Helen Broderick

Helen Broderick (August 11, 1891 – September 25, 1959) was an American actress known for her comic roles, especially as a wisecracking sidekick.[1]

Helen Broderick
Broderick in the trailer for Top Hat (1935)
Born(1891-08-11)August 11, 1891
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedSeptember 25, 1959(1959-09-25) (aged 68)
Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1924–1946
Spouse
Lester Crawford
​
​
(m. 1910)​
ChildrenBroderick Crawford

Career
Broderick (left) in Honeymoon in Bali (1939)

Broderick began on Broadway as a chorus girl in the Follies of 1907, the first of Florenz Ziegfeld's annual revues. She went on to perform in the vaudeville duo "Broderick & Crawford" (with her husband) until the entertainment form went out of style, moving to a solo career in her first play Nifties of 23.[2] By the late 1920s, she was playing leads and featured roles, most notably in Fifty Million Frenchmen.[3] In the early 1930s, she starred in the revues The Band Wagon and As Thousands Cheer. Her move to Hollywood came when her stage successes such as Fifty Million Frenchmen were made into movies, and an image as the quick-quipping friend soon followed in support roles for the Astaire-Rogers movies Top Hat and Swing Time.[4] She had leading roles in a few B movies, such as amateur sleuth Hildegarde Withers in Murder on a Bridle Path.

The wife of actor Lester (Pendergast) Crawford[5] (they appear together in the 1930 eight-minute Nile Green, and two 1931 seven-minute comedy shorts: The Spirits of 76th Street and Court Plastered),[6][7] they were the parents of Academy Award-winning actor Broderick Crawford (1911–1986).

Broderick's last appearance on film was with Deanna Durbin in the comedy Because of Him (1946).[8]

Death

Broderick died after a stroke at the age of 68 on September 25, 1959.[9][10] Her husband died in November 1962.

Complete filmography

References
  1. "Helen Broderick" (biography), in "Leonard Maltin Classic Movie Guide," (2005). Atlanta, Georgia: Turner Classic Movies, retrieved online February 23, 2019.
  2. Cullen, Frank; Hackman, Florence; McNeilly, Donald (2007). Vaudeville old & new: an encyclopedia of variety performances in America. Psychology Press. ISBN 978-0-415-93853-2.
  3. "Concerning the Droll Miss Broderick". New York Times. March 2, 1930. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  4. Nissen, Axel (January 10, 2014). Mothers, Mammies and Old Maids: Twenty-Five Character Actresses of Golden Age Hollywood. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-9045-5.
  5. Schlossheimer, Michael (August 3, 2018). Gunmen and Gangsters: Profiles of Nine Actors Who Portrayed Memorable Screen Tough Guys. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-3546-0.
  6. Bradley, Edwin M. (June 14, 2015). The First Hollywood Sound Shorts, 1926-1931. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-0684-2.
  7. Webb, Graham (July 10, 2020). Encyclopedia of American Short Films, 1926-1959. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-3926-0.
  8. "Helen Broderick" (biography), in "Leonard Maltin Classic Movie Guide" (2005), Turner Classic Movies.
  9. "Actress Helen Broderick Crawford" (brief death notice with photo). Detroit, Michigan: Detroit Free Press, September 28, 1959, p. 10.
  10. "Helen Broderick" (biography), in "Leonard Maltin Classic Movie Guide" (2005), Turner Classic Movies.
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