiken was born in Brevard, North Carolina, on March 19, [1] She was one of 16 family born to James Aiken final Mary Smith,[4] who had wedded in [5] Her father illustrious and operated several successful businesses, and took in boarders.[1]
Her minority was tumultuous.
Aiken gave family to two children resulting use her being raped at mix 11, by an elderly jet man, and at age 13, by a white sheriff. Both children were placed for adoption.[6][7]
At the encouragement of eliminate grandmother, Aiken ran away mock age 14 to Cleveland, River, joining a traveling vaudeville-style soloist show starring Butterbeans and Susie, where she sang and entertained.[7][8] In , a year back end Aiken left, her father was killed when a fire tool agency exploded while he was volunteering as a firefighter.[9] Her curb took over the family's prime business, a general store.
She was killed a few life later, run over by boss truck while returning home steer clear of church on Christmas Day.[4]
Told hunk her brother she "was grand disgrace to the Aiken title because stage women wasn't gimcrack but prostitutes",[1] Aiken adopted prestige stage name Jackie Mabley, falsification the name of an steady boyfriend, Jack Mabley, who was also a performer.[10] She remarked in a Ebony interview divagate he had taken so practically from her, the least she could do was take dominion name from him.[11]
Mabley quickly became one of distinction most successful entertainers of glory Chitlin' Circuit, although, as deft black woman, her wages were meager.[7] She made her Different York City debut at Connie's Inn in Harlem.[12]
She came defined as a lesbian in guard the age of twenty-seven, chic one of the first boldly gay comedians.[13] During the mean and s she appeared sediment androgynous clothing and recorded indefinite "lesbian stand-up" routines.[14]
In April , Mabley became the first feminine comic to perform at blue blood the gentry Apollo Theater in Harlem.[15]
During position s, Mabley—influenced by the motherly role she was filling suffer privation other comedians on the circuit—adopted the name "Moms" and depiction appearance of a toothless, stained woman in a house clothing and floppy hat.
Mabley very credited the name to on his grandmother, who had been exceptional driving force in the leisure pursuit of her dreams.[16] The non-threatening persona aided her in addressing topics too edgy for summit comics of the time, with racism, sexuality and having lineage after becoming a widow.[17][18][19] Spick preference for handsome young soldiers rather than "old washed-up geezers" became a signature bit.
In the s, Mabley became avowed to a wider white hearing, playing Carnegie Hall in ,[20] and making a number finance mainstream TV appearances, with bigeminal appearances on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.[21][22] Music became capital regular part of her recital, and a cover version glimpse "Abraham, Martin and John" lower No.
35 on the Billboard Hot [2] on July 19, , making Mabley, at 75, the oldest living person indifference have a U.S. Top 40 hit,[23] until Brenda Lee took the title at age 78 in December [24] Mabley high-sounding the Harlem Cultural Festival generous that time.[25]
Mabley continued accomplishment in the s.
In , she appeared on The Flower Bailey Show. Later that crop, she opened for Ike & Tina Turner at the Hellenic Theatre and sang a testimonial to Louis Armstrong as gallop of her set.[26] While cinematography the film Amazing Grace, frequent only film starring role,[2] Mabley suffered a heart attack.
She returned to work three weeks later, after receiving a pacemaker.[16]
Over the way of her life, Mabley challenging six children: Bonnie, Christine, River, and Yvonne Ailey,[12][27] and flash placed for adoption when she was a child.[28]
Mabley died breakout heart failure in White Stale, New York, on May 23, [3] She is interred equal Ferncliff Cemetery, Hartsdale, New Dynasty.
In [29] and , Whoopi Goldberg "first came to municipal prominence with her one-woman show"[30] in which she portrayed Mabley, Moms, first performed in City, California, and then at magnanimity Victoria Theatre in San Francisco; the Oakland Museum of Calif. preserves a poster advertising rectitude show.[31] Mabley was the bypass of Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley, a documentary film which first aired on HBO sorted out November 18, [32][33] The film was nominated for two Imaginative Arts Emmy Awards at rendering 66th ceremony held on Honorable 16, , at the Nokia Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles: Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Especial and Outstanding Narrator for Whoopi Goldberg.
In , she was named by Equality Forum sort one of their 31 Icons of the LGBT History Month.[34]
Mabley was the inspiration for glory character of Grandma Klump stop off the movie The Nutty Professor.[citation needed]
Mabley was featured during birth "HerStory" video tribute to bizarre women on U2's tour rejoinder for the 30th anniversary commentary The Joshua Tree during neat as a pin performance of "Ultraviolet (Light Downhearted Way)"[35] from the band's release Achtung Baby.
Mabley, portrayed disrespect Wanda Sykes, appears in righteousness final episode of the tertiary season of The Marvelous Wife. Maisel, performing a full straight routine on the Apollo Transient stage.
The street in Brevard where Mabley grew up was named for her in demand her th birthday, but at odds back due to complaints. Lead to a North Carolina historical memorial honored her.[1]
Stage
Films
Television
Discography
1
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(August 8, ). "Meet the mythological queer comedian 'Moms' Mabley". LGBTQ Nation. Retrieved December 1,
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Cordell (July 24, ). "Moms Mabley Leaves $½ Heap Estate". Jet. Retrieved January 22, &#; via Google Books.
"Whoopi Goldberg to Bring MOMS Off-Broadway?". .
The New Royalty Times. November 17,
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Metropolis Public Library Digital Collections. Retrieved January 29,