Tess Gardella was born on December 19, 1894 in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, USA. She was an actress, known for Aunt Jemima: The Original Fun Flour Maker (1927), A Swing Opera (1939) and Stand Up and Cheer! (1934). She died on January 3, 1950 in Brooklyn, New York, USA.
Ms. Gardella was a white Italian-American stage performer, but her usual stage persona, and actual stage name, was "Aunt Jemima", which she performed in blackface. It was in this persona that she played Queenie, the African-American cook, and wife of Joe, the deckhand, in the original Broadway production of "Show Boat" in 1927, as well as the first Broadway revival in 1932. She was the only white performer in the entire cast to play a role in blackface. She also appeared in the prologue of the first film adaptation, Show Boat (1929).
Actress
Title
Year
Status
Character
A Swing Opera
1939
Short
The Gypsy Queen (as Tess 'Aunt Jemima' Gardella)
Dave Apollon & His Orchestra
1938
Short
Aunt Jemima
Vitaphone Troupers
1936
Short
Aunt Jemima (as Aunt Jemima)
Stand Up and Cheer!
1934
Aunt Jemima (as 'Aunt Jemima')
The Lease Breakers
1932
Short
Aunt Jemima
Rambling 'Round Radio Row #3
1932
Short
Aunt Jemima (as Aunt Jemima)
Honey
1930
Aunt Jemima (uncredited)
Show Boat
1929
Queenie [prologue] (as Aunt Jemima)
Aunt Jemima: The Original Fun Flour Maker
1927
Short
Aunt Jemima (as Aunt Jemima)
Soundtrack
Title
Year
Status
Character
Dave Apollon & His Orchestra
1938
Short performer: "Born to Swing" - as Aunt Jemima, uncredited
Vitaphone Troupers
1936
Short performer: "Clementine from New Orleans" - uncredited
Stand Up and Cheer!
1934
performer: "I'm Laughin'" 1934 - uncredited
Rambling 'Round Radio Row #3
1932
Short performer: "I Ain't Got Nobody Much and Nobody Cares for Me" - as Aunt Jemima, uncredited
Short performer: "My Idea of Heaven", " That's the Reason I Wish I Was in Dixie", "One Sweet Letter from You", "Everybody Stomp", "I Was Born in Virginia" - uncredited
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
At the Mike
1934
Short
Herself - Aunt Jemima (as Aunt Jemima)
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
Broadway: The American Musical
2004
TV Mini-Series documentary
Queenie
Biography
1996
TV Series documentary
Queenie in 'Show Boat'
The Show Boat Story
1989
TV Movie documentary
Queenie (silent home movie footage from 1932 revival) (uncredited)
Big Time Revue
1947
Short
Aunt Jemima (as Aunt Jemima)
Known for movies
Aunt Jemima: The Original Fun Flour Maker (1927) as Aunt Jemima
A Swing Opera (1939) as The Gypsy Queen
Stand Up and Cheer! (1934) as Aunt Jemima
Dave Apollon & His Orchestra (1938) as Aunt Jemima
$1.1 Million
