SDCXTRA RADIO

Monday, March 13, 2017

Theresa Harris

Theresa Harris appeared with more stars of the Golden Era of Hollywood than anyone else. She sang, she danced, appeared in films and TV. She graced the screen with her magnetic presence and most times stole scenes from the top stars of the day every chance she got and made a lot of dull movies worthwhile. Although stereotyped by receiving only maid roles, Theresa stepped outside the stereotype any chance she got, to show she was glamorous, classy, beautiful, and a true actress. While she often played maids, she always showed dignity, grace, and demanded respect. Theresa didn't exactly fit the mammy/maid stereotype fore she was a beauty and petite, a stark contrast from Hattie McDaniel and Louise Beavers, and Theresa was one of the very few black women to not fit that stereotype on screen.

There were quite a few films in which Theresa got a chance to let her light shine and make you forget her maid costume and see her as a talented actress. In the Pre-Code classic "Babyface," she and Barbara Stanwyck had equal time on screen, which was rare between black and white actresses at that time. Playing Chico, Stanwyck's friend than maid, Harris gave a moving and memorable performance that contributed to the film becoming one of the essentials of the classic genre. Theresa was allowed to be sexy, glamorous, and her own person, not simply a servant who jumped at her employer's every beck and call, a rarity for a black actress in a maid role in the 1930s, and a true friendship was shared between Stanwyck and Harris's characters, another rarity. In "Professional Sweetheart," starring Ginger Rogers, Harris played a spunky, sexy maid who teaches Ginger a thing or two about being "hot," and ends up replacing Rogers as a singer, and sings a hot song on the radio that turns on the white male listeners, another shocker and rarity at the time for a black actress. But, Pre-Code films always push the envelope, which shows in both "Babyface" and "Professional Sweetheart." Though Theresa played maid parts most of her movie career, she had showed moments of excellence in many roles such as "Professional Sweetheart" "Hold Your Man" "Babyface" "Black Moon" "Gangsters on the Loose" "Jezebel" "The Toy Wife" "Tell No Tales" "Buck Benny Rides Again" "Love Thy Neighbor" "Blossoms in the Dust" "I Walked With A Zombie" "Cat People" and others.

Theresa was a versatile talent, besides acting, she could sing beautifully and dance divinely, when she had the chance in such films as "Thunderbolt" "Babyface" "Professional Sweetheart" "Banjo on the Knees" "Buck Benny Rides Again" "What's Buzzin' Cousin" and "The French Line." When Theresa got the chance to show her beauty and sex appeal, it was often with her screen boyfriend, Eddie Rochester Anderson, they were dynamic on screen together in "Buck Benny Rides Again" and "What's Buzzin' Cousin." In "Buck Benny Rides Again," Theresa and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson sing and dance a musical number, "My, My," that is the most memorable scene, where they sing and dance tap, classical, Spanish, and swing.

Theresa Harris was perhaps the hardest-working woman in Hollywood, appearing in close to 90 films, working at every major studio with most of the big stars. She was respected by studio executives, producers, directors, and co-workers alike, who sometimes went out of their way to get her more lines and screen time. Harris married a doctor and retired from the movies in the late 1950s, living comfortably after having carefully invested the money she made during her career in the movies. She was a patient woman who never gave up hope that there would come a time when she would be able to play more than just maid roles. Nevertheless, in every role, she displayed class, dignity, beauty, and true acting talent, not simply the old stereotypes associated with black actors and actresses at that time.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Alicia T. (MsLadySoul@aol.com)

Actress (97 credits)
 1958The Gift of Love
Dora - Sam's Wife (uncredited)
 1957Spoilers of the Forest
Nancy the Maid (uncredited)
 1957How to Marry a Millionaire (TV Series)
Irene
Loco the Heiress (1957) ... Irene
 1956Back from Eternity
Mamie (uncredited)
 1956Chevron Hall of Stars (TV Series)
Cora
Reverse English (1956) ... Cora
 1956Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV Series)
Elsie the Servant
Back for Christmas (1956) ... Elsie the Servant
 1955The Amos 'n Andy Show (TV Series)
Gloretta
The Girl at the Station (1955) ... Gloretta (uncredited)
 1954The Loretta Young Show (TV Series)
Lulu
The New York Story (1954) ... Lulu
 1954Lux Video Theatre (TV Series)
A Place in the Sun (1954)
 1953The French Line
Clara, Mame's Maid (uncredited)
 1953Here Come the Girls
Josie - Irene's Maid (uncredited)
 1953Your Jeweler's Showcase (TV Series)
Heart's Desire (1953)
 1953Small Town Girl
Backstage Maid (uncredited)
 1953Angel Face
Nurse Theresa (uncredited)
 1951The Company She Keeps
Lilly Johnson (uncredited)
 1951Grounds for Marriage
Stella, Ina's Maid
 1949And Baby Makes Three
Wanda's Maid (uncredited)
 1949Tension
Woman in Drugstore (uncredited)
 1949Neptune's Daughter
Matilda the Maid (uncredited)
 1949Alias Nick Beal
Opal (uncredited)
 1948The Velvet Touch
Nancy
 1948The Big Clock
Daisy - Strouds' Maid (uncredited)
 1947The Lady from Shanghai
Spectator in Courtroom (uncredited)
 1947Out of the Past
Eunice Leonard (uncredited)
 1947Miracle on 34th Street
Cleo (uncredited)
 1947Hit Parade of 1947
Maid (uncredited)
 1946Three Little Girls in Blue
Maid (uncredited)
 1946Miss Susie Slagle's
Maid (uncredited)
 1946Smooth as Silk
Louise
 1945The Dolly Sisters
Ellabelle (uncredited)
 1945Men in Her Diary
Violet (uncredited)
 1945Strange Illusion
Maid (uncredited)
 1943What's Buzzin', Cousin?
Blossom (uncredited)
 1943I Walked with a Zombie
Alma - Maid (as Teresa Harris)
 1942Cat People
Minnie (uncredited)
 1942Tough As They Come
Bessie Mae
 1942Sing Your Worries Away
Hat Check Girl (uncredited)
 1941Here Comes Mr. Jordan
Mother Listening to Hurdy-gurdy (uncredited)
 1941The Flame of New Orleans
Clementine
 1940Love Thy Neighbor
Josephine
 1940Santa Fe Trail
Maid (uncredited)
 1940Buck Benny Rides Again
Josephine
 1940City of Chance
Beulah - Powder Room Attendant (uncredited)
 1939One Hour to Live
High Yaller girl
 1939The Women
Olive (uncredited)
 1939Tell No Tales
Ruby
 1938Passport Husband
Maid (uncredited)
 1938The Toy Wife
'Pick'
 1938Jezebel
Zette
 1937Gangsters on the Loose
Grace Foster
 1937Big Town Girl
Maid (uncredited)
 1937The Lady Escapes
Maid (uncredited)
 1937Charlie Chan at the Olympics
Black US Team Member On Sidelines Rooting for Jesse Owens (uncredited)
 1936Banjo on My Knee
Black Blues Singer (uncredited)
 1936Fifteen Maiden Lane
Ladies Room Maid (uncredited)
 1936The Green Pastures
Angel (uncredited)
 1935Broadway Melody of 1936
Theresa - Maid (uncredited)
 1935Go Into Your Dance
Luana's Maid (uncredited)
 1934Desirable
Ladies Room Maid at Party (uncredited)
 1934Black Moon
Sacrificed Girl (uncredited)
 1934Operator 13
Slave at Medicine Show (uncredited)
 1934A Duke for a Day (Short)
Jessie (Gloria's Maid) (uncredited)
 1934Finishing School
Evelyn - Mrs Radcliff's maid (uncredited)
 1934A Modern Hero
Leah's Maid (uncredited)
 1934Success at Any Price
Marie - Agnes' Maid (uncredited)
 1933Flying Down to Rio
Dancer (uncredited)
 1933Roman Scandals
Handmaiden (uncredited)
 1933The Worst Woman in Paris?
Lily - the Maid
 1933Blood Money
Jessica (uncredited)
 1933Broadway Thru a Keyhole
Joan's Maid (uncredited)
 1933Penthouse
Lili - Mimi's Maid (uncredited)
 1933Morning Glory
Minor Role (uncredited)
 1933Mary Stevens, M.D.
Alice - Andrews' Maid (uncredited)
 1933Baby Face
Chico
 1933Hold Your Man
Lily Mae Crippen (uncredited)
 1933Private Detective 62
Janet's Maid (uncredited)
 1933Professional Sweetheart
Vera, Glory's Maid (uncredited)
 1933Gold Diggers of 1933
Black Woman, 'Pettin' in the Park' Number (uncredited)
 1933Grand Slam
Ladies' Room Attendant (uncredited)
 1932The Half Naked Truth
Emily - Teresita's Maid (uncredited)
 1932Night After Night
Ladies' Room Attendant (uncredited)
 1932Faithless
Amanda (uncredited)
 1932Free Wheeling (Short)
Maid
 1932Horse Feathers
Laura - Connie's Maid (uncredited)
 1932Week Ends Only
Chloƫ (uncredited)
 1932Merrily We Go to Hell
Powder Room Attendant (uncredited)
 1932Union Depot
Black Woman (uncredited)
 1931Arrowsmith
Native Mother (uncredited)
 1931The Road to Reno
Maid at Dude Ranch (uncredited)
 1930Morocco
Camp Follower (uncredited)
 1929Thunderbolt
Black Cat Cafe Singer (uncredited)

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