“Acting is a way to overcome your own inhibitions and shyness.
The writer creates a strong, confident personality, and that’s what you become – unfortunately, only for the moment.”
Character actress Shirley Booth could play everything in all facets of show business, whether it was a smart-mouthed cashier on radio’s “Duffy’s Tavern,” the sassy maid on TV’s “Hazel,” or the pathetic woman in “Come Back, Little Sheba” (1952).
For those who only know her through her sitcom, it might be hard to believe she was a seasoned theatrical veteran, having appeared on Broadway from 1925-1970. She was highly regarded as a stage actress and ranks as one of the premier talents of the 20th-century theatre.
Booth was the first actress to win the Oscar, the New York Film Critics Circle Award, and the National Board of Review Award as Best Actress all for the same performance as Lola Delaney in “Come Back, Little Sheba.”
Highly regarded as a stage actress (Three Tony Awards), three actresses earned Academy Awards nominations for playing the same character in motion picture versions of Booth’s plays: Ruth Hussey in “The Philadelphia Story” (1940), Rosalind Russell in “My Sister Eileen” (1942), and Katharine Hepburn in “Summertime” (1955).
“Burt Lancaster advised me against doing ‘Hazel ‘..’Don’t do television,’ he warned. ‘It’ll ruin you!. Burt is a doll and a heck of an actor, but I’m glad I didn’t follow his advice.
Everybody under 40 knows me better from “Hazel”, not from my movies!” (IMDb)
Happy Birthday, Shirley Booth!