Ethel Shutta
Encyclopedia
Ethel Shutta (December 1, 1896 — February 5, 1976) was an American
actress and singer, who came to prominence through her performances on Jack Benny
's radio show, her role in the early Eddie Cantor
musical Whoopee!
, and her Broadway
comeback in Follies
at the age of 74.
By age 7, she was known as "the little girl with the big voice". Together with her mother, Augusta, and her brother, Jack, she and her family toured as the Pee Wee Minstrels. Their family name was originally Schutte. The father, Charles, was the manager. They also played in vaudeville
as The Three Shuttas. She debuted on Broadway in The Passing Show of 1922, and then in a series of Florenz Ziegfeld
productions including Louis the 14th and Whoopee!
.
In 1926 she married band-leader George Olsen
, with whom she had two children (her son George attended school with Hal Prince
, who was later to cast her in Follies). The couple appeared in clubs across the country, and were regulars on Jack Benny
Canada Dry Radio Show. She signed off with the song Rock-a-Bye Moon. They divorced in 1936. She continued to work on her own as a singer, while her ex-husband opened a restaurant in New Jersey
that used his own recordings as background music.
Shutta returned to Broadway in 1963 in the musical Jennie
, which starred Mary Martin
. The show ran only 84 performances, and was generally considered unsuccessful. Subsequent work was difficult to find, and Shutta used alcohol to get herself through the rough spots. Her final comeback was at the age of 73 in the original Broadway
production Follies
(1971-1972) with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
. She brought down the house each evening with the song "Broadway Baby" in which her character, veteran actress Hattie Walker, reminisces about her younger days as chorus girl in the Follies. Follies was staged at the Winter Garden Theater where Shutta made her first Broadway appearance for the Shuberts in 1922.
.
Movies
Radio
Television
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress and singer, who came to prominence through her performances on Jack Benny
Jack Benny
Jack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film...
's radio show, her role in the early Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor was an American "illustrated song" performer, comedian, dancer, singer, actor and songwriter...
musical Whoopee!
Whoopee!
Whoopee! is a musical comedy with the book, based on Owen Davis's play The Nervous Wreck, written by William Anthony McGuire, music by Walter Donaldson and lyrics by Gus Kahn...
, and her Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
comeback in Follies
Follies
Follies is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The story concerns a reunion in a crumbling Broadway theatre, scheduled for demolition, of the past performers of the "Weismann's Follies," a musical revue , that played in that theatre between the World Wars...
at the age of 74.
By age 7, she was known as "the little girl with the big voice". Together with her mother, Augusta, and her brother, Jack, she and her family toured as the Pee Wee Minstrels. Their family name was originally Schutte. The father, Charles, was the manager. They also played in vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
as The Three Shuttas. She debuted on Broadway in The Passing Show of 1922, and then in a series of Florenz Ziegfeld
Florenz Ziegfeld
Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. , , was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the Ziegfeld Follies , inspired by the Folies Bergère of Paris. He also produced the musical Show Boat...
productions including Louis the 14th and Whoopee!
Whoopee!
Whoopee! is a musical comedy with the book, based on Owen Davis's play The Nervous Wreck, written by William Anthony McGuire, music by Walter Donaldson and lyrics by Gus Kahn...
.
In 1926 she married band-leader George Olsen
George Olsen
George Edward Olsen, Sr. was an American band-leader.Born in Portland, Oregon, he played the drums and attended the University of Michigan, where he was drum major. Here he formed his band, George Olsen and his Music, which continued in the Portland area...
, with whom she had two children (her son George attended school with Hal Prince
Hal Prince
Harold Smith Prince is an American theatrical producer and director associated with many of the best-known Broadway musical productions of the past half-century...
, who was later to cast her in Follies). The couple appeared in clubs across the country, and were regulars on Jack Benny
Jack Benny
Jack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film...
Canada Dry Radio Show. She signed off with the song Rock-a-Bye Moon. They divorced in 1936. She continued to work on her own as a singer, while her ex-husband opened a restaurant in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
that used his own recordings as background music.
Shutta returned to Broadway in 1963 in the musical Jennie
Jennie
For the Douglas Preston novel, see Jennie .For the name, see Jennifer Jennie is a musical with a book by Arnold Schulman, music by Arthur Schwartz, and lyrics by Howard Dietz, and starred Mary Martin....
, which starred Mary Martin
Mary Martin
Mary Virginia Martin was an American actress and singer. She originated many roles over her career including Nellie Forbush in South Pacific and Maria in The Sound of Music. She was named a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1989...
. The show ran only 84 performances, and was generally considered unsuccessful. Subsequent work was difficult to find, and Shutta used alcohol to get herself through the rough spots. Her final comeback was at the age of 73 in the original Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production Follies
Follies
Follies is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The story concerns a reunion in a crumbling Broadway theatre, scheduled for demolition, of the past performers of the "Weismann's Follies," a musical revue , that played in that theatre between the World Wars...
(1971-1972) with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
. She brought down the house each evening with the song "Broadway Baby" in which her character, veteran actress Hattie Walker, reminisces about her younger days as chorus girl in the Follies. Follies was staged at the Winter Garden Theater where Shutta made her first Broadway appearance for the Shuberts in 1922.
Death
Ethel Shutta died in 1976 in New York City in St. Clare's Hospital at the age of 79. She resided in Greenwich VillageGreenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
.
Work
Broadway- The Passing Show of 1922 – 1922
- Marjorie - 1924
- Ziegfeld FolliesZiegfeld FolliesThe Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
- 1924-1925 - Louis the 14th - 1925
- Whoopee!Whoopee!Whoopee! is a musical comedy with the book, based on Owen Davis's play The Nervous Wreck, written by William Anthony McGuire, music by Walter Donaldson and lyrics by Gus Kahn...
- 1928 - Jennie – 1963
- FolliesFolliesFollies is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The story concerns a reunion in a crumbling Broadway theatre, scheduled for demolition, of the past performers of the "Weismann's Follies," a musical revue , that played in that theatre between the World Wars...
- 1971 - Sondheim: A Musical Tribute – 1973
Movies
- Whoopee!Whoopee! (film)Whoopee is a 1930 "All-Talking All-Color" musical comedy film photographed in two-color Technicolor. The plot of the film closely followed the stage show produced by Florenz Ziegfeld in 1928.-Production:...
- 1930 - The PlaygroundThe PlaygroundThe Playground Theater, founded in 1997, remains the only continuously operating non-profit theater in Chicago dedicated to an art form invented in Chicago - Modern Theatrical Improvisation. The Playground was founded in 1997 by its original member companies. The Playground theater exists as a...
- 1965
Radio
- The Canada Dry Ginger Ale Program, a forerunner of The Jack Benny Show - 1932
Television
- Wagon TrainWagon TrainWagon Train is an American Western series that ran on NBC from 1957–62 and then on ABC from 1962–65...