Tuesday, May 29, 2012
From my collection: More Stooges & Connie Cezon
Speaking of Stooges gals, we shall of course not forget the lustrous Miss Connie Cezon (often listed on credits as "Cezan," but she was born Consuelo Cezon), whose resemblance to Bette Davis led to her appearing as Davis' double in the identical twin melodrama Dead Ringer (1964). The Pasadena Playhouse alumni also did her fair share of b-girls, e.g. in Bruno Ve Sota's The Female Jungle (1956), and she enjoyed a recurring role as Perry Mason's switchboard operator, Gertie, in the original 1950s Tv series. But it was as a foil for the 3 Stooges that she will be remembered, notably dating all three, simultaneously, in Corny Casanovas (1952), for monetary gain of course. This is the short where she famously greet each Stooge with an insincere "I knew you were coming so I baked a cake." Does she end up wearing said cake? Have you ever seen a Stooge short? The entire gag was repeated in the "remake," Rusty Romeos (1957), where Cezon, a tiny bit heavier, re-filmed the scenes featuring the late Shemp Howard's replacement, Joe Besser, but the new footage was inserted nearly seamlessly and few were the wiser. Connie Cezon, who hailed from Oakland, CA (born 1925) died from complications of breast cancer in 2004. In her later years she ran a boarding house for cats, Kitty's Kastle. The photo top right is from the 1946 Academy Players guide and is perhaps the earliest professional portrait in existence.
I always thought she was a very attractive woman and always looked forward to seeing her in the Three Stooges shorts.
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