Edna Mae Harris association with veteran performers. Harris was also an excellent swimmer in high school, and in 1928 she entered the New York Daily News' Swimming Meet and won a championship. Harris first real Hollywood break came when she landed a part in "The Green Pastures" (1936), portraying Zeba, starring with Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson. Harris was a leading lady in "Spirit of Youth" (1938), the story of the rise of boxer Joe Thomas, which paralleled the life of Joe Louis. Harris also had leading roles in Oscar Micheaux films, "Lying Lips" (1939), and "The Notorious Elinor Lee" (1940). Her film credits also
The Story of My Life (musical) a Wonderful Life") for Halloween. The two became inseparable, with Thomas spending more and more time with Alvin in his father’s bookstore. Alvin gives Thomas “The Greatest Gift” of a copy of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", which inspires Thomas’ sixth-grade book report (“1876”). This book report inspired Thomas to be a writer and, outside the story, Thomas tries to pull the focus back to writing Alvin’s eulogy. Alvin removes a story from the shelf, which is about his abnormal tendencies and Thomas’ attempts to reign them in (“Normal”). The story ends with a group of bullies throwing Alvin’s bathrobe,