aka Edith Catalano-Peters | Edith Arlene Peters | The Peters-Sisters | Peters Sisters
Edith Peters was one of the many black performers who complemented their careers in the popular nightclubs and revues of the time with the occassional bit part roles on screen. As one of the three sisters who made up ‘The Peters Sisters’, she’d had a succesful career since the 1930s, appearing in films like Ali Baba Goes to Town and Hi-Di-Ho (47). At some point in the 1950s, she must have come to Europe, and was a popular fixture at Jazz clubs in Rome.
Her first screen appearences were purely as a singer, but soon she began also having small acting parts, most particularly in peplums such as Robin Hood and the Pirates (60) and Achilles (62). She had quite a busy film career throughout the early sixties, but toward the end of the decade disappeared, before making a late comeback with two comedies, The Taming of the Scoundrel (80) and A Policewoman in New York (81).
Considering that she was quite an important figure in the music industry – much more so than film – it’s quite amazing that there’s almost no biographical information about her anywhere.
1957
Quiéreme con música (as Peters Sisters)
1960
Robin Hood e i pirati aka Robin Hood and the Pirates …. Palla di Grasso
Et mourir de plaisir aka Blood and Roses …. The Cook
Sotto dieci bandiere aka Under Ten Flags (as Edith Arlene Peters) …. Suora
Cartagine in fiamme aka Carthage in Flames) …. Sarepta
Madri pericolose …. Princess Fatima
1961
On Thin Ice …. Fräulein Pfeffer
5 marines per 100 ragazze …. Cucinera
Una vita difficile aka A Difficult Life (as Edith Catalano-Peters) …. Herself
1962
L’ira di Achille aka Achilles …. Nubian slave
Die türkischen Gurken …. Mahila, Haremsdame
Canzoni a tempo di twist
1963
Maskenball bei Scotland Yard – Die Geschichte einer unglaublichen Erfindung (as The Peters-Sisters) …. Herself
Obiettivo ragazze
1964
Due mafiosi nel Far West aka Two Gangsters in the Wild West
1965
Gli uomini dal passo pesante aka The Tramplers …. Emma
1966
Se tutte le donne del mondo aka Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die …. Maria
1969
Lisa dagli occhi blu …. Cook
1980
Il bisbetico domato aka The Taming of the Scoundrel …. Mamie
1981
La poliziotta a New York aka A Policewoman in New York …. La cameriera
One of the problems is in researching the Peters sisters they are listed as Mattye, Anne and Virginia. So which one is Edith?
Spurred by Matt’s post I’ve continued my research on Edith Peters and have found the following. There were 5 Peters sisters. Virginia Peters, Mattye Peters, Anne Peters, Edith Peters Joyce Peters. “The Peters Sisters” consisted of Mattye, Anne and Virginia. Edith and Joyce Peters sang together as a duo. Edith moved to Italy in 1958 and married Italian Silvio Catalano who became her agent. Searching through the Social Security Death Index I’ve found the following person that may be our Edith [Edith A. (Arlene?) Peters born 6/24/1917, Santa Monica, California – died 1/24/1993, Los Angeles, California] If Silvio passed away before Edith it would make sense she might have moved back to her origins in Los Angeles. By searching for Edith under her married name Edith Catalano I found the following article from Ebony Magazine from June 1960. Here’ the link http://books.google.com/books?id=3kOsUZgXbjMC&pg=PA85&lpg=PA85&dq=silvio+catalano+edith+peters&source=bl&ots=mxEnB4QQXF&sig=YngDwdeq-Gg894nlud5ObKrEuyw&hl=en&ei=-od6TIWyBIj0swPnzPHsCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CC0Q6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=silvio%20catalano%20edith%20peters&f=false