She Became Known As The Woman Who Nobody Could Make Laugh, And She Toured The Country Performing Her Unique Act
During the early 20th century, the carnival games and rides at Coney Island were some of the best forms of entertainment, designed to spread happiness and put smiles on people’s faces. However, one woman was not amused by any of it.
In 1907, Sober Sue took a trip to see the rides, along with a press agent and a promoter. On the way, an entertainer tried to get her to laugh at his jokes, but she remained stony-faced the entire time.
She did not chuckle, much less crack a smile, and made no indication that she was even the slightest bit amused.
From then on, Sober Sue was known as the woman who never laughed. A New York theater owner offered a prize of $100 to anyone who succeeded in getting her to laugh.
But throughout it all, she kept a straight face. Her routine became extremely popular, and she toured the country, performing her unique act.
Few details are known about early 20th-century performers. According to some accounts, Sober Sue was born as Susan Jenkins.
She was from a family of immigrants who arrived from Haiti and settled in Philadelphia. Other sources cite her name as Susan Kelly.
As an infant, her family tried their hardest to make her laugh or at least smile, but she was just one of those rare babies who did not express any joy or delight. So, they began referring to her as Sober Sue.
Eventually, Sober Sue’s abilities came to the attention of Willie Hammerstein, the owner of the Victoria Theatre in New York City.
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He invited Sober Sue to the Paradise Roof Garden and offered $100 to anyone who could get her to react. It was said that no one ever claimed the reward.
By 1908, Sober Sue was on the road, appearing in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The following year, she was in Cleveland, Ohio. She continued touring for decades, with her last reported appearance in 1947.
Some say that Sober Sue’s stint at the Victoria was a ploy by Hammerstein to get comedians to perform for free as they took on the challenge of attempting to make Sober Sue laugh.
Various theories were spun to explain Sober Sue’s dull demeanor. She may have just had a remarkable talent for remaining stoic. Others believed she had some type of facial paralysis that made it impossible for her to laugh.
In 1924, an actor and humorist named Will Rogers claimed that he met up with Sober Sue. She confessed to him that she was deaf and short-sighted.
But many reporters who had spoken with Sober Sue did not experience any difficulties in communicating with her.
It’s hard to tell how and why Sober Sue was immune to laughter, as no theories were ever confirmed. Perhaps we may never know the reason.
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