Artie Belle McGinty

Artie Belle McGinty (1892–1963) was an American performer whose career spanned theater, film, and radio across several decades, from the 1910s through the 1940s. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, to a father who worked as a shoemaker and a mother who taught music, McGinty demonstrated an early interest in music, writing, and the dramatic arts. Her father encouraged her to pursue teaching, but her mother supported her theatrical ambitions. McGinty made her first stage appearance at age seven in a poetry recital, and by twelve she was playing piano as accompaniment for other singers. To fund her pursuits, she also worked as a seamstress in a tailor shop. She went on to work as a singer, dancer, and comedienne, and became a member of the Negro Actors Guild, serving on the organization's appointed dance committee.

McGinty's early professional career placed her within touring and vaudeville circuits. From August to November 1914, she performed with C. W. Park's Musical Comedy Company while in her twenties. Beginning in March 1915, she joined Alexander Tolliver's Circus and Musical Extravaganza, appearing in his Big Show and Smart Set series through September 1917. During this period she performed in a combination act with fellow vaudeville performer Tressie Leggs and also toured and performed alongside Ma Rainey.

Her radio career began in 1927, when she became the original radio advertising voice for Aunt Jemima. During the 1930s, McGinty co-starred on the Old Gold Hour alongside Fred Waring, performing under the name Mandy Lou in the role of a comedic foil who delivered set-up questions for her partner. She was replaced on that program by Rosemary and Priscilla Lane by 1935. In the early 1940s, she starred in the soap opera Amanda of Honeymoon Hill on WABC and also appeared on The Goldbergs during the same period.

McGinty's Broadway career ran from 1935 to 1942. Her first Broadway credit was the play Loose Moments in 1935, in which she played the role of Lilla, though the production ran for only one week. The following year she appeared in Plumes in the Dust as Lizzie. Her additional stage credits during this era included You Can't Take It With You in 1939 and No Time for Comedy in 1940. In 1942 she appeared in the comedy Janie, playing the role of Tina.

McGinty also worked in film, appearing in the short Chicago After Dark in 1946, the short Lucky Gamblers also in 1946, and the 1947 film Junction 88, in which she played Mrs. Jenkins.