Maisie Ravier is a fictional character, the leading character of ten films (1939–1947) and the radio show ''

The Adventures of Maisie ''The Adventures of Maisie'' (aka ''Maisie'') was a radio comedy series starring Ann Sothern as underemployed entertainer Maisie Ravier and a spin-off of Sothern's successful 1939–1947 ''Maisie'' movie series, based on a character created by Wil ...

'' (broadcast 1945–1947, 1949–1953). She was played by actress

Ann Sothern Ann Sothern (born Harriette Arlene Lake; January 22, 1909 – March 15, 2001) was an American actress who worked on stage, radio, film, and television, in a career that spanned nearly six decades. Sothern began her career in the late 1920 ...

(1909–2001). Eight of the ten Maisie films were written by

Mary C. McCall Jr. Mary C. McCall Jr. (April 4, 1904 – April 3, 1986) was an American writer best known for her screenwriting. She was a charter member and the first woman president of the Writers Guild of America (then known as the Screen Writers Guild), servin ...

Unusually, there was no continuity from one picture to the next. For example, the first film ends with her marrying the leading man and inheriting a ranch, but in the next one she is single and footloose again. The concept for the ''Maisie'' series came from the story ''Dark Dame'' by

Wilson Collison Wilson Collison (November 5, 1893 – May 25, 1941) was a writer and playwright. Early years Wilson Collison was the son of John B. Collison, a clerk in the City Engineer's Office, and Mary E. Gardner. Wilson Collison abandoned plans to bec ...

. Sothern said in an interview that the series was originally planned with

Jean Harlow Jean Harlow (born Harlean Harlow Carpenter; March 3, 1911 – June 7, 1937) was an American actress. Known for her portrayal of "bad girl" characters, she was the leading sex symbol of the early 1930s and one of the defining figures of the ...

as the star. After a string of other films failed to attract audiences, Sothern left

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orph ...

and signed 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 through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...

, making her first film for MGM in 1939. She was cast in '' Maisie'' as Mary Anastasia O'Connor, a brassy but kindhearted

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

burlesque dancer who went by the stage name of Maisie Ravier. ''Maisie'' brought Sothern her first real success. A string of sequels followed, beginning with ''Congo Maisie'' (1940) and continuing until ''Undercover Maisie'' (1947). Reviewing ''Swing Shift Maisie'' (1943), ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

'' praised Sothern and described her as "one of the smartest comediennes in the business"."The New Pictures"
. ''Time''. October 18, 1943.

Filmography

* '' Maisie'' (1939) * ''

Congo Maisie ''Congo Maisie'' is a 1940 comedy-drama film directed by H. C. Potter and starring Ann Sothern for the second time in the ten film Maisie Maisie Ravier is a fictional character, the leading character of ten films (1939–1947) and the radio ...

'' (1940) * ''

Gold Rush Maisie ''Gold Rush Maisie'' is a 1940 drama film, the third of ten films starring Ann Sothern as Maisie Ravier, a showgirl with a heart of gold. In this entry in the series, she joins a gold rush to a ghost town. The film was directed by Edwin L. Marin. ...

'' (1940) * ''

Maisie Was a Lady ''Maisie Was a Lady'' is a 1941 American comedy-drama film directed by Edwin L. Marin and is the fourth in a series of ten films starring Ann Sothern as good-hearted showgirl Maisie Ravier. Plot When wealthy drunkard Bob Rawlston causes Maisie ...

'' (1941) * ''

Ringside Maisie ''Ringside Maisie'' is a 1941 film directed by Edwin L. Marin. It stars Ann Sothern, Robert Sterling and George Murphy George Lloyd Murphy (July 4, 1902 – May 3, 1992) was an American dancer, actor, and politician. Murphy was a song-and-danc ...

'' (1941) * ''

Maisie Gets Her Man ''Maisie Gets Her Man'' is a 1942 American romance film directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring Ann Sothern and Red Skelton. It is the sixth of the ten-film ''Maisie'' series. Cast * Ann Sothern as Maisie Rivier * Red Skelton as Herbert P. 'Hap' H ...

'' (1942) * '' Swing Shift Maisie'' (1943) * ''

Maisie Goes to Reno ''Maisie Goes to Reno'' is the eighth film starring Ann Sothern as Maisie Ravier, preceded by '' Swing Shift Maisie'' and followed by ''Up Goes Maisie''. John Hodiak plays her love interest in this 1944 romantic comedy. Plot Overworked World Wa ...

'' (1944) * ''

Up Goes Maisie ''Up Goes Maisie'' is a 1946 American comedy film directed by Harry Beaumont. Produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it is the ninth of 10 films starring Ann Sothern as ex-showgirl Maisie Ravier, characterized as "that double trouble doll with the sa ...

'' (1946) * ''

Undercover Maisie ''Undercover Maisie'' is a 1947 American comedy film directed by Harry Beaumont and starring Ann Sothern, Barry Nelson, and Mark Daniels. It was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the final film of the ten film Maisie series starring Ann Sothern ...

'' (1947)

Radio

On November 24, 1941, Sothern appeared in the ''

Lux Radio Theater ''Lux Radio Theatre'', sometimes spelled ''Lux Radio Theater'', a classic radio anthology series, was broadcast on the NBC Blue Network (1934–35) (owned by the National Broadcasting Company, later predecessor of American Broadcasting Company ...

'' adaptation of ''Maisie Was a Lady'', and the popularity of the film series led to her own radio program, ''

'', broadcast on CBS Radio from 1945 to 1947, on the

Mutual Broadcasting System The Mutual Broadcasting System (commonly referred to simply as Mutual; sometimes referred to as MBS, Mutual Radio or the Mutual Radio Network) was an American commercial radio network in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the Old-time radio, golden ...

in 1952, and in syndication from 1949 to 1953.

References

Film serial characters American film series Female characters in film Female characters in radio Film characters introduced in 1939 Radio characters introduced in 1941 {{film-char-stub