3/7/2012:
On this date in 1954, March 7 was a Sunday. And, for many North Dakotans and other Americans with television sets, Sunday night at 7:30 meant watching “Private Secretary,” starring North Dakota’s Ann Sothern in the title role.
Mostly forgotten today, Sothern’s role as Susie McNamara was as groundbreaking for its time as That Girl with Marlo Thomas or the Mary Tyler Moore Show many years later. In “Private Secretary” Ann played the first working woman lead on an American television situation comedy. The comedy was in the top twenty from 1953 to 1957. But as soon as Private Secretary was dropped from the CBS line-up, she came back with “The Ann Southern Show,” which ran for four seasons. And both shows kept her on the TV screen with years of popular re-runs.
As an actress she was Ann Sothern, but as a Valley City girl born in 1909, she was Harriet Arlene Lake. Ann was a star throughout the decade of 50s, thanks to the nation’s fledgling medium of television, but she got her start in film, with a number of mostly forgettable movies beginning in the thirties.
For entertainment nostalgia buffs, though, Ann was involved in some memorable projects after starting as an extra in 1927. She was seen, but un-credited, in the 1930 Eddie Cantor movie musical “Whoopie.” Cantor’s engaging personality and talent was a success on stage, radio and early Hollywood. The hit film’s dancing numbers were choreographed by first-time choreographer Busby Burkeley. Burkeley would go on to become the quintessential name associated with glamorous, innovative and breathtaking movie musical numbers. “Whoopi” was also the introduction of producer Samuel Goldwyn’s dance line of fetching females known as The Goldwyn Girls, clearly fashioned from the success of the famous Ziegfield Girls from America’s vaudeville stage.
And, as you might have guessed by now, North Dakota’s Ann Southern was one of the Goldwyn beauties. And coincidently, one of her sister Goldwyn Girls was a former Fargo actress named Virginia Bruce. Virginia Bruce, like Ann, eventually broke from the chorus line and into featured film roles.
Ann Southern had other roles in Hollywood … too many to recount now. They’ll be saved for another day.
Dakota Datebook written by Steve Stark
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