| Moms Mabley | |
|---|---|
 Mabley during an appearance onThe Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1968 | |
| Birth name | Loretta Mary Aiken |
| Born | (1897-03-19)March 19, 1897 Brevard, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | May 23, 1975(1975-05-23) (aged 78) White Plains, New York, U.S. |
| Medium |
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| Years active | 1919–1975 |
| Genres | Social satire |
Loretta Mary Aiken (March 19, 1897[1] – May 23, 1975),[2] known by her stage nameJackie "Moms" Mabley, was an Americanstand-up comedian and actress. Mabley began her career on the theater stage in the 1920s and became a veteran entertainer of theChitlin' Circuit of black vaudeville. Mabley later recorded comedy albums and appeared in films and on television programs includingThe Ed Sullivan Show andThe Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.[3]
Loretta Mary Aiken was born inBrevard, North Carolina. She was one of 16 children born to James Aiken and Mary Smith,[4] who had married in 1891.[5] Her father owned and operated several successful businesses, and took in boarders.[1]
Her childhood was tumultuous. Aiken gave birth to two children resulting from her being raped at age 11, by an elderly black man, and at age 13, by a white sheriff, Chet Kilpatrick. Both children were placed for adoption.[6][7]
At the encouragement of her grandmother, Aiken ran away at age 14 toCleveland,Ohio, joining a travelingvaudeville-styleminstrel show starringButterbeans and Susie, where she sang and entertained.[7][8] In 1909, a year after Aiken left, her father was killed when afire engine exploded while he was volunteering as a firefighter.[9] Her mother took over the family's primary business, a general store. She was killed a few years later, run over by a truck while returning home from church on Christmas Day.[4]
Told by her brother she "was a disgrace to the Aiken name because ... stage women wasn't nothing but prostitutes",[1] Aiken adopted the stage name Jackie Mabley, borrowing the name of an early boyfriend, Jack Mabley, who was also a performer.[10] She remarked in a 1970Ebony interview that he had taken so much from her, the least she could do was take his name from him.[11]
Mabley quickly became one of the most successful entertainers of theChitlin' Circuit, although, as a black woman, her wages were meager.[7] She made her New York City debut atConnie's Inn inHarlem.[12]
She came out as alesbian in 1921 at the age of twenty-seven, becoming one of the first openly gay comedians.[13] During the 1920s and 1930s she appeared inandrogynous clothing and recorded several "lesbian stand-up" routines.[14]
In April 1939, Mabley became the first female comic to perform at theApollo Theater in Harlem.[15]
During the 1950s, Mabley—influenced by the maternal role she was filling for other comedians on the circuit—adopted the name "Moms" and the appearance of a toothless, bedraggled woman in a house dress and floppy hat. Mabley also credited the name to her grandmother, who had been a driving force in the pursuit of her dreams.[16] The non-threatening persona aided her in addressing topics too edgy for most comics of the time, includingracism, sexuality and having children after becoming a widow.[17][18][19] A preference for handsome young men rather than "old washed-up geezers" became a signature bit.
In the 1960s, Mabley became known to a wider white audience, playingCarnegie Hall in 1962,[20] and making a number of mainstream TV appearances, with multiple appearances onThe Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.[21][22] Music became a regular part of her act, and acover version of "Abraham, Martin and John" hit No. 35 on theBillboard Hot 100[2] on July 19, 1969, making Mabley, at 75, the oldest living person to have a U.S. Top 40 hit,[23] untilBrenda Lee took the title at age 78 in December 2023.[24] Mabley played theHarlem Cultural Festival during that time.[25]
Mabley continued performing in the 1970s. In 1971, she appeared onThe Pearl Bailey Show. Later that year, she opened forIke & Tina Turner at theGreek Theatre and sang a tribute toLouis Armstrong as part of her set.[26] While filming the 1974 filmAmazing Grace, her only film starring role,[2] Mabley suffered a heart attack. She returned to work three weeks later, after receiving apacemaker.[16]
Over the course of her life, Mabley had six children: Bonnie, Christine, Charles, and Yvonne Ailey,[12][27] and two placed for adoption when she was a child.[28]
Mabley died from heart failure inWhite Plains, New York, on May 23, 1975.[3] She is interred atFerncliff Cemetery,Hartsdale, New York.
In 1983[29] and 1984,Whoopi Goldberg "first came to national prominence with her one-woman show"[30] in which she portrayed Mabley,Moms, first performed in Berkeley, California, and then at theVictoria Theatre in San Francisco; theOakland Museum of California preserves a poster advertising the show.[31] Mabley was the subject ofWhoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley, adocumentary film which first aired onHBO on November 18, 2013.[32][33] The documentary was nominated for twoCreative Arts Emmy Awards at the66th ceremony held on August 16, 2014, at theNokia Theatre inDowntown Los Angeles: Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special andOutstanding Narrator for Whoopi Goldberg. In 2015, she was named by Equality Forum as one of their 31 Icons of the 2015LGBT History Month.[34]
Mabley was the inspiration for the character of Grandma Klump in the 1996 movieThe Nutty Professor.[citation needed]
Mabley was featured during the "HerStory" video tribute to notable women onU2's tour in 2017 for the 30th anniversary ofThe Joshua Tree during a performance of "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)"[35] from the band's 1991 albumAchtung Baby.
Mabley, portrayed byWanda Sykes, appears in the final episode of the third season ofThe Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, performing a full stand-up routine on theApollo Theater stage.
The street in Brevard where Mabley grew up was named for her in 1997 for her 100th birthday, but changed back due to complaints.[36] In 2023 aNorth Carolina historical marker honored her.[1]
Stage
Films
Television
Discography
But instead of making a name for Loretta Aiken during this time, Moms was taking a name from a man named Jack Mabley. 'Jack was my first boyfriend,' Moms says... 'He took a lot off me and the least I could do was take his name.'
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