Mae West: Gertrude Howard

Before she was famous, MAE WEST was often cast in stage productions as an Irish maid. Starring in a Hollywood movie in 1933, the Brooklyn bombshell added a goodly number of black actresses to the cast, seasoned performers who would play Tira's maids.
• • One of these charmers was Gertrude Howard, who was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas in the month of October — — on 13 October 1892.
• • In her role in "I'm No Angel" as Tira's maid Beulah Thorndyke, Gertrude Howard would be forever linked to the line: "Beulah, peel me a grape!"
• • The five-foot-four character actress began working in the motion picture industry in 1925. Two years later, the 35-year-old would be featured as Uncle Tom's wife Chloe in the screen version of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" [1927].
• • Mae was quite saddened by Gertrude Howard's untimely death in Los Angeles on 30 September 1934 — — and she was actively involved in making preparations for this Hollywood funeral.
• • • • Cast for "I'm No Angel" • • • •
• • Tira . . . Mae West
• • Jack Clayton . . . Cary Grant
• • Bill Barton . . . Edward Arnold
• • Slick . . . Ralf Harolde
• • Barker . . . Russel Hopton
• • Alicia Hatton . . . Gertrude Michael
• • Kirk . . . Kent Taylor
• • Thelma . . . Dorothy Peterson
• • Benny Pinkowitz . . . Gregory Ratoff
• • Beulah Thorndyke . . . Gertrude Howard
• • The Chump . . . William B. Davidson
• • Bob, the Attorney . . . Irving Pichel
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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