Elsie Ames (May 18, 1902 May 3, 1983) was an American comic dancer and film actress. Between 1937 and 1974 she acted in 15 films. She is best known as the female film partner of

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent film work, in which his trademark was physical comedy accompanied by a stoic, deadpan expression ...

. Ames was half of the

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

team Ames and Arno, doing a slapstick adagio routine. Theirs was a good, standard vaudeville act, as ''Variety'' reported in 1938: "Elsie Ames and Nick Arno make every second of their knockabout routine count for laughs. Nothing seems left to chance. Also, a mid-center walloper is the encore." Ames and Arno performed their act on film in the

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

musical ''

Double or Nothing Double or nothing (UK often double or quits) is a gamble to decide whether a loss or debt should be doubled. The result of a "double or nothing" bet is either the subject doubled to twice the amount as the original ''or'' the doubling of a debt. It ...

'' (1937). Elsie Ames's willingness to take pratfalls and physical punishment in the name of comedy made her a natural candidate for

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

' short subjects. Producer

Jules White Jules White (born Julius Weiss; hu, Weisz Gyula; 17 September 190030 April 1985) was a Hungarian-American film director and producer best known for his short-subject comedies starring The Three Stooges Early years White began working in mo ...

had a host of male physical comedians under contract, but no female comics who could withstand the films' high slapstick content. In 1940 White hired Ames, who stood a little over five feet tall, as a foil for 5' 5" Buster Keaton. She worked with Keaton in five of his 10 Columbia shorts, and received featured billing. After the final short in the series, ''

She's Oil Mine ''She's Oil Mine'' is the last short subject American comedian Buster Keaton made for Columbia Pictures. Keaton made a total of 10 films for the studio between 1939 and 1941. Plot Keaton and Monte Collins appear as Waters and Piper, plumbers. D ...

'', Keaton let his Columbia contract lapse, leaving Ames idle. White tried to keep her Columbia career going, co-starring her with

Harry Langdon Harry Philmore Langdon (June 15, 1884 – December 22, 1944) was an American comedian who appeared in vaudeville, silent films (where he had his greatest fame), and talkies.Obituary ''Variety'', December 27, 1944, page 39. Life and career Bor ...

(in two shorts) and then

El Brendel Elmer Goodfellow "El" Brendel (March 25, 1890 – April 9, 1964) was an American vaudeville comedian turned movie star, best remembered for his dialect routine as a Swedish immigrant. His biggest role was as "Single-0" in the sci-fi musical ' ...

(in one final short). She left Columbia in 1942. She made two further movies, both with Nick Arno, doing their dance specialty.

Personal

Elsie Ames's daughter,

Elizabeth Deering Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

, is also an actress. Elizabeth "Betty Lou" Deering was married 1964–1983 to

Seymour Cassel Seymour Joseph Cassel (January 22, 1935 – April 7, 2019) was an American actor who appeared in over 200 movies and television shows, and had a career that spanned over 50 years. Cassel first came to prominence in the 1960s in the pioneering in ...

. Ames and her then son-in-law acted together in ''

Minnie and Moskowitz ''Minnie and Moskowitz'' is a 1971 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by John Cassavetes and starring his wife Gena Rowlands and Seymour Cassel in the title roles of Minnie and Moskowitz, respectively. Plot Seymour Moskow ...

'' (1971). Ames and Deering acted in ''

A Woman Under the Influence ''A Woman Under the Influence'' is a 1974 American drama film written and directed by John Cassavetes. The story follows a woman (Gena Rowlands) whose unusual behavior leads to conflict with her blue-collar husband (Peter Falk) and family. It rec ...

'' (1974).

Filmography

*''

'' (1937) *'' His Ex Marks the Spot'' (1940) *''

The Spook Speaks ''The Spook Speaks'' is a 1940 film directed by Jules White. It is the sixth short subject starring Buster Keaton made for Columbia Pictures. Plot Buster and his wife Elsie Ames are temps sent to a house owned by a spiritualist/magician Professor ...

'' (1940) *'' The Taming of the Snood'' (1940) *''

General Nuisance ''General Nuisance'' (1941) is the ninth short subject starring Buster Keaton made for Columbia Pictures. Plot Aristocratic millionaire Peter Hedley Lamar Jr. (Buster Keaton) is entranced by army nurse Dorothy Appleby but her cohort Elsie Ames le ...

'' (1941) *''

Rhythm Inn ''Rhythm Inn'' is a 1951 American film starring Jane Frazee. Plot A bandleader desperate to get his musicians' instruments out of hock promises a pawnbroker that his star singer will give him a private performance. Cast * Jane Frazee as Carol ...

'' (1951) *''

Houdini Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American escape artist, magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to his spiritual master, French magician ...

'' (1953) *''

'' (1971) as Florence *''

'' (1974)

References

External links

*
Elsie Ames
on

Hollywood.com Hollywood.com is an entertainment news website covering popular culture topics including movies, television, music and celebrities. Hollywood.com is principally owned by Mitchell Rubenstein and Laurie S. Silvers, who previously founded Sci-Fi Ch ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ames, Elsie 1902 births 1983 deaths American film actresses 20th-century American actresses Actresses from California