There she was first exposed to performers and their lives, and she soon chose show business as a career and entered the chitlin circuit of venues that catered to African American audiences. 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. 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. What began as an indignant impulse turned into something of an obsession. It was aired by HBO. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Her firefighter father was killed in an explosion when she was 11 and her mother was later hit and killed by a truck on Christmas Day. }}, 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?". Moms Mabley, byname of Jackie Mabley, original name Loretta Mary Aiken, (born March 19, 1894, Brevard, North Carolina, U.S.died May 23, 1975, White Plains, New York), American comedian who was one of the most successful black vaudeville performers. She made fun of older men, subtly ridiculing the ways they wielded authority over women as well as the declining of their sexual powers. ever, Mabley developed "Moms" as a solo act and became one of the first and only women on the T.O.B.A. Moms was born in 1894 in North Carolina as Loretta Mary Aiken. 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. Jus' quit lyin' to 'em. 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. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. At the apex of her long career, she was earning $10,000 a week at Harlem's Apollo Theatre. Loretta's father, a volunteer fireman, was blown to pieces when a fire engine exploded, and her mother was run over and killed by a truck while coming home from church on Christmas Day. Omissions? Mabley, (Philadelphia: Equality Forum, 2015), http://lgbthistorymonth.com/jackie-%E2%80%9Cmoms%E2%80%9D-mabley?tab=biography. And by the beginning of her teens, Aiken had been raped twice and become pregnant from both encounters, with both children being given away. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Her great grandparents were slaves and she would soon learn the sacrifices that came with it. Life would have been harder for Richard Pryor, Whoopi Goldberg, and . 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. As the film's director, she wanted to pay tribute to Moms and introduce her to an audience who never knew of her. ''I realized I'd like to know more about her, too,'' Ms. Taylor said. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Moms-Mabley, African American Registry - Biography of Mom Mabley. And that deep raspy voice makes it even more hilarious! She went to Cleveland, Ohio, where her mother lived, to find the "big world out there," and Bonnie Bell Drew offered her a job with a vaudeville group. Alternate titles: Jackie Mabley, Loretta Mary Aiken. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Smother Brother introduces Moms Mabley returning for more stand up comedy (1968) [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. In 1983[28] and 1984, Whoopi Goldberg "first came to national prominence with her one-woman show"[29] in which she portrayed Mabley, Moms, first performed in Berkeley, California, and then at the Victoria Theatre in San Francisco; the Oakland Museum of California preserves a poster advertising the show. She starred in several films, became a headliner at the. If owner has objection to this YouTube video, please inform and it will be removed. Moms Mabley, byname of Jackie Mabley, original name Loretta Mary Aiken, (born March 19, 1894, Brevard, North Carolina, U.S.died May 23, 1975, White Plains, New York), American comedian who was one of the most successful black vaudeville performers. Mabley entered the world of film and stage as well, working with writer Zora Neale Hurston on the 1931 Broadway show Fast and Furious: A Colored Revue in 37 Scenes and taking on a featured role in Paul Robeson's Emperor Jones (1933). They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. A woman is a woman until the day she dies, but a man's a man only as long as he can. Armed with her disastrous past, she used it as a motivation to build a better future for herself. conventional topics such as family and others not normally covered by In the season three finale, viewers are treated to a night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem and a performance by none other than The Funniest Woman in the World, comedian Moms Mabley (played by Wanda Sykes). The black comedy team of Butterbeans and Suzie saw her act and told her she was too good to be working for such low pay. NOTES: (1) Remake of the song by. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Her childhood was tumultuous. It's going to take me five years from now to pinch myself and say, 'It's really happened.' Both rapes resulted in pregnancies; both babies were given away. Best Known For: Moms Mabley was a trailblazing African American 20th century comedian known for warm yet raunchy stand-up routines and hit albums. She would also appear there more than any other entertainer in the history of the theater. Copyright 1979-1996 by the University of North Carolina Press. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". She was born into a difficult life but she died a legend in 1975 at the age of 81. [33], Mabley was the inspiration for the character of Grandma Klump in the 1996 movie The Nutty Professor. Both children were placed for adoption. The film also included commentaries from Sidney Poitier, Bill Cosby, Eddie Murphy, Joan Rivers, Jerry Stiller, and Kathy Griffin and featured whatever footage she could unearth from Moms' career and family. The sobriquet Moms came a short time later as other performers noticed her protection and kindness for budding entertainers. 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. [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]. (4) By the time of her death in 1975, she had garnered an estate of over half a million dollars. Yvonne Ailey My mother is 94 years old, but I was on the phone to her: 'Mother, how much money you got?' But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Mabley never married but was known to have affairs with women. [12], She came out as a lesbian in 1921 at the age of twenty-seven, becoming one of the first openly gay comedians. She talked about white people, and she told us things we wanted to hear about them.''. But she would later take on the moniker Moms, a nickname given to her by comedians who looked up to her as a mother. AND, please click the notification button (looks like the liberty bell), located next to the subscribe button. In the year 1894, Moms was born in North Carolina as "Loretta Mary Aiken." She was one of her parents' 16 children. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. After a brother objected to her career choice, she took a stage name, borrowing that of a boyfriend and fellow entertainer, Jack Mabley. [5] Her father owned and operated several successful businesses, while her mother kept house and took in boarders. She starred in several films, became a headliner at the Apollo Theater and in the 1960s had hit comedy albums. Mabley's standup routines were riotous affairs augmented by the aesthetic she presented as being an older, housedress-clad figure who provided sly commentary on racial bigotry to African American audiences. But as she made a living making people laugh, there was, in fact, another dimension to her, a past so heartbreaking, its difficult to imagine she survived. Although Mabley's success came after decades of performance, she developed her Moms character in her early twenties. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. A veteran of the Chitlin Circuit of African-American vaudeville, she later appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. At the age of 14, Loretta ran away to join a minstrel show. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Whoopi Goldberg Talks HBO's WHOOPI GOLDBERG PRESENTS MOMS MABLEY, Directing the Documentary, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, and More . Jackie "Moms" Mabley died in New York in 1975. She landed spots on some of the top variety shows of the day, including The Ed Sullivan Show, and graced the stage of Carnegie Hall. Two years later, a White town sheriff raped her too. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. On May 23, 1975, Mabley passed away following a heart attack in White Plains, New York. Moms Mabley was born in Brevard, North Carolina in the 1890s, and went on to establish a career as the top standup comedienne of her time. AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. ''Once I got started on this, I felt like I was on the end of a comet,'' she said. Sykes only came out to her conservative mother Marion and father Harry when she was 40, who both initially had difficulty accepting her homosexuality. Media Network, LLC, 2015); Allison Keyes, The Apollo Theater to Induct 3 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. 1975. Mabley began her career on the theater stage in the 1920s and became a veteran entertainer of the Chitlin' Circuit of African-American vaudeville. [23] She played the Harlem Cultural Festival during this time. ''According to my research, she was our only black comedienne; I don't know of any other in those years,'' said Ms. Taylor. In a. She was a guest at the White House Conference to Fulfill These Rights (1966), and she used politics as a major component of her comedy routine. Quick-witted and quick-tongued, Mabley's unorthodox, self-assured routines as an outspoken grandma while wearing bag-lady clothes--old-fashioned print dresses and floppy hats--was a favorite with Black female audiences, particularly when she was lampooning the psychology of men. 23 May 1975 (aged 81) Jackie "Moms" Mabley (March 19, 1894 - May 23, 1975), born Loretta Mary Aiken, was an American standup comedian. She also recorded two comedy albums, Moms Mabley at the U.N. and Moms Mabley at the Geneva Convention. She later performed in such noted venues as Harlems Cotton Club. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Once a favorite at the Cotton Club in Harlem and the Club Harlem in Atlantic City, where she performed with such legendary figures as Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway, Moms in her later years went on to appear on national television with Merv Griffin, Johnny Carson, Flip Wilson, Mike Douglas, the Smothers Brothers and Bill Cosby, and to play Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and the Copacabana. [17][18][19] A preference for handsome young men rather than "old washed-up geezers" became a signature bit. 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. Moms Mabley/Children, Deceased (18941975) Mabley relocated to Cleveland, Ohio, at age fourteen and joined the black vaudeville scene as an all-around entertainer. In 2015 Mabley was named one of the thirty-one icons by Equality Forum. It was written by Ben Caldwell, a Harlem-born playwright and author. While making the film she suffered a heart attack, and the filming had to be postponed until she had a pacemaker implanted. Since then Ms. Taylor, a veteran stage actress who has become known to a national television audience as Bill Cosby's mother on ''The Cosby Show,'' has traveled all over the country, tracking down and interviewing surviving members of Moms Mabley's family and researching the life of the late black comedienne. "A child is born, and it ain't no good, no where, no how without a Mom. ': Birth Mom Reunites with Son after 33 Years of Separation, Tyler Perry Was Broke Living in His Car - He Recalls in Tears That He Was Only 'Praying & Believing, Girl Bans Single Mom from Her Graduation after Learning She Works as a Cleaner Story of the Day. [11], Mabley quickly became one of the most successful entertainers of the Chitlin' Circuit, although, as a black woman, her wages were meager. If anybody had told me I could raise $300,000 - why, I didn't know I could raise $300. Moms Mabley, whose birth name was Loretta Mary Aiken, channeled childhood pain into inane chatter. Due to the trauma shed been through, Moms was driven to flee her home at the age of 14. Since Loretta was boarding with a clergyman and his wife, she felt that she could not tell them that she was going into show business, so she threw her bag over the back fence where Bonnie Drew was waiting with her car. Asheville Citizen, 21 Mar., 22 Oct. 1971, 3 Mar. Subsequent albums like Moms Mabley at the Playboy Club, Moms Mabley at the UN and Young Men, Si - Old Men, No continued to broaden Mabley's reach (she ultimately recorded many albums). By the end of the decade, she became the first female comedian to perform at the Apollo Theater. [21][22] Music became a regular part of her act, and a cover version of "Abraham, Martin and John" hit No. Updates? Her great grandparents were slaves and she would soon learn the sacrifices that came with it. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. ''She was finally discovered by whites in the 1960's, and did a crossover. At the apex of her long career, she was Mabley died from heart failure in White Plains, New York, on May 23, 1975. Mabley focused on As a performer, Moms banked on being Black in delivering her jokes. She appeared on Broadway as well in Swinging the Dream and Blackbirds. comedians of the era, white or Black, such as infidelity, poverty, Her career spanned five decades, although white audiences did not know of her until the early 1960s. How dare you not know who Moms Mabley is?' [25] While filming the 1974 film Amazing Grace, her only film starring role,[1] Mabley suffered a heart attack. As if that wasn't horrific enough, she was raped again at the age of 13 by the town's sheriff. Black Comedy Legends Into Its Walk of Fame: Moms Mabley, Redd Foxx and Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley: Directed by Whoopi Goldberg. By the early 1960s, she began to build a white audience with her 1962 performance at Carnegie Hall, then a series of appearances on mainstream television shows including The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and The Ed Sullivan Show.. Do you find this information helpful? Known as an "overbearing, dogmatic, infuriating and sweet" black comedienne, she entertained American audiences from the 1920s into the 1970s. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. She was also a top draw for a number of TV variety shows. Moms also talked about sex incessantly. [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. Moms Mabley/Age at death. ''I just went everywhere, following all the leads,'' Ms. Taylor said. She was also a sly and astute social commentator, as she revealed in comments such as There aint nothing wrong with young people. After both of Moms Mabley's babies were born, she gave them away to other families. The woman who would become known as famed comedian Moms Mabley was born Loretta Mary Aiken in Brevard, North Carolina, on March 19, 1894 (some sources say 1897), to a large family. This article is from the Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, 6 volumes, edited by William S. Powell. Moms always remained close to North Carolina, frequently visiting family and friends in the Brevard area. Biography.com Editors, Moms MableyBiography: Comedian (18941975), http://www.biography.com/people/moms-mabley-38691; Jackie Moms It ai n't no good, no where, no how without a Mom a woman a... Passed away following a heart attack in White Plains, New York in 1975 later, Harlem-born! Owned a & E Television Networks, LLC benefit for home delivery digital. 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