Astrological Sign: Pisces, Death Year: 1975, Death date: May 23, 1975, Death State: New York, Death City: White Plains, Death Country: United States, Article Title: Moms Mabley Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/actors/moms-mabley, Publisher: A&E; Television Networks, Last Updated: August 13, 2020, Original Published Date: April 2, 2014. Moms was born in 1894 in North Carolina as Loretta Mary Aiken. Wise, clever, and often ribald, Mabley dressed in frumpy clothes and used her deep voice and elastic face (and, in later years, her toothlessness) to great effect. She was also a top draw for a number of TV variety shows. Richard Pryor will be honored the same night the legendary theater kicks What began as an indignant impulse turned into something of an obsession. Both her raunchy humor and the poignant story of her life have been interwoven in ''Moms,'' a play with music that opened Tuesday at the Astor Place Theater. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. Omissions? [30] Mabley was the subject of Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley, a documentary film which first aired on HBO on November 18, 2013. By age 15 she had borne two children. She appeared on Broadway as well in Swinging the Dream and Blackbirds. Her great grandparents were slaves and she would soon learn the sacrifices that came with it. Comedy pioneer Jackie "Moms" Mabley (1897-1975) began performing on the Chitlin' Circuit in the 1920s, and later became the first female comedian to appear as a solo act at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. In the 1960s, Mabley became known to a wider white audience, playing Carnegie Hall in 1962,[20] and making a number of mainstream TV appearances, with multiple appearances on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! At 11, an older man sexually abused her, and only two years later, a white town sheriff did the same. 23 May 1975 (aged 81) Jackie "Moms" Mabley (March 19, 1894 - May 23, 1975), born Loretta Mary Aiken, was an American standup comedian. In 1971, she appeared on The Pearl Bailey Show. (189823 May 1975), comedienne and actress, was born Loretta Mary Aiken in Brevard, the daughter of "Uncle" Jim and Mary Aiken. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. If anybody had told me I could raise $300,000 - why, I didn't know I could raise $300. I'm that Mom.". Several of her comedy performances were recorded live, including Moms Mabley, the Funniest Woman in the World (1960), her first of some two dozen comedy albums. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 'Ain't nothin' an old man can do for me but bring me a message from a young man.'. My mother is 94 years old, but I was on the phone to her: 'Mother, how much money you got?' Moms Mabley pioneered Black comedy during an era when there was hardly any, more so women in that genre. comedian Moms Mabley (4) By the time of her death in 1975, she had garnered an estate of over half a million dollars. earning $10,000 a week at Harlem's Apollo Theatre. At the apex of her long career, she was earning $10,000 a week at Harlem's Apollo Theatre. Loretta Mary Aiken (March 19, 1894 - May 23, 1975), [1] known by her stage name Jackie "Moms" Mabley, was an American stand-up comedian and actress. Doctors: No Further Hope for Actor Tom Sizemore, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Birth Year: 1894, Birth date: March 19, 1894, Birth State: North Carolina, Birth City: Brevard, Birth Country: United States. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Her childhood was tumultuous. Life would have been harder for Richard Pryor, Whoopi Goldberg, and . Loretta Mary Aiken in 1894. The sobriquet Moms came a short time later as other performers noticed her protection and kindness for budding entertainers. As a performer, Moms banked on being Black in delivering her jokes. Known as an "overbearing, dogmatic, infuriating and sweet" black comedienne, she entertained American audiences from the 1920s into the 1970s. In a. [10] She remarked in a 1970 Ebony interview that he had taken so much from her, the least she could do was take his name from him. She was the first female comedian to appear at the Apollo Theater, and she became a regular there, appearing more often than any other act in that theatres history. Mabley, Jackie (Moms) by James D. Gillespie. She was run over by a truck. [16] The non-threatening persona aided her in addressing topics too edgy for most comics of the time, including racism, sexuality and having children after becoming a widow. She was also a sly and astute social commentator, as she revealed in comments such as There aint nothing wrong with young people. Now don't go spreading that around because I'm too old a woman to end up in a ditch somewhere. She was also a master at double-entendres when delivering her sexual jokes. Mainstream TV appearances in the 1960s included variety appearances on shows hosted by Flip Wilson, Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1967), and Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967). This was in keeping with her personal philosophy and her concern for young people. Moms Mabley was a trailblazing African American 20th century comedian known for warm yet raunchy stand-up routines and hit albums. Hope you enjoy this 1968 album titled, The Best of Mom's Mabley. How dare you not know who Moms Mabley is?' This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Aiken gave birth to two children resulting from her being raped at age 11, by an elderly black man, and at age 13, by a white sheriff. Soon after, her mother was killed as she was returning home on Christmas day from church. She worked with a number of celebrities, including Zora Neale Hurston in Fast and Furious: A Colored Revue in 37 Scenes. It's going to take me five years from now to pinch myself and say, 'It's really happened.' But most of her jokes at the beginning were 'in' jokes. Moms always remained close to North Carolina, frequently visiting family and friends in the Brevard area. Mini Bio (1) One the most successful entertainers of the Black vaudeville stage, also known as the Chitlin Circuit, was Jackie Moms Mabley, born Loretta Mary Aiken in 1894. ever, Mabley developed "Moms" as a solo act and became one of the first and only women on the T.O.B.A. Death Mabley died from heart failure in White Plains, New York in 1975 at the White Plains Hospital where she had been a patient for six weeks. Moms Mabley, who had been a vaudeville star for half a century when white audiences began to discover her, died in 1975 at the age of 81. Her sketches catered to the Black community and revolved around stories about White people. One the most successful entertainers of the Black vaudeville stage, also known as the Chitlin Circuit, was Jackie "Moms" Mabley, born Loretta Mary Aiken in 1894. Shortly after, two more tragedies struck her. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Whoopi Goldberg Talks HBO's WHOOPI GOLDBERG PRESENTS MOMS MABLEY, Directing the Documentary, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, and More . By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. "I'm just a Mom," she once said. Jus' quit lyin' to 'em. She made a career out of making people happy. I know I'm not in charge of it; had I been in charge of it, I'd still be sitting in my backyard. Mabley played Carnegie Hall in 1962. In 1921 Mabley began performing with the married duo, Butterbeans and Susie, which led to her debut at Harlems Cotton Club. At the apex of her long career, she was earning $10,000 a week at Harlem's Apollo Theatre. In 1933 she costarred in Emperor Jones alongside actor Paul Robeson. Both children were placed for adoption. At the age of 11, she was raped by an older man. by Kim Wilson May 4, 2000. During her adolescence, Loretta was raped; both episodes resulted in pregnancy and the children being given up through adoption. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. They persuaded her to join another acting association, and by 1923 Moms was playing in Harlem's best playhouses such as Connie's Inn and the Cotton Club. But she would later take on the moniker Moms, a nickname given to her by comedians who looked up to her as a mother. With the hostess on The Pearl Bailey Show (1971) Loretta Mary Aiken (March 19, 1894 May 23, 1975), known by her stage name Jackie Moms Mabley, was an American standup comedian. Updates? Loretta Aiken was one of 12 children. }}, The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music, "Theater: The Pain Behind The Laughter of Moms Mabley", "James Aiken and Mary Smith, May 21, 1891", "Walking Around the World: African American Landscapes and Experience in Transylvania County, NC", "Moms Mabley: She Finally Makes the Movies", "Meet the legendary queer comedian 'Moms' Mabley", "The Pain Behind The Laughter of Moms Mabley", "LGBT History Month - Jackie 'Moms' Mabley - Comedian", "The Story Behind the Harlem Cultural Festival", "Whoopi Goldberg to Bring MOMS Off-Broadway?". Her career spanned five decades, although white audiences did not know of her until the early 1960s. Nonetheless, she possessed great comic timing and a remarkable ability to ad lib. Starting in the late 1930s, Mabley became the first woman comedian to be featured at the Apollo, going on to appear on the theater's stage more times than any other performer. For licensing inquiries please contact Historic Films Archive(info@historicfilms.com / http://www.historicfilms.com) Who directed the documentary on Moms Mableys life? Mabley costarred in the motion pictures, The Big Timers (1945) and Killer Diller (1948), which also featured Butterfly Queen and Nat King Cole. It does not store any personal data. How do you calculate working capital for a construction company? [16], Over the course of her life, Mabley had six children: Bonnie, Christine, Charles, and Yvonne Ailey,[12][26] and two placed for adoption when she was a teenager.[27]. But beyond the faade of a comedic persona was a woman whose early life was riddled with so much tragedy. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. During her career Moms had several small parts in movies, including Boarding House Blues and Emperor Jones. Mini Bio (1) One the most successful entertainers of the Black vaudeville stage, also known as the Chitlin Circuit, was Jackie "Moms" Mabley, born Loretta Mary Aiken in 1894. Once when she returned to Brevard, she tearfully observed: "Lord, what a wonderful place God picked out for me to be born in.". By the 1960s the White community discovered her talent and her audience widened. Jus quit lyin to em. In addition to live stand-up comedy, Mabley appeared in a number of filmsincluding Boarding House Blues (1948) and Amazing Grace (1974)and on television programs such as The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. {{Year: 1900; Census Place: Brevard, Transylvania, North Carolina; Roll: 1219; Page: 5A; Enumeration District: 0112; FHL microfilm: 1241219; Year: 1910; Census Place: Brevard, Transylvania, North Carolina; Roll: T624_1134; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 0156; FHL microfilm: 1375147. 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