Lottice Howell (November 14, 1897 - October 24, 1982) was an American

coloratura soprano A coloratura soprano is a type of operatic soprano voice that specializes in music that is distinguished by agile runs, leaps and trills. The term '' coloratura'' refers to the elaborate ornamentation of a melody, which is a typical component o ...

and actress best known for her singing of popular and semi-classical music.

Early years

The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Howell, she was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and raised in Moundville, Alabama. Her father was "a prominent lumber and cotton magnate". Howell graduated from Moundville Normal High School and the Woman's College of Alabama. Her interest in the stage began in college, where she acted in productions, and after graduating she taught voice there. She studied music in New York, but financial problems led her to teach in a school in Georgia before she could return to New York to seek a career on stage.

Career

On July 10, 1921, Howell debuted at the Strand Theater in New York, singing as part of the stage show that preceded the day's film. in 1922-1923, she had the lead in a national touring company that performed Mozart's ''

The Impresario ' (''The Impresario''), K. 486, is a comic '' singspiel'' by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, set to a German libretto by Gottlieb Stephanie, an Austrian ''Schauspieldirektor''. Originally, it was written because of "the imperial command" of the Holy R ...

''. On Broadway, Howell appeared as Mugette in ''Deep River'' (1926) and as Virginia Shrivell in ''Bye, Bye, Bonnie'' (1927). For a season, she was the prima donna in a production of '' My Maryland''. In February 1929, she began performing in vaudeville. In October 1929, she signed a contract and began working with

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

film studio. Her film debut came in ''

In Gay Madrid ''In Gay Madrid'' (1930) is an American pre-Code musical comedy, directed by Robert Z. Leonard, starring Ramón Novarro and Dorothy Jordan, and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Cast * Ramon Navarro as Ricardo * Dorothy Jordan as Carmina Rivas * ...

'' (1930). She also appeared in '' Free and Easy'' (1930). In the early 1930s, she performed at the London Palladium. A dislike for the unproductive time spent in making films led Howell to return to vaudeville. In 1942, she left entertaining, returning to her home and her widowed mother. She soon learned how to raise crops and cattle on the family farm. Other than working with community projects, including the Red Cross, she lived a private life until her death in 1982.

Recognition

In 1994, Howell was inducted posthumously into the

Alabama Women's Hall of Fame The Alabama Women's Hall of Fame honors the achievements of women associated with the U.S. state of Alabama. Established in 1970, the first women were inducted the following year. The museum is located in Bean Hall, a former Carnegie Library, on th ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howell, Lottice 1897 births 1982 deaths American film actresses American musical theatre actresses Actresses from Alabama 20th-century American actresses Vaudeville performers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers Singers from Alabama American sopranos People from Bowling Green, Kentucky Actresses from Kentucky Singers from Kentucky Huntingdon College alumni