Partner
Patsy Kelly
Queer Places:
1616 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Rainbow
Room, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, 65th Floor, New York, NY 10112
Union Cemetery
Sayville, Suffolk County, New York, USA
Wilma Cox
(May 8, 1911 - February 2, 1988) was an actress, known for Vamp Till Ready (1936), Merrily We Live (1938) but most notably for her appearances in the Our Gang/Little Rascals shorts Feed 'em and Weep (1938) and Canned Fishing (1938). She left Hollywood for New York in 1938 and never appeared in any other films.
According to author William J. Mann, she was living with
Patsy Kelly in Hollywood during the 1930s. Cox and Kelly ended their relationship after the former moved to New York.
Wilma Cox was born on May 8, 1911 in Birmingham, Alabama, the daughter of
Conway B. Cox and Clara W. Cox. Patsy Kelly was openly gay. She publicly
disclosed to being a "dyke". During the 1930s, she disclosed to Motion
Picture magazine that she had been living with actress Wilma Cox for several
years and had no intention of getting married. Wilma Cox was a bit player
in Charley Chase shorts. Photographs reveal Cox as dark, delicare, very pretty
with bee-strung lips, a far cry from Patsy's square, cosmetics-free face and
masculine swagger. When Gladys Hall visited their home, Patsy was quick to
credit Wilma with the house's decoration; she, Patsy, had no interest in such
things. Asked about marriage, Kelly demurred: "I'm having too much fun as I
am," she said. "Often Wilma and I have a few folks in for the evening, not
picture folks very often. I like my life. I'm happy." Kelly likely would have
continued playing showy supporting parts for decades if it hadn't been for her
drinking, which eventually discouraged producers from hiring her. When Wilma
Cox went back to New York, where she made a name for herself singing at the
Rainbow Room in Rockfeller Center, Patsy followed, although they seem to have
separated soon afterward.
Cox died on February 2, 1988 in New York City, New York, USA.
My published books:
BACK TO HOME PAGE
- Behind the Screen: How Gays and Lesbians Shaped Hollywood, 1910-1969,
William J. Mann, 2001