Actress. Born in Odessa, in the former Russian Empire, she and her family emigrated to the US when she was about two years old, and settled in Bridgeport, Connecticut. She went to New York shortly after completing high school. In 1926, she caught a break when she replaced Fanny Brice in “The Ziegfeld Follies,” when Brice fell ill. In 1933, a writer for the radio comedy, “The Fred Allen Show” managed to get her a part on the show. Her portrayal of the English mangling Pansy Nussbaum made her an immediate fixture. Her signature line of “You are expectink maybe...” became a part of the vernacular. Allen described her as the most accomplished dialect comedian he had known. During her time in Allen's Alley, she created dozens of characters using French, Scottish, English, German, Italian and other accents with equal facility. Mrs Nussbaum proved so popular, however, that the character made appearances in “The Jack Benny Show” and “Duffy's Tavern” as well. She was heard in roles on other radio programs as well, including , “The Allen Young Show,” “The Goldbergs,” and “Life Can be Beautiful.” In 1945, she took Mrs Nussbaum to the big screen, appearing in the feature film, "It's in the Bag.” She appeared in a handful of other films as well, including "Joe MacBeth" (1955),"Love In The Afternoon" (1957), and as the voice of Pinocchio in "Pinocchio In Outer Space" (1964). In 1976, she revived Mrs Nussbaum one last time for an episode of the television series “Happy Days,” it was to be her last appearance on film. She passed three years later, just days after her 76th birthday.
Actress. Born in Odessa, in the former Russian Empire, she and her family emigrated to the US when she was about two years old, and settled in Bridgeport, Connecticut. She went to New York shortly after completing high school. In 1926, she caught a break when she replaced Fanny Brice in “The Ziegfeld Follies,” when Brice fell ill. In 1933, a writer for the radio comedy, “The Fred Allen Show” managed to get her a part on the show. Her portrayal of the English mangling Pansy Nussbaum made her an immediate fixture. Her signature line of “You are expectink maybe...” became a part of the vernacular. Allen described her as the most accomplished dialect comedian he had known. During her time in Allen's Alley, she created dozens of characters using French, Scottish, English, German, Italian and other accents with equal facility. Mrs Nussbaum proved so popular, however, that the character made appearances in “The Jack Benny Show” and “Duffy's Tavern” as well. She was heard in roles on other radio programs as well, including , “The Allen Young Show,” “The Goldbergs,” and “Life Can be Beautiful.” In 1945, she took Mrs Nussbaum to the big screen, appearing in the feature film, "It's in the Bag.” She appeared in a handful of other films as well, including "Joe MacBeth" (1955),"Love In The Afternoon" (1957), and as the voice of Pinocchio in "Pinocchio In Outer Space" (1964). In 1976, she revived Mrs Nussbaum one last time for an episode of the television series “Happy Days,” it was to be her last appearance on film. She passed three years later, just days after her 76th birthday.
Bio by: Iola
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