Louise Beavers and Myrna Loy.

Film and television actress Louise Beavers was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she was part of an act called “Lady Minstrels” before moving to Los Angeles to begin her film career in the silent films, “Gold Diggers” (1923) and “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” (1927). Beavers appeared in more than 100 films between 1929 and 1960, playing the role most available to the few African American actresses able to work steadily in Hollywood: maid to the white female star. However, in the 1934 adaptation of “Imitation of Life” in 1934, Beavers and Claudette Colbert both played characters dealing with “the demands of single parenthood and careers.” Like her cousin, Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company co-founder, George Beavers, Jr., Louise Beavers was a prominent and active member of the African American community in Los Angeles. She was involved in community functions, from the People’s Independent Church, where she helped develop the theater program of the Young People’s Lyceum, to the 1939 public ceremonies celebrating the development of the all-black resort, Val Verde County Park. In the 1940s, as a resident of the affluent enclave in the West Adams district of Los Angeles known as “Sugar Hill,” Louise Beavers also played a role in history. Beavers’s neighbors included actors Hattie McDaniel, Ethel Waters, Joel Fluellen and Frances Williams; businessmen Norman O. Houston and Horace Clark; musicians Ben Carter, Pearl Bailey and Juan Tizon. When an association of white homeowners brought suit against black property owners in the area, claiming they were in violation of the city’s racially restrictive covenant system, and demanding that the city enforce the covenants, attorney Loren Miller led the class action suit against the whites. The California Superior Court issued a judgment on December 6, 1945 stating that the black plaintiffs were accorded full rights guaranteed under the 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution. This helped pave the way for Shelley v. Kramer, the 1948 Supreme Court decision that legally blocked enforcement of racial housing covenants. Louise Beavers’s career culminated in the television roles “Beulah” (1952 –1953) and as the housekeeper on “The Danny Thomas Show” (1953-1954). In 1976, she was inducted posthumously into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame.

Myrna Loy was an actress who made a significant impact in Hollywood during the 20th century. Born as Myrna Adele Williams on August 2, 1905 in Radersburg, Montana, she was raised in Helena and nearby Radersburg. Her father, David Franklin Williams, was a rancher and the youngest person ever elected to the Montana State legislature. After her father's death from influenza, the family moved to Los Angeles, where Myrna was educated and caught the acting bug. She started her acting career at the age of 15 by appearing in local stage productions to support her family. One night, she caught the attention of Mrs. Rudolph Valentino, who helped her secure some parts in the motion picture industry. Myrna made her first film appearance in the small role of "What Price Beauty?" (1925) and later appeared in "Pretty Ladies" (1925) alongside Joan Crawford. She was one of the few stars to make a successful transition from silent movies to the sound era, starting out as a Theda Bara-like exotic femme fatale in silent films and later becoming a refined and wholesome character in the sound era. Unable to secure a contract with MGM, she appeared in small roles until she finally landed a contract with Warner Brothers after appearing in "Satan in Sables" (1925). Her contract player debut was in "The Caveman" (1926), where she played a maid, but despite being typecast as a vamp, she continued to take on roles that would showcase her talent. Myrna's big break came when she signed with MGM and received two meaty roles in "The Prizefighter and the Lady" (1933) and as Nora Charles in "The Thin Man" (1934) with William Powell. The Thin Man series was a huge success, and Myrna's witty perception of situations gave her the image of a no-nonsense character. She appeared in five more Thin Man films and was named the "Queen of the Movies" in 1936 in a nationwide poll of movie-goers. Despite her popularity, the roles became fewer and fewer in the 1940s and 1950s. In the 1960s, she appeared in "Midnight Lace" (1960) and "The April Fools" (1969) and later in TV movies in the 1970s. Her last film was "Summer Solstice" (1981), and she passed away on December 14, 1993 in New York City at the age of 88. With a career spanning 129 motion pictures, Myrna Loy will always be remembered as the "Queen of Hollywood" during her heyday.