Connie Cezon

Connie Cezon
Cezon (second from left) hams it up with Moe Howard and Larry Fine in the Three Stooges film Hot Stuff
Born	(1925-03-28)March 28, 1925 Oakland, California, USA
Died	February 26, 2004(2004-02-26) (aged 78) Glendale, California, USA
Cause of death	Breast cancer
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
Years active	1951–1966

Connie Cezon (March 28, 1925 – February 26, 2004) was an American film actress. Born in Oakland, California, Cezon made over 30 film and television appearances between 1951 and 1966.

Movies and TV

Modern viewers will remember Cezon as a perfect blonde "gold digger" in several Three Stooges films. Her flair for physical comedy helped, and made memorable appearances in such films as Corny Casanovas, Up in Daisy's Penthouse, and Tricky Dicks. After leaving the Columbia shorts department, Cezon had a recurring role as receptionist 'Gertie' on Perry Mason between 1957 and 1966.

After retiring from the screen, Cezon operated and ran a cat-boarding service in Los Angeles called Connie's Kitty Castle.^[1]

Though her surname was spelled 'Cezan' in the Stooge films, it appears as 'Cezon' in all her other appearances. Cezon confirmed that the correct spelling is the latter.^[1]

Death

Cezon died of complications from breast cancer surgery on February 26, 2004.

Selected filmography

Perry Mason (1957–1964) 17 episodes
Dead Ringer (1964)
Triple Crossed (1959)
Rusty Romeos (1957)
Hot Stuff (1956)
Adventures of Rin Tin Tin (1955)
Female Jungle (1955)
Gang Busters (1952, 1955)
Playgirl (1954)
Tricky Dicks (1953)
Up in Daisy's Penthouse (1953)
The Abbott and Costello Show (1953)
So You Want To Go To A Convention (1952)
Corny Casanovas (1952)
Outlaw Women (1952)
Boston Blackie (1951)

References

^ ^a ^b Capello, Bill. The Three Stooges Journal #117 (2006) p. 18

External links

Connie Cezon at the Internet Movie Database

* * *

Connie Cezon was not the only famous member of her family. She was related to a famous artist, Paul Cezanne, commonly refered to by his last name.

She trained in musical comedy and melodrama at the Pasadena Playhouse and appeared on stage in New York and Hollywood. She was in Blackouts for four years with Ken Murray and worked with him on television. She appeared on some other television programs and was a semi-regular cast member on the PERRY MASON SHOW as receptionist "Gertie", usually making only brief appearences, although she had a larger part on one episode where Barbara Hale ( "Della Street" ) did not appear.

Jules White was the head of the Columbia short subjects department. His brother Jack White worked on the tv series PERRY MASON. Connie Cezon was one of several people who had worked in the Three Stooges films that went on to appear on the PERRY MASON program.

After playing a golddigger in the Three Stooges films, she played the same character again on television with Abbott and Costello.

Connie Cezon was one of the glamour girls herself, but she also doubled for Bette Davis in the 1964 movie DEAD RINGER, a story where Bette Davis was supposed to have an identical twin. The internet movie database says that she's recognizable in a scene where she was supposed to be disguised by a veil. Bettie Davis also mentioned Connie Cezon in her autobiography.

This photo is from her 1946 Academy Players guide and may be the earliest professional portrait of her in existence.

Reblogged from http://hjwollstein.blogspot.com/2012/05/from-my-collection-more-stooges-connie.html

No Black Sox here.

As one of the eyefuls in EYEFULL

These photos may be from when she was on the New York stage, possibly in Ken Murray's BLACKOUTS.

Cover Girl Connie

Then of course there's her work with the Three Stooges.

Shemp, as a detective: "What's your first name?"

Connie: "Slick."

Shemp: "What's your last name?"

Connie: "Chick."

Shemp: "Oh, 'Slick Chick'." [she plays a pickpocket]

Shemp: "Where were you born?"

Connie: "In a hospital. I wanted to be near my mother."
[said with as straight a face as you can get; makes it
that much funnier]

--"Tricky Dicks" (1953)