'', Above all, Ms. Taylor hopes to answer the question first asked her by an uninformed friend. By age 15 she had borne two children. At 11, an older man sexually abused her, and only two years later, a white town sheriff did the same. ''Once I got started on this, I felt like I was on the end of a comet,'' she said. Media Network, LLC, 2015); Allison Keyes, The Apollo Theater to Induct 3 [1][3] She was one of 16 children born to James Aiken and Mary Smith,[4] who had married in 1891. He told her it was a disgrace to their family name to be a woman in the entertainment business. " Moms " Mabley was born Loretta Mary Aiken in Brevard, North Carolina, one of twelve children born to Jim Aiken, a grocery store owner, and his wife. Moms Mabley was an A-list celebrity who earned her status as the highest paid comedian over years of professionalism as she ventured into a male-dominated career. She returned to work three weeks later, after receiving a pacemaker. by Kim Wilson May 4, 2000. Her father who was a volunteer fireman died on duty when the fire engine he was on exploded. 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. At the apex of her long career, she was earning $10,000 a week at Harlem's Apollo Theatre. Mobley had a starring role in the 1974 picture Amazing Grace, which she was able to complete despite having a heart attack during filming. If they don't want the truth, then don't come to Moms. A successful comedian herself, she's now also an influential talk show host on "The View" offering her unfiltered opinions about social, entertainment, and political issues. 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. Moms also talked about sex incessantly. It began with her first job as a performer in a minstrel show. 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. During her career Moms had several small parts in movies, including Boarding House Blues and Emperor Jones. I know I'm not in charge of it; had I been in charge of it, I'd still be sitting in my backyard. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Moms-Mabley, African American Registry - Biography of Mom Mabley. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. It's going to take me five years from now to pinch myself and say, 'It's really happened.' Her sketches catered to the Black community and revolved around stories about White people. On May 23, 1975, Mabley passed away following a heart attack in White Plains, New York. '', But as Ms. Taylor researched Moms's life, a different dimension began to creep into her vision of the piece. All Rights Reserved. ''She was just Moms Mabley who was going to make me laugh, so that was all I wanted to do with my evening with Moms.''. In 1975 she had the lead in the film Amazing Grace, her first starring role in the cinema. Moms Mabley was born on March 19, 1894 in Brevard, North Carolina, United States, is Actress, Soundtrack. Mabley, Jackie (Moms) by James D. Gillespie. All I ever hoped for was for somebody to let me do a reading one evening somewhere, but I ended up producing this show. 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. Near the end of her life, she starred in a film titled Amazing Grace, which included a call to action for black youth. Her cover version of "Abraham, Martin and John" hit #35 . She was an inspiration for irreverent female comics of that era, including Phyllis Diller and, in her final years, Mabley poked fun at the president and other government officials. Christine AikenCharles AikenBonnie Aiken Sykes only came out to her conservative mother Marion and father Harry when she was 40, who both initially had difficulty accepting her homosexuality. 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. 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. Yet, belying that persona, offstage she had a glamorous, chic look and was known to be a lesbian. 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. Mabley began her career on the theater stage in the 1920s and became a veteran entertainer of the Chitlin' Circuit of African-American vaudeville. At one point in her career, Mabley favored an androgynous wardrobe, and much of her comic material was laced with lesbian-infused connotations. She was shocked when a friend interrupted to ask, ''Who's Moms Mabley?' Arizona State University Professor Bambi Haggins analyzed Mableys career in her 2007 book Laughing Mad: The Black Comic Persona in Post-Soul America. Haggins, who appears in the Goldberg documentary and who spoke with the Blade for this article, points to what she calls Mableys contradictory persona on and off the stage and in her sexuality. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". And by the beginning of her teens, Aiken had been raped twice and become pregnant from both encounters, with both children being given away. Legendary American vaudeville entertainer-turned-comedian Jackie "Moms" Mabley became famous for her persona as a frumpy, middle-aged woman in a housedress and floppy hat delivering hilarious. 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. It was aired by HBO. [17][18][19] A preference for handsome young men rather than "old washed-up geezers" became a signature bit. As if that wasn't horrific enough, she was raped again at the age of 13 by the town's sheriff. She was known to tackle controversial subjects like U.S. race relations, sexual allusion, and her attraction to younger men. 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. A teenage runaway, she joined the Negro troupe of Henry Bowman and Tim Moore and, in a short time, became a success. With Debbie Allen, Kaye Ballard, Harry Belafonte, Dick Cavett. }}, 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?". If anybody had told me I could raise $300,000 - why, I didn't know I could raise $300. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. '', As the civil-rights movement wrought the changes necessary to enable her to gain national exposure, her humor proved universal. In a. 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. '', ''I said, 'Just wait a minute - I'm going to teach all you white people who Moms Mabley is! Although it is unclear whether she was ever legally married, she bore another daughter later on, only to see her become a drug addict. Discovered by the vaudeville team known as Butterbeans and Susie, she went to New York City with them and made her debut at Connies Inn. Black Comedy Legends Into Its Walk of Fame: Moms Mabley, Redd Foxx and Moms Mabley - Abraham, Martin & John - Full 1969 Vinyl Album - YouTube 0:00 / 33:13 Moms Mabley - Abraham, Martin & John - Full 1969 Vinyl Album ThreeMinutesAday 15.2K subscribers. Loretta Mary Aiken was born in Brevard, North Carolina, on March 19, 1894. 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). Two years later, a White town sheriff raped her too. The great grand-daughter of a slave, Mabiey was of mixed black, Irish, and Cherokee heritage. [31][32] The documentary was nominated for two Creative Arts Emmy Awards at the 66th ceremony held on August 16, 2014, at the Nokia Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles: Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special and Outstanding Narrator for Whoopi Goldberg. She often commented: "I love North Carolina. But most of her jokes at the beginning were 'in' jokes. [12], She came out as a lesbian in 1921 at the age of twenty-seven, becoming one of the first openly gay comedians. 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. I was real uptight with him and he certainly was real uptight with me; you'd better believe. Her most popular scripts portrayed her as a dirty old lady who preyed on young men. She said she wanted to make another movie based on a true story "that I saw live," but within a few months she died at age seventy-eight. She modeled her stage persona largely on her grandmother, who had been a slave. Updates? Shortly after, two more tragedies struck her. 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. Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press. Both rapes resulted in pregnancies; both babies were given away. She also had five more children. In 2013, comedian Whoopi Goldberg spearheaded the documentary, "I Got Something To Tell You," which was centered around Moms' career. Alternate titles: Jackie Mabley, Loretta Mary Aiken. Actress Clarice Taylor, who portrayed Bill Cosby's mother on The Cosby Show and was a major fan of Mabley's work, staged the 1987 play Moms at the Astor Place Theater, in which she portrayed the trailblazing icon. In the latter part of her life, Moms Mabley lived in Westchester County, north of New York City, and it was reported that she was survived by three children as well as others whom she had "adopted." Later she presented herself as a toothless, matronly-looking woman in ragged attire and floppy hats. ''I decided I was going to do Moms as I remember her,'' explained Ms. Taylor, who grew up in Harlem and still lives there. Whoopi Goldberg, who did a one-woman show about Mabley decades ago, aims to fix that, with "Moms Mabley," her new documentary on HBOand, as it happens, her project has a news peg. She appeared on Broadway as well in Swinging the Dream and Blackbirds. Mabley focused on conventional topics such as family and others not normally covered by comedians of the era, white or Black, such as infidelity, poverty, welfare, and inebriation.Billed as the Funniest Woman in the World, she adopted her original stage name from a boyfriend, Jackie Mabley, and began her career at 14. For licensing inquiries please contact Historic Films Archive(info@historicfilms.com / http://www.historicfilms.com) One the most successful entertainers of the Black vaudeville stage, For personal use and not for further distribution. 1898-23 May 1975 (1898-23 May 1975), comedienne and actress, was born Loretta Mary Aiken in Brevard, the daughter of "Uncle" Jim and Mary Aiken.Known as an "overbearing, dogmatic, infuriating and sweet" black comedienne, she entertained American audiences from the 1920s into the 1970s. You'll receive notice of my new post. Used by permission of the publisher. In 1971, she appeared on The Pearl Bailey Show. In the 1960s she came to be accepted by white audiences and made club concert and television appearances on the programs of such celebrities as the Smothers Brothers, Bill Cosby, Mike Douglas, and Flip Wilson. 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