Regina Theodora James, better known as Gee Gee James (born 1902 or 1903, died 1971), was an

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

radio and theater actress and singer most notable in the 1930s and '40s. James was

racially A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

typecast In film, television, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character, one or more particular roles, or characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ...

as a

domestic worker A domestic worker or domestic servant is a person who works within the scope of a residence. The term "domestic service" applies to the equivalent occupational category. In traditional English contexts, such a person was said to be "in service ...

Career

After high school, she sang with

Claude Hopkins Claude Driskett Hopkins (August 24, 1903 – February 19, 1984) was an American jazz stride pianist and bandleader. Biography Claude Hopkins was born in Alexandria, Virginia, United States. Historians differ in respect of the actual date of his ...

' band. She was a cast member in Will Morrissey's ''Hot Rhythm'' (1930), along with George Wiltshire. (note mention below) She played Tillie on ''

The O'Neills ''The O'Neills'' is a radio and TV serial drama. The radio iteration of the show aired on Mutual, CBS and NBC from 1934 to 1943. Created by actress-writer Jane West, the series was sponsored at various times by Gold Dust, Ivory Snow, and Stand ...

''. Fay M. Jackson described her in 1935:

Over the kilocycle waves, she is the light hearted Mignonette, one of the bright lights of radio’s original musical comedy, ''
The Gibson Family ''The Gibson Family'' is an American old-time radio program — the first original musical comedy on radio. It was broadcast on NBC from September 15, 1934, until June 23, 1935, when the format was revamped and the title was changed to ''Uncle Char ...
'' ..Off the air, she is the equally pert and lively Gee Gee James. First as a
chorus girl A chorus line is a large group of dancers who together perform synchronized routines, usually in musical theatre. Sometimes, singing is also performed. Chorus line dancers in Broadway musicals and revues have been referred to by slang terms s ...
, then as a
soubrette A soubrette is a type of operatic soprano voice ''fach'', often cast as a female stock character in opera and theatre. The term arrived in English from Provençal via French, and means "conceited" or "coy". Theatre In theatre, a soubrette is a c ...
, she followed her star. Radio fans first heard Gee Gee over a local station in Philadelphia and shortly thereafter she was signed for her first network commercial — The Gibson Family. Miss James is determined to become a headliner. A topnotch voice, pluck, persistence, and constitutional good humor combine to further her ambition.

An episode of The Gibson Family that aired on May 12, 1935 featured a wedding between James' character Mignonette, and Theophilus (played by another African American actor,

Ernest Whitman Ernest Whitman (February 21, 1893 - August 5, 1954) was an American stage and screen actor. He was also billed in some Broadway plays as Ernest R. Whitman. Early years Whitman was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and was educated at Tuskegee Ins ...

; see

Personal life Personal life is the course or state of an individual's life, especially when viewed as the sum of personal choices contributing to one's personal identity. Apart from hunter-gatherers, most pre-modern peoples' time was limited by the need to ...

below), with

Hall Johnson Francis Hall Johnson (March 12, 1888 – April 30, 1970) was an American composer and arranger of African-American spiritual music. He is one of a group—including Harry T. Burleigh, R. Nathaniel Dett, and Eva Jessye—who had great success pe ...

's choir performing. She performed comedy with Eddie Green on

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

's radio program in 1937. A 1938 profile highlighted her role as Tulip on ''

Hilltop House ''Hilltop House was formerly a luxurious hotel in Harpers Ferry, West Virginiia.'' ''Hilltop House'' is an American old-time radio soap opera. It debuted on November 1, 1937, was replaced by a spinoff, then was re-launched twice, with its final ...

'', and described her as "one of the best known radio actresses on the air today. Gee Gee not only acts with the best, but sings equally as well." She played an eponymous role on ''

Her Honor, Nancy James Her Honor, Nancy James is a radio soap operaSies, Luther F. (2014). ''Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition, Volume 1''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 04. in the United States. It was broadcast Monday - Friday on CBS October 3, 19 ...

'' in 1939. She voiced performances on three episodes of ''

The Jack Benny Program ''The Jack Benny Program'', starring Jack Benny, is a radio-TV comedy series that ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th century American comedy. He played one role throughout his radio and televis ...

'' in 1940-41. She was in the original cast of the plays: * ''Michael Drops In'' (by William DuBois; opened December 27, 1938), as "Hattie". * ''

No Time for Comedy ''No Time for Comedy'' is a 1940 American comedy-drama film based on the play of the same name by S. N. Behrman, starring James Stewart, Rosalind Russell, Genevieve Tobin and Charlie Ruggles. Plot summary Gaylord Esterbrook (Stewart), a reporte ...

'' (opened April 17, 1939), as "Clementine" * '' Three's a Family'' (opened May 5, 1943), as "Another Maid" * ''

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of person ...

'' (opened December 3, 1947), as "Negro Woman"

Personal life

A March 1939 news article stated she was the wife of George Wiltshire, and had a 6 year old daughter who used the name Gee Gee as well. Elva Diane Green, daughter of Eddie Green, stated that James was later married to Ernest Whitman.

References

External links

Undated image
(possibly a publicity photo) *

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...

catalogue entries
Publicity photographs of Gee Gee James
an
Eddie Green with Gee Gee James (1940)
{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Gee Gee African-American actresses American radio actresses American stage actresses 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Philadelphia 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people