Patsy Kelly ~ Hollywood's Funny Lesbian

Patsy Kelly

Patsy Kelly was a lesbian comedy star who refused to live her life in the closet

She was born Sarah Veronica Rose Kelly on January 12, 1910, in Brooklyn, New York. Her father was a police officer who had immigrated from Ireland. Patsy was the youngest of five children and she attended St. Paul's Cathedral School. Then her mother enrolled her in a professional dancing school to "keep her off the streets". When she was a teenager she started performing in vaudeville. She worked with comedian Frank Fay for three years. In 1927 she made her Broadway debut in Harry Delmar's Revels. Patsy also appeared in Earl Carroll's Vanitees and Three Cheers with Will Rogers. After appearing a few vitaphone shorts she was signed by producer Hal Roach in 1933. She replaced Zasu Pitts as Thelma Todd's partner in a series of comedy shorts. The duo made twenty-one films together including Beauty And The Bus, Top Flat, and Done In Oil. Patsy's comedic performances delighted audiences and she became  known as "The Queen of the Wisecracks". She later said "Those were the happiest days I had in pictures. The fun Thelma and I had making those silly two-reel comedies is something that comes only once in a lifetime." Unfortunately in August of 1933 she was severely injured in a car accident. The driver, nightclub entertainer Jean Malin, was killed in the accident. Although she never became an A-list star she continued to work steadily.

Patsy KellyPatsy Kelly

Patsy Kelly

She had supporting roles in Pigskin Parade, Merrily We Live, and Topper Returns with Billie Burke. Patsy was a lesbian and told reporters she had no intention of ever getting married. Some studios didn't want to hire her because she was so open about her sexuality. She had a long-term relationship with actress Wilma Cox that ended in the early 1940s. By this time she was drinking heavily and making headlines for her erratic behavior. Patsy was thrown out of several Hollywood nightclubs after getting drunk. During World War 2 she toured the United States entertaining the troops. She decided to take a break from acting and moved to New York City. Patsy started dating Tallulah Bankhead and worked as her secretary. In 1955 she returned to the stage in a production of Dear Charles. She also appeared on the televison shows Bonanza and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Patsy had a small role in the 1968 horror film Rosemary's Baby. Then in 1971 she won a Tony award for her performance in No No Nanette. Her final role was in a 1979 episode of The Love Boat. After suffering a stroke in 1981 she moved into a nursing home. On September 24, 1981 she died from pneumonia at the age of seventy-one. She is buried at Calvary Cemetery in Queens, New York.


Patsy Kelly Thelma Todd
Patsy with Thelma Todd

Patsy KellyPatsy Kelly