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Carrie Artiemissia Snowden (January 16, 1900 – September 5, 1985), known professionally as Carolynne Snowden, was an American actress, dancer, and singer who broke new ground for black people working in the entertainment industry.

Biography

Carolynne was born in Oakland, California, to Frederick Snowden and Nellie Derrick. Early on in her career, she performed on the theater circuit, traveling the country and earning acclaim. She was singing and dancing at New York City's famous Cotton Club by the early 1920s.

By 1925, she had relocated to Los Angeles to perform at the New Cotton Club and at Club Alabam on Central Avenue; she slowly began to get small roles in Hollywood films like The Marriage Clause and The Merry Widow. Eventually she signed a five-year contract with John M. Stahl's Tiffany Pictures, which led to a bigger role in 1927's In Old Kentucky alongside Stepin Fetchit.

Carolynne left Hollywood around 1933 after her Tiffany contract was up, taking her show on the road and refocusing her efforts on singing and dancing. She died in 1985 in Los Angeles, and was survived by her husband Manfred Montagu and her daughter, Esther Smith.

Selected filmography

• A Day at the Races (1937)
• The Green Pastures (1936)
• Strike Me Pink (1936)
• Murder at the Vanities (1934)
• Flying Down to Rio (1933)
• The Sport Parade (1932)
• Honey (1930)
• Playing Around (1930)
• On with the Show! (1929)
• Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 (1929)
• Innocents of Paris (1929)
• Show Boat (1929)
• The Wedding March (1928)
• Sweet Sixteen (1928)
• Nameless Men (1928)
• The Devil's Skipper (1928)
• In Old Kentucky (1927)
• The Jazz Singer (1927)
• Orchids and Ermine (1927)
• The Marriage Clause (1926)
• The First Year (1926)
• The Gilded Butterfly (1926)
• The Marriage Clause (1926)
• The Merry Widow (1925)

References

1. Register of Births; Health Office, Oakland. California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994 at Family Search.
2. Carolynne Snowden's 1954 'Affidavit to Correct a Record' at Family Search.
3. Calvin, Floyd. "California Movie Star Doing Broadway". The Pittsburgh Courier. October 22, 1927. Page 13. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
4. "Miss Carolynne Snowden". The Pittsburgh Courier. 15 Dec 1923. Retrieved 2019-12-23.
5. ^ Petro, Patrice (2010-03-04). Idols of Modernity: Movie Stars of the 1920s. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 978-0-8135-4929-3.
6. ^ "Cafe Notes". The Los Angeles Times. 9 Apr 1926. Retrieved 2019-12-23.
7. "The Stage and Screen". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 18 Jan 1928. Retrieved 2019-12-23.
8. "Colored Ballad Singer Popular at Local Club". Battle Creek Enquirer. 27 Dec 1935. Retrieved 2019-12-23.
9. ^ "Carolynne Montagu: Cotton Club Dancer". The Hartford Courant. 11 Sep 1985. Retrieved 2019-12-23.
10. "Carolynne Snowden Montagu". Alabama Journal. 10 Sep 1985. Retrieved 2019-12-23.

Further reading

• Calvin, Floyd. "California Movie Star Doing Broadway: Carolynne Snowden, Slender and Lovely, Is Crazy About Dolls and, of Course, Her Art". The Pittsburgh Courier. October 22, 1927. Page 13.
• Cavanaugh, Irene. "'Creole Queen' Steals Show at Lincoln House". Los Angeles Daily News. January 7, 1930. Page 20.
• Robertson, Stanley. "LA Confidential: A Face From Out of the Past; Still Radiating Charm". Los Angeles Sentinel. March 14, 1957. Page A5.
• "Urban League Members Are Planning Ball". The California Eagle. May 30, 1957. Page 8.
• "Carolynne Snowden Shares Doll Collection". Los Angeles Sentinel. December 9, 1982. Page C-2.

External links

• Carolynne Snowden at IMDb

• 1900 births
• 1985 deaths
• 20th-century African-American actresses
• 20th-century American actresses
• 20th-century American dancers
• 20th-century American singers
• African-American female dancers
• 20th-century African-American women singers
• 20th-century American women singers
• American film actresses
• American musical theatre actresses
• African Americans in California
• Actresses from Oakland, California