Norma Terris

Norma Terris (November 13, 1904, Columbus, Kansas — November 15, 1989, Lyme, Connecticut) was an American musical theatre star. Her mother, a singer, named her after the heroine of Bellini's opera, Norma. Born Norma Allison, she was acclaimed for her adroit impersonations of popular public figures, which she had performed in Florenz Ziegfeld's Follies, but may be best-known for having originated the roles of Magnolia Hawks and her daughter Kim (as an adult) in the original Broadway production of Show Boat in 1927. She reprised her role in the first New York revival of the show in 1932. However, she was not selected to reprise her role in the 1929 part-talkie film, nor in the 1936 film version. Irene Dunne, who was discovered for...