Radio varieties (Sept 1940-June 1941)

MINNIE PEARL The Girl With the Big Future For a girl who had pined for the triumphs of Cornell in plays by the Bard-of-Avon, Ophelia Colley is doing right well by herself on the WSM Grand Ole Opry, TF THE name Ophelia CoUey fails to strike a familiar note, then perhaps you've heard of Minnie Pearl. Minnie is the little girl who came onto the Opry stage in Nashville a few weeks ago and brought the house down with her homey patter and songs. She is not yet as well known as Uncle Dave Macon, Roy Acuff, The Solemn Old Judge, the Fruit Jar Drinkers and a few other topstars of "The Grand Ole Opry." But given a little time, Minnie Pearl stands every chance of blooming into a full-grown star. In fact, she is already being compared — and not unfavorable — with the Songbird of the Ozorks . . . Judy Canova. So if you hove not yet heard about Minnie Pearl, you are likely to hear a lot about her in the near future. And RADIO VARIETIES wanted to be the first to introduce her to you. Minnie Pearl was born in Centerville, Tennessee in 1912, which is about fifty miles Southwest of Nashville. The exact date remains her secret, as part of a woman's prerogative. To be perfectly exact, however, we cannot soy that Minnie was bom these twenty-eight years ago. It was Ophelia Colley who was bom then. Minnie came along much later, as this story reveals. Ophelia lived the normal life of a young girl in a small town of a family above the average means. She never wanted for anything, least of all diversion. For she more than made up what the town lacked in playmates by her own vivid imagination. That imagination turned toward "play-acting" and as years went by toward "acting." Nothing would do but the Centerville-Cornell should hove serious training for the stage. The envy of many a young Centerville lassie, Ophelia went off to Ward-Belmont college, swank RADIO VARIETIES — JANUARY girl's school in Nashville which attracts subdebs from all over the country. It is a superb finishing school. But the Centerville entrant was not so much concerned with finishing touches as the dramatic work offered there. For five years, she labored to learn the technique of the stage. Then after receiving her glossy diploma, back she went to Centerville' s security to teach youngsters there the fine art of the drama (with a long "a"). But two years of this found her gradually getting up momentum for the big plunge, which was made in 1934 when Ophelia joined the Wayne P. Sewell Producing company of Atlanta, travelling all over the South giving dramatic readings and coaching home talent for their own production. She still yearned for the serious side of drama, but fate seemed to conspire to turn her toward comedy. There was an abundance of native humor to be found in these little communities all over the South — humor which seemed to be begging expression. The young Ward-Belmont graduate lived in the homes of the country-folk she was teaching, worked hours on end with the whole small township in producing their own ploys. Invariably, she learned they were better at their own sort of plays than those of any ploywrite, including even Shakespeare. Or, as she now admits, especially Shakespeare. If that were the case of the country folk of Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas— then it was doubtless so of Tennesseans ... of those from Centerville, including Ophelia. Thus she reasoned as she came to the conclusion to abandon the serious drama and tum to the native country wit of the South. For three years, this young girl traveled through twenty states of the South and South-east, talking with, working with, and living with the folks in the coiontry areas and the small towns. Little by little she picked up bits of wit and humor from the natives which she incorporated in the character she began building — building with one idea in mind: presenting it on the Grand Ole Opry. Minnie Pearl, then, is no one character, but bits of many people Ophelia Colley knows very well. So are the other characters that appear on the Opry with Minnie Pearl, all creations of this young girl gleaned from her extensive travels through the rural Southland. And Grinders Switch, where Minnie lives, is actually a place not far from Centerville. "Nobody lives there any more," Ophelia explained, "So I thought they would not mind if 1 moved Minnie in. Nobody has complained. And I reckon the only one who would is Farmer Stephenson, who owns the ground where Grinders Switch is located. There used to be a couple of families there, but they moved away. It makes a nice home for Minnie Pearl." Incidentally, that name is the part of two persons who contributed to the creation. But Ophelia nover thought there was such a real person. Since her debut on the Grand Ole Opry, she has heard from scores of real, honestto-goodness Minnie Pearls. And although Minnie is pretty dumb, no one has complained. For Minnie is too real and very lovable. Nobody could dislike her, or take exception to what she says. That's the reason WSM officials feel she has a long and happy and prosperous life ahead of her, feel she is destined to add glory, if not glamour to the Grand Ole Opry. If you haven't heard about Minnie, you will before very long. And if you haven't heard Minnie, you should right away. Page 19