Maisie

For the given name, see Maisie (given name).

Maisie Ravier is a popular fictional character, the star of ten films (1939–1947) and of a radio show, The Adventures of Maisie (broadcast 1945–1947, 1949–1953). She was played by actress Ann Sothern (1909–2001).

The concept for the Maisie series came from the story Dark Dame by Wilson Collison. Sothern said in an interview that the series was originally planned with Jean Harlow as the star.[1]

After a string of other films had failed to attract an audience, Sothern left RKO Radio Pictures and signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, making her first film for MGM in 1939. In a role originally intended for Jean Harlow, Sothern was cast in Maisie, as brassy but kindhearted Brooklyn burlesque dancer Mary Anastasia O'Connor, who also goes by the stage name "Maisie Ravier".

After years of trying, Sothern had her first real success, and a string of "Maisie" comedy sequels followed, beginning with Congo Maisie (1940) and continuing until Undercover Maisie (1947). Reviewing Swing Shift Maisie (1943), Time praised Sothern and described her as "one of the smartest comediennes in the business".[2]

Movies

The character Maisie Ravier has appeared in the following films:

Radio

On November 24, 1941, Sothern appeared in the Lux Radio Theater adaptation of Maisie Was a Lady, and the popularity of the film series led to her own radio program, The Adventures of Maisie, broadcast on CBS Radio from 1945 to 1947, on the Mutual Broadcasting System in 1952, and in syndication from 1949 to 1953.

References

  1. ↑ Bawden, James (Fall 2016). "Ann Sothern: Smartest Girl in Town". Films of the Golden Age (86): 18–27.
  2. ↑ "The New Pictures". Time. October 18, 1943.
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