Ann Sothern's illustrious film career commenced with a humble beginning as an extra in 1927. Initially, she sported a fiery red head, but as her comedic roles progressed, she opted to bleach her locks to a radiant blonde hue. Following stints at MGM and on the Broadway stage, Ann Sothern was signed by Columbia Pictures for the 1933 film Let's Fall in Love. The subsequent year, she collaborated with the inimitable Eddie Cantor in the hit film Kid Millions (1934). For the next two years, Ann Sothern appeared in a string of "B" pictures, only to be dropped by Columbia in 1936.
Undeterred, she joined RKO Pictures, where the quality of her films did not quite live up to her expectations. Ann Sothern starred alongside Gene Raymond in a series of "B" pictures, yet her career seemed to stagnate. In 1938, she parted ways with RKO and secured a contract at MGM, where she landed the lead role in the 1938 film Trade Winds, playing a tart with a contract that would prove to be a game-changer.
The role led to a lead in a "B" comedy about a brassy, energetic showgirl, originally intended for Jean Harlow, which became a massive hit and spawned a series of sequels that ran until 1947: Maisie (1939). Ann Sothern also appeared in well-received features such as Brother Orchid (1940),Cry 'Havoc' (1943),and A Letter to Three Wives (1949).
As the years went by, the roles began to dwindle, and Ann Sothern turned her attention to television. She starred in the hit series Private Secretary (1953),playing the meddlesome Susie, which was canceled in 1957. Ann Sothern returned to the small screen with The Ann Sothern Show (1958),which ran from 1958 to 1961. In 1965, she lent her voice to the 1928 Porter in the camp classic My Mother the Car (1965).
The 1970s and 1980s were relatively quiet for Ann Sothern, but she received a nomination for an Academy Award for her role as the neighbor of Lillian Gish and Bette Davis in The Whales of August (1987).
