Zasu Pitts 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).
Movie | The Big Parade of Comedy | Mirabelle in 'The Gay Bride' (archive footage) | 1964-09-02 |
Series | Burke's Law | Unknown | 1963-09-20 |
Movie | The Thrill of It All | Olivia | 1963-07-17 |
Movie | It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World | Gertie - Switchboard Operator | 1963-11-07 |
Movie | Teenage Millionaire | Aunt Theodora | 1961-08-01 |
Series | Guestward, Ho! | Unknown | 1960-09-29 |
Movie | Disneyland '59 | Self | 1959-06-15 |
Series | The Dennis O'Keefe Show | Unknown | 1959-09-22 |
Movie | This Could Be the Night | Mrs. Shea | 1957-05-14 |
Series | Perry Mason | Unknown | 1957-09-21 |
Series | The Gale Storm Show | 1956-09-29 | |
Series | The 20th Century Fox Hour | Unknown | 1955-10-05 |
Movie | Francis Joins the WACS | Valerie Humpert | 1954-07-30 |
Series | Private Secretary | Unknown | 1953-02-01 |
Series | General Electric Theater | Unknown | 1953-02-01 |
Movie | Denver and Rio Grande | Jane Dwyer | 1952-05-16 |
Movie | Francis | Valerie Humpert | 1950-02-08 |
Series | The Philco Television Playhouse | Unknown | 1948-10-03 |
Movie | The Perfect Marriage | Rosa | 1947-01-24 |
Movie | Life with Father | Cousin Cora Cartwright | 1947-09-13 |
Movie | Dear Miss Gloria | Guest star | 1946-01-01 |
Movie | Breakfast in Hollywood | Elvira Spriggens | 1946-02-26 |
Movie | Let's Face It | Cornelia Pigeon | 1943-08-04 |
Movie | Mexican Spitfire at Sea | Miss Pepper | 1942-03-13 |
Movie | The Bashful Bachelor | Geraldine | 1942-03-19 |
Movie | So's Your Aunt Emma! | Aunt Emma Bates | 1942-04-17 |
Movie | Tish | Aggie Pilkington (as ZaSu Pitts) | 1942-09-17 |
Movie | Niagara Falls | Emmy Sawyer | 1941-10-17 |
Movie | Uncle Joe | Julia Jordan | 1941-10-18 |
Movie | Broadway Limited | Myra Pottle | 1941-06-13 |
Movie | Miss Polly | Pandora Polly | 1941-11-14 |
Movie | Weekend for Three | Anna, Craig's Maid | 1941-12-12 |
Movie | The Mexican Spitfire's Baby | Emily Pepper | 1941-11-28 |
Movie | It All Came True | Miss Flint | 1940-04-06 |
Movie | No, No, Nanette | Pauline Hastings | 1940-12-19 |
Movie | Naughty But Nice | Aunt Penelope Hardwick | 1939-06-23 |
Movie | The Lady's from Kentucky | Dulcey Lee | 1939-04-27 |
Movie | Nurse Edith Cavell | Mme. Moulin | 1939-08-31 |
Movie | Mickey the Kid | Lilly Handy | 1939-07-03 |
Movie | Eternally Yours | Cary Bingham | 1939-10-07 |
Movie | Wanted! | Winnie Oatfield | 1937-08-23 |
Movie | Forty Naughty Girls | Hildegarde Withers | 1937-09-24 |
Movie | 13 Hours by Air | Miss Harkins | 1936-04-30 |
Movie | Mad Holiday | Mrs. Fay Kinney | 1936-11-13 |
Movie | Sing Me a Love Song | Gwen Logan | 1936-12-25 |
Movie | The Plot Thickens | Hildegarde Withers | 1936-12-11 |
Movie | Ruggles of Red Gap | Mrs. Judson | 1935-03-08 |
Movie | Going Highbrow | Cora Upshaw | 1935-07-06 |
Movie | Spring Tonic | Maggie Conklin | 1935-06-27 |
Movie | She Gets Her Man | Esmeralda | 1935-08-05 |
Movie | Hot Tip | Belle McGill | 1935-08-20 |
Movie | The Affair of Susan | Susan Todd | 1935-09-01 |
Movie | And She Learned About Dames | Herself | 1934-03-27 |
Movie | Three on a Honeymoon | Alice Mudge | 1934-03-22 |
Movie | Two Alone | Esthey Roberts | 1934-01-26 |
Movie | The Meanest Gal in Town | Tillie Prescott | 1934-01-12 |
Movie | Sing and Like it | Annie Snodgrass | 1934-04-20 |
Movie | Love Birds | Araminta Tootle | 1934-05-04 |
Movie | Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch | Miss Hazy | 1934-10-28 |
Movie | The Gay Bride | Mirabelle | 1934-12-14 |
Movie | Dames | Matilda Hemingway | 1934-09-01 |
Movie | Their Big Moment | Tillie Whim | 1934-08-17 |
Movie | The Bargain of the Century | Zasu | 1933-04-08 |
Movie | Out All Night | Bonny | 1933-04-08 |
Movie | She Whoops To Conquer | Beula | 1933-01-01 |
Movie | Hello, Sister! | Millie | 1933-04-14 |
Movie | Asleep in the Feet | Zasu | 1933-01-21 |
Movie | Maids a la Mode | Miss Pitts | 1933-03-04 |
Movie | I've Got to Sing a Torch Song | 1933-09-23 | |
Movie | Meet the Baron | Zasu | 1933-10-20 |
Movie | One Track Minds | 1933-05-20 | |
Movie | Aggie Appleby, Maker of Men | Sybby 'Sib' | 1933-10-18 |
Movie | Mr. Skitch | Maddie Skitch | 1933-12-22 |
Movie | Professional Sweetheart | Elmerada de Leon | 1933-06-09 |
Movie | Her First Mate | Mary Horner | 1933-08-03 |
Movie | Strictly Unreliable | Pitts | 1932-04-30 |
Movie | The Trial of Vivienne Ware | Gladys Fairweather | 1932-05-01 |
Movie | Strangers of the Evening | Sybil Smith | 1932-05-14 |
Movie | Destry Rides Again | Temperance Worker | 1932-04-17 |
Movie | Westward Passage | Mrs. Truesdale | 1932-05-27 |
Movie | Steady Company | Dot | 1932-03-13 |
Movie | Broken Lullaby | Anna, Holderlin's Maid | 1932-01-19 |
Movie | Sealskins | Zasu Pitts | 1932-02-06 |
Movie | Red Noses | Miss Pitts | 1932-03-18 |
Movie | The Old Bull | Zasu | 1932-06-04 |
Movie | Shopworn | Aunt Dot | 1932-03-25 |
Movie | The Crooked Circle | Nora Rafferty | 1932-09-25 |
Movie | Once in a Lifetime | Miss Leyton | 1932-10-02 |
Movie | Madison Square Garden | Florrie | 1932-11-04 |
Movie | Sneak Easily | Miss Zasu Pitts - Woman of the Jury | 1932-12-10 |
Movie | Is My Face Red? | Morning Gazette Telephone Operator | 1932-06-17 |
Movie | Alum and Eve | Zasu | 1932-09-24 |
Movie | The Soilers | Zasu | 1932-10-29 |
Movie | Roar of the Dragon | Gabby Woman | 1932-07-08 |
Movie | Blondie of the Follies | Gertie | 1932-09-01 |
Movie | Back Street | Mrs. Dole | 1932-08-04 |
Movie | Make Me a Star | Mrs. Scudder | 1932-07-01 |
Movie | Show Business | Zasu | 1932-08-20 |
Movie | Let's Do Things | Zasu Pitts | 1931-06-06 |
Movie | A Woman of Experience | Katie | 1931-07-08 |
Movie | Seed | Jennie | 1931-05-14 |
Movie | The Bad Sister | Minnie | 1931-03-29 |
Movie | Finn and Hattie | Mrs. Hattie Haddock | 1931-02-04 |
Movie | Their Mad Moment | Miss Dibbs | 1931-07-12 |
Movie | Beyond Victory | Fritzi Mobley | 1931-04-03 |
Movie | The Pajama Party | Zasu | 1931-10-03 |
Movie | War Mamas | Zasu | 1931-11-14 |
Movie | Catch-As Catch-Can | ZaSu | 1931-08-22 |
Movie | On the Loose | Zasu | 1931-12-26 |
Movie | The Guardsman | Liesl | 1931-10-20 |
Movie | The Secret Witness | Bella | 1931-12-12 |
Movie | The Big Gamble | Nora Dugan | 1931-09-04 |
Movie | Penrod and Sam | Mrs. Bassett | 1931-10-01 |
Movie | Little Accident | Monica | 1930-08-03 |
Movie | The Squealer | Bella | 1930-08-20 |
Movie | Honey | Mayme | 1930-03-29 |
Movie | No, No, Nanette | Pauline Hastings | 1930-01-03 |
Movie | Monte Carlo | Bertha | 1930-08-27 |
Movie | All Quiet on the Western Front | Mrs. Bäumer (scenes deleted) | 1930-04-29 |
Movie | The Devil's Holiday | Ethel | 1930-05-09 |
Movie | Passion Flower | Mrs. Harney | 1930-12-06 |
Movie | The Lottery Bride | Hilda | 1930-09-29 |
Movie | Free Love | Ada, the Maid | 1930-12-01 |
Movie | War Nurse | Cushie | 1930-11-22 |
Movie | River's End | Louise | 1930-11-01 |
Movie | Sin Takes a Holiday | Annie | 1930-11-10 |
Movie | Her Private Life | Timmins | 1929-08-25 |
Movie | The Squall | Lena | 1929-05-09 |
Movie | The Locked Door | Telephone Girl | 1929-11-16 |
Movie | Oh, Yeah! | The Elk | 1929-10-19 |
Movie | The Wedding March | Cecelia Schweisser | 1928-10-06 |
Movie | Casey at the Bat | Camille | 1927-03-08 |
Movie | Mannequin | Annie Pogani | 1926-01-11 |
Movie | What Happened to Jones | Hilda (as Zazu Pitts) | 1926-02-08 |
Movie | Risky Business | Agnes Wheaton | 1926-10-04 |
Movie | 1925 Studio Tour | Self | 1925-04-09 |
Movie | Pretty Ladies | Maggie Keenan | 1925-09-06 |
Movie | Lazybones | Ruth Fanning | 1925-11-06 |
Movie | Wine of Youth | Lucy | 1924-09-15 |
Movie | Changing Husbands | Delia | 1924-06-22 |
Movie | Secrets of the Night | Celia Stebbins | 1924-11-12 |
Movie | The Fast Set | Mona | 1924-10-20 |
Movie | Greed | Trina | 1924-12-04 |
Movie | Souls for Sale | Herself - Celebrity Actress in Commissary | 1923-04-22 |
Movie | Poor Men's Wives | Apple Annie | 1923-01-28 |
Movie | Mary of the Movies | Zasu Pitts (uncredited) | 1923-05-27 |
Movie | Three Wise Fools | Mickey | 1923-08-19 |
Movie | Tea- With a Kick! | 'Brainy' Jones | 1923-08-26 |
Movie | Hollywood | Zasu Pitts | 1923-08-19 |
Movie | Patsy | Patsy | 1921-02-01 |
Movie | The Other Half | Jennie Jones, The Jazz Kid | 1919-08-18 |
Movie | A Society Sensation | Mary | 1918-09-22 |
Movie | How Could You, Jean? | Oscar's Sweetheart | 1918-06-29 |
Movie | The Talk of the Town | 1918-09-28 | |
Movie | A Lady's Name | Emily | 1918-12-10 |
Movie | Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm | Undetermined Role (uncredited) | 1917-09-22 |
Movie | '49–'17 | Party Guest (uncredited) | 1917-10-15 |
Movie | A Modern Musketeer | A Kansas Belle (uncredited) | 1917-12-30 |
Movie | A Little Princess | Becky | 1917-11-05 |