Minnie Devereaux
Minnie Devereaux | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | c. 1869[1] |
| Died | June 5, 1923(aged 53–54)[2] Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Minnie Provost Minerva Burgess Minnie Ha-ha Indian Minnie |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1913–1923 |
Minnie Devereaux(c.1869–1923) was anAmericansilent filmactress. She was a member of theCheyenne and Arapaho Tribesin Oklahoma.[3] More commonly known asMinnie Provostand occasionally "Indian Minnie",or"Minnie Ha-Ha",she held at least 14 roles, beginning in 1913 withOld Mammy’s Secret Codeand ending with the 1923 release ofThe Girl of the Golden West.[4]A few sources say she was aCheyenneand the daughter of a Chief Plenty Horses.[5]However, her father is often confused withPlenty Horseswho was Lakota and born the same year as Minnie. In a 1917 interview published in theMack Sennett WeeklyProvost states that she was born to Cheyenne parents who fled G. A. Custer's Army during the Battle of the Little Bighorn, an event that took place when she was eight years old.[3]
Early life
[edit]Provost was born in theOklahoma Territoryin a small town namedCanadian, Oklahoma.[1]Movie trade magazines claimed she studied at theCarlisle Indian Industrial School,a Pennsylvania boarding school for Native American students,[6][7]and she appears on the Carlisle rolls as Minerva Burgess ofCheyenneandArapahoheritage. Her father is listed as "Plenty of Horses", not to be confused withPlenty Horses.[8]
Early career
[edit]Fatty and Minnie He-Haw
[edit]The actress starred alongsideRoscoe Arbucklein the 1914 silent comedy filmFatty and Minnie He-Haw,directed by Arbuckle. She is featured as aNative American,whom Arbuckle reluctantly marries after being rescued by her tribe. Arbuckle pursues a white woman in town, played by his real-life wifeMinta Durfee,but is driven back when He-Haw discovers his disloyalty. Outraged, the tribe prepares to burn him for his traitorous behavior, but He-Haw spares him in an act of love.[7]He-Haw chases her man but ultimately loses him when he disappears into the hills with angry warriors trailing behind.
Other works
[edit]Provost worked with producer and "king of comedy"Mack SennettonFatty and Minnie He-Haw,as well as the 1918 filmMickeyand the 1922 filmSuzanna,both directed byF. Richard Jones.In 1920 Minnie worked with directorJames CruzeonFood for Scandal,the cinematic version ofPaul Kester's playA Picture of Rare Delight.[9]Provost was an actress in demand, working with various production companies on the east coast, including Kay-Bee Pictures, theNew York Motion Picture Company,and Sennett'sKeystone Studios.[6][10]
Reputation
[edit]The actress was heralded as a dignified professional who could easily performslapstickcomedy as well as melodrama.[6]
She was subject totypecasting,with roles that capitalized upon her heavy frame and her Native American heritage.[6]Reviews at the time often referred to Indian women as asquawin reference to her characters' titles within such films.[6]Peter Milne,a film critic and eventual screenwriter, berated Provost for her age and appearance, calling her "ancient" in his review ofMickey;she was only 49 years old at the time of the film's release.[11]
In an article inPhotoplayProvost recalled an encounter between her and a belligerent white woman. On a crowded street car, the woman intentionally took up available space in order to prevent Provost from sitting nearby. Provost interrupted the conductor of the street car, who insisted that the woman move her belongings. The woman replied saying that she would rather stand than sit next to such a woman.[6]
Despite this unease, many in the film business were aware of, and respected Provost's wit, dignity, and talents as an actress.Motion Picture Magazinerecounts a chance encounter between Provost and actorBertram Grassby,who commented on the actress' persona:[12]
During the conversation, the name of Minnie, a fat, old Indian woman who has almost become a moving picture institution, was mentioned and he commented laughingly on her way of always saying and doing the unexpected.
— Beth Trepel, "A Dryadic Dramatist",Motion Picture Magazine
The encounter involved Grassby tipping his hat toward Provost, which prompted her to question the meaning of the act.[12]She often poked fun at other actors and directors during the production of a film.[6]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1913 | Old Mammy's Secret Code | Credited as Minnie Prevost Lostfilm | |
| 1914 | Fatty and Minnie He-Haw | Minnie He-Haw | |
| 1915 | The Coward | Mammy | |
| 1918 | Mickey | Minnie | Credited as Minnie Ha Ha |
| 1919 | A Daughter of the Wolf | Mrs. Beavertail | Lostfilm |
| Rose of the West | Natoosh | Credited as Minna Prevost Lostfilm | |
| 1920 | Up in Mary's Attic | Herself | Credited as Minnie Ha Ha Lostfilm |
| 'If Only' Jim | Squaw | Lostfilm | |
| Food for Scandal | Paola | Credited as Minnie Provost Lostfilm | |
| 1921 | A Ridin' Romeo | Squaw | Lostfilm |
| By Right of Birth | Credited as Minnie Prevost | ||
| 1923 | The Girl of the Golden West | The Squaw | Lostfilm |
| Suzanna | Herself | Credited as Indian Minnie Incompletefilm |
References
[edit]- ^abUnited States Census 1910, El Reno Ward, Oklahoma,retrievedAugust 2,2018
- ^California Death Index, 1905–1939 (Minnie Provost),retrievedAugust 2,2018
- ^abAleiss, Angela (2022),Hollywood's Native Americans: Stories of Identity and Resistance,Santa Barbara CA: Praeger, p. 12-15,ISBN978-1-4408-7156-6
- ^Fussell, Betty Harper (1982).Mabel.New Haven: Ticknor & Fields. p.96.ISBN978-0-89919-090-7.
- ^Malinowski, Sharon; Abrams, George H. J. (1995).Notable native Americans.New York: Gale Research. p.105.ISBN978-0-8103-9638-8.
- ^abcdefgPeltret, Elizabeth (April 1918),"With the Big Show!",Photoplay,p. 114,retrievedNovember 5,2014
- ^ab"Stories of the New Photoplays",Reel Life,p. 8, December 1914,retrievedNovember 5,2014
- ^Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center,retrievedAugust 6,2018
- ^"Moving Picture World".Periodical.Chalmers Publishing Company. November 1920 – via lantern.mediahist.org.
- ^E. T., H. (September 1919),"The Picture Oracle",Picture-Play Magazine,p. 101,retrievedNovember 5,2014
- ^Milne, Peter (September 1918),"The Screen in Review",Picture-Play Magazine,p. 126,retrievedNovember 5,2014
- ^abTrepel, Beth (August 1911),"A Dryadic Dramatist",Motion Picture Magazine,p. 77, archived fromthe originalon July 24, 2014,retrievedNovember 5,2014
External links
[edit]
- Works by or about Minnie Devereauxat theInternet Archive
- Minnie DevereauxatIMDb
- Indian Woman Tells History,from Mack Sennett Weekly, vol. I, February 12, 1917
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