Olive Brasno (October 17, 1917 – January 25, 1998) was a
dwarf
Dwarf or dwarves may refer to:
Common uses
*Dwarf (folklore), a being from Germanic mythology and folklore
* Dwarf, a person or animal with dwarfism
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities
* Dwarf (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a humanoid ...
dancer and actress who was known for her song and dance act with her brother,
George
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...
. She also appeared in a few films through the 1930s and 1940s.
Born in the community of
Old Bridge, New Jersey
Old Bridge Township is a township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States, located in the Raritan Valley region and within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township’s population was 66,876, re ...
, and later residing in
South River, Olive and George Brasno were first recognized as a brother-and-sister dwarf singing team in a partnership with
Buster Shaver's
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 ...
act.
[Kemp, Heather Wendt for '']Weird NJ
''Weird NJ'' (sometimes abbreviated ''WNJ'') is a semi-annual magazine that chronicles local legends, purported hauntings, ghost stories, folklore, unusual places or events, and other peculiarities in New Jersey. The magazine originated in 1989 as ...
''
"Weird NJ: The Brasnos – Old Bridge’s movie heroes"
''Asbury Park Press
The ''Asbury Park Press'' is a daily newspaper in Monmouth and Ocean counties of New Jersey and has the third largest circulation in the state. It has been owned by Gannett since 1997.
Its reporting staff has been awarded numerous national hon ...
'', April 23, 2017. Accessed December 26, 2017.
Career
Dancer/actress Olive Brasno Wayne spent the bulk of her career performing on stage, but she also occasionally appeared in feature films. She launched her professional career dancing and singing in vaudeville along with her brother
George Brasno
George F. Brasno (December 23, 1911 – August 15, 1982) was an American actor who appeared in a few films through the 1930s and 1940s. He and his sister Olive Brasno were first recognized as a brother and sister little-people singing team i ...
. The act was called "Buster Shaver, Olive and George", and it toured nationally. She and George appeared in ''
Little Miss Broadway
''Little Miss Broadway'' is a 1938 American musical drama film directed by Irving Cummings. The screenplay was written by Harry Tugend and Jack Yellen. The film stars Shirley Temple in a story about a theatrical boarding house and its occupants, ...
'' (1938) opposite
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple;While Temple occasionally used "Jane" as a middle name, her birth certificate reads "Shirley Temple". Her birth certificate was altered to prolong her babyhood shortly after she signed with Fox in ...
. Other film credits include ''
The Mighty Barnum
''The Mighty Barnum'' is a 1934 film starring Wallace Beery as P.T. Barnum. The movie was written by Gene Fowler and Bess Meredyth, adapted from their play of the same name, and directed by Walter Lang. Beery had played Barnum four years earlier ...
'' (1934) and ''
Sitting Pretty'' (1933). She and her brother appeared in one of the original Charlie Chan films with Warner Oland,
Charlie Chan at the Circus
''Charlie Chan at the Circus'' is the 11th film produced by Fox starring Warner Oland as Charlie Chan. A seemingly harmless family outing drags a vacationing Chan into a murder investigation.
The film's sets were designed by the art director Dun ...
, in 1936. She appeared with her brother in at least two ''Our Gang shorts'', singing "The Ice Cream Song" in "Shrimps for a Day."
She was offered a part as a "Munchkin" in ''
The Wizard of Oz'' (1939) but turned it down because she and her brother were making more money in vaudeville.
Personal life
Olive Brasno married dwarf actor Gus Wayne
Gus is a masculine name, often a diminutive for Angus, August, Augustine, or Augustus, and other names (e.g. Aengus, Argus, Fergus, Ghassan, Gustav, Gustave, Gustafson, Gustavo, Gussie).
It can also be used as the adaptation into English of ...
, who played one of the Munchkin soldiers in ''The Wizard of Oz''; the couple were married for 37 years.
Death
Olive Brasno died in Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland is the most populous city in Polk County, Florida, part of the Tampa Bay Area, located along Interstate 4 east of Tampa. According to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau release, the city had a population of 112,641. Lakeland is a principal c ...
, on January 25, 1998, at the age of 80. After 37 years of marriage, she outlived her husband by two days.[Galloway, Doug]
"Olive Brasno Wayne, 80; Midget actress turned down role in ''Oz''"
''Variety (magazine)
''Variety'' is an American media company owned by Penske Media Corporation. The company was founded by Sime Silverman in New York City in 1905 as a weekly newspaper reporting on theater and vaudeville. In 1933 it added ''Daily Variety'', based ...
'', March 2, 1998. Accessed December 26, 2017. "Olive Brasno Wayne, a midget actress who worked with a number of top entertainment luminaries during the 1930s, died Jan. 25 of heart failure at a hospital in Lakeland, Fla. She was 80.... Her husband of 37 years, Gus Wayne, also a midget actor who did appear in ''The Wizard of Oz,'' predeceased her by two days (see accompanying obituary)."
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brasno, Olive
1917 births
1998 deaths
American film actresses
Actors with dwarfism
20th-century American actresses
People from East Brunswick, New Jersey
People from South River, New Jersey