Zamah Cunningham (November 29, 1892 – June 2, 1967) was an American stage, film, and television actress.[1] She began her career appearing in uncredited bit parts for D. W. Griffith, making her film debut in his 1924 silent feature, America. She later had an extensive career on Broadway, making her stage debut there in 1933's Give Us This Day. Cunningham went on to appear in numerous stage plays over the following several decades, though she publicly commented that most of her plays were "flops."
Zamah Cunningham | |
|---|---|
 Cunningham in 1931 | |
| Born | November 29, 1892 |
| Died | June 2, 1967 (aged 74) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1924–1965 |
In her later career, she appeared in several films, including Dream Girl (1948), Here Come the Girls (1953), and Baby the Rain Must Fall (1965). Beginning in 1956, she made several guest appearances as Angelina Manciotti, neighbor of the Kramdens on the sitcom The Honeymooners. Cunningham died at Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan in June 1967, aged 74.
Life and career
editCunningham was born in 1892 in Portland, Oregon.[2][3] At age two, she relocated with her family to Carthage, Missouri.[4] She began her career as a singer before relocating to New York City to study acting.[4] After appearing in local stage productions, she was secured a working contract with D. W. Griffith, appearing in uncredited bit parts in his films.[4] In 1924, she made her film debut in Germany,[5] appearing in Griffith's America.[6] She subsequently studied music in Paris, and was given opportunity to appear in productions at the Opera Comique.[3] She later returned to the United States, where she joined the Chicago Playhouse and appeared in regional productions.[3]
Cunningham made her Broadway debut in 1933's Give Us This Day.[2] She went on to appear in over 20 Broadway productions over the following two decades, including On the Town (1944) and The Shadow of a Gunman (1958).[7] Reflecting on her stage career in 1944, she commented: "In the past 20 years I've been in fifty plays—mostly flops."[4]
Later film roles included Dream Girl (1948), Key to the City (1950), and Here Come the Girls (1953).[8] She made her final film appearance in Baby the Rain Must Fall (1965).[8]
Cunningham spent her later life living at the Park Royal Hotel on 23 West 73rd Street in Manhattan's Upper West Side.[1] In her early seventies, she suffered a stroke.[9]
Death
editCunningham died at Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan on June 2, 1967.[1] She was interred at Avilla Cemetery in Avilla, Missouri.[10]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | America | Unknown | [6] | |
| 1948 | Dream Girl | Mme. Kimmelhoff | [8] | |
| 1950 | Key to the City | Mrs. Butler | [8] | |
| 1950 | Menasha the Magnificent | Mrs. Davis | Short | |
| 1953 | Here Come the Girls | Emily Snodgrass | [8] | |
| 1965 | Baby the Rain Must Fall | Mrs. T.V. Smith | (final film role) | [8] |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | The Ed Sullivan Show | Bakery Customer | Segment: "Pour Soul Ketch" | |
| 1953–1956 | Studio One in Hollywood | Mrs. Lagerloff / Aunt Madge / Lusadia | 3 episodes | |
| 1953–1957 | The Jackie Gleason Show | Angelina Manciotti; Various | 13 episodes | |
| 1956 | The Honeymooners | Angelina Manciotti | 3 episodes | |
| 1959 | Playhouse 90 | Mrs. Gross | Episode: "The Silver Whistle" | |
| 1961 | General Electric Theater | Eva | Episode: " Sis Bowls 'Em Over" |
Select stage credits
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | Apron Strings | Chicago Playhouse | [11] | |
| 1931 | The Vagabond King | Katherine de Vaucelles | Northrop Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minnesota | [3] |
| 1933 | Give Us This Day | Anne Strong | Booth Theatre | [2] [7] |
| 1934 | Gentlewoman | Mrs. Stoneleigh | Cort Theatre | |
| 1934 | Are You Decent | Peggy Witherspoon | Ambassador Theatre; 49th Street Theatre | |
| 1935 | Reprise | Madame | Vanderbilt Theatre | |
| 1935 | Triumph | Mrs. Giordana | Fulton Theatre | |
| 1935 | The Season Changes | Rita Glenn | Booth Theatre | |
| 1935 | Ah, Wilderness! | Mildred Miller | Alvin Theatre, Minneapolis, Minnesota | [12] |
| 1936 | Hallowe'en | Edith | Vanderbilt Theatre | [2] [7] |
| 1936–1937 | Around the Corner | Sarah Clark | 48th Street Theatre | |
| 1937 | In Clover | Electa Hornblower | Vanderbilt Theatre | |
| 1937 | Siege | Mrs. Perez | Longacre Theatre | |
| 1938 | Roosty | Mrs. Adams | Lyceum Theatre | |
| 1938 | Run Sheep Run | Mrs. Hopple | Windsor Theatre | |
| 1938 | Young Couple Wanted | Mrs. Daly | Maxine Elliott's Theatre | |
| 1940 | Medicine Show | Mrs. Young | New Yorker Theatre | |
| 1940 | Horse Fever | Mrs. Drum | Mansfield Theatre | |
| 1941 | Tanyard Street | Mrs. McMorna | Little Theatre | |
| 1941 | The Trojan Women | Marta | Cort Theatre | |
| 1943 | Feathers in a Gale | Lucy Abner | Music Box Theatre | |
| 1944 | Robin Hood | Dame Durden | Adelphi Theatre | |
| 1944 | On the Town | Madame Maude P. Dilly | Adelphi Theatre, 44th Street Theatre, Martin Beck Theatre | |
| 1948 | Jenny Kissed Me | Mrs. Deazy | Shubert Theatre, New Haven, Connecticut | [13] |
| 1957 | The Glass Menagerie | Playmakers Theatre, Long Branch, New Jersey | [5] | |
| 1958–1959 | The Shadow of a Gunman | Mrs. Henderson | Bijou Theatre | [2] [7] |
| 1965 | Minor Miracle | Mrs. Fuller | Henry Miller's Theatre |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Zamah Cunningham, Actress, Dies at 74". The New York Times. New York City, New York. June 4, 1967. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "Zamah Cunningham". Internet Broadway Database. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020.
- ^ a b c d "'Vagabond King' Coming Offering of Players at 'U'". The Minneapolis Star. Minneapolis, Minnesota. June 21, 1931. p. 49 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d Clanton, Helen (July 25, 1944). "She Was Afraid of 'Tropical' St. Louis". Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, Missouri. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Comedy, Drama, She Can Do It". The Daily Record. Long Branch, New Jersey. September 7, 1957. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Jones, Clement D. (November 17, 1953). "Public's Taste In Showgirls Is Where It Was Years Ago". The Baytown Sun. Baytown, Texas. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d "Zamah Cunningham". Playbill. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f "Zamah Cunningham Filmography". AllMovie. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020.
- ^ Wilson, Sloan (September 27, 1970). "I'm Looking Forward to My Second 50 Years!". The Anniston Star. Anniston, Alabama. p. 50 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Deaths". Carthage Press. Carthage, Missouri. June 7, 1967. p. 8 – via Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Zamah Cunningham". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. May 24, 1931. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "An Entire Family Gets Together–On the Stage". The Minneapolis Star. Minneapolis, Minnesota. November 4, 1935. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Out-of-Town Openings". Billboard: 45. December 11, 1948. ISSN 0006-2510.