Helen Broderick

Helen Broderick

Helen Broderick (August 11, 1891 - September 25, 1959) was a wonderfully funny character comedienne with vaudeville and stage experience, a close friend of Jeanne Eagels. The story goes, that at the age of 14 she ran away from home, because her mother, who appeared in operatic comedy, was totally obsessed by the theatre. Paradoxically, all the people she met turned out to be performers, and Helen (who needed to make a living, after all) ended up where she hadn't wanted to end up - on the stage. She started out as a chorus girl in the first Ziegfeld Follies in 1907. Her talent for comedy was discovered quite by accident. In 1911, she was understudy to the actress Ina Claire in the Broadway play 'Jumping Jupiter'. One night, Claire was unable to perform and Helen Broderick stood in as the romantic lead. She soon had the audience in stitches, trampling about the stage like an elephant, rolling her big saucer eyes and attempting to croon 'Cuddle Near Me All Day Long' in her rather unique voice. The romance was no more and instead turned into a popular farce with Helen now permanently installed in the lead role. For a while, Helen partnered her husband, Lester Crawford, in vaudeville. In the 1920's, she enjoyed success on Broadway, most notably in 'Fifty Million Frenchmen' ( a role she took to Hollywood in 1931). Her best parts in the movies were as the perennial friend or chaperone of the heroine (an earlier Eve Arden), delivering acidic wisecracks in her inimitable dead-pan manner. She was particularly amusing in Top Hat (1935) and Swing Time (1936) with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers; and in The Rage of Paris (1938) with Danielle Darrieux.
Known For: Acting
Birthday: 1891-08-11
Place of Birth: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Also Known As:

Movies List of Helen Broderick

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Top Hat

1935 Movie
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Swing Time

1936 Movie
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Nice Girl?

1941 Movie
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The Rage of Paris

1938 Movie
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Father Takes a Wife

1941 Movie
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Honeymoon in Bali

1939 Movie
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The Bride Walks Out

1936 Movie
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Stand Up and Fight

1939 Movie
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Love on a Bet

1936 Movie
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She's Got Everything

1937 Movie
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The Life of the Party

1937 Movie
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3 Is a Family

1944 Movie
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Service de Luxe

1938 Movie
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Smartest Girl in Town

1936 Movie
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We're on the Jury

1937 Movie
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Radio City Revels

1938 Movie
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Virginia

1941 Movie
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Meet the Missus

1937 Movie
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To Beat the Band

1935 Movie
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Naughty But Nice

1939 Movie
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Her Primitive Man

1944 Movie
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Stage Door Canteen

1943 Movie
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Because of Him

1946 Movie
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50 Million Frenchmen

1931 Movie
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The Captain Is a Lady

1940 Movie
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No, No, Nanette

1940 Movie
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The Road to Reno

1938 Movie