Louise Franklin
Born
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Other namesBeau
Bo
Occupation(s)Actress, Dancer
Years active1935–1958
SpouseLee Young
Children1
Parent
  • Viola Franklin (mother)

Louise Franklin, nicknamed Beau[1] and Bo,[2] was an American dancer and actress active during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. From childhood, she was interested in various forms of dance and also practiced as an actress before starring in vaudeville roles with Bryon Ellis as the duo "Bryon and Beau". Her film roles afterwards primarily saw her dance in various productions both in media and on stage and occasionally starred as a well dressed and well spoken love interest to the male lead, such as when cast alongside Eddie "Rochester" Anderson.

Career

Born in Kansas City, Missouri,[3] to mother Viola Franklin,[4] Franklin was involved in multiple areas of dance as a child, including ballet and tap dancing, along with taking acting classes.[3]

Her vaudeville career saw her partner with Bryon Ellis under the name "Bryon and Beau" after having been a member of the Cotton Club Cuties chorus group.[3][5] Her 1935 theatre role in School Days alongside Dickie Walker had the California Eagle refer to the pair's performance as akin to Aurora Greely and Leroy Broomfield.[6] That same year she signed onto Maceo Burch's Kansas City theatre company and was said to "possibly be called the leader of the group" by the California Eagle due to her talents as an entertainer.[7] After the company toured in California, she stayed and played in a number of film and stage roles in the following years. Harry Levette in the California Eagle said she was "Hollywood's prettiest, cleverest, most personable dancer".[8] In 1943 during World War II, she reportedly joined the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, though this was denied by her husband.[9]

After Dorothy Dandridge was injured in a car accident, Franklin had to fill in for her primary dancing role in the 1945 film Pillar to Post in extended music scenes in order to conceal the cuts between the two actresses.[10] Her cast role as Rochester's girlfriend in Brewster's Millions after her previous high profile acting roles had the director praise her as a "real find".[11] As bonus for her acting quality in the 1945 film Crime Incorporated, the director gifted her with a box of then expensive cigarettes from Franklin's favorite brand after she completed her final scene.[12]

She continued her tours with Bryon Ellis under the "Bryon and Beau" name in 1948, doing a theatre tour across the Eastern United States in late August of that year.[5] She was cast as Louise Ritchie in the 1949 film Look-Out Sister alongside Louis Jordan and was noted by the Alabama Tribune as being "one of the screen's best dancers".[13] Lloyd Binford, film censor for Memphis, Tennessee, banned films showing Franklin and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson from the city because he disliked African Americans being portrayed as "well-dressed, intelligent acting sweethearts" in films.[14] She competed in the 1954 Miss Brew 102 competition and, while not victorious, received attention and more television acting opportunities afterwards.[2][15]

Filmography

Theatre

  • Sweet and Hot (1958)[31]
  • Two In A Bed (1946)[32]
  • Harlem To Hollywood (1943)[33]
  • Jump for Joy (1941)[34]
  • School Days (1935)[6][35]

Personal life

Franklin was married to singer and jazz drummer Lee Young,[36] and they had a son together.[37]

References

  1. ↑ "Stars, Celebrities To Appear At Premiere". California Eagle. January 27, 1949. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 Rowe, Izzy (December 18, 1954). "Out West They're Talking About". The Pittsburgh Courier. Archived from the original on August 21, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 3 Levette, Harry (October 12, 1951). "Louise Franklin". The Call. Archived from the original on August 19, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ King, Leontyne (December 13, 1947). "Thrilling News". The Pittsburgh Courier. Archived from the original on August 21, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 "Tops In Terpsichorean Art". California Eagle. August 5, 1948. Archived from the original on August 20, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. 1 2 "Behind the Scenes with Harry". California Eagle. August 23, 1935. Archived from the original on August 19, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Company Of K. C. Artists Here". California Eagle. August 2, 1935. Archived from the original on August 20, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Levette, Harry (June 3, 1943). "Verbal Gasps, Point Rationed". California Eagle. Archived from the original on August 20, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Denies Film Dancer Will Join WAACs". The Pittsburgh Courier. June 26, 1943. Archived from the original on August 20, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. 1 2 Levette, Harry (September 16, 1944). "Scene Saved As Louise Take Over For Injured Dandridge". Jackson Advocate. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Louise Franklin Plays Rochester's Girl In Film". The Daily Bulletin. September 18, 1944. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Louise Franklin Gets Cigarets As Bonus". The Daily Bulletin. November 21, 1944. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  13. 1 2 Levette, Harry (April 9, 1948). "20 Hollywood Bathing Beauties Star With Louis Jordan". Alabama Tribune. Archived from the original on August 19, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ Levette, Harry (June 21, 1957). "Talk of the Week". The Call. Archived from the original on August 19, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ Levette, Harry (July 3, 1954). "This Is Hollywood - Louise Franklin". The New York Age. Archived from the original on August 21, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ Daniels, George (September 26, 1952). ""See How They Run"". The Call. Archived from the original on August 21, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ Levette, Harry (September 28, 1951). "Gossip on the Movie Lots". The Call. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Murray, Florence, ed. (1947). The Negro Handbook 1946-1947. Macmillan Inc. p. 265.
  19. ↑ Larry Richards (2015). African American Films Through 1959: A Comprehensive, Illustrated Filmography. McFarland & Company. p. 123. ISBN 9781476610528. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Newcomer Doubles For Dot Dandridge In "Pillar To Post"". The Pittsburgh Courier. September 16, 1944. Archived from the original on August 21, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ "Louise Franklin Plays Rochester's Girl In New Film". The Detroit Tribune. September 23, 1944. Archived from the original on August 19, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ↑ "Pattie McDaniel, Huge Cast Finish "Thank Your Lucky Stars"". California Eagle. November 19, 1942. Archived from the original on August 20, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 Levette, Harry (January 22, 1943). "Favorite Chorus Girl". California Eagle. Archived from the original on August 20, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ↑ "600 Extras In Universal's "Her's To Hold"". California Eagle. June 3, 1943. Archived from the original on August 19, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ↑ Levette, Harry (April 2, 1942). "Ink Spots In "Pardon My Sarong" At Universal". California Eagle. Archived from the original on August 20, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ↑ "Big Cast In "Take My Life"". California Eagle. April 3, 1941. Archived from the original on August 20, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ↑ "Quest for Girls, Women Exhausts Screen Guild List". California Eagle. April 23, 1942. Archived from the original on August 20, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ↑ "Rowe's Notebook: Ralph Cooper". The Pittsburgh Courier. January 30, 1943. Archived from the original on August 20, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ↑ Levette, Harry (December 7, 1940). "Gossip of the Movie Lots". The Phoenix Index. Archived from the original on August 20, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ↑ "'Lady Luck', Dixie National Comedy, Gets Under Way". California Eagle. July 18, 1940. Archived from the original on August 20, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ↑ Gordon Jr., Walter L. (2019). "Entertainer Louise Franklin, star of Sweet and Hot, Los Angeles, 1940s". digital.library.ucla.edu. UCLA Library. Archived from the original on September 3, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  32. ↑ Levette, Harry (March 9, 1946). "New Play Is Great Show". The Detroit Tribune. Archived from the original on August 19, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ↑ "Noble Sissle Brings Harlem To Hollywood, So Say Coast Scribes". The Pittsburgh Courier. March 27, 1943. Archived from the original on August 20, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ↑ "Dancers". The Los Angeles Times. July 27, 1941. Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ↑ "Behind the Scenes with Harry: Club Alabam". California Eagle. September 13, 1935. Archived from the original on August 19, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ↑ Rowe, Billy (November 4, 1944). "Billy Rowe's Notebook". The Pittsburgh Courier. Archived from the original on August 19, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  37. ↑ Gipson, Gertrude (October 23, 1947). "Cannin' The News Ticker Tape". California Eagle. Archived from the original on August 21, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
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