Zamah Cunningham

Zamah Cunningham (November 29, 1892 – June 2, 1967) was an American stage, film, and television actress.[1] She began her career appearing in uncredited bit parts for D. W. Griffith, making her film debut in his 1924 silent feature, America. She later had an extensive career on Broadway, making her stage debut there in 1933's Give Us This Day. Cunningham went on to appear in numerous stage plays over the following several decades, though she publicly commented that most of her plays were "flops."

Zamah Cunningham
Cunningham in 1931
Born	November 29, 1892 Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Died	June 2, 1967 (aged 74) New York City, New York, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1924–1965

In her later career, she appeared in several films, including Dream Girl (1948), Here Come the Girls (1953), and Baby the Rain Must Fall (1965). Beginning in 1956, she made several guest appearances as Angelina Manciotti, neighbor of the Kramdens on the sitcom The Honeymooners. Cunningham died at Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan in June 1967, aged 74.

Life and career

Cunningham was born in 1892 in Portland, Oregon.[2][3] At age two, she relocated with her family to Carthage, Missouri.[4] She began her career as a singer before relocating to New York City to study acting.[4] After appearing in local stage productions, she was secured a working contract with D. W. Griffith, appearing in uncredited bit parts in his films.[4] In 1924, she made her film debut in Germany,[5] appearing in Griffith's America.[6] She subsequently studied music in Paris, and was given opportunity to appear in productions at the Opera Comique.[3] She later returned to the United States, where she joined the Chicago Playhouse and appeared in regional productions.[3]

Cunningham made her Broadway debut in 1933's Give Us This Day.[2] She went on to appear in over 20 Broadway productions over the following two decades, including On the Town (1944) and The Shadow of a Gunman (1958).[7] Reflecting on her stage career in 1944, she commented: "In the past 20 years I've been in fifty plays—mostly flops."[4]

Later film roles included Dream Girl (1948), Key to the City (1950), and Here Come the Girls (1953).[8] She made her final film appearance in Baby the Rain Must Fall (1965).[8]

Cunningham spent her later life living at the Park Royal Hotel on 23 West 73d Street in Manhattan.[1] In her early seventies, she suffered a stroke.[9]

Death

Cunningham died at Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan on June 2, 1967.[1] She was interred at Avilla Cemetery in Avilla, Missouri.[10]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
1924	America	Un­known		[6]
1948	Dream Girl	Mme. Kimmelhoff		[8]
1950	Key to the City	Mrs. Butler		[8]
1950	Menasha the Magnificent	Mrs. Davis	Short
1953	Here Come the Girls	Emily Snodgrass		[8]
1965	Baby the Rain Must Fall	Mrs. T.V. Smith	(final film role)	[8]

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
1952	The Ed Sullivan Show	Bakery Customer	Segment: "Pour Soul Ketch"
1953–1956	Studio One in Hollywood	Mrs. Lagerloff / Aunt Madge / Lusadia	3 episodes
1953–1957	The Jackie Gleason Show	Angelina Manciotti; Various	13 episodes
1956	The Honeymooners	Angelina Manciotti	3 episodes
1959	Playhouse 90	Mrs. Gross	Episode: "The Silver Whistle"
1961	General Electric Theater	Eva	Episode: " Sis Bowls 'Em Over"

Select stage credits

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
1931	Apron Strings		Chicago Playhouse	[11]
1931	The Vagabond King	Katherine de Vaucelles	Northrop Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minnesota	[3]
1933	Give Us This Day	Anne Strong	Booth Theatre	[2] [7]
1934	Gentlewoman	Mrs. Stoneleigh	Cort Theatre
1934	Are You Decent	Peggy Witherspoon	Ambassador Theatre; 49th Street Theatre
1935	Reprise	Madame	Vanderbilt Theatre
1935	Triumph	Mrs. Giordana	Fulton Theatre
1935	The Season Changes	Rita Glenn	Booth Theatre
1935	Ah, Wilderness!	Mildred Miller	Alvin Theatre, Minneapolis, Minnesota	[12]
1936	Hallowe'en	Edith	Vanderbilt Theatre	[2] [7]
1936–1937	Around the Corner	Sarah Clark	48th Street Theatre
1937	In Clover	Electa Hornblower	Vanderbilt Theatre
1937	Siege	Mrs. Perez	Longacre Theatre
1938	Roosty	Mrs. Adams	Lyceum Theatre
1938	Run Sheep Run	Mrs. Hopple	Windsor Theatre
1938	Young Couple Wanted	Mrs. Daly	Maxine Elliott's Theatre
1940	Medicine Show	Mrs. Young	New Yorker Theatre
1940	Horse Fever	Mrs. Drum	Mansfield Theatre
1941	Tanyard Street	Mrs. McMorna	Little Theatre
1941	The Trojan Women	Marta	Cort Theatre
1943	Feathers in a Gale	Lucy Abner	Music Box Theatre
1944	Robin Hood	Dame Durden	Adelphi Theatre
1944	On the Town	Madame Maude P. Dilly	Adelphi Theatre, 44th Street Theatre, Martin Beck Theatre
1948	Jenny Kissed Me	Mrs. Deazy	Shubert Theatre, New Haven, Connecticut	[13]
1957	The Glass Menagerie		Playmakers Theatre, Long Branch, New Jersey	[5]
1958–1959	The Shadow of a Gunman	Mrs. Henderson	Bijou Theatre	[2] [7]
1965	Minor Miracle	Mrs. Fuller	Henry Miller's Theatre

References

1. "Zamah Cunningham, Actress, Dies at 74". The New York Times. New York City, New York. June 4, 1967. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020.
2. "Zamah Cunningham". Internet Broadway Database. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020.
3. "'Vagabond King' Coming Offering of Players at 'U'". The Minneapolis Star. Minneapolis, Minnesota. June 21, 1931. p. 49 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Clanton, Helen (July 25, 1944). "She Was Afraid of 'Tropical' St. Louis". Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, Missouri. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Comedy, Drama, She Can Do It". The Daily Record. Long Branch, New Jersey. September 7, 1957. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Jones, Clement D. (November 17, 1953). "Public's Taste In Showgirls Is Where It Was Years Ago". The Baytown Sun. Baytown, Texas. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Zamah Cunningham". Playbill. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020.
8. "Zamah Cunningham Filmography". AllMovie. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020.
9. Wilson, Sloan (September 27, 1970). "I'm Looking Forward to My Second 50 Years!". The Anniston Star. Anniston, Alabama. p. 50 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Deaths". Carthage Press. Carthage, Missouri. June 7, 1967. p. 8 – via Newspaper Archive.
11. "Zamah Cunningham". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. May 24, 1931. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "An Entire Family Gets Together–On the Stage". The Minneapolis Star. Minneapolis, Minnesota. November 4, 1935. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Out-of-Town Openings". Billboard: 45. December 11, 1948. ISSN 0006-2510.

External links

• Zamah Cunningham at IMDb