Zamah Cunningham

Zamah Cunningham (November 29, 1892 – June 2, 1967) was an American stage, film, and television actress.[1] She began her career appearing in uncredited bit parts for D. W. Griffith, making her film debut in his 1924 silent feature, America. She later had an extensive career on Broadway, making her stage debut there in 1933's Give Us This Day. Cunningham went on to appear in numerous stage plays over the following several decades, though she publicly commented that most of her plays were "flops."

Zamah Cunningham
Cunningham in 1931
Born(1892-11-29)November 29, 1892
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
DiedJune 2, 1967(1967-06-02) (aged 74)
New York City, New York, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationActress
Years active1924–1965

In her later career, she appeared in several films, including Dream Girl (1948), Here Come the Girls (1953), and Baby the Rain Must Fall (1965). Beginning in 1956, she made several guest appearances as Angelina Manciotti, neighbor of the Kramdens on the sitcom The Honeymooners. Cunningham died at Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan in June 1967, aged 74.

Life and career

Cunningham was born in 1892 in Portland, Oregon.[2][3] At age two, she relocated with her family to Carthage, Missouri.[4] She began her career as a singer before relocating to New York City to study acting.[4] After appearing in local stage productions, she was secured a working contract with D. W. Griffith, appearing in uncredited bit parts in his films.[4] In 1924, she made her film debut in Germany,[5] appearing in Griffith's America.[6] She subsequently studied music in Paris, and was given opportunity to appear in productions at the Opera Comique.[3] She later returned to the United States, where she joined the Chicago Playhouse and appeared in regional productions.[3]

Cunningham made her Broadway debut in 1933's Give Us This Day.[2] She went on to appear in over 20 Broadway productions over the following two decades, including On the Town (1944) and The Shadow of a Gunman (1958).[7] Reflecting on her stage career in 1944, she commented: "In the past 20 years I've been in fifty plays—mostly flops."[4]

Later film roles included Dream Girl (1948), Key to the City (1950), and Here Come the Girls (1953).[8] She made her final film appearance in Baby the Rain Must Fall (1965).[8]

Cunningham spent her later life living at the Park Royal Hotel on 23 West 73rd Street in Manhattan's Upper West Side.[1] In her early seventies, she suffered a stroke.[9]

Death

Cunningham died at Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan on June 2, 1967.[1] She was interred at Avilla Cemetery in Avilla, Missouri.[10]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1924 America Un­known [6]
1948 Dream Girl Mme. Kimmelhoff [8]
1950 Key to the City Mrs. Butler [8]
1950 Menasha the Magnificent Mrs. Davis Short
1953 Here Come the Girls Emily Snodgrass [8]
1965 Baby the Rain Must Fall Mrs. T.V. Smith (final film role) [8]

Television
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1952 The Ed Sullivan Show Bakery Customer Segment: "Pour Soul Ketch"
1953–1956 Studio One in Hollywood Mrs. Lagerloff / Aunt Madge / Lusadia 3 episodes
1953–1957 The Jackie Gleason Show Angelina Manciotti; Various 13 episodes
1956 The Honeymooners Angelina Manciotti 3 episodes
1959 Playhouse 90 Mrs. Gross Episode: "The Silver Whistle"
1961 General Electric Theater Eva Episode: " Sis Bowls 'Em Over"

Select stage credits
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1931 Apron Strings Chicago Playhouse [11]
1931 The Vagabond King Katherine de Vaucelles Northrop Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minnesota [3]
1933 Give Us This Day Anne Strong Booth Theatre [2]
[7]
1934 Gentlewoman Mrs. Stoneleigh Cort Theatre
1934 Are You Decent Peggy Witherspoon Ambassador Theatre; 49th Street Theatre
1935 Reprise Madame Vanderbilt Theatre
1935 Triumph Mrs. Giordana Fulton Theatre
1935 The Season Changes Rita Glenn Booth Theatre
1935 Ah, Wilderness! Mildred Miller Alvin Theatre, Minneapolis, Minnesota [12]
1936 Hallowe'en Edith Vanderbilt Theatre [2]
[7]
1936–1937 Around the Corner Sarah Clark 48th Street Theatre
1937 In Clover Electa Hornblower Vanderbilt Theatre
1937 Siege Mrs. Perez Longacre Theatre
1938 Roosty Mrs. Adams Lyceum Theatre
1938 Run Sheep Run Mrs. Hopple Windsor Theatre
1938 Young Couple Wanted Mrs. Daly Maxine Elliott's Theatre
1940 Medicine Show Mrs. Young New Yorker Theatre
1940 Horse Fever Mrs. Drum Mansfield Theatre
1941 Tanyard Street Mrs. McMorna Little Theatre
1941 The Trojan Women Marta Cort Theatre
1943 Feathers in a Gale Lucy Abner Music Box Theatre
1944 Robin Hood Dame Durden Adelphi Theatre
1944 On the Town Madame Maude P. Dilly Adelphi Theatre, 44th Street Theatre, Martin Beck Theatre
1948 Jenny Kissed Me Mrs. Deazy Shubert Theatre, New Haven, Connecticut [13]
1957 The Glass Menagerie Playmakers Theatre, Long Branch, New Jersey [5]
1958–1959 The Shadow of a Gunman Mrs. Henderson Bijou Theatre [2]
[7]
1965 Minor Miracle Mrs. Fuller Henry Miller's Theatre

References
  1. "Zamah Cunningham, Actress, Dies at 74". The New York Times. New York City, New York. June 4, 1967. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020.
  2. "Zamah Cunningham". Internet Broadway Database. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020.
  3. "'Vagabond King' Coming Offering of Players at 'U'". The Minneapolis Star. Minneapolis, Minnesota. June 21, 1931. p. 49 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Clanton, Helen (July 25, 1944). "She Was Afraid of 'Tropical' St. Louis". Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, Missouri. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Comedy, Drama, She Can Do It". The Daily Record. Long Branch, New Jersey. September 7, 1957. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Jones, Clement D. (November 17, 1953). "Public's Taste In Showgirls Is Where It Was Years Ago". The Baytown Sun. Baytown, Texas. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Zamah Cunningham". Playbill. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020.
  8. "Zamah Cunningham Filmography". AllMovie. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020.
  9. Wilson, Sloan (September 27, 1970). "I'm Looking Forward to My Second 50 Years!". The Anniston Star. Anniston, Alabama. p. 50 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Deaths". Carthage Press. Carthage, Missouri. June 7, 1967. p. 8 – via Newspaper Archive. closed access
  11. "Zamah Cunningham". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. May 24, 1931. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "An Entire Family Gets Together–On the Stage". The Minneapolis Star. Minneapolis, Minnesota. November 4, 1935. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Out-of-Town Openings". Billboard: 45. December 11, 1948. ISSN 0006-2510.
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