
Moms Mabley
original queen of comedy
Moms Mabley had a rocky childhood. She lost both parents to tragic accidents; she dealt with sexual abuse and teen pregnancies. But she always knew she'd make it as a performer. And she did ~ becoming a towering comic success so well-loved as to be dubbed "The funniest woman in the world" by fans + so loving as to be nicknamed "Moms" by fellow performers.
Whether on stage or screen, in variety shows or hit albums, Moms always brought the house down as her dowdy + toothless, straight-talking alter ego. Her famous act offered hilarious challenges to accepted wisdom + manners ~ and, an inspiration to the next generation of fearless comedians.
bold satire | racy humor that took on racism, sexism + agism
edgy acts | getting away with surprisingly raunchy comedy for a granny {or any comic in her day + age}
being the original "cougar" | famous in her act for asserting a yen for younger men, not "geezers"
coming out | at age 27 {in the 1920s} as a lesbian
hit records | more than 20 best-selling comedy albums + some musical ones, too
1908 | ran away from home to Cleveland, Ohio where she began her career as an entertainer with a traveling Vaudeville troop
1920s | became a hit in Harlem, making a surprisingly good living from her comedy acts
1969 | put out a gold comedy album and became the oldest living person to have a US Top 40 hit with her dead-serious cover of Dick Holler's 1968 tribute song to assassinated leaders ~ "Abraham, Martin and John"
from | to
orphan dealing with 2 early-teen pregnancies | "The Funniest Woman in the World"
born on
March 19, 1894
born in
Brevard, North Carolina
birth name
Loretta Mary Aiken
nicknames | also known as
Jackie Mabley
~ a stage name she stole off a former boyfriend from her Vaudeville days, Jack Mabley ~
Moms
~ because she was a mother figure to many fellow comedians ~
Mr. Mom
~ because of her butch off-stage demeanor | according to dancer Norma Miller ~
citizen of
The United States of America
daughter of
James Aiken + Mary Smith
~ her father was a volunteer fireman who died in the line of duty when Moms was only 11 ~
sister of
15 siblings
educated at
no formal education
mother of
2 children given up for adoption before Moms was 14
3 daughters + 1 son | Bonnie, Christine, Charles + Yvonne Ailey
grandmother of
6 grandchildren
influenced
Whoopi Goldberg
~ who produced an HBO documentary about Moms ~
Joan Rivers
Eddie Murphy
Bill Cosby
Wanda Sykes
Kathy Griffin
Sarah Silverman
in her spare time
sang {on hit records} + acted {in Hollywood blockbusters}
died on
May 23, 1975
~ White Plains, New York ~
image credits
James Kriegsmann | Wikimedia Commons | public domain
Moms Mabley: I Got Somethin' to Tell You | Whoop/One Ho Productions/Lil' Whoop Productions
collapse bio bits"If Elizabeth can run England, I can run America. What has she got that I didn't use to have and where can I get it again?"
Behind the Laughter of Jackie (Moms) Mabley | august 1962
"There ain't nothin' an old man can do for me but bring me a message from a young one...I'd rather pay a young man's fare to California than tell an old man the distance."
Behind the Laughter of Jackie (Moms) Mabley | august 1962
"Love is like playing checkers. You have to know which man to move."
Behind the Laughter of Jackie (Moms) Mabley | august 1962
"Be careful, children—don't speed on the highway. Play with your wife, not your life!"
Now Hear This | 1965
"I don't want nothin' old but some old money. Buy me some young ideas, that's what I'm gonna do with it."
Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley | 1967
"Never lose your head, not even for a minute—you need your head. Your brain's in it."
Live at the Greek Theater | 1971
"'Help me make it through the night'—if you can make it for half an hour, you're alright with me!"
presentation for the Year's Best Vocal Performance | 1974
"Without that basic foundation in showmanship, an act can’t remain at the top. Half of the children nowadays don’t even know how to take a bow."
Moms Mabley: She Finally Made the Movies | april 1974
"I'm colorblind. I don't know the difference. I only know you're a human being, and you're my children."
during filming of Amazing Grace | january 1975
curated with care by Alicia Williamson {september 2014}
Moms Mabley 1944
Moms swapped her typical floppy hat and house dress for pearls in this publicity shot from her New York management company. The Queen of Comedy took her hilarious + often raunchy act everywhere from Vaudeville theater shows to hit LPs to major motion pictures + primetime TV.
James Kriegsmann | Associated Booking Corporation | public domain
Moms Mabley | Her Young Thing
Moms comic alter-ego was famous for being a cougar. Her jokes about having a proclivity for young men poked fun at convention by flipping the typical script {the objectification of young women}. The act also drew attention to how women were often forced to marry older men for the sake of economic security. Moms' preference for young blood came from having to deal with her own woefully geriatric husbands. "I was married to one old man and he died ~ thank goodness," she joked in an 1969 show. But the next one's even older, so she tells him: "somebody's got to die 'cause I can't put up with this!"
Ricco Montevecchi | Mercury Records | Discogs
Moms Mabley on The Pearl Bailey Show 1971
Moms happily shared the stage and small screen with fellow former-Vaudeville-performer turned all-around actress, host and singer, Pearl Bailey.
The Pearl Bailey Show | public domain
Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley
Though famous during her lifetime, Moms Mabley is not well known today. Whoopi Goldberg has helped put Moms back in the spotlight where she belongs with a recent HBO documentary. The film features priceless footage from Moms' act along with testimonies from many of today's best-loved comedians ~ like Kathy Griffin, Eddie Murphy, Bill Cosby + Whoopi herself ~ who were influenced by the trailblazing performer.
First Hand Films