Carolynne Snowden Explained
Carolynne Snowden |
Birth Name: | Carrie Artiemissia Snowden[1] [2] [3] |
Birth Date: | January 16, 1900 |
Birth Place: | Oakland, California, U.S. |
Death Place: | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Occupation: | Actress, singer |
Spouse: | |
Carrie Artiemissia Snowden (January 16, 1900 – September 5, 1985), known professionally as Carolynne Snowden, was an American actress, dancer, and singer who broke new ground for black people working in the entertainment industry.
Biography
Carolynne was born in Oakland, California, to Frederick Snowden and Nellie Derrick. Early on in her career, she performed on the theater circuit, traveling the country and earning acclaim.[4] She was singing and dancing at New York City's famous Cotton Club by the early 1920s.
By 1925, she had relocated to Los Angeles to perform at the New Cotton Club and at Club Alabam on Central Avenue; she slowly began to get small roles in Hollywood films like The Marriage Clause and The Merry Widow.[5] [6] Eventually she signed a five-year contract with John M. Stahl's Tiffany Pictures, which led to a bigger role in 1927's In Old Kentucky alongside Stepin Fetchit.[7]
Carolynne left Hollywood around 1933 after her Tiffany contract was up, taking her show on the road and refocusing her efforts on singing and dancing.[8] [9] She died in 1985 in Los Angeles, and was survived by her husband Manfred Montagu and her daughter, Esther Smith.[10]
Selected filmography
Further reading
- Calvin, Floyd. "California Movie Star Doing Broadway: Carolynne Snowden, Slender and Lovely, Is Crazy About Dolls and, of Course, Her Art". The Pittsburgh Courier. October 22, 1927. Page 13.
- Cavanaugh, Irene. "'Creole Queen' Steals Show at Lincoln House". Los Angeles Daily News. January 7, 1930. Page 20.
- Robertson, Stanley. "LA Confidential: A Face From Out of the Past; Still Radiating Charm". Los Angeles Sentinel. March 14, 1957. Page A5.
- "Urban League Members Are Planning Ball". The California Eagle. May 30, 1957. Page 8.
- "Carolynne Snowden Shares Doll Collection". Los Angeles Sentinel. December 9, 1982. Page C-2.
Notes and References
- https://www.mediafire.com/view/95r6xpbz9cckbr7 Register of Births; Health Office, Oakland. California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994
- https://www.mediafire.com/view/wd4dbf52mohben1 Carolynne Snowden's 1954 'Affidavit to Correct a Record'
- Calvin, Floyd. "California Movie Star Doing Broadway". The Pittsburgh Courier. October 22, 1927. Page 13. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
- Web site: Miss Carolynne Snowden. 15 Dec 1923. The Pittsburgh Courier. en. 2019-12-23.
- Book: Petro, Patrice. Idols of Modernity: Movie Stars of the 1920s. 2010-03-04. Rutgers University Press. 978-0-8135-4929-3. en.
- Web site: Cafe Notes. 9 Apr 1926. The Los Angeles Times. en. 2019-12-23.
- Web site: The Stage and Screen. 18 Jan 1928. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. en. 2019-12-23.
- Web site: Colored Ballad Singer Popular at Local Club. 27 Dec 1935. Battle Creek Enquirer. en. 2019-12-23.
- Web site: Carolynne Montagu: Cotton Club Dancer. 11 Sep 1985. The Hartford Courant. en. 2019-12-23.
- Web site: Carolynne Snowden Montagu. 10 Sep 1985. Alabama Journal. en. 2019-12-23.