Theatre Register

Portland Hoffa

Shows · Portland Hoffa

Actor 1905–1990 On stage 19211930

Portland Hoffa (January 25, 1905 – December 26, 1990) was an American comedian, radio host, actress, and dancer. The daughter of an itinerant optometrist, she was named after Portland, Oregon, the city in which she was born. She began her career performing as a dancer in numerous Broadway productions in the 1920s, before meeting her first husband, comedian Fred Allen. They were married in 1927, and Hoffa began performing characters with Allen in comic radio programs, often portraying a dimwitted female counterpart in fast-paced, witty skits. She gained particular notice from audiences for her distinctive, high-pitched voice. Allen hosted several highly successful network radio shows in the 1…

On stage 8 productions, 9 years

1921 The Mimic World [1921] Century Promenade · Original · directed by Allan K. Foster 26 perf.
1922 Make It Snappy Winter Garden Theatre · Original · directed by J. C. Huffman 96 perf.
1922 The Passing Show of 1922 Winter Garden Theatre · Original · directed by J. C. Huffman 85 perf.
1924 Marjorie Shubert Theatre · Original · directed by W. H. Gilmore 144 perf.
1925 Tell Me More Gaiety Theatre · Original · directed by John Harwood 32 perf.
1926 George White's Scandals [1926] Apollo Theatre · Original 432 perf.
1929 The Little Show Music Box · Original · directed by Dwight Deere Wiman, Alexander Leftwich 321 perf.
1930 Three’s a Crowd Selwyn Theatre · Revival · directed by Hassard Short 272 perf.

Each row is a staging this name appears in the cast list of, read from the production record rather than from the person record. The person record names works instead, and a work cannot say which run somebody was in — that is how Elaine Stritch ends up filed under Show Boat 1927 when she was in the 1994 revival. No row here says what part was played, because no cast list records it.

Worked with more than once12 names

May Sullivan 3 productions
Fred Allen 3 productions
Willie Howard 2 productions
Vivien West 2 productions
Richard Oakley 2 productions
Monica Boulais 2 productions
Molly Christie 2 productions
Margaret Mccarthy 2 productions
Margaret Lee 2 productions
Madeline Smith 2 productions
M T Bohannon 2 productions
Lucille Pryor 2 productions

Both names in the same cast list, more than once. It is not evidence of a partnership — a long-running company puts the same forty people together every night — but it is where one would start looking. 10 of these names are not links because we hold no record behind them; the name is set from the identifier and its punctuation may be wrong.

Also credited on1 work

George White’s Scandals

These come off the person record, which names a work and not a production. So we can say this name is attached to the work and we cannot say which staging, or in what capacity. For a composer or a writer that is the whole career we hold; there is no cast list to find them in.

In the literature3 passages

  • Cast: Willie & Eugene Howard, Frances Williams, Harry Richman, Tom Patricola, Ann Pennington, McCarthy Sisters, Fairbanks Twins, Buster West, Portland Hoffaebooks/Green, Stanley/Broadway Musicals, Show By Show - Seventh Edition - Stanley Green & Cary Ginell.txt
  • Cast: Clifton Webb, Fred Allen, Libby Holman, Romney Brent, Portland Hoffa, Bettina Hall, Jack McCauley, Peggy Conklin, Constance Cummingsebooks/Green, Stanley/Broadway Musicals, Show By Show - Seventh Edition - Stanley Green & Cary Ginell.txt
  • Cast: Clifton Webb, Fred Allen, Libby Holman, Tamara Geva, Portland Hoffa, Earl Oxford, Fred MacMurrayebooks/Green, Stanley/Broadway Musicals, Show By Show - Seventh Edition - Stanley Green & Cary Ginell.txt

Passages naming this person, found by keyword across 178 books. A keyword match is not a biography, and a common name will pull in the wrong one.

What this page does not know

  • What this person played. No cast list we hold records a character against a performer.
  • Which of the credits above the roles on this record — actor — apply to. The roles sit on the person and never on a credit, so a director who also acted looks the same here as one who did not.

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