Esther Howard(1892-1965)

Switching from Broadway to Hollywood in 1931, actress Esther Howard was an expert at portraying frumpy old crones, man-hungry spinsters and oversexed dowagers. Utilizing her wide, expressive eyes and versatile voice for both broad comedy and tense drama, Howard was equally at home portraying slatternly toss-pot Mrs. Florian in Adieu ma belle (1944) as she was in the role of genteelly homicidal Aunt Sophie in Laurel and Hardy's Le grand boum (1944). She was a regular participant in the films of writer/director Preston Sturges, playing everything from an addled farm woman in Les voyages de Sullivan (1941) to the bejeweled wife of "The Wienie King" in Madame et ses flirts (1942). From 1935 to 1952, Esther Howard was a fixture of Columbia's short-subject unit, usually cast as the wife or sweetheart of comedian Andy Clyde.