Mitzi Haynes

Cast of the radio program Life Can Be Beautiful (1940): Ralph Locke, Gould, John Holbrook, and Alice Reinhardt.

Lillian "Mitzi" Smith (November 13, 1918[a] – April 29, 2004),[1] known professionally as Mitzi Haynes, was an American actress and showgirl.

Early years

Haynes was born into a Yiddish-speaking family in Brooklyn, New York, in 1918,[2][3] the daughter of Max Smith and Sarah "Sadie" Albin (born in Paris to Russian émigré parents).[4][5][6] She went on to become fluent in French as well as in English.[7]

She graduated from New York University with a bachelor of arts degree[8] and a double major in English and French literature.[9]

Unable to take a teaching examination after graduation, she took a part in a production of a musical comedy for the summer.[10]

Career

Early in her career, Haynes acted in plays, worked as a model, and performed with bands.[10] She debuted on radio in Dear Columbia.[9] Some of her other roles in radio programs are shown in the table below.

Program Character
As the Twig Is Bent Taffy Grahame[11]: 29 
Carol Kennedy's Romance Kathy Prentice[12]
Down Mexico Way Margarita[13]
Hop Harrigan Gale Nolan[11]: 156 
Into the Light Emily[11]: 164 
Kitchen Cavalcade Susie[8]
Life Can Be Beautiful Rita Yates[14]
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch Lolita[8]
The Story of Bess Johnson Barbara Bartlett[11]: 317 

She was also a regular cast member of Criminal Case Book[11]: 88  and The American School of the Air.[11] Gould also portrayed Nancy Parker in an episode of The Parker Family that was broadcast on NBC television on May 9, 1941.[15]

On Broadway, Haynes appeared in Behind Red Lights (1937) and Banjo Eyes (1941).[16] She also performed at the Hollywood Restaurant[17] and Latin Quarter night clubs in New York.[18]

Personal life

She married film dance director Dave Gould on April 20, 1937.[3][19] She filed for divorce from him in 1939.[20]

In 1943, she married steel executive William Fabrikant[21] after having been married to Walter Pickit, an attorney.[10] They divorced in 1954.[22]

In 1981, she married Leslie J. Kovach.[23]

Notes

  1. ^ In 1943, Gould incorrectly listed her date of birth as July 22, 1915, but her true birth date is in 1918, as confirmed by multiple records.

References

  1. ^ U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007
  2. ^ New York, New York, U.S., Birth Index, 1910–1965
  3. ^ a b California, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1888–1991
  4. ^ New York, U.S., Naturalization Records, 1882-1944
  5. ^ Paris, France, Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1555–1929
  6. ^ 1920 United States Federal Census
  7. ^ "Thursday's Highlights". Radio and Television Mirror. 14 (5): 50. September 1940. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  8. ^ a b c "Highlights For Thursday, Dec. 16 and 23". Radio Mirror. 9 (3): 46. January 1938. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  9. ^ a b "Typical American Girl". Radio Mirror. 20 (5): 55. September 1943. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  10. ^ a b c "Mitzi Gould Was No Dope For She 'Got Into Radio'". The Pittsburgh Press. Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh. August 9, 1942. p. 24. Retrieved February 26, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 24. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
  12. ^ "What Do You Want to Know?". Radio Mirror. 9 (6): 66. April 1938. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  13. ^ "Cecil Brown Wins Education Award". The Lincoln Star. Nebraska, Lincoln. May 10, 1942. p. 36. Retrieved February 26, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Life Can Be Beautiful". Radio Varieties. 3 (10): 4. October 1940. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  15. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 812. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  16. ^ "Mitzi Haynes". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on February 26, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  17. ^ "Doubling in Jazz". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York, Brooklyn. April 18, 1937. p. 47. Retrieved February 26, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Latin Quarter, New York". Billboard. December 26, 1942. p. 12. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  19. ^ "Dave Gould Marries; Movie Dance Director Weds Mitzi Haynes, Show Girl". The New York Times. New York, New York City. April 18, 1937. Archived from the original on February 26, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  20. ^ "Mrs. Mitzi Gould Seeks Divorce". The Morning News. Delaware, Wilmington. Associated Press. December 8, 1939. p. 40. Retrieved February 26, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ Kilgallen, Dorothy (June 8, 1943). "Broadway". Star-Gazette. New York, Elmira. p. 6. Retrieved February 26, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ Winchell, Walter (September 16, 1954). "Broadway in Nature". The Indianapolis Star. p. 17. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  23. ^ New York, New York, U.S., Marriage License Indexes, 1907–2018