Edna Mae Harris
Encyclopedia
Edna Mae Harris was an American
actress, born in Harlem
. She was the premier black film actress during the late 1930's and early 1940's.
During a summer while she was a student at Wadleigh High School, Manhattan
, she worked at the Alhambra Theatre doing dramatic sketches with a stock company. During this period, she received excellent training in diction and stage delivery through her association with veteran performers. She was also an excellent swimmer, and in 1928 she entered the New York Daily News' Swimming Meet and won a championship. Her first real break came when she landed a part in The Green Pastures
(1936
), portraying Zeba, starring with Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson. Harris was a leading lady in Spirit of Youth (1938
), the story of the rise of boxer Joe Thomas, which paralleled the life of Joe Louis
. She also had leading roles in Oscar Micheaux
films, Lying Lips
(1939
), and The Notorious Elinor Lee
(1940
). Her film credits also include such Hollywood films as Bullets or Ballots (1936
), Private Number (1936
), and Garden of Allah (1936
).
Between picture commitments she toured with Noble Sissle's Orchestra as a featured vocalist along with Lena Horne
and Billy Banks. In 1942, she played fourteen weeks at the old Elks' Rendezvous as the mistress of ceremonies and announced a weekly radio show over station WMCA
in New York City. She also did character dialect parts on many broadcasts for the Columbia Workshop Program. Edna Mae Harris got to tell her story in her later years in the documentary, Midnight Ramble
(1994
), about independently produced black films.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress, born in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
. She was the premier black film actress during the late 1930's and early 1940's.
During a summer while she was a student at Wadleigh High School, Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, she worked at the Alhambra Theatre doing dramatic sketches with a stock company. During this period, she received excellent training in diction and stage delivery through her association with veteran performers. She was also an excellent swimmer, and in 1928 she entered the New York Daily News' Swimming Meet and won a championship. Her first real break came when she landed a part in The Green Pastures
The Green Pastures (film)
The Green Pastures is a 1936 film depicting stories from the Bible as visualized by African American characters. It starred Rex Ingram , Oscar Polk, and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson...
(1936
1936 in film
The year 1936 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 29 - Fritz Lang's first Hollywood film Fury, starring Spencer Tracy and Bruce Cabot, is released.*November 6 - first Porky Pig animated cartoon...
), portraying Zeba, starring with Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson. Harris was a leading lady in Spirit of Youth (1938
1938 in film
The year 1938 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*January — MGM announces that Judy Garland would be cast in the role of "Dorothy" in the upcoming Wizard of Oz motion picture. Ray Bolger is cast as the "Tinman" and Buddy Ebsen is cast as the "Scarecrow". At Bolger's insistence,...
), the story of the rise of boxer Joe Thomas, which paralleled the life of Joe Louis
Joe Louis
Joseph Louis Barrow , better known as Joe Louis, was the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1937 to 1949. He is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweights of all time...
. She also had leading roles in Oscar Micheaux
Oscar Micheaux
Oscar Devereaux Micheaux was an American author, film director and independent producer of more than 44 films...
films, Lying Lips
Lying Lips
Lying Lips is a 1939, melodrama, race movie by Oscar Micheaux, starring Edna Mae Harris, and Robert Earl Jones .Lying Lips was the thirty-seventh film of Micheaux.-Plot:...
(1939
1939 in film
The year 1939 in motion pictures can be justified as being called the most outstanding one ever, when it comes to the high quality and high attendance at the large set of the best films that premiered in the year .- Events :Motion picture historians and film often rate...
), and The Notorious Elinor Lee
The Notorious Elinor Lee
The Notorious Elinor Lee is a race film directed, written, and co-produced by the African American filmmaker Oscar Micheaux.-Plot:Elinor Lee, a gangster’s moll living in the Harlem section of New York City, has signed up-and-coming boxer Benny Blue to a 10-year contract...
(1940
1940 in film
The year 1940 in film involved some significant events, including the premieres of the Walt Disney classics Pinocchio and Fantasia.-Events:*February 7 - Walt Disney's animated film Pinocchio is released....
). Her film credits also include such Hollywood films as Bullets or Ballots (1936
1936 in film
The year 1936 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 29 - Fritz Lang's first Hollywood film Fury, starring Spencer Tracy and Bruce Cabot, is released.*November 6 - first Porky Pig animated cartoon...
), Private Number (1936
1936 in film
The year 1936 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 29 - Fritz Lang's first Hollywood film Fury, starring Spencer Tracy and Bruce Cabot, is released.*November 6 - first Porky Pig animated cartoon...
), and Garden of Allah (1936
1936 in film
The year 1936 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 29 - Fritz Lang's first Hollywood film Fury, starring Spencer Tracy and Bruce Cabot, is released.*November 6 - first Porky Pig animated cartoon...
).
Between picture commitments she toured with Noble Sissle's Orchestra as a featured vocalist along with Lena Horne
Lena Horne
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
and Billy Banks. In 1942, she played fourteen weeks at the old Elks' Rendezvous as the mistress of ceremonies and announced a weekly radio show over station WMCA
WMCA
WMCA, 570 AM, is a radio station in New York City, most known for its "Good Guys" Top 40 era in the 1960s. It is currently owned by Salem Communications and plays a Christian radio format...
in New York City. She also did character dialect parts on many broadcasts for the Columbia Workshop Program. Edna Mae Harris got to tell her story in her later years in the documentary, Midnight Ramble
Midnight Ramble (film)
Midnight Ramble is a 1994 documentary about Black Hollywood movies from the period between 1910 and 1950, which were commonly known as "race movies." This documentary is a tribute to a film genre that lasted for over forty years, produced over 500 movies, and created a foundation for contemporary...
(1994
1994 in film
1994 was a significant year in film.The top grosser worldwide was The Lion King, which to date stands as the highest-grossing traditionally-animated film of all time...
), about independently produced black films.