Bess Flowers
Bess Flowers | |
|---|---|
Los Angeles, California , U.S. | |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1923–1964 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1 |
Bess Flowers (November 23, 1898 – July 28, 1984) was an American actress best known for her work as an extra in hundreds of films.[1] She was known as "The Queen of the Hollywood Extras,"[2] appearing in more than 350 feature films and numerous comedy shorts in her 41-year career.
She holds the record for appearances in films nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture (23).[3]
Career
Born in Sherman, Texas, Flowers' film debut came in 1923, when she appeared in Hollywood.[4] She made three films that year, and then began working extensively. Many of her appearances are uncredited, as she generally played non-speaking roles.
By the 1930s, Flowers was in constant demand. Her appearances ranged from
.She appeared in the following five films which won the
Around the World in 80 Days.[2] In each of these movies, Flowers was uncredited. Including these five movies, she had appeared in twenty-three Best Picture nominees in total, making her the record holder for most appearances in films nominated for the award.[2] Her last movie was Good Neighbor Sam in 1964.[3]
Flowers's acting career was not confined to feature films. She was also seen in many episodic American TV series, such as I Love Lucy, notably in episodes, "Lucy Is Enceinte" (1952), "Ethel's Birthday" (1955), and "Lucy's Night in Town" (1957), where she is usually seen as a theatre patron.
Outside her acting career, in 1945, Flowers helped to found the Screen Extras Guild[1] (active: 1946–1992, then merged with the Screen Actors Guild), where she served as one of its first vice-presidents and recording secretaries.[2]
Personal life
Flowers was first married on September 2, 1923, in
Los Angeles
.
Death
Flowers died on July 28, 1984, at age 85 in the
Woodland Hills, California
.
Selected filmography
- 1920s
- Hollywood (1923) as Hortense Towers
- The Silent Partner (1923) as Mrs. Nesbit
- Irene (1926) as Jane Gilmour
- Lone Hand Saunders (1926) as Alice Mills
- Hands Across the Border (1926) as Ysabel Castro
- Glenister of the Mounted (1926) as Elizabeth Danrock
- Old Ironsides (1926) (uncredited)
- Blondes by Choice (1927) as Olga Flint
- Show People (1928) (uncredited)
- We Faw Down (1928, Short) as Mrs. Laurel
- The Saturday Night Kid (1929) as Customer (uncredited)
- Their Own Desire (1929) as Miriam the Polo Player (uncredited)
- 1930s
- Ten Cents a Dance (1931) as Bridge Player
- Strangers May Kiss (1931) as Diner (uncredited)
- A Free Soul (1931) as Birthday Party Guest (uncredited)
- Monkey Business (1931) as Indian's Wife (uncredited)
- Possessed (1931) as Party Guest (uncredited)
- Sinister Hands (1932) as Mary Browne
- Sin's Pay Day (1932) as Jane Webb
- It Happened One Night (1934) - Agnes, Gordon's Secretary (uncredited)
- One Exciting Adventure (1934)
- Star of Midnight (1935) as Mary Smith (uncredited)
- The Whole Town's Talking (1935) as Miss Gower, the Secretary (uncredited)
- A Night at the Opera (1935) as Ship Passenger (uncredited)
- Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) as Party Guest (uncredited)
- Forgotten Faces (1936) as Nurse
- Two-Fisted Gentleman (1936) as Matron
- My Man Godfrey (1936) as Mrs. Merriweather (uncredited)
- Dodsworth (1936) as Ship Passenger (uncredited)
- Theodora Goes Wild (1936) as Reception Guest (uncredited)
- Topper (1937) as Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
- The Awful Truth (1937) as Viola Heath (uncredited)
- Nothing Sacred (1937) as Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
- Paid to Dance (1937) as Suzy
- The Shadow (1937) as Marianne
- Ever Since Eve (1937) as Woman at Dance (uncredited)
- Termites of 1938 (1938, Short) as Mrs. Muriel Van Twitchell (uncredited)
- Holiday (1938) as Dorothy the Party Guest (uncredited)
- You Can't Take It With You(1938) as Martin's Neighbor (uncredited)
- Mutts to You (1938, Short) as Mrs. Manning
- The Lady Objects (1938) as Miriam Harper
- Midnight (1939) as Party Guest (uncredited)
- Rose of Washington Square (1939) as Dinner Guest (uncredited)
- The Roaring Twenties (1939) as Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
- Ninotchka (1939) as Gossip (uncredited)
- Gone with the Wind (1939) as Hospital Nurse (uncredited)
- 1940s
- A Plumbing We Will Go (1940, Short) (uncredited)
- The Boys from Syracuse (1940)
- Boom Town (1940) (uncredited)
- Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941) (uncredited)
- The Lady Eve (1941) (uncredited)
- Meet John Doe (1941) (uncredited)
- Ziegfeld Girl (1941) (uncredited)
- An Ache in Every Stake (1941, Short) - Mrs. Lawrence (uncredited)
- The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942) (uncredited)
- I Married an Angel (1942) (unconfirmed)
- The Palm Beach Story (1942) (uncredited)
- The Glass Key (1942) (uncredited)
- Now, Voyager (1942) (uncredited)
- I Married a Witch (1942) (uncredited)
- Springtime in the Rockies (1942) (uncredited)
- Tahiti Honey (1943) (uncredited)
- Heaven Can Wait (1943) (uncredited)
- Mr. Skeffington (1944) (uncredited)
- Double Indemnity (1944) (uncredited)
- Hail the Conquering Hero (1944) (uncredited)
- Laura (1944) (uncredited)
- The Woman in the Window (1944) (uncredited)
- Hollywood Canteen (1944) (uncredited)
- A Song for Miss Julie (1945) (uncredited)
- The Affairs of Susan (1945) (uncredited)
- Mildred Pierce (1945) (uncredited)
- Micro-Phonies (1945) (cameo) (uncredited)
- Gilda (1946) (uncredited)
- The Blue Dahlia (1946) (uncredited)
- Notorious (1946) (uncredited)
- The Big Sleep (1946) (uncredited)
- The Razor's Edge (1946) (uncredited)
- Humoresque (1946) (uncredited)
- Dead Reckoning (1947) (uncredited)
- The Farmer's Daughter (1947) (uncredited)
- The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947) (uncredited)
- The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) (uncredited)
- Song of the Thin Man (1947)
- Cass Timberlane (1947) (uncredited)
- A Double Life (1947) (uncredited)
- The Bride Goes Wild (1948) (uncredited)
- The Big Clock (1948) (uncredited)
- The Noose Hangs High (1948) (uncredited)
- Romance on the High Seas (1948) (uncredited)
- A Date with Judy (1948) (uncredited)
- A Song Is Born (1948) (uncredited)
- Neptune's Daughter (1949) (uncredited)
- The Great Gatsby (1949) (uncredited)
- Mighty Joe Young (1949) (uncredited)
- Sky Liner (1949)
- My Friend Irma (1949) (uncredited)
- 1950s
- Young Man with a Horn (1950) (uncredited)
- No Man of Her Own (1950) (uncredited)
- The Damned Don't Cry(1950) (uncredited)
- Father of the Bride (1950) (uncredited)
- Born to Be Bad (1950)
- All About Eve (1950) (uncredited)
- Lullaby of Broadway (1951) (uncredited)
- Show Boat (1951) (uncredited)
- The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) (uncredited)
- Singin' in the Rain (1952) (uncredited)
- The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) (uncredited)
- Angel Face (1953) (uncredited)
- Murder Without Tears (1953) (uncredited)
- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) (uncredited)
- The Band Wagon (1953) (uncredited)
- The Robe (1953) (uncredited)
- Torch Song (1953) (uncredited)
- Calamity Jane (1953) (uncredited)
- Easy to Love (1953) (uncredited)
- Executive Suite (1953) (uncredited)
- Dial M for Murder (1954) (uncredited)
- The Student Prince (1954) (uncredited)
- Rear Window (1954) (uncredited)
- A Star Is Born (1954) (uncredited)
- White Christmas (1954) (uncredited)
- Désirée (1954) (uncredited)
- Interrupted Melody (1955) (uncredited)
- To Catch a Thief (1955) (uncredited)
- You're Never Too Young (1955)
- Guys and Dolls (1955) (uncredited)
- I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955) (uncredited)
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1956) (Season 1 Episode 35: "The Legacy") as Club Patron (uncredited)
- Ride the High Iron (1956) (uncredited)
- Never Say Goodbye (1956) (uncredited)
- Anything Goes (1956) (uncredited)
- Giant (1956) (uncredited)
- Around the World in 80 Days (1956) (uncredited)
- Funny Face (1957) (uncredited)
- Designing Woman (1957) (uncredited)
- Sweet Smell of Success (1957) (uncredited)
- Jailhouse Rock (1957) (uncredited)
- Pal Joey (1957) (scenes cut)
- Witness for the Prosecution (1957) - courtroom spectator (uncredited)
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1958) (Season 3 Episode 19: "The Equalizer") as Club Patron (uncredited)
- Vertigo (1958) (uncredited)
- Houseboat (1958) (uncredited)
- I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958) (uncredited)
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1959) (Season 4 Episode 36: "Invitation to an Accident") as Party Guest (uncredited)
- Imitation of Life (1959) (uncredited)
- North by Northwest (1959) (uncredited)
- 1960s
- Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1960) (uncredited)
- Where the Boys Are (1960) (uncredited)
- The Absent-Minded Professor (1961) (uncredited)
- Return to Peyton Place (1961) (uncredited)
- Blue Hawaii (1961) (uncredited)
- Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) (uncredited)
- Pocketful of Miracles (1961) (uncredited)
- The Notorious Landlady (1962) (Courtroom spectator)
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1962) (Season 7 Episode 17: "The Faith of Aaron Menefee") as Meeting Guest (uncredited)
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1962) (Season 7 Episode 27: "Act of Faith") as Bookstore Customer (uncredited)
- Sweet Bird of Youth(1962) (uncredited)
- The Manchurian Candidate (1962) (uncredited)
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour(1963) (Season 1 Episode 29: "The Dark Pool") as Mrs. Pradanos
- Who's Minding the Store? (1963) (uncredited)
- Move Over, Darling (1963) (uncredited)
- 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964) (uncredited)
- The Carpetbaggers (1964) (uncredited)
- Good Neighbor Sam (1964) (uncredited)
References
- ^ ISBN 9781617034749. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
- ^ a b c d Feinberg, Scott (February 20, 2014). "20 Feet From Movie Stardom: The Overlooked Story of Hollywood's Greatest Extra". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media LLC. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
- ^ ISBN 9780813127088.
- ^ Tevis, Robert E. (Fall 2016). "Send Me ... Bess Flowers". Films of the Golden Age (86): 88–93.
- ISBN 9781312916975. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
- Newspapers.com.
Further reading
- Maltin, Leonard (2015) [First published 1969]. "Bess Flowers". The Real Stars : Profiles and Interviews of Hollywood's Unsung Featured Players (softcover) (Sixth / eBook ed.). Great Britain: CreateSpace Independent. pp. 81–87. ISBN 978-1-5116-4485-3.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bess Flowers.
- Bess Flowers at IMDb
- Essay at Senses of Cinema
- Bess Flowers at Virtual History
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