Geneva Mitchell

Geneva Doris Mitchell (February 3, 1908 – March 10, 1949) was an American actress.[1] After beginning her entertainment career as a chorus girl at the age of twelve, she became more well known for her roles in several Hollywood films.

Geneva Mitchell
Mitchell in 1921
Born
Geneva Doris Mitchell

(1908-02-03)February 3, 1908
Medaryville, Indiana, U.S.
DiedMarch 10, 1949(1949-03-10) (aged 41)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1920–1946
Spouses
Robert Savage
​
​
(m. 1922; div. 1922)​
    Harry J. Bryant
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1935)​

    Early years

    Mitchell was born in Medaryville, Indiana.[2] Her mother, Verna Mitchell Foss, danced in the Ziegfeld Follies.[3]

    Career

    Mitchell started her career on the stage in a musical comedy. At age 17, she was in the choruses of Sally and the Ziegfeld Follies of 1921.[4]

    She signed a contract with Warner Brothers in October 1929, and with Columbia Pictures in June 1934. Modern viewers will recognize Mitchell from her appearances in the Three Stooges 1935 films Restless Knights, Pop Goes the Easel, and particularly Hoi Polloi. In Hoi Polloi, Mitchell plays a dance instructor who directs the Stooges to "do exactly as I do." Before she begins her dance, a bumblebee lands on her bare back, and then crawls under her dress. She becomes alarmed. Naturally, the Stooges mimic her every startled move. This hilarious footage was to be reused six years later in In the Sweet Pie and Pie.

    Death

    Poor health curtailed Mitchell's career after 1936, as she appeared in only one film throughout the 1940s. She died in Los Angeles, California on March 10, 1949, at age 41.[5]

    Personal life

    Mitchell's circumstances often made the news. In March 1922,[6] when she was 14, she married Robert Savage, the son of a millionaire, in Milford, Connecticut. Five days later, she returned his ring and said, "I'm too young to be a wife."[7] On October 15, 1935, she married financier Harry J. Bryant in Yuma, Arizona.[8]

    Partial filmography

    References
    1. "Geneva Mitchell". Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
    2. Ellenberger, Allan R. (2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-5019-0. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
    3. "The final curtain". Billboard. October 13, 1951. p. 42. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
    4. "Yale Student Weds Young Actress". The Buffalo Times. New York, Buffalo. March 11, 1922. p. 2. Retrieved July 22, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. open access
    5. "Mrs. Geneva D. Tuttle." Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 1949, p. 17.
    6. "Scion of Wealthy Family Weds 17-Year-Old Actress". The St. Louis Star and Times. Missouri, St. Louis. March 10, 1922. p. 10. Retrieved July 22, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. open access
    7. "This Follies Beauty Boasts Broadway's Briefest Honeymoon". The Montgomery Advertiser. Alabama, Montgomery. May 7, 1922. p. 30. Retrieved July 22, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. open access
    8. "Geneva Mitchell Weds, Returns To Job". Deseret News. Utah, Salt Lake city. International News Service. October 16, 1935. p. 7. Retrieved January 16, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
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