A delightfully irksome, viper-tongued presence who usually played older
than she was, actress Cora Witherspoon began her five-decade career in
New York playing an elderly lady in the 1910 production of "The
Concert". She was 20 years old at the time. Born in 1890, the
brown-haired, Louisiana-born character player continued on the Broadway
stage after her successful debut and became a generally unsympathetic
audience favorite in such popular shows as "Daddy Long Legs," "Lillies
of the Field" and "The Awful Truth" for the next two decades.
She began dividing her time between theater and film in the early 1930s
wreaking havoc and rattling the nerves of many a male and female star
with her imperious gallery of class-conscious matrons, haranguing
wives, acidulous spinsters and aggressive busybodies. Notable film
contributions were her cryptic socialites in the quality comedies
Libeled Lady (1936) and
Personal Property (1937), both starring
Jean Harlow. She was equally unpleasant
in such dramatic fare as
Dark Victory (1939), and played her patented society snoot
to perfection in the
Shirley Temple vehicle
Just Around the Corner (1938). A particular standout,
and the movie role she is probably best remembered for, was her untidy,
henpecking wife Agatha SousƩ in the comedy classic
The Bank Dick (1940), the prime
source of
W.C. Fields' misery.
Though her home base was in New York City where she continued to
perform in the theater, she made her living commuting to Hollywood in
the post-war years, ending her career with brief appearances on TV. She
died in 1957 at age 67 in New Mexico.
Studio One(1948)as Aunt Fanny
The Telltale Clue(1954)as Mrs. Jordan
Goodyear Television Playhouse(1951)
Kraft Theatre(1947)
It Should Happen to You(1954)as Macy's Saleslady
The Great Man: W.C. Fields(2005)as Agatha SousƩ (clip from The Bank Dick (1940))
Hollywood: The Gift of Laughter(1982)as Actress - 'The Bank Dick'
