Helen Broderick

(1891-1959)

Helen Broderick was one of the greatest wits in American theater during the late 1920s and 1930s and could sing better than the others. Her ascent through the ranks of entertainment was classic, from Chorus Girl in the first Ziegfeld Follies, to vaudeville featured performer (paired with Lester Crawford) in the 1910s, stints in Broadway revues such Nifties of 1923 and Puzzles of 1925, bookings at the Berlin Staatsoper in 1928, and finally stardom as comedienne in "Fifty Million Frenchmen," "The Band Wagon," and "As Thousands Cheer." She wrote a play, "Freeport," that never made it to Broadway, but she contributed bits to sketches in numerous revues. In the 1930s she transformed into a screen actress, first in adaptations of her stage hits, then in a host of movies that required a lively woman with a brisk sense of humor. David S. Shields/ALS