Gertrude Howard (October 13, 1892 – September 30, 1934) was an American actress of the silent and early

sound film A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...

eras.

Biography

Born in 1892, Howard performed in the chorus of ''The Wife Hunters'' (1911) on Broadway. She broke into films in 1925, appearing in ''The Circus Cyclone'', directed by

Albert Rogell Albert S. Rogell (August 21, 1901 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - April 7, 1988 Los Angeles, California) was an American film director. Rogell directed more than a hundred movies between 1921 and 1958. He was the uncle of producer Sid Rogell. Filmog ...

. In 1927, she played the wife of Uncle Tom in ''

Uncle Tom's Cabin ''Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly'' is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in two volumes in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the U ...

''. In 1927, ''

The Pittsburgh Courier The ''Pittsburgh Courier'' was an African-American weekly newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1907 until October 22, 1966. By the 1930s, the ''Courier'' was one of the leading black newspapers in the United States. It was acqu ...

'' stated that she was the "highest salaried colored actress in Hollywood". She appeared mostly in minor or supporting film roles, such as Queenie in the original version of ''

Show Boat ''Show Boat'' is a musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the performers, stagehands and dock worke ...

'' (1929), and Martha in Christy Cabanne's ''

Conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between persons (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation, while keeping their agre ...

''. Her appearance as Beulah Thorndyke in ''

I'm No Angel ''I'm No Angel'' is a 1933 pre-Code film directed by Wesley Ruggles, and starring Mae West and Cary Grant. West received sole story and screenplay credit. It is one of her films that was not subjected to heavy censorship. Plot Tira (Mae West ...

'' (1933), led to her being forever linked to

Mae West Mae West (born Mary Jane West; August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American stage and film actress, playwright, screenwriter, singer, and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned over seven decades. She was known for her breezy ...

with the famous line, "Beulah, peel me a grape". In Howard's short career she would appear in twenty-two films. That career was cut short by her untimely death in 1934 at the age of 41. Mae West helped raise funds for her funeral.

Filmography

(Per

AFI AFI may refer to: * ''Address-family identifier'', a 16 bit field of the Routing Information Protocol * Ashton Fletcher Irwin, an Australian drummer * AFI (band), an American rock band ** ''AFI'' (2004 album), a retrospective album by AFI rele ...

database) *'' The Circus Cyclone'' (1925) as Mrs. Jackson *'' Easy Pickings'' (1927) as Mandy *''

On Your Toes ''On Your Toes'' (1936) is a musical with a book by Richard Rodgers, George Abbott, and Lorenz Hart, music by Rodgers, and lyrics by Hart. It was adapted into a film in 1939. While teaching music at Knickerbocker University, Phil "Junior" Dolan ...

'' (1927) as Mammy *'' South Sea Love'' (1927) as Moana *''

'' (1927) as Aunt Chloe *'' Hearts in Dixie'' (1929) as Emmy *''

'' (1929) as Queenie (uncredited) *'' His Captive Woman'' (1929) as Lavoris Smythe *'' Synthetic Sin'' (1929) as Cassie *''

'' (1930) as Martha *'' Guilty?'' (1930) as Lucy *'' Father's Son'' (1931) as Dinah *''

The Prodigal ''The Prodigal'' is a 1955 Eastmancolor biblical epic CinemaScope film made by MGM starring Lana Turner and Edmund Purdom. It was based on the New Testament parable about a selfish son who leaves his family to pursue a life of pleasure. The f ...

'' (1931) as Naomi *'' Penrod and Sam'' (1931) as Delia - Schofield's Maid (uncredited) *'' Consolation Marriage'' (1931) as Kate - Mary's Maid (uncredited) *''

Secret Service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For ...

'' (1931) as Martha Polk (uncredited) *''

Strangers in Love ''Strangers in Love'' is a 1932 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Lothar Mendes, written by Grover Jones, William J. Locke and William Slavens McNutt, and starring Fredric March, Kay Francis, Stuart Erwin, Juliette Compton, George Bar ...

'' (1932) as Snowball, Servant *'' Forbidden Trail'' (1932) as Angelina *''

'' (1933) as Beulah *''

The Fighting Code ''The Fighting Code'' is a 1933 American Western film written and directed by Lambert Hillyer. The film stars Buck Jones, Diane Sinclair, Ward Bond, Richard Alexander, Alfred P. James and Erville Alderson. The film was released on December 30 ...

'' (1933) as Housekeeper Martha *''

George White's Scandals ''George White's Scandals'' were a long-running string of Broadway revues produced by George White that ran from 1919–1939, modeled after the ''Ziegfeld Follies''. The "Scandals" launched the careers of many entertainers, including W. C. Fi ...

'' (1934) as Black Woman (uncredited) *''

Peck's Bad Boy Henry "Hennery" Peck, popularly known as Peck's Bad Boy, is a fictional character created by George Wilbur Peck (1840–1916). First appearing in the 1883 novel ''Peck's Bad Boy and His Pa'', the Bad Boy has appeared in numerous print, stage, and ...

'' (1934) as Martha the Maid *'' Carolina'' (1934) as Minor Role (uncredited)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Gertrude Actresses from Arkansas American silent film actresses 20th-century American actresses American film actresses African-American actresses Actors from Hot Springs, Arkansas 1892 births 1934 deaths 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people