Biography
Zasu Pitts (January 3, 1894 – June 7, 1963) was an American actress who starred in many silent dramas and comedies, transitioning successfully to mostly comedy films with the advent of sound films. She may be best known for her performance in Erich von Stroheim's epic silent film Greed. Based on her performance, von Stroheim labeled Pitts "the greatest dramatic actress". He also featured her in his films The Honeymoon (1928), The Wedding March (1928), War Nurse (1930) and Walking Down Broadway, released as Hello, Sister! (1933). However, for the most part, with the advent of sound Pitts was mostly relegated to comedy parts. A bitter disappointment was when she was replaced in the classic war drama All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) by Beryl Mercer after her initial appearance in previews drew unintentional laughs, despite her intense performance. She had viewers rolling in the aisles in Finn and Hattie (1931), The Guardsman (1931), Blondie of the Follies (1932), Sing and Like It (1934) and Ruggles of Red Gap (1935). In 1936 and 1937 she portrayed Hildegarde Withers in two movies, succeeding Edna May Oliver as the spinster sleuth, but they were not well received. In the 1950s she started focusing on television. This culminated in her best known series role, playing second banana to Gale Storm on CBS's The Gale Storm Show (1956) (also known as Oh, Susannah) in the role of Elvira Nugent ("Nugie"), the shipboard beautician. In 1961, Pitts was cast opposite Earle Hodgins in the episode "Lonesome's Gal" on the ABC sitcom, Guestward, Ho!, set on a dude ranch in New Mexico. In 1962, Pitts appeared in an episode of CBS's Perry Mason, "The Case of the Absent Artist". Her final role was as Gertie, the switchboard operator in the Stanley Kramer comedy epic It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963).
Acted in 191
1960s
- 1964
The Big Parade of Comedy
Mirabelle in 'The Gay Bride' (archive footage)
- 1963
The Thrill of It All
Olivia
- 1961
Teenage Millionaire
Aunt Theodora
- 1960
Guestward, Ho!
TV
1950s
- 1959
The Dennis O'Keefe Show
TV
- 1957
This Could Be the Night
Mrs. Shea
- 1956
- 1955
- 1954
Francis Joins the WACS
Valerie Humpert
- 1953
General Electric Theater
Aunt Laura · 1 episode
- 1952
Denver and Rio Grande
Jane Dwyer
- 1950
Francis
Valerie Humpert
1940s
- 1949
Lum and Abner
Movie
- 1948
- 1947
The Perfect Marriage
Rosa
- 1946
Dear Miss Gloria
Guest star
- 1943
Let's Face It
Cornelia Pigeon
- 1942
Tish
Aggie Pilkington (as ZaSu Pitts)
The Bashful Bachelor
Geraldine
Mexican Spitfire at Sea
Miss Pepper
- 1941
Weekend for Three
Anna, Craig's Maid
The Mexican Spitfire's Baby
Emily Pepper
Miss Polly
Pandora Polly
Uncle Joe
Julia Jordan
Niagara Falls
Emmy Sawyer
- 1940
1930s
- 1939
Eternally Yours
Mrs. Bingham
Nurse Edith Cavell
Mme. Moulin
Mickey the Kid
Lilly Handy
Naughty but Nice
Aunt Penelope Hardwick
The Lady's from Kentucky
Dulcey Lee
- 1937
52nd Street
Letitia Rondell
Forty Naughty Girls
Hildegarde Withers
Wanted!
Winnie Oatfield
- 1936
Sing Me a Love Song
Gwen Logan
The Plot Thickens
Hildegarde Withers
Mad Holiday
Mrs. Fay Kinney
13 Hours by Air
Miss Harkins
- 1935
The Affair of Susan
Susan Todd
Hot Tip
Belle McGill
She Gets Her Man
Esmeralda
Going Highbrow
Cora Upshaw
Spring Tonic
Maggie Conklin
- 1934
The Gay Bride
Mirabelle
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch
Miss Hazy
Their Big Moment
Tillie Whim
Private Scandal
Miss Coates
Love Birds
Araminta Tootle
Sing and Like It
Annie Snodgrass
Three on a Honeymoon
Alice Mudge
Two Alone
Esthey Roberts
The Meanest Gal in Town
Tillie Prescott
- 1933
Meet the Baron
Zasu
Aggie Appleby, Maker of Men
Sybby 'Sib'
Love, Honor and Oh, Baby!
Connie Clark
Mother's Helper
Movie
Her First Mate
Mary Horner
Professional Sweetheart
Elmerada
One Track Minds
Zasu Pitts
Hello, Sister!
Millie
The Bargain of the Century
Zasu
Out All Night
Bonny
The Vanishing Frontier
Aunt Sylvia
Maids a la Mode
Miss Pitts
Asleep in the Feet
Zasu
They Just Had to Get Married
Molly Hull
She Whoops To Conquer
Beula
- 1932
Sneak Easily
Miss Zasu Pitts - Woman of the Jury
Madison Square Garden
Florrie
The Soilers
Zasu
Once in a Lifetime
Miss Leyton
The Crooked Circle
Nora Rafferty
Alum and Eve
Zasu
Blondie of the Follies
Gertie
Show Business
Zasu
Back Street
Mrs. Dole
Roar of the Dragon
Gabby Woman
Make Me a Star
Mrs. Scudder
Is My Face Red?
Morning Gazette Telephone Operator
The Old Bull
Zasu
Strangers of the Evening
Sybil Smith
The Trial of Vivienne Ware
Gladys Fairweather
Strictly Unreliable
Pitts
Destry Rides Again
Temperance Worker
Red Noses
Miss Pitts
Steady Company
Dot
Sealskins
Zasu Pitts
Broken Lullaby
Anna, Holderlin's Maid
The Unexpected Father
Polly Perkins
- 1931
On the Loose
Zasu
The Secret Witness
Bella
War Mamas
Zasu
The Guardsman
Liesl
The Pajama Party
Zasu
Penrod and Sam
Mrs. Bassett
The Big Gamble
Nora Dugan
Catch-As Catch-Can
ZaSu
Their Mad Moment
Miss Dibbs
A Woman of Experience
Katie
Let's Do Things
Zasu Pitts
Seed
Jennie
Beyond Victory
Fritzi Mobley
The Bad Sister
Minnie
Finn and Hattie
Mrs. Hattie Haddock
- 1930
Free Love
Ada, the Maid
War Nurse
Cushie
Sin Takes a Holiday
Annie
River's End
Louise
The Lottery Bride
Hilda
Monte Carlo
Bertha
The Squealer
Bella
Little Accident
Monica
The Devil's Holiday
Ethel
Honey
Mayme
No, No, Nanette
Pauline Hastings
1920s
- 1929
The Honeymoon
Caecilia
This Thing Called Love
Clara Bertrand
The Locked Door
Telephone Girl
Paris
Harriet
Oh, Yeah!
The Elk
Her Private Life
Timmins
The Argyle Case
Mrs. Wyatt
Twin Beds
Tillie
The Squall
Lena
The Dummy
Rose Gleason
- 1928
Sins of the Fathers
Mother Spengler
Buck Privates
Hulda
13 Washington Square
The Maid
- 1927
Casey at the Bat
Camille
- 1926
Her Big Night
Gladys Smith
Risky Business
Agnes Wheaton
Sunny Side Up
Evelyn
The Great Love
Nancy
Early to Wed
Mrs. Dugan
Monte Carlo
Hope Durant
What Happened to Jones?
Hilda (as Zazu Pitts)
Mannequin
Annie Pogani
- 1925
Wages for Wives
Luella Logan
Lazybones
Ruth Fanning
Thunder Mountain
Mandy Coulter
Pretty Ladies
Maggie Keenan
The Great Divide
Polly Jordan
The Re-Creation of Brian Kent
Judy
- 1924
Secrets of the Night
Celia Stebbins
The Fast Set
Mona
Changing Husbands
Delia
The Goldfish
Amelia Pugsley
Daughters of Today
Lorena
West of the Water Tower
Dessie Arnhalt
- 1923
Tea- With a Kick!
'Brainy' Jones
Hollywood
Zasu Pitts
Three Wise Fools
Mickey
Mary of the Movies
Zasu Pitts (uncredited)
The Girl Who Came Back
Anastasia Muldoon
Poor Men's Wives
Apple Annie
- 1922
Youth to Youth
Emily
For the Defense
Jennie Dunn
Is Matrimony a Failure?
Mrs. Wilbur
1910s
- 1919
Poor Relations
Daisy Perkins
The Other Half
Jennie Jones, The Jazz Kid
Better Times
Nancy Scroggs
Men, Women, and Money
Katie Jones
As the Sun Went Down
Sal Sue
- 1918
A Lady's Name
Emily
The Talk of the Town
Movie
A Society Sensation
Mary
How Could You, Jean?
Oscar's Sweetheart
- 1917
A Modern Musketeer
A Kansas Belle (uncredited)
'49 – '17
Party Guest (uncredited)
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Tillie of the Nine Lives
Movie
Appearances5
1950s
- 1959
Disneyland '59
Self
- 1950
1930s
- 1934
And She Learned About Dames
Herself
1920s
- 1925
1925 Studio Tour
Self
- 1923
Souls for Sale
Self - Celebrity Actress in Commissary