Sober Sue

In the Summer of 1907 a performer named "Sober Sue" began to appear onstage at Hammerstein's Roof Garden, located above the Victoria Theater in New York City. Sober Sue was billed as the girl who never laughed.

The theater offered a prize of $100 to anyone who could make Sober Sue laugh. People from the audience, as well as professional comedians, all accepted the challenge, but all failed. Sober Sue never so much as cracked a smile. Her routine became extremely popular.


Various theories were advanced to explain Sober Sue's amazing ability to keep a straight face. Critics theorized that perhaps she was deaf or partially blind. The truth was only revealed after her run at the Roof Garden had finished. It was impossible for her to laugh because her facial muscles were paralyzed. Or, at least, this was the story that circulated.

The Roof Garden was managed by Willie Hammerstein. He paid Sober Sue very little, a mere $20 a week, but his unwinnable challenge managed to lure top-rank comedians into performing for free. Thus, for him the act proved extremely lucrative. However, the comedians who had been conned into performing for free never forgave him.

Few details are known about Sober Sue. We know that her real name was Susan Kelly, but little else.

We know her name because of a small notice that appeared in the New York Times on July 4, 1907 informing its readers that:


However, we don't know why there was an injunction restraining her from performing. Perhaps it was related to the scam (i.e. that it was impossible for her to smile).

Sober Sue's facial paralysis has been attributed to Mobius Syndrome, a condition caused by abnormal development of the cranial nerves, leading to bilateral facial palsy, which produces a mask-like facial expression. But there's no definite confirmation that this is what she suffered from.

In Oscar Hammerstein 1: The life and exploits of an impresario, Vincent Sheean claimed that Sober Sue was an African-American woman. However, this is unconfirmed and seems unlikely, because contemporary newspapers would probably have mentioned it if she was African-American. Sheean offered no sources to back up his claim.

It's also sometimes claimed that Sober Sue was managed by the notorious publicist Harry Reichenbach, and these accounts attribute to him the idea of offering $1000 to make her laugh. (See the Wikipedia article about Harry Reichenbach.) But this also is unlikely, since Reichenbach himself didn't mention managing her in his autobiography, Phantom Fame.

Long after she stopped performing, Sober Sue's name continued to be used in show business as a metaphor for a particularly tough audience. For instance, reviews of comedies would often claim that the show was so funny "it could make even Sober Sue laugh."

As early as September, 1903 the New York Times contained notices of "Sober Sue, the Smileless Woman" performing at Huber's Museum in the Curio Hall with Babbitt's Midget Minstrels and Yucca, the female shadow. It is not known if this is the same Sober Sue who appeared at the Victoria Roof Garden in 1907, but it likely is.

However, in later decades other female performers adopted the original Sober Sue's name and act. Again, it is not known if these women shared her facial paralysis. (Note: the original Sober Sue's facial paralysis is not fully confirmed. It's possible it's merely an invented anecdote.)

The October 4, 1943 issue of Time Magazine contained a short notice about a performer called Sober Sue whose real name was Susan Cole. The notice reads:


Finally, on March 10, 1947 Pennsylvania's Chester Times contained a story about a downbeat dinner some local residents had with a performer called Sober Sue:


New York Times. Tuesday, June 25. 1907:


The Lima Daily News. June 29, 1907:


John Cameron Swayze. "New York" The Oneonta Star. February 21, 1952:

---