Actors - Minerva Pious

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	Actors - Minerva Pious

Minerva Pious (March 5 1903 - March 16 1979) was an actress in American radio. Although born in Odessa, Ukraine, Pious spent the majority of her life and career in New York. working extensively as a radio actress, mostly in comedy shows. She is best remembered for playing Mrs. Nussbaum on the "Allen's Alley" segments of Fred Allen's radio comedy series. She joined the cast of Allen's show in 1933, playing a variety of dialect roles, but soon developed her specialty, as Jewish mothers in topical newsreel spoofs. This characterization finally evolved into Mrs. Pansy Nussbaum, a Russian-Jewish housewife and resident of Allen's Alley, from 1942 until the show's cancellation in 1949. Her distinctive voice, with a strong accent and tendency towards malapropism, made her a favorite on the series. Pious frequently played Mrs. Nussbaum in guest appearances on such radio programs as The Jack Benny
Program and Duffy's Tavern.

Other radio work included frequent parts in the radio plays of Norman Corwin and on The Columbia Workshop, comedy routines on Kate Smith's series, and parts on The Goldbergs, amongst others. Her few film credits included playing Mrs. Nussbaum on-camera in Fred Allen's It's in the Bag and a featured voice role in Pinocchio in Outer Space.

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