Tommie Moore

Tommie Moore (December 2, 1917 – August 17, 2004) was an actress in theater, film, and television.[1] She was born Pretty Tomiwitta Moore and shortened her name, though she was sometimes credited as Tomiwitta Moore.

Early life

Moore was a native of Pasadena, California, where she performed on the stage as a child.[2] She was given the name "Tomiwitta" because her father had wanted a boy to name "Thomas".[3]

Career

She traveled to New York to go to dramatic school, but instead became a page girl at the Cotton Club. One of her job duties was to escort W.C. Handy on and off the stage.[4]

Moore toured in the starring role in a touring production of Claudia in 1946.[5][6] She left Claudia[7] for the original theatrical production of Beggar's Holiday the same year[8][9] playing Tawdry Audrey.[10] In the production, she had to run across the stage in a two-handkerchief bathing suit.[11]

She performed as part of the chorus of three (with Eartha Kitt and Helena Hughes) in Orson Welles' production of The Blessed and the Damned in Paris in 1950.[12][13][14] Both Beggar's Holiday and The Blessed and the Damned in Paris had music by Duke Ellington.

In her film career, she received positive notice for her role in The Green-Eyed Blonde (1957);[15] a Variety review called her a "standout"[16] and Ebony magazine profiled her around the time of the film's release.[3]

She appeared on television shows The Amos 'n Andy Show and Bourbon Street Beat.

Personal life

She was engaged to postal worker George Gray[17] and was involved with the Red Cross.[18]

Filmography

Smaller roles

References
  1. "Tommie Moore". Video Detective.
  2. "Fairy Opera Tells Story of Kindness". The Pasadena Post. 1927-12-17. p. 3. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
  3. "Movie Features Blossoming Star: Tommie Moore gets 'gratifying' role in film story of modern correction school." Ebony. Nov 1957, Vol. 13, Issue 1, p 93-96.
  4. "Tommie Moore, Actress and Model, Leaves on Tour of "Claudia" for Negro Drama Gp". The New York Age. 1946-10-12. p. 10. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
  5. "Legitimate: Colored 'Claudia' Set For Another Tour." Variety. Vol. 164, Iss. 3,  (Sep 25, 1946): pg. 57.
  6. "Large audience enjoys 'Claudia'". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
  7. "Claudia". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1946-12-07. p. 18. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
  8. "Tommie Moore". Playbill.
  9. Peterson, Bernard L. Jr (October 25, 1993). A Century of Musicals in Black and White: An Encyclopedia of Musical Stage Works By, About, or Involving African Americans: An Encyclopedia of Musical Stage Works By, About, or Involving African Americans. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9780313064548 – via Google Books.
  10. Dietz, Dan (February 2, 2015). The Complete Book of 1940s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781442245280 – via Google Books.
  11. "Stage Seen". The Detroit Tribune. 1947-03-01. p. 5. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
  12. Callow, Simon (2016-04-05). Orson Welles, Volume 3: One-Man Band. Penguin. ISBN 978-0-698-19553-0.
  13. Hajdu, David (1996-06-28). Lush Life: A Biography of Billy Strayhorn. Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-374-19438-3.
  14. "Legitimate: Plays Abroad - The Blessed and the Damned." Variety. Vol. 179, Iss. 4,  (Jul 5, 1950): pg. 52.
  15. "The Green-Eyed Blonde." Picturegoer. Vol. 35, Iss. 1191,  (Mar 1, 1958): p. 15.
  16. "The Green-Eyed Blonde." Variety. Vol. 209, Iss. 2,  (Dec 11, 1957): pg. 6, 14.
  17. Company, Johnson Publishing (June 25, 1959). "Jet". Johnson Publishing Company – via Google Books.
  18. "Pasadena Red Cross Election". The Los Angeles Times. 1977-06-23. p. 256. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
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