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Tribute
to Almira Sessions
By Colete Morlock & Thom Hamilton
Margaret Mitchell’s
famous novel Gone with the Wind at Tara plantation with Southern
belles aplenty was the embodiment of traditional Southern hospitality
and lifestyle. The women of that era and beyond in both the North and
South were groomed from an early age to become great ladies of genteel
demeanor with special attention paid to social protocols. Our most
recent Lady of TAOS, Elizabeth Patterson was a Southern product of this
environment. Almira Sessions, on the other hand, was a Northern
counterpart. Born September 16, 1888 in Washington, D.C. as Almira (Almyra)
De Camp Sessions, she was the first daughter of Irone Hancock and a Mr.
Sessions. Very little was known of her father except that he and Irone
had three children – Almira, her sister, Elizabeth (Bessie), and a third
child who died at an early age. Almira had been accustomed to being
around military men as her great uncle was General Winfield Scott
Hancock, who received top honors from the Union army during the Civil
War. He was also once considered as a presidential candidate to oppose
James Garfield.
Miss Sessions’
mother married Marine Lt. Colonel, Benjamin Reeves Russell in 1902. His
family was very prominent and distinguished in Washington society. This
was the man who became the father figure to Almira and Bessie. In 1906,
at the age of 18, Almira made her first public appearance:
Mrs.
Benjamin Reeves Russell was hostess at a delightful tea yesterday
afternoon, when her daughter, Miss Almira DeCamp Sessions, was formally
present to society. The drawing rooms were prettily decorated in pink
roses, carnations, palms and ferns. ….
ON STAGE
As with Elizabeth
Patterson, Ms. Sessions disregarded any thought of scandal when she sang
comic songs in vaudeville. She traveled to New York in 1909 where she
debuted in a comic opera as the wife of The Sultan of Sulu. She
appeared on the Mainstage of the National Theater in 1911 for The
Girl in the Train. Publicly, the family had accepted her career
choice, but privately, her mother was against it. When Bessie, the
younger Sessions girl wanted to follow in her sister’s footsteps, she
was met with opposition from both mom and stepdad:
Stepdaughter of Lieut Col. Benjamin Reeves Russell, USMC, retired who
resides at 1616 Eighteenth St NW” Bessie is 19. “When my other daughter,
Almyra went on the stage, it was a different matter. She went with my
consent with good reasons, for she has a good voice and it was with the
idea of developing her voice that she joined musical comedy. Besides
that she was older than Bessie and was able to take care of herself”……”
A follow up article
appeared the very next day in which Almira’s mother told the press that
this was just a passing phase for her daughter:
“My other daughter, Alymra, who is playing in Columbus with the Valerie
Bergerre Company, has also had enough of the state and has decided to
give it up. She will finish her contract about the middle of May and
then we are going to have one long family love feast”.
For Almira, though,
this was anything but a whim or passing fancy. She preferred the
accolades of stage performances rather than the reserved politeness of
high society. Some of her shows were given for social causes with
church sponsorship. Such was the case when she was part of the war risk
insurance bureau. Almira sang several solos and joined the chorus in
others before a crowd of soldiers and their sweethearts. There is a gap
for any information on her whereabouts from 1918 until 1932 when she
appeared as Miss Knickerbocker in
Chamberlain Brown's Scrap Book. The cast also included Valerie
Bergere and Pierre Watkins. She was cast in a local Washington project,
“Going Native” in which she was one of the highlights of the show:
and Almira
Sessions, their revue’s principal comedienne, has been a strange fixture
for years with her angular impersonations of off key prima-donnae. Their
individual and joint triumphs are complete and unequivocal.
She appeared in Ethan Frome (1936) with Ruth
Gordon and Raymond Massey, White Horse Inn (1937) costarring with
Kitty Carlisle and Arlene Francis, Curtain Call (1937) on
Broadway, Shadow and Substance (1938) also on Broadway with
Cedric Hardwicke, and Yokel Boy (1939-40) with costars
Judy Canova, Buddy Ebsen, and Phil Silvers.
ON TO HOLLYWOOD
By
1940, Almira’s repertoire in the theater was well established. This was
to be the year when she ventured into another entertainment venue – that
of radio. She had a regular spot on Bob Hope’s radio program as Cobina,
one of two highly exaggerated man-hungry spinsters. Ms. Sessions made
her film debut in a picture taken from George M. Cohan’s play, Little
Nellie Kelly with Judy Garland, George Murphy, Arthur Shields and
Pat O’Malley.
From
1940-50, she became one of the busiest actresses in the decade appearing
in 74 films. Among them were the notables: Dixie Jamboree
(Frances Langford, Lyle Talbot);
The Heat’s On
(Mae West, Lloyd Bridges); Sun Valley Serenade (Sonja Henie, John
Payne, Milton Berle); My Sister Eileen (Rosalind Russell, Janet
Blair, Elizabeth Patterson, Kirk Alyn, Ann Doran, Three Stooges, Arnold
Stang, Forrest Tucker); The Ox-Bow Incident (Henry Fonda, Anthony
Quinn, Dana Andrews and many others); It’s A Wonderful Life
(James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore); and The Bishop’s Wife
(Loretta Young, David Niven,
Cary
Grant). In an MGM film based on the Hatfield/McCoy feud, Almira
also appeared in Rosanna McCoy (Farley Granger, Raymond Massey, Richard
Basehart) along with child stars, Gigi Perreau, Peter Miles, and William
Mauch. While her parts were
usually limited to very small bits, or even uncredited efforts, Almira
had a few moments to shine onscreen, like her portrayal as an outraged
in-law in Charlie Chaplin's Monsieur Verdoux (1947).
From 1950-60 she
was still seen in films, although she turned her attention elsewhere.
Her movies included Harvey (James Stewart, Jesse White, Fess
Parker, Maudie Prickett), Oh, Susanna (Sarah Padden, Ellanora
Needles, Carol Forman, Rod Cameron, Chill Wills, Jim Davis); The Blue
Gardenia (uncredited); Rebel Without a Cause (James Dean, Sal
Mineo, Natalie Wood and many others); and
The Affairs of Dobie Gillis
(Debbie Reynolds, Bobby Van). One of her last films of this era was
The Badlanders (Alan Ladd, Ernest Borgnine, Anthony Caruso, Ann
Doran).
Her final films
during the 1960-70 years included Firecreek (James Stewart, Henry
Fonda, Inger Stevens); Rosemary’s Baby (Mia Farrow, John
Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer); The Boston Strangler
(Tony Curtis, Henry Fonda, George Kennedy, Sally Kellerman); The
Over-the-Hill Gang (Walter Brennan, Edgar Buchanan, Andy Devine, Pat
O’Brien, Jack Elam, Gypsy Rose Lee, Ricky Nelson); and Willard
(Bruce Davison, Elsa Lanchester, Ernest Borgnine).
FOR THE SMALL SCREEN
As
of 1950, Almira ventured into the new world of the small, boxed
entertainment known as television. Her maiden voyage was in two
episodes of Ralph Byrd’s Dick Tracy series. She quickly followed
up with two episodes of The Lone Ranger. She appeared in many
viewer favorites for the next decade which included, The Adventures
of Kit Carson, Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, Gene Autry, The
Adventures of Superman, The Cisco Kid, I Married Joan, H opalong
Cassidy, The Public Defender, The Loretta Young Show, Annie
Oakley, Tales of the Texas Rangers, Sergeant Preston of the Yukon,
Cheyenne, Bachelor Father, Alfred Hitchcock Presents (“Dusty
Drawer”),and Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. It was in
the Spring Byington vehicle, December Bride
that
she had a somewhat recurring role as Elsie, the neighbor. She was also
cast in one of her many uncredited roles as Mrs. Mergatroyd in Abbott
and Costello’s musical, Jack and the Beanstalk, and featured
among the cast, David Stollery (Adventures of Spin and Marty), Mel
Blanc, and Arthur Shields.
To say that Ms.
Sessions was a workhorse would be an understatement. In the ten years
that followed from 1960-70, she continued to guest star in ten more
television series which included The Donna Reed Show, The Ann
Southern Show, The Munsters, F Troop, Laredo, The Andy Griffith Show,
Marcus Welby, M.D., and Night Gallery (“The House”). Her
F Troop cameo (“Old Iron Pants”) appeared at the end when she and
several elderly mail order brides arrived for the soldiers at Fort
Courage. Returning to her vaudeville and theatrical roots, in
1962, she co-starred in "Suzuki Beane", one of the pilot episodes
produced for a proposed TV anthology series called "The Victor Borge
Comedy Theatre."
Her TAOS appearance
in “Night of Terror”, as with so many others in her lifetime, was brief,
yet her character has been the subject of many a discussion within the
George Reeves community. As Miss Bachrach, Ms. Sessions elevated total
fluster to a new level when Clark Kent tried to get the location where
Lois was staying. After Clark succeeded he rather forcefully sent poor
Miss Bachrach on her way. The manner, stance and posture in her
response that he practically threw her out the door of his office is
typical Almira Sessions at her best.
She retired from
show business in 1971 leaving behind many fleeting, yet memorable
characters. Almira, throughout her career, whether it was as the
proverbial housekeeper, landlady, schoolmarm, old maid aunt, local busy
body, or retirement/nursing home resident, always displayed a
rebellious, independent spirit which reflected her own personality.
UP CLOSE AND
PERSONAL
Few people ever
knew that Almira Sessions was fluent in French, Italian and German.
Late in her life, she was interviewed and shared her thoughts as a
character actress:
I never was the pretty
one, but I've got character. A character is somebody who isn't
good-looking. And they want old women regularly around here for films,
television and ads--commercials, that is. All this gives me a soft
cushion under where I sit, a fine car out in front and anything I want
to order at the best restaurants in town. What else could a girl want?
Another obscure
event in her life, especially to those in the entertainment industry was
that Almira had once been married. In fact, the only mention of it was
found through genealogical sources in the Washington Post, dated
May 10, 1936:
The marriage of
Miss Almira De Camp Sessions, daughter of Mrs. Benjamin Russell of
Kensington Md to Mr. Albert Allen, took place Tuesday in the Little
Church Around the Corner in New York. They will make their home in New
York.
Nothing was mentioned about Mr. Allen regarding
occupation or family history. There was no indication that this was a
May-September romance, however, given her date of birth and the
announcement printed in the Washington Post, Almira was about 48
when she married. In fact, when Ms. Sessions was asked about her
marriage, she responded:
A very young man. Need I
say more? It was off and on for some years, but you can't be a jackass
all your life.
In a conversation I had with John
Doucette, Jr., he indicated that he used go by her house and yard as a
youth. When he managed his store in the Los Angeles area, Ms. Sessions
used to come in and ask him to say ‘hello’ to his parents. She died on
August 3, 1974, a little over a month before her 86th
birthday in Los Angeles, California and laid to rest in the Hollywood
Forever Cemetery, Hollywood, California.

Sources:
http://www.nndb.com/people/010/000101704/
http://www.hollywood.com/celebrity/1524769/Almira_Sessions
Washington Post,
Dec. 27, 1906, “Miss Almira Sessions Makes her Debut at Tea”
Washington Post,
April 22, 1910, pg 1
Washington Post,
April 23, 1910, “Ready to Quit Stage” pg 2
Washington Post,
July 7, 1918, “Church Host to Soldiers”
Washington Post,
Aug 19, 1933, “Capital Talent Puts On A Hit at Loew’s Fox”, pg 12
Washington Post,
May 19, 1936, “Miss Sessions, Mr. Allen Wed Kensington Md”, p S3
http://www.oldandsold.com/opera/opera-96.shtml
www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=59588
http://www.hollywood.com/celebrity/1524769/Almira_Sessions
July 2010
Tribute
to Elizabeth Patterson
By Colete Morlock & Thom Hamilton
Savannah, Tennessee is
located on the banks of the Tennessee River. Located in Hardin County,
it bears the name of Colonel Joseph Hardin, trailblazer through the
woodlands of the state. Savannah’s waters, abundant with prize fish,
have earned the city’s nickname “Catfish Capital of the World”. And
while Savannah is home to some country western and gospel stars, its
cemetery is the final resting place for Alex and Queen Haley,
grandparents of author Alex Haley and one Mary Elizabeth Patterson.
Born on November 22, 1874,
Ms. Patterson was the daughter of Confederate soldier and later judge,
Edmund Dewitt Patterson and Eleanor Mildred McDougal. She was a
descendant of Andrew Patterson, an exiled Scottish Covenanter who came
to America in 1685 and settled in Stratford, CT. She was "Aunt Mary" to
her family, and nicknamed "Patty" to her theatrical friends. Everyone
who knew her loved and admired this genteel Southern lady.
Ms. Patterson attended Martin
College where she studied music, elocution (diction) and English. Her
post-graduate work brought her to colleges in Pulaski and Columbia where
she pursued her interest in drama and theater. When Mary Elizabeth
proclaimed her intention to become an actress, her parents were less
than pleased, as this was not the career path they had envisioned for
their daughter. Her announcement brought scandal to her family and the
town for “nice” girls, being Southern belles, were not to be found in a
profession such as acting.
"Mah mother cried and mah
brother said, 'When mah friends at college start talking about
actresses, am ah supposed to tell 'em that MAH sister is an actress?'"
she later recounted. "Finally granddaddy packed me off to Europe to get
these strange ideas out of my head. I went to school in Paris, and for
the first time I really saw theatre. The Comedie Francaise! When I
came back from Europe, nothing could keep me off the stage!"1
Upon her return, she taught
for a year at the Institute in Columbia, Tennessee, before going to
Chicago to study drama. She spent the next year in New York at the
American Academy of Dramatic Arts. This led to a membership with the
Chicago Ben Greet Company, where she made her stage debut with
Shakespearean roles in 1907. She later toured through Canada with
Gilmor Brown, founder of the Pasadena Playhouse, as her leading man.
She then toured with a stock company in Indianapolis, where Booth
Tarkington saw her. Tarkington personally selected her to appear in a
new play he had written, Intimate Strangers, and “Patty” fell in love
with Broadway instantly. The gangly actress had mainly Shakespearean
roles until reaching middle age, when her focus changed to old maids and
spinsters. Now recognized as a proficient actress, good parts found
their way to her. Among her favorite plays were "Her Master's Voice"
with Roland Young and "Deep South" with Richard Bennett and a young
newcomer, Bette Davis. She was blessed with many roles on Broadway,
making friends with numerous stars of the stage and screen.
While she loved New York and
the stage, Hollywood beckoned to her in 1926. Ironically, she hated the
exaggerated, theatrical behavior of silent films. At the age of 55
(1929), she appeared in a “talkie”, It Happened in Paris, with Will
Rogers as his wife. Ms. Patterson stated that she lived in Hollywood
and worked in movies so she could help support her brothers and
sisters. She moved into the Hollywood-Roosevelt Hotel on the day it
opened and lived there until she died.
One of her more prominent
roles came in So Red the Rose (1935), a King Vidor film of
Southern romance between an aristocrat (Margaret Sullavan) and
Confederate soldier (Randolph Scott). Another notable film appearance
was Remember the Night (1940), in which a woman (Barbara Stanwyck),
caught shoplifting during the Christmas season was released to
prosecutor Fred MacMurray while awaiting her trial. He took her home to
his mother, Beulah Bondi, and Aunt Emma, portrayed by Elizabeth
Patterson. In the John Ford film, Tobacco Road (1941), Ms.
Patterson gave a touching performance as Ada Lester, wife of a Georgia
dirt farmer in danger of losing the farm during the Depression. As she
stated, “I loved my part as Ma in 'Tobacco Road’. Her appearance
in the 1949 picture, Little Women showed her charm and
gentleness. As housekeeper to the March family, she blended perfectly
with version starring June Allyson, Elizabeth Taylor, Janet Leigh and
Margaret O’Brien. She was also asked by William Faulkner to portray the
elderly lead character in the movie version of his book Intruder in
the Dust (1949). One of her last film projects was Washington
Story (1952) starring Van Johnson and Patricia Neal. Johnson
portrayed a congressman while Neal was a reporter assigned to do a story
on him. Ms. Patterson stepped a bit out of her normal demeanor. While
she remained ever so much a lady, her character was steadfast in her
beliefs, and unafraid to call her congressman nephew on the carpet. In
her scenes, the two faces of Aunt Emma were present—soft and tender on
one hand, with firm justice on the other. Her film credits totaled 104.

Mary Elizabeth also appeared
on the NBC radio sitcom, “Halls of Ivy”, which starred Ronald Colman as
the president of an Ivy League college and Benita Hume as his wife. Ms.
Patterson was the maid for the Colman household. Don Quinn of Fibber
McGee and Molly fame, created the show which aired from 1950-1952 in
half hour segments.
The dawn of television
created a new forum of fans for Ms. Patterson. Although approaching her
80’s she went on to appear in 26 different television series totaling 46
episodes in some of the major dramas and comedies of 1950’s. Her two
appearances on The Adventures of Superman from the color years
exemplified the roles that made her famous on stage and film. “Olsen’s
Millions” revealed Miss Peabody (Patterson) as an eccentric, wealthy
woman dressed in a full length dress of another century and white lace
shawl draped over her shoulders. Jimmy was assigned to do a feature
story on why she would devote $5 million to the “care and feeding of
alley cats”. Her answer clearly stated her reasoning in that “An
alley is no place for a cat”. Since she herself never married, it
appeared that Patterson really identified with her character as “You
know, I started this home for cats about 50 years ago, when I inherited
all this money. And ever since then, I’ve cared for them as if they
were my own children.” When Topsy was accidentally locked in the
safe, Miss Peabody frantically tried to find the combination. Superman
was called, and saved at least one of her nine lives. Miss Peabody then
rewarded Jimmy with a million dollars in appreciation for Topsy’s life
being spared. This marked the end of her appearance in the episode and
the start of Jimmy’s humorous escapades on how to spend a million
dollars without really trying.
Her second TAOS appearance,
“The Unlucky Number”, took place outside Vic’s Lunch Room where Clark
and Lois paused because of a contest being sponsored there. Patterson
was the demure, little Mrs. Clara Exbrook in this episode. As she gazed
at the jar of jelly beans in the window, she remarked to Clark and Lois,
“Oh my! What a lovely house! Just the kind I’ve always dreamed
about. But I never could guess all those jelly beans”. Clark,
filled with compassion, gave her the money to enter the contest while
Lois looked on, and wondered what he was up to. Even when the elderly
lady told him “I’d miss it by a country mile”, he told her to
guess 2,845 using his x-ray vision for the exact amount. When revealed
that she won the house, she was filled with gratitude and stated it was
the happiest day of her life. She left the diner and thanked Clark
while he remained behind to uncover the scam behind the contest.
Ironically, one of the men connected with the scam, Dexter, happened to
rent a room at Clara’s, where she lived with her grandson, Bobby. A
drive-by shooter tried to kill Dexter, suspecting he double-crossed the
rest of the crooks. When the bullets fell out of Dexter’s hands, Bobby
incorrectly assumed that he was Superman. When the real Superman came
to visit Bobby, he was conned into demonstrating his super powers for
the young man. One of the more important messages in this installment
was Superman telling Bobby that no one could do the things Superman did,
especially flying.
Perhaps the most famous
television role Ms. Patterson had was that of Mrs. Matilda Trumball,
neighbor to the Ricardos and part-time baby sitter to Little Ricky in
the I Love Lucy series. She was featured in many of the
television theatres of the decade like Ford, Kraft, General Electric,
Studio One, and Four Star Playhouse. She also had appearances on
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Barbara Stanwyck Show, and 77
Sunset Strip. When asked about how she felt doing live television,
she responded, "Live television is the hardest work I ever did and I
was a nervous wreck. You really have no time for learning and
rehearsals. Swallowing the play whole, hanging on and just hoping that
you will come on in the right place and say the right thing."
Elizabeth Patterson enjoyed a
full and rich life doing what she loved. She was a beloved treasure of
the South. She died in 1966 from complications of pneumonia at the age
of 90 in Los Angeles.
Resources:

IMDb by
Gary Brumburgh
Hal
Erickson, All Movies Guide
http://genealogy.stellarwinds.org/
“The
Divine Miss Patty” – Lucyfan Enterprises
Wikipedia.com
Answers.com
VintageRadioShows.com
A Historical Study of
Gilmor Brown's Fairoaks Playbox: 1924-1927,
by Roger Altenberg
February 2010
Born Ann Lee Doran
on July 28, 1911 in Amarillo, Texas, her career began at the age of 4 in
silent films. Many of her acting jobs were done under assumed names to
prevent her father’s family from finding out about them. Her father was
Lt. John Doran, US Army and mom, Carrie, was an actress whose stage name
was Rose Allen. With the family’s move to Los Angeles in 1920, Carrie
appeared in many silent movies. Another move took them to San
Bernardino, where Ann graduated from high school in 1929. She attended
both USC and UCLA and afterwards had teen roles at Educational Studios.
At the age of 11
(1922), Miss Doran was a page to the king in Robin Hood with
Douglas Fairbanks. There is a gap between this and her next role as she
focused on educational pursuits. She had an uncredited role as a maid
in the 1934 film Servants’ Entrance, in which Walt Disney did a
cartoon sequence of the main character being attacked by pots and pans.
Although not impressive to the critics, in her first major
feature film, Ring around the Moon she played a love interest
from the poor side of the tracks.

It’s been said that
no job was too small for Ann Doran. Working as a stand-in, bit player
or supporting actress, she did it all. As of 1938 she was under
contract to Columbia pictures, where these actors were used as often as
possible. That’s probably why we see her in serials like “The Spider’s
Web” and “Flying G-Men”. She was seen in short subjects with the likes
of The Three Stooges, Andy Clyde, Harry Langdon, and Charley Chase. Her
“B” movies included Blondie, Five Little Peppers and the
Ellery Queen series, along with major feature films. She was well
liked by Frank Capra, and used in all of his films except Lost
Horizon. She just kept on working, but always fell short of the
role that would skyrocket her to stardom. In all, she appeared in over
500 films.
Because she was not
the glamorous or sexy type, she was ideal for portraying
supporting roles as
tough-minded workingwomen: reporters, executive secretaries, and
scientists. Among the best-remembered films in which she appeared: A
Sum mer
Place (1959), It! The Terror From Beyond Space (1958),
Them! (1954), The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946),
Mr. Skeffington (1944), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942),
Meet John Doe (1941), Penny Serenade (1941), Mr. Smith
Goes to Washington (1939) and Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936).
She has a rare leading role in 1938's Rio Grande. She appeared
in two George Reeves’ movies – Blue, White and Perfect (1942) and
So Proudly We Hail (1943). In the 1947 movie, Fear In The
Night, she portrayed the wife of Paul Kelly, who happens to be a
police detective. Her brother is none other than DeForest Kelley (Bones
in “Star Trek”) in his first major film appearance. Ann Doran was very
good at portraying maternal types, which is why she landed the role of
James Dean’s mother in Rebel without a Cause. Ms. Doran became
friends with Dean and he confided in her often about personal matters.
TAOS APPEARANCE –
NIGHT OF TERROR
Ben Peter Freeman
who wrote “The Monkey Mystery”, which aired the week before, also wrote
this one. His credits also included some of the most memorable from the
Lee Sholem/Robert Maxwell era: “The Deserted Village”, “The Stolen
Costume”, “Mystery In Wax”, “The Evil Three”, “The Riddle of the Chinese
Jade”, and “Crime Wave”.
The
opening scenes find Lois on vacation and stopping at the Restwell Cabins
for the night. Upon entering the office, she hears the radio, sees a
burning cigarette, but no person until she steps around to the side of
the desk. That’s when she notices the feet and body of a woman (Ann
Doran) lying face down on the floor. As she turns the woman over, she
discovers that she is bleeding. As Lois tries to get up, she is
confronted by the sinister thug, Solly (Frank Richards). Solly has a
very nasty scar running down on one side of his face. She tries to
escape, but Solly not only prevents that, he punches her in the face to
knock Lois out. This is the episode where Phyllis Coates did indeed
connect with Richards’ fist.
Locked inside one of
the cabins, Mrs. King (Doran) is distraught and sobbing as she lies on
the bed. Lois tries to console her and is then told what caused all
this. Mrs. King states that the motel is but 20 miles from the Canadian
border. The thugs had been using the motel as a haven for criminals
before sneaking them across. When he caught on to this, the thugs
murdered her husband as he tried to contact the police.
Realizing it is only
a matter of time before they too will be killed, Lois tries to get
help. She sneaks out through a back window, gets to the phone booth,
and manages to get hold of Jimmy Olsen. She gives him her location and
tells him to get hold of Clark to bring help. Before she can give him
anything further, she is grabbed and we hear a classic Phyllis Coates’
scream. When she is returned to the cabin, Ann Doran states that she
feared Lois was being killed when she heard the screaming. Both women
are now gagged and tied back-to-back on the floor. During this
sequence, we see Miss Doran’s head slumped down on her chest as though
she is unconscious.
Jimmy, unable to
catch Clark with Inspector Henderson, leaves a note for Clark and takes
off to rescue Lois himself. He arrives at the motel where he is
mistaken for the assassin Baby Face Stevens (Richard Benedict). He is
sent into the cabin with a gun containing only two bullets.

He frees the women
only to have the real Baby Face show up. Jimmy is forced to fire both
shots and now all three are at the mercy of these criminals. Superman
comes through the roof, overcomes all of them, and saves the three
captives.

TELEVISION
APPEARANCES
Ann Doran racked up roles in over 1000 television
shows. She is probably best remembered for another maternal role,
Martha Brown, mother to Velvet in the “National Velvet” series
(1961-62). Her husband was another TAOS alum, Arthur Space. Her other
recurring role was that of James Franciscus’ housekeeper, Mrs. Kingston
in the “Longstreet” series (1971-72). Among her other credits are
“Highway To Heaven”, “Eight Is Enough”, “MASH”, “Little House on the
Prairie”, “The Streets of San Francisco”, “Bewitched”, “The Virginian”,
“Perry Mason”, “Leave It To Beaver”, and “Wagon Train” to name just a
few.
OFF SCREEN
Ann Doran was
recording secretary for the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) from 1960-65. She
was also on the SAG Pension and Health Board of Trustees for 30 years.
In 1973, she helped establish a fund to provide financial aid to college
students, the John L. Dales Scholarship Fund. SAG honored her work by
giving her the Hollywood Branch Ralph Morgan Award (1990). In
addition, she served on the boards for Actors Fund, Theater Authority,
Permanent Charities, and the Motion Picture and Television Fund.
Ann Doran’s career
spanned eight decades; not too many actresses can make that claim. Her
final years were spent in a senior citizen complex in Carmichael,
California. She died September 19, 2000 following a series of
strokes. Upon her death, she had bequeathed $400,000 to the Motion
Picture Country House, retirement home for the industry.
Some of the best
insights into the person of Ann Doran come from her own words:
“Very
simply, I was a working actress all my life.” “I
love the atmosphere of the set. I love the long hours. I love my feet
hurtin’ because I stand up so much.” “I love coming home exhausted so
that I can’t eat and all I can do is flop into bed.”
“I’m
happy in the leak light, whatever leaked over the side, that’s what
I got.”
Sources:
Hans J.
Wollstein, All Movie Guide
http://www.moviefone.com/celebrity/ann-doran/1789740/filmography
Torgo the White’s
Rolodex,
http://www.mst3kinfo.com/rolodex/Doran.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Doran
http://articles.latimes.com/2000/oct/01/local/me-29800
http://www.thefilter.com/Actors/24281-Ann-Doran
http://www.answers.com/topic/servants-entrance-1
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/108003/Ring-Around-the-Moon/overview
Special thanks to
Mister X and Thom Hamilton for the photos.
February 2009
Everyone, at one time or another has a movie with
special meaning. I’m not talking epic proportions or Academy Award
material. Such is the case for me with a light-hearted romantic comedy,
The Sainted Sisters. It was summer, 1961 – two years after
George Reeves’ tragic death. It was the summer Rudolph Nureyev defected
from the Russian Ballet. Kuwait became an independent nation. The Berlin
Wall was constructed. Gus Grissom became the second man to enter space
in a suborbital mission. At Fenway Park, the All-Star game ended in a
tie when rain stopped the game in the 9th inning. In June,
the Chicago Tribune carried an article about this being the
second anniversary of the death of TV’s Superman. I celebrated my 13th
birthday, TAOS was in reruns, and this was the first time I saw Phyllis
Coates as Lois Lane. It was also the first time I saw George Reeves in
anything other than TAOS or Kellogg commercials.
In those days, my parents went out on Friday or
Saturday nights, leaving me to baby-sit for my younger sister and
brother. This was always a treat, because I could stay up and watch the
Late Show. I watched many “B” movies and the film noirs on those nights.
One particular occasion, I heard the introduction for the Late Show
theme music. Back then there was no Robert Osborne to introduce movies;
they just rolled the film. Also, in those days, many of the films had
the credits at the movie’s end, so you didn’t know who was in it.
Such was the case with The Sainted Sisters. I was pleased to see
Veronica Lake as I was a great fan of hers, but she didn’t sport that
trademark peek-a-boo hairdo. As Letty Stanton, her hair was atop her
head. Joan Caulfield portrayed Jane, her sister. Ironically, I had just
seen Joan in Blue Skies with Bing Crosby (and by the way, Blue
Skies was directed by Mark Sandrich—the same person who had promised
to make another "Clark Gable" of George). Barry Fitzgerald, William
Demorest, Chill Wills, and Beulah Bondi costarred.
The story begins at turn of the century New York,
where Letty and Jane, confidence women, relieved a millionaire of
$25,000 for “charity”—theirs. Attempting to flee to Canada via Maine, a
storm forces the sisters to seek shelter in a dilapidated house. What
they don’t know is that it is not abandoned, but the residence of Robbie
McCleary (Barry Fitzgerald). Shocked to find intruders in his home, the
girls try to charm him into letting them stay the night. Robbie recants,
but he suspects that the girls’ wealth is a result of questionable
circumstances. He’d seen them hanging paper money on a make shift
clothesline in their room to dry it out. As the girls attempt to hightail it out of town the next
day, Robbie follows them. To find transportation, the girls are directed
to the shop of Samuel Stoak’s Tinker. This is George’s first appearance
in the film, as fairly young with very wavy hair.

When he said, “I know all about you and what you
want,” it was the same authoritative tone that we would hear in
Superman and the Mole Men. When he faces the girls and is obviously
impressed by their appearance, his demeanor is less biting. Sam won’t
stop the project he is working on—on a wagon wheel for a crippled boy,
Davey. He does volunteer to drive the girls himself. As the girls are
leaving the shop, Jane (Caulfield) admires the model of a proposed power
plant. George’s left hand rests on the roof and the famous pinky ring is
seen. Sam tells them this will help modernize his town, and all they
need is the funding.
Robbie
hides a ‘Wanted’ poster of the girls, who are “persuaded” to use their
finances to better the lives of the Groves Falls townspeople. The
alternative is to risk the sheriff (Demorest) being made aware of their
true identities. While the behavior of the Stanton girls is anything
but saintly, it is Fitzgerald’s character, Robbie, who brings out
the best in them. He sees that, with a bit of prodding, the good
qualities in each sister can be nurtured. The sisters’ metamorphosis
from greedy con artists to philanthropists is amusing and heartwarming.
While courting both of them, Sam proposes marriage to Letty (Lake). The
girls, realizing they need to repent, return to New York to face their
punishment. The final scenes are of Christmas in Grove Falls, with an
electric sign. The girls return, having served their time, Letty
embraces Sam, and Jane gets the banker.
The
Sainted Sisters was made in 1948, the year I was born. Looking back
on it now, I can’t believe that this film was made five years after
George Reeves had done So Proudly We Hail with Claudette Colbert.
In some ways, George has a younger appearance in Sisters.
Ironically, this was George’s second pairing with Veronica Lake. In a
review of So Proudly We Hail, George stated that Lake was a bit
of a brat. I now wonder if his opinion of her had changed over the
course of those five years. She certainly had that crusty edge in this
movie. Admittedly, the quality of the film used in The Sainted
Sisters is inferior to what we have seen in So Proudly We Hail.
The former was definitely a lower budget film. Nevertheless, there are
endearing qualities to this film. The avid George Reeves’ fan will
appreciate his tone of voice. The more stoic lines as seen with Superman
are found in his first scenes. The romantic tenderness found in So
Proudly We Hail, is evident when he courts both sisters. When he
puts his mother’s ring on Veronica Lake’s finger, it is similar to a
wedding ceremony from five years earlier with Colbert. Delivering the
speech at the town hall meeting conveys great urgency. This is indeed
one of George’s finest moments in the movie. Reeves’ mannerisms and hand
motions are so indicative of what we would see from 1953 on in TAOS.
Another
strange twist of fate is that Sterling Hayden was originally cast to
portray Sam. Hayden’s career suffered because of the war. Having been
gone for five years, he wasn’t being asked to do films. He had appeared
in one film in 1947, that one with Veronica Lake. Reeves, on the other
hand, was hard at work. In the same year as The Sainted
Sisters, George managed to appear in Jungle Goddess, Thunder in
the Pines, and Jungle Jim.
Most surprising is that following the movie, on the
same videotape was the remainder of an episode of Extreme Home
Makeover. This was especially touching, as the story was that of a
family with an AIDS child. In addition to redoing the house so that it
would allergen free for the child’s compromised immune system, the crew
had a simultaneous project—to build Camp Heartland in Albany, New York
for children with AIDS as other summer camps won’t allow these children
to attend. The unintentional pairing of The Sainted Sisters and
Makeover does have a common thread. In the movie we see how the
sisters have their money used to better the lives of those people in
Groves Falls. Extreme Makeover always assists in giving families
better living conditions because they can’t do it themselves. I’m sure
that if George were still around, he’d say that the sisters and the
Makeover team are all pretty super.
NOTE: A very special “thanks” to Green Ink
Girl whose generosity enabled me to reflect on this movie. Also—photos
generously contributed by Jan Alan Henderson and Steve Randisi from
Behind the Crimson Cape. And...special thanks to Mr X for the
bottom movie poster.
September 2007
Born on July 24, 1901 in Lynn, Massachusetts, Mabel Albertson was not
the only one in show business, as her younger brother is Jack Albertson,
of the Chico and the Man television series. Her parents were
Russian immigrants – father, Leopold Albertson, a shoemaker, and mother,
Flora Kraft Albertson, a dressmaker and stock actress. Mabel grew up in
poverty. Her parents’ divorce necessitated mom to work in a shoe
factory. At nineteen, Mabel worked as a saleslady in New York, where
she lived with a Canadian family. She studied acting at the New England
School of Speech and Expression. Mabel was briefly married to Harold
Austin Ripley and had two children – a girl, Patricia and a son,
George. Now 28 and divorced, Mabel and her two children lived with
brother Jack in Manhattan. Jack was a theatre actor; Mabel was a stage
actress. As of 1937, Mabel remarried Ken Englund, a writer for both film
and radio. He adopted Mabel’s son, George. George Englund continued
the family business as a writer, producer, and director. The show biz
connections continued. George married Cloris Leachman, and one of their
children, George Englund, Jr. married Sharon Stone. As you can see, the
vein runs deep in this family for the entertainment industry!
FILM CAREER
Her film career began in 1928 with her appearance in the Prologue for
Gang War, a crime drama. Her next film, Mutiny on the
Blackhawk (1939), dealt with the slave running between Hawaii and
California in 1840. Mabel portrayed a widow, featured with Noah
Beery, Andy Devine, and Paul Fix. She also functioned as a supporting
actor on a radio series, “The Phil Baker Show” in the 1930’s. She was
absent from films until the 1950’s where she made up for lost time.
During this decade, she appeared with many TAOS alumni. In 1953, Mabel
appeared in a musical, She’s Back On Broadway. Our very own
Phyllis Coates was part of the cast. Also that year came So This Is
Love, the story of Grace Moore, opera singer turned silver screen
star. Ms. Albertson was paired up with a kaleidoscope of TAOS stars:
John Hamilton, Tris Coffin, Herb Vigran, Frank Ferguson, and Arthur
Space. Two films followed in 1954 and then came Ma and Pa Kettle in
Waikiki, directed by Lee Sholem in 1955. Myron Healy, Ben Weldon
and Richard Reeves co-starred with her. In The Cobweb, directed
by Vincent Minelli, Mabel worked with the likes of Bacall, Boyer, Tommy
Rettig (Lassie), Fay Wray, and our favorite lady in black, Virginia
Christine. During 1956-59, Ms. Albertson appeared in ten films with
TAOS regulars Billy Nelson, Dale Van Sickel, Maurice Marsac, Almira
Sessions, and Claude Akins.
Among them were Forever Darling, a Lucy/Desi movie; The
Hangman, a western directed by Michael Curtiz with Fess Parker and
Robert Taylor; and Don’t Give Up the Ship, considered one of
Jerry Lewis’ finest comedies. The 1960’s decade certainly belonged to
Mabel for both film and TV! Her five films paired her with some of
Hollywood’s best: Robert Wagner, Natalie Wood, Shirley MacLaine, Cliff
Robertson, Dean Martin, John Astin, Sean Connery, Joanne Woodward,
Colleen Dewhurst, Redford and Jane Fonda (Barefoot in the Park).
Her last two films were in 1970, On A Clear Day You Can See Forever,
with Streisand, and 1972’s What’s Up Doc? with Streisand again,
and Ryan O’Neal.
SMALL SCREEN
Ms. Albertson’s television 1952 debut was in Mr. and Mrs. North.
The following year was her TAOS episode, “Drums of Death”. For the rest
of the decade, Mabel appeared in 14 different series. Some of them were
Four Star Playhouse, Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theatre, Make Room
For Daddy, December Bride, The Millionaire, Bachelor Father, Have Gun
Will Travel, and six episodes of Loretta Young Show. During the 1960’s,
Ms. Albertson appeared in 32 different TV series! She began this era
with Rawhide, Roaring 20’s, Ben Casey, Perry Mason, Burke’s Law, Mr.
Novak, The Munsters, The Lucy Show, Bonanza, The Wild, Wild, West,
Daniel Boone, Dragnet 1967, The Ghost & Mrs. Muir, The Virginian, and
our marine, Gomer Pyle. Those are just the single episodes! She had a
recurring role in The Andy Griffith Show (Mrs. Sprague), and That Girl
(Donald’s mother), along with various characters on 4 episodes of
Gunsmoke. It is in the 1970’s, however that Mabel came into her two
signature roles – Phyllis Stevens in Bewitched, and Mrs. Preston,
Dick’s mother in The New Dick Van Dyke Show.
TAOS
EPISODE
As the oldest in my family, I recall being jealous of friends who had an
older brother. I kept thinking how neat it was to have someone to
protect me, help with homework, and be a great buddy. But can you
imagine having Perry White as your older brother? How you would get
along with this man who whose growls rivaled that of a grizzly bear, yet
could be as tame as a kitten? Having him as a boss would be scary
enough, but as a disciplinarian, this older sibling might have given new
meaning to the term “dictator”.
In “Drums of Death”, it appears that the White siblings have inherited
some of the same characteristics – headstrong, independent, yet
possessing a fierce care and concern for each other. In the opening
scenes, as Clark and Perry view a home movie that Perry’s sister, Kate
had sent him from Haiti, his concern is genuine. He hadn’t heard from
her in ten days and nothing from Jim Olson, her companion, in over a
week. Here’s where we get our first glimpse of Kate’s personality,
“That sister of mine’s crazy enough!” Perry regrets having sent Jimmy
along with her. He refers to both of them as “two irresponsible nuts”.
We’re now seeing that trouble seems to find Kate just like the Daily
Planet reporters!
When Mr. Barbarier questions the validity of a voodoo doctor from a
photo made from Kate’s last newsreel, Perry fiercely defends his younger
sibling: “Not my sister. When she takes a picture of a voodoo
doctor, you can be sure it’s a McCoy – the real thing”. Another quality
Perry reveals about Kate – integrity in her work. When Clark catches
anthropologist Leland Masters, (portrayed by Leonard Mudie) out on the
terrace, Masters recognizes Perry as Kate’s relative immediately with
the “strong family resemblance, cranial structure very similar”.

When Kate and Jimmy are reunited with Perry in the wine press, we see
Perry’s frantic attempt to communicate despite her hypnotic spell,
‘Kate! Kate! It’s me, Perry. Don’t you recognize me?” After Superman
rescues all of them, Perry takes his rage out on Johnson, aka, Legbo.
Mabel says it all with a tone of voice, “Perry, don’t lose your
temper.” We are treated to classic John Hamilton in Perry White mode in
response to her. It’s too bad there wasn’t more exchange of dialogue
between these two as I’m certain we would have had a real treat. At the
end of this episode, when we are once again at the hotel, pay attention
to Mabel Albertson’s lines. Listen to her vocal intonation and remember
this as you read on.

BEWITCHED/DRAGNET APPEARANCES
As Phyllis Stevens, Darrin’s mom, Mabel is at her best.
She
shows us style/class just as she exhibited back in the hotel room in
TAOS while pouring tea. In this episode she meets her new
daughter-in-law, Samantha and Aunt Clara. With typical maternal flare
she tells her husband, “I can’t wait to see him (Darrin). I hope she
hasn’t let him lose weight. He can’t afford to lose weight.”
Throughout this very amusing half hour, Mabel brings Phyllis Stevens to
life. It’s all in a look, or a tone of voice. Her meanings are
unmistakably clear. At the end, we discover that Phyllis has been
feeling she is no longer needed. What mother whose son has married
hasn’t felt that way at one time? When Samantha tells her that she
can’t cook, and Aunt Clara made the dinner, we see relief on Phyllis
Stevens’ face, reconciliation, and the start of a great relationship.
In Dragnet, we see a different side of Ms. Albertson. She is
seen with the same shorter coif as in Bewitched, but here she is
seen with dark brown-rimmed glasses and practically no makeup. The
stand out of this story is at the end, when Mrs. Jessie Gayman (Mabel)
is confronted over the murder of her daughter’s estranged husband. The
same, almost hypnotic stoicism that we saw in “Drums of Death” is here.
Mabel’s demure is calm and quiet while telling Friday and Gannon that
she shot her son-in-law after he shot a hole in her bible and says,
“I’ve never been so angry”.
Mabel Albertson died on September 28, 1982 in Santa Monica, California
of Alzheimer’s disease. This lady added charm, wit, dignity, and grace
to the small screen in all of the characters she portrayed. She, like
many others certainly left her mark in certain roles that we fondly
remember.
I have been in touch with the archivist at the
Pasadena Playhouse for information pertaining to the review on ‘TAC’ on
The Deserter. What has amazed me is how the Playhouse has served
as a central hub for many of the stars we know. It was the proving
ground for actors such as George Reeves, Gig Young, Maudie Prickett, and
Dabbs Greer.
As I mentioned in the Maudie’s tribute, her husband
Charles had been head of the Playhouse. Actually, several generations of
the Prickett family, starting with Charles and Maudie has been involved
extensively with the Pasadena Playhouse. Charles Prickett’s brother
Ollie (Oliver Blake) joined the company back in 1916. At that time, they
were operating out of a former burlesque house called the Savoy
Theatre. The Shakespeare Club changed its name from “Savoy Stock
Company” to “Pasadena Community Players.” Younger brother Charles ran
the box office, swept the front entry, and was an apprentice to the
Financial Manager until he was 18. His boss quit, placing Charles in
charge. Charles Prickett ran the business side of the Playhouse
operations for the rest of his life, saving it from financial disaster.
In fact, when the Playhouse did run into financial problems in 1969 and
had to close, it was because of Mr. Prickett’s death earlier.
Maudie Doyle Prickett became a Playhouse regular
and contributed many hats to the costume collection (one of the largest
in the world at that time). Charles and Maudie’s descendents are among
the more prominent Pasadena families, who still attend shows there.
Another note is what has been describes as “an
interesting and sporadically-documented case of a ‘feud’ between Charles
Prickett and Gilmor Brown.” Charles was the money side of the
organization, while Gilmor was the artistic side. Their conflicts
revolved around Brown wanting to do grandiose productions that the
Playhouse just could not afford. Both parties “would occasionally go
through periods of not speaking to one another.” They’d even play
practical jokes on the other! Both of them wanted control over the
organization. Despite all of this, both Prickett and Brown did seem to
complement each other. The Playhouse needed both of them. As of 1969,
with both Prickett and Brown now deceased, the Playhouse declared
bankruptcy. It reopened in 1986, largely in part to Oliver Blake, who
lived until 1992.
Maudie
Prickett could be crowned with one or both of the following titles:
either the Most Famous Plain Jane or the Most Uncredited
Actress. In many of her roles, her strikingly harsh features give
her that pioneer spirit that you might expect with Sarah Padden or with
Marjorie Main as Ma Kettles. Yet, as seen in this photo of her in later
years, we see a different side of Mrs. Prickett without the hair pulled
back ever so tightly in a bun and with a little “face paint.”
She was born in 1914—the same year as George Reeves—on October 25 in
Portland, Oregon. Little is known of her early years except for the
fact that she was a member of the University of Wyoming Alpha chapter of
Pi Beta Phi. The significance of this: it was the very first national
secret women’s sorority modeled after the Greek men’s fraternities. At a
time when women admitted to colleges and universities were scarce, this
organization united these pioneering women. The sorority was
philanthropic in nature and dedicated to service to the community and
the world.
Another
Reeves connection is that Maudie married Charles Prickett II, who would
become the Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Pasadena
Playhouse. Going back a few years to the mid-1920’s, when Charles
Prickett was a mere managing director there, his brother, Oliver was a
regular at the Pasadena Playhouse. Oliver Prickett was also known as
Oliver Blake, for those who care to visit him at the IMDb. It was also
during this time that Maudie was considered a “resident character
actress.” She and Oliver must have had a great deal of influence at the
Playhouse for it was because of their efforts that Jerome Robinson
became the official Playhouse photographer from 1943 to 1958. He is
known for his photographic stills in The Green Years and The
Yearling. Another interesting tidbit—George Reeves, Nati Vacio and
Robert Preston attended the first Annual Pasadena Playhouse Alumni
Brunch where they performed Spanish songs. The officer elections were
held during this meeting where Maudie Prickett was elected president.
[www.jimnolt.com]
As previously mentioned, Maudie Prickett could have been Queen of the
Uncredited Performances. In fact, she had 41 of them in movies and 2 in
television! Her film career began in ‘Gold Mine in the Sky” (1938) with
Gene Autry, Smiley Burnett and George Montgomery. From 1945 – 49 she
appeared in seventeen movies. Many of her appearances were in westerns
like the Durango Kid series. In The Lone Hand Texan, one of her
co-stars was Jim Diehl, who went on the following year to appear with
George Reeves in The Adventures of Sir Galahad. In Lust for
Gold (1949), her co-stars included TAOS villain John Doucette, Billy
Gray (Shot in the Dark), Arthur Space (Star of Fate,
The Seven Souvenirs), and Jay Silverheels (The Lone Ranger).
Another western (uncredited role, of course) was The Cowboy and the
Indians (1949). Of interest in this one is that Gene Autry and Jay
Silverheels had starring roles, while Clayton Moore is lower down on the
credits as one of the “bad guys.” Also in 1949 was Abandoned
with TAOS alumni Sid Tomack (The Defeat of Superman, Clark
Kent, Outlaw, Blackmail, Three in One,) and a
controversial plot involving a baby adoption racket.
From 1950-59, Maudie Prickett racked up 32 films, beginning with
Montana and starring Errol Flynn, Alexis Smith, and Almira Sessions
(our very own Miss Bachrach). A bit of a tearjerker is No Sad Songs
for Me. Among the cast were Ann Doran (Night of Terror) and Myron
Healey (The Bully of Dry Gulch, Dagger Island, The
Jolly Roger). Between Midnight and Dawn has numerous
familiar faces, even if Maudie is still uncredited—Tito Vuolo (My
Friend Superman), Billy Gray, Myron Healey, Peter Mamakos (The
Defeat of Superman, King for a Day, Peril in Paris),
and Philip Van Zandt (Crime Wave, Superman in Exile,
The Seven Souvenirs, King for a Day). You know you are moving
up in the world when you appear in films with big name stars, even if
you are uncredited. Such is Monkey Business (1952), directed by
Howard Hawks, with Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, Charles Coburn, Marilyn
Monroe, Roger Moore, and our very own George Eldredge (Clark Kent,
Outlaw, All That Glitters) and Dabbs Greer (Superman on
Earth, Five Minutes to Doom, The Superman Silver Mine).
Not all of Mrs. Prickett’s TAOS connections were with the actors.
Man in the Dark (1953) was directed by Lew Landers (Three in One,
Superman’s Wife). Raoul Walsh (Fighter Squadron with Jack
Larson) directed Gun Fury (1953). Maudie has too many films in
her resume to list here, however, other familiar faces include Jonathon
Hale (The Evil Three, Panic in the Sky), Claude Akins (Peril
by Sea), Chuck Connors (Flight to the North), Virginia
Christine (Lady in Black), Herb Vigran, Judy Nugent (Around
the World With Superman), Frank Ferguson (Lady in Black),
Lane Bradford (Jet Ace, Test of a Warrior), and Sid Melton
(The Deadly Rock), Leon Askin and Milton Frome. Hitchcock’s
North by Northwest, nominated for three Oscars was surely a hallmark
for uncredited Maudie. Working with Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, and Leo
G. Carroll was enough, but Robert Shayne, John Beradino (The
Unlucky Number), and Dale Van Sickel (Five Minutes to Doom, Money
to Burn) were on hand as well.
Prickett’s
television performances, unlike her film work are where the star for
this actress really shines. She had done single episodes with Hopalong
Cassidy to Kit Karson, from Captain Midnight to Bob Cummings’ show, from
Make Room For Daddy to Leave It to Beaver. Let’s not
forget 26 Men, The Millionaire, Donna Reed,
Lawman, The Untouchables, a menace named Dennis, a doctor named Ben
Casey, Wagon Train, Mister Ed, My Three Sons, Petticoat Junction, My
Mother the Car, Adam 12, Mod Squad, Get Smart and Daniel Boone.
Those are just the single episodes! Maudie did three appearances with a
marine named Gomer Pyle, two on Bonanza, and nine on
Jack Benny’s show. She did three appearances on Gunsmoke,
five on Bewitched, and seven as the feisty Mrs. Larch on Andy
Griffith’s show. Perhaps one of her more memorable characters was
the recurring Rosie, who was the friend to Hazel. It has been
said that, while Prickett worked with many of Hollywood’s best and
well-known actors, she was more like the bridesmaid, but never the
bride. Maudie’s second experience with a superhero occurred in 1967 when
she appeared as Diana Prince’s mother in the pilot for Wonder Woman.
This was not the Lynda Carter series, but a movie with Ellie Wood
Walker. Aside from an occasional movie musical, from 1965-74,
Maudie was cast in weekly installments of the Wonderful World of
Disney.
Admittedly, her TAOS appearance is a favorite episode of mine. The
episode begins with Lois opening up an edible present of a good-sized
gingerbread man—a yearly birthday gift from her former nurse. Attempting
to thank her, Lois is concerned when she does not get an answer from
anyone in the town of Clifton. She and Clark decide to take a drive to
Lois’ hometown to investigate. As Matilda Tazey in The Deserted
Village, Prickett sports “specs” and typical housedress with apron.
Not only is her hair pulled back, but also we see her with a braided
hairpiece to boot! Her appearance, performance, and even vocal
intonations are part of her trademark from the many movies she had
done. She would continue this persona on The Andy Griffith Show
and Hazel.

Maudie died on April 14, 1976 of uremic poisoning, but she left us with
many memorable performances. So the next time you see the Plain Jane
herself, think about all the connections this woman had with so many
from not only our beloved The Adventures of Superman, but many
great Hollywood stars of both the silver screen and small screen.
As always, thanks to both Thom and Mr. X for their invaluable
assistance.
Special Thanks to:
Famous PiPhi’s
“The Pop Culture Addict Presents…Television”
“TAC – George Reeves Chronology”
June 2007
After attending this event last year and loving it, I found that I’ve
been bitten once again with the Convention bug. This year, our Comic Con
focused on many of the Star Trek folk ranging from the movies of the
original crew to TNG (The Next Generation) to Voyager and Enterprise.
Now, as much of a trekkie as I can be, this wasn’t what brought me
here.
I
actually met one of our Board people, Brian Herzog. For those of you who
don’t know him, Brian is a very enthusiastic fan of George Reeves, who
is doing what he can to honor his memory in a positive way. He was
proudly wearing a tee shirt with the Superman insignia (TAOS version of
course!) with the name George Reeves prominently displayed on it.
Brian’s charming daughter and able assistant, Abby was there with him.
Among the celebrities there was Lou Ferrigno. I
apologized to him for not coming over to his table in Chicago last year.
I had been so thrilled to meet our First Lady of TAOS that I only spoke
to him while inside Noel’s stand. Because of his popularity, I didn’t
get a chance to get back to him. He told me that he comes to Detroit
every couple of years, so I will definitely seek him out on his next
visit to our fair city. Peter Mayhew, aka Chewbacca, proved to be a
jovial gentle giant. He and his assistant were impressed with Brian’s
tee shirt as well.
I
also had a chance to chat a bit with Bruce Weitz. In case you don’t
remember, Bruce portrayed Mick Belker in
Hill Street Blues.
He had been my favorite on the show in that ensemble cast. I told him
how much I loved the morning report and that famous line by the
sergeant, “You be careful out there”. Bruce told me that he sees the
cast members often. Those who are still alive meet over lunch and talk
about old times. He’s been to Detroit several times, but this was the
first time he’s done a convention. Mr. Weitz is now retired from show
business. He and his wife have a fourteen-year-old boy. As Bruce told
me, he missed enough of his son’s early years and doesn’t want to miss
the rest of his growing up. 
I roamed around some more and came upon Brian engaged in
conversation with The Ghoul. For those of us here in the Detroit area,
Ghoul used to host our creature features on Saturday afternoons from
1971-1979. He also used to have specials that would be telecast from
here as well. As he put it, “Jerry Springer has nothing on the trash
that we perpetrate each and every show.” Come to find out, he is another
George Reeves fan! Having his email address, I told him I’d introduce
him to our friendly sights for George and TAOS (GHP and TAC of course!).
Our favorite Ghoul happened to mention that he had read other books
besides
Hollywood Kryptonite
that provided a better balance of George’s life.
Another
highlight for me was the significance of May 19. This was Armed Forces
Day and, although my Tshirt for the Military Moms hasn’t arrived as
yet, I was decked out in red, white and blue. This was also my son’s 24th
birthday and I’ve not heard anything from him for a while—mothers never
stop worrying. With all this in mind, I had to meet Lou Gossett, Jr. I
enjoy all of his performances, but his role in
An Officer and A Gentleman
reminded me of what my son has had to endure as the Ex O. I also loved
him in
Flying Eagles
for the same reason. But the first one that he
had in
Roots,
as Fiddler is what has endeared me to this man and how versatile an
actor he is.
I also stopped by the table of Felix Silla. For those of
you who are clueless as to who he is, Felix portrayed “Cousin Itt” in
The Addams Family.
I told him that when I used to sport my waist length
mane, I had been nicknamed “Cousin Itt” because my hair was so thick. He
told me that his original costume was made of real hair—and had a
picture to prove it. This costume was so heavy and hot such that he
couldn’t spend much time in it. It was also discovered that it was very
flammable. For that reason, the producers of the show came up with a
synthetic version, which was much lighter.
Celebrities
are people too, but we appreciate them even more when they stop to speak
to us. I was very impressed by Jonathon Frakes, aka Jean Luc Picard’s
‘Number One’. He had just come back from taking a lunch break, but
stopped to talk a bit with one of the staff at the gate. Robert Picardo,
the holographic doctor from
Voyager
left his booth and went to get food with no escort. He was chatting
with people in the line. By the way, he looked quite sporty with his tan
beret.
And, of course, knowing me, I had to get a couple shots
of the cars. I loved Herbie, who has been kept in mint condition, I
might add. From the series, Knight Rider, I had always loved the car,
"K.I.T.T.". Who would have thought that William Daniels would have gone from
being chief of surgery at St. Elsewhere to the voice of customized
Pontiac Firebird.
My
main goal was to meet and conduct an interview with Eddie Deezen of
Grease
and
Polar Express
fame. Eddie was so gracious and, come to find out--he is an avid George
Reeves fan!
C:
Eddie, I know that you were in Grease 1 and Grease 2. Do
you have a favorite part from either one of those?
E:
Right. Well, my best part was throwing a pie and then getting hit in the
face with a pie. I’d throw a pie at Sid Caesar and then I’d get hit in
the face with a pie. That was my big moment. Great acting. It was great
acting.
C:
What did you think of working with both Travolta and Olivia
Newton-John?
E:
John Travolta was the nicest guy I ever met. The nicest actor I’ve ever
met. To this day, I think Tom Hanks and John Travolta are two of the
nicest guys I’ve ever worked with. You would always find him saying “Hi,
Buddy” and shake my hand every day and make sure I was okay. Super nice
guy. Olivia I only met once. Once we were on the Paramount set and we
hijacked a car. We hijacked a convertible and Olivia was in the front
seat. She turned to me and said, “You’re funny”. I said, “Thank you”.
That was the only time I talked to her. She seemed like a real nice
girl. John and I would talk more often.
C:
On the Polar Express, I’m just curious. To create that character
did they use those electrodes on you?
E: Yes, they put dots. When we’d go into makeup, they’d
put 152 dots on our face. They’d mark your head with 152 dots. Then they
were gluing dots to your face, 152 dots every day. We’d get into a scuba
suit and they’d glue a bathing cap to our heads. We did this every day.
It takes like two hours. That was our makeup.
C:
Oh my goodness!
E:
And if you’d lose a dot, the makeup guy would say, “Eddie lost dot 132.
And then they’d go, “There it is!” Then they’d put it in. That’s how
they did it. Every dot had to be right in place.
C:
You were so much in character with that guy.
E:
Thank you!
C:
I must admit you did such a great job in that movie.
E:
Thank you so much! Thank you.
C:
Now, when it comes to George Reeves, and I assume you’ve watched The
Adventures of Superman like the rest of us.
E:
Oh! I talked to Tom Hanks about it. You know what he said? He goes, “He
flew funny. He had a funny way of flying.” Most Supermen go like that.
[Eddie demonstrated with arms were outstretched being level with his
shoulders]. George Reeves would go like that. [Eddie demonstrated that
George’s arms were outstretched but were down lower]. That’s what I
remember. He flew in a funny way. But I remember that he did do that. He
was my supreme hero. I loved George Reeves. Greatest actor ever.
C:
Did you have a favorite episode at all from the series?
E:
When I was a kid, I liked the dog, Corky. You know, Corky the dog, I
loved that. Looking back, the early first year the film noir ones when
the little Martians come. The first one? He was awesome! [Eddie assumes
the typical Superman pose with hands on the hips]. They go back to
their world. (You invaded their world) Like Nazi storm troopers. He’s a
great actor. That really affected me. But the first years were awesome.
Then they kinda got more comical. But the first year I love. Yeah.
C:
In the second season, when they brought in Noel Neill…
E:
Right. I’ve met her. She’s a nice lady.
C:
She’s a wonderful lady. Did you have a favorite episode from the second
season? That’s where they seem to take it a step back from the violence
but they still had really good plots. Like “Superman in Exile” or “The
Perils of Superman”.
E:
Right. I’m trying to think which one I liked. When Jimmy Olsen acted
over the top. I liked that one.
C: “Jimmy the
Kid”?
E:
Yeah, that was funny. Yeah, and like I said the dog episode affected me
the most. When Lois says, “Clark what happened? You look like you lost
your best friend.” And he says, “Maybe I have, Lois, maybe I have.” He
always did that with his glasses. I know he’s probably over somewhere
else. That was like his little sign to us in the audience. You know I’m
Clark Kent. And he’s such a cool guy. He was the coolest guy ever.
C:
Did you have any idea that George was involved in so much charity work?
E:
No I didn’t. I mean, you can tell when a guy’s on screen, you could tell
he was a kind man. He was a nice Superman, but I would believe it about
George Reeves. He was a nice man. I wish I’d met him.
C:
Yes, me too. I almost met him. George used to do spot visits where the
media weren’t involved.
E:
By the way, you bring up a memory where he takes a beautiful little girl
and flies her around the world. Remember that? He says, “have this
dance, my lady” [Eddie makes the motions with his arms that George did
in that scene]. That was such a beautiful moment. Made me cry. He was
the most underrated great actor. That was a beautiful little scene. “May
I have this dance?” And then they dance up in the air.
C:
That girl was Judy Ann Nugent.
E:
Is she still around?
C:
She is still around but is retired from show business.
E:
Has she given you any stories?
C:
No because we haven’t been able to contact her.
C:
Jack Larson has done many an episode where he has been able to stretch
beyond that whole bow tie Jimmy Olsen cub reporter.
E:
He gets bound and gagged. Every week that guy gets tied up. Tied up and
gagged every week.
C:
One of my favorites was “Semi Private Eye” where he was with Elisha
Cook.
E:
That’s what I mean! Where he says, “I’m going to count to three. One.
Two. Three.” [NOTE: Eddie does a pretty good imitation of Jack saying
those lines]. Then there’s the trap door. Yeah, he was always a funny
comedian. That was very funny.
C:
You’re right. When he played the dual role in “Jimmy the Kid”, that was
an awesome episode.
C:
You know, with Noel, her favorite episode was “The Wedding of
Superman”.
E:
Joi Lansing?
C:
No, it was Noel.
E:
He was going to marry Joi Lansing in one episode.
C:
That was “Superman’s Wife”.
E:
Oh, ok.
C:
In “The Wedding of Superman”, Noel dreams as Lois that she’s marrying…
E:
I remember that.
C:
In that episode, did you see a chemistry between Lois and Superman?
E:
Maybe. You could see she definitely liked Clark Kent. Yeah, but he
couldn’t go out with her. He’s Superman. I like the superhero thing.
He’s like a brooding hero, you know? Yeah. I didn’t like that about
Spiderman where he marries Mary Jane. Superheroes are in love with a
girl and they say, “You know I have to be true to the world. I can’t
marry anyone.” When Spiderman marries Mary Jane.He can’t marry her at
the end of the first film and then he does in the second film. I didn’t
like that.
C:
If you could project or write another episode that George Reeves would
be in, what would it be?
E:
Boy, that’s a great one. Let me think. I don’t know..maybe Superman
comes into present time, our era and sees how corrupt the world is.
Maybe fights some terrorists or something. These terrorists get on a
plane. Clark Kent is on the plane. He goes into a room and fights them
off. Something like that, yeah.
C:
That would be cool. Maybe we could get Randy Garrett to do some artwork
for that.
E:
We could use Superman so bad in the world right now. We need him so bad.
The world is so much worse than it was in the 50’s.
C:
Besides The Adventures of Superman, have you seen any other of
George’s movies?
E:
Well, of course, the I Love Lucy is a classic. And I watched his
big movie; I saw that, “So Proudly We Hail”. Of course everyone has seen
“Gone With the Wind”. When I was a kid we went to see “Gone With the
Wind” and everyone said, “There’s Superman!” All the kids in the
theater. Nobody cares about GWTW, it’s Superman! Just like “From Here to
Eternity”, every kid in the world knows that’s Superman, you know?
C:
Have you read any of the books by Jan Alan Henderson?
E:
Oh, all of them. I want to read everything about George. It’s great.
He’s fascinating.
C:
Speeding Bullet #2 is a great book.
C:
Now in the Superman legacy, we’ve had more than one Superman. We’ve had
Kirk Alyn in the Superman Serials…
E:
There’s only one Superman! We all know that. Like Sean Connery’s the
only James Bond, Johnny Weismuller is the only Tarzan. George Reeves is
so far and away the only Superman.
C:
What do you think George had that the rest of them don’t?
E:
You know, that’s a great question. I think he had this integrity; there
was something there that caught on as a friend of the people. Tom Hanks
has it too, the same thing. I go, “You have this decency about you; this
inner decency that people see.” George Reeves had that. John Travolta
has that. There’s this human decency that everybody’s important. You
know, a little handicapped person and the President of the United
States—I think George Reeves treated everyone the same. He was just a
very honest, decent man. That’s how I perceive him. There was something
strong about him. He was like a real man. There’s no real men anymore.
He was like a John Wayne guy, you know? We’re all so whipped with
political correctness. I think George Reeves would not be politically
correct. He was a real guy.
E:
That time meant so much to me. He was the coolest guy in the world.
He’ll always be a hero to me.
C:
I’m so glad that they brought Superman to television.
E:
Oh yeah. He wanted to be a movie star. I don’t think he realized how
good he was. He didn’t like the role but he didn’t know what a genius he
was. And some artists are like that. But that was one of the greatest
performances ever.
C:
I think that if we have a legacy that will endure forever, it is that
George always wanted to have one adult fan. And now he has an entire
generation of adult fans who are keeping his memory alive.
E:
Oh, yeah! You know what’s funny? I heard Hirohito liked him. Hirohito
of Japan loves Superman! Here he is...World War II but he puts on, he
has to watch Superman.
C:
George was our kind of guy. He was definitely someone who brought his
personality into that entire character.
C:
What projects are you currently working on?
E:
Not really much, Colete, just voiceover stuff on your radio spots.
Polar
Express
was my last really big project. Hopefully something will come up.
C:
If you could write your own script for a movie or TV special that you
would do, what would it be?
E:
Me in it, you mean? Oh, that’s a great question! Boy, I don’t know. The
Jerry Lewis Story I’d like to do or the Peewee Herman story.
C:
If George Reeves were alive today, and you were able to be in anything
with him, what would it be?
E:
Oh, I’d love to work with him. A comedy maybe. He could be my Dean
Martin maybe. He’s such a wonderful guy. It would be a privilege to work
with him.
C:
That’s great. It’s been a great time for me. I really do appreciate the
time that you’ve taken with me.
E:
Oh, please, it’s so my pleasure. I’ve loved George Reeves since I was a
kid. He brought me so much happiness. When my dad came home from work,
you know, I would run up and jump like Superman into my dad’s arms. I
was about 4 years old, and I would jump just like George Reeves. I did
that every night.
C:
I think every single one of us probably has done that and had a towel at
home to prove it.
May 2007
Up to now, all of the ladies that Thom and I have
presented to you have had one-time guest appearances on The
Adventures of Superman. The spotlight is currently on a lady who was
the closest thing to a regular on the series of the female guests.
Allene Roberts was born on September 1, 1928 in
Birmingham, Alabama. Unlike other women we have profiled, there is very
little information on Ms. Roberts’ early life. What we do know is that
she was a busy actress, racking up nine movies plus two guest
appearances on TV shows that ranged from1947 through 1951.
Her very first film was The Red House back
in 1947, a mystery thriller starring Edward G. Robinson, Rory Calhoun,
Julie London and TAOS alum, Arthur Space. In 1948, she did two movies,
The Sign of the Ram, directed by John Sturges and featuring Peggy
Ann Garner, Phyllis Thaxter and Ross Ford. In Michael O’Halloran
Allene appeared with TAOS alumni, Tommy Cook and Jonathon Hale. Bomba
on Panther Island paired her up with Johnny Sheffield and Lita
Baron, who appeared with George Reeves in Champagne for Two. Also
that year, Allene was seen in Knock On Any Door, with Humphrey
Bogart, John Derek, and TAOS alumni George Chandler, Myron Healy, Sid
Melton, Sid Tomack, and Pierre Watkin. This was also the year of her
first pre-TAOS television appearances,
“The Sire de Maletroit's Door” on Your Show Time. Two
more movies followed in 1950 – Union Station and A Wonderful
Life, directed by William Beaudine and co-starring our very own Jack
Larson and John Hamilton. “The First Hundred Years” from The Silver
Theater also came that year. Allene did a western, Santa Fe
with Randolph Scott and Jock Mahoney. She also starred in The
Hoodlum in 1951. Her two movies in 1952, marks the end of her movie
career. Kid Monk Baroni paired her with Leonard Nimoy and our
TAOS alumni Jack Larson and Maurice Cass. In Thunderbirds, she is
reunited with John Derek, John Drew Barrymore, Gene Evans, Ward Bond,
and TAOS alum, Richard Reeves. It is also 1952 that ushers in her first
two appearances on The Adventures of Superman, which will be
highlighted later on in this review.
Ms. Roberts might not have had any more movies, but
she certainly wasn’t idle! Her TV credits include: Dragnet (6
episodes), Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (3), Four Star Playhouse
(2), and one episode each of The Christophers, Omnibus,
The Public Defender, and City Detective.
Allene is the only
female who was cast in three episodes of TAOS. In his introduction of
the Third Annual Superman Festival in 1990, Jack Larson refers to “my
good friend, Allene Roberts.” Allene’s first appearance is in
“The
Monkey Mystery” as the daughter of scientist, Jan Maleska. We see her
barefoot, dirty-faced, and speaking with an accent. One thing about
Allene is how expressive her eyes are! She shows us the torment of
having to leave her beloved father as “The fruit of my life’s work is in
your hands.” And with that, she gives her father the last kiss. We see
her somber face against the backdrop of a train that is bound for
Washington, D.C., following her flight from Eastern Europe. . Of
course, she is apprehended, and with her skull fractured, one can only
imagine the torture she must have endured. Superman arrives in time to
reach both Lois and Ms. Maleska and get them medical attention.
That’s the last we see of Allene in this episode, however, she received
top billing of the guest stars.
In
“The Haunted Lighthouse”, you’d think that Allene might have had mime
lessons. Playing the deaf mute, Alice, she is able to convey her range
of emotions without uttering a single sound throughout the episode!
Whether it is the look of distress, or the urgency in trying to get
Jimmy to follow her, there is no doubt what Allene is trying to tell
us.
“The Whistling
Bird” is the most interesting of her three appearances as Allene has a
great deal of dialogue in this one. Portraying Nancy Quinn, niece of
professor Oscar Quinn (Sterling Holloway), the most obvious difference
is that her hair is now shoulder length.
.
This is also the first time we really see her smiling. Throughout the
episode, her glances are given directly to Clark, Jimmy, or her uncle.
We do see some of the same concerned eyes that we saw in her two
previous episodes, but her presence is much more integral to the
episode. Allene also shares a Jack Larson fate in this episode as the
sprinkling system does a great job on her as well!
Her 1955 appearance on the series The
Christophers is interesting because this was an award-winning
series. There were many guest stars over the years, including the
Maryknoll priest who founded The Christophers. It showcased
people who made a difference in areas from entertainment to social
justice and community affairs. After that appearance, we find no other
reference to her as an actress. There are references that indicate she
currently resides in Huntsville, Alabama, but as of this writing, we
have been unable to validate that. Allene will certainly be remembered
for her TAOS appearances, but should you see her in one of her movies,
look carefully at her eyes. It is there that you will be drawn into the
scene with her.
April 2007
Special thanks to both Mr. X and Thom for the
photos and technical assistance.
Admittedly, I had not heeded Carl’s warning about the first edition of
Speeding Bullet being around for a limited time. Sure enough, no
more copies were available and I resigned myself to never being able to
read the book. However, it was as though Fate determined I should not be
deprived. Mandy Owens came to my rescue and loaned me her copy of this
fan’s delight from Jan Alan Henderson. He gave us more of an insider’s
view of the George Reeves that I had admired, and knew only by my own
meager research. The first book introduced us to some of the people who
had known George personally. Through them, I became more familiar with
this George Keefer Brewer Bessolo Reeves.
With a
second edition in the works, and with Christmas coming, I knew exactly
what I wanted Santa to bring me. Many people have already commented on
Jan Alan Henderson’s second edition of this wonderful book. As with the
first edition, I found it impossible to put down. This is indeed the
book from which you wish a movie had been made! This is the
project that George Reeves’ fans from all over the globe had hoped to
see on film—not the end result of Hollywoodland. If only Kit
Parker had come sooner. If only Jan’s book, a bit of Bruce Dettman/Ralph
Schiller documentary, the heart and soul of Carl Glass and Jim Nolt,
along with The Face and the Voice, could have been put together,
we would have been all set.
Within
the pages of the second edition, Mr. Henderson seems to delve more
deeply into the various clues and opinions about whether or not George
Reeves’ death was a result of suicide, murder, or possibly accidental. I
read this version with a Sherlock Holmes attitude, looking for more
clues or evidence to enhance my own opinion. If I have any criticism of
Jan’s book, and that would be a feat in itself, it is that I am left
with more questions than ever. Admittedly, with so many people citing
how upbeat George had been, how he was so optimistic about future
projects including another season of TAOS, I am inclined to discount the
suicide theory. One of the most interesting comments in the book appears
in the Epilogue 2007 Walking Into the Light: “It’s astonishing
that people are still at odds over this man, quite literally since the
day he died” (p.159). Why would this be the case if, in fact, we are to
believe that Mr. Reeves was a man with mediocre talent at best on
the screen and TV? It is my firm belief that, George was anything but
mediocre. Here was truly a man who, while not perfect by any means, was
a giving man who loved life, good times, and enjoyed his friends. The
impression I’m left with after reading about George Reeves was that he
was well connected in Tinseltown, and loved by those on the screen and
off. These are the sides of Reeves that Jan presents to us along with
the popular doomsday speculations.
The
Photo Gallery is a
Reeves’ fan’s delight! Keith Thibodeaux (Little Ricky) has a typical
Superman stance with the hands on the hips (p.169). I can just hear
Keith telling George “This is the way it’s supposed to be done!”
George’s smile for him is priceless! The additional photos of the First
Lady of TAOS were such a treat. Many thanks go to Jan for including
them. The one of George and Lenore in a restaurant is troubling (p.195).
As Mr. Henderson states, this is truly “A telling photograph.” I see a
very enamored George Reeves with Lenore Lemmon. This would be
expected—after all, he was engaged to her. If “Every picture tells a
story”, then Lenore tells another tale in this one. This does not appear
to be the face of a woman who is in love. She seems totally devoid of
emotion, or disgusted over what she is being told. I’ve seen my share of
couples in love. I’ve been there myself. With that in mind, I see in
this photo a side of Ms. Lemmon that potentially was cruel, having a
very short fuse (her temper was well documented throughout the book),
and only there for a good time. I may be editorializing, but this photo
gives credence to Lenore using George and his popularity so that she
would be able to maintain the lifestyle she had become so accustomed to
having. Who would have guessed that six weeks from the time that picture
was taken that George would be dead.
Once
more, Jan Alan Henderson gives us more to ponder about George Reeves. We
see the sides of him that we knew were always there. Through the efforts
of many to bring George’s film work back to us, we see this man’s
potential as an actor. We’ve heard of his humanitarian work and charity
appearances. We are aware that he would show up at schools and hospitals
without the media and fanfare only for the love of those children. For
an entire generation, he was our hero, role model, and even father
figure to some. Jan’s book shows us all this and also that “even heroes
often fail” even if they are Superman.
April
2007
Gloria
Talbott was born on February 7, 1931 in Glendale, California. Her
great, great grandfather was one of the founders of that city. Her
father owned a dry cleaning business while her mother was a
Christian
Science practitioner. Her older sister, Mary Louise became actress Lori
Talbott. Gloria’s career began by winning a high school acting trophy.
She was also “Miss Glendale” of 1947, showing she had that pinup girl
quality. She participated in school plays and landed small parts in
films such as "Maytime" (1937), "Sweet and Lowdown" (1943) and "A Tree
Grows in Brooklyn" (1945). After leaving school, she started her own
dramatic group and played "arena"-style shows at various clubs.
She
appeared in her first film at the ripe old age of 13 in Sweet and
Low-Down (1944). A year later, she was in A Tree Grows In
Brooklyn (1945). Pegged as one of the glamour girls of the silver
screen, this debutante’s first professional stage performance was in an
L.A. production of One Fine Day, starring Charles Ruggles and
Mary Boland. From the stage she graduated to United Artists westerns:
Desert Pursuit with Virginia Grey in 1952; Northern Patrol
with
Kirby Grant in 1953; and Border City Rustlers with Guy Madison in
1953. Moving into comedy and drama, she starred in All That Heaven
Allows with Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson in 1955.
Also that year, she did We’re No
Angels, portraying Leo G. Carroll’s daughter and also starring
Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray, and Basil Rathbone. In 1957, she was in
The Kettles on Old MacDonald’s Farm, part of the Ma and Pa Kettles
series. She co-starred with Marjorie Main, Parker Fennelly, and John
Smith, her love interest in the film. That same year she was opposite
Joel McCrea in The Oklahoman. She
seemed to find her element in the B horror films of The Cyclops
(1957), The Daughter of Dr.
Jekyll (1957), I Married a
Monster From Outer Space (1957), and The Leech Woman (1960).
Gloria did reunite with other horror film stars in 1985 for a very
tongue-in-cheek thriller Attack of the B-Movie Monsters.
In
1948 she fell in love with an aspiring actor (Parrish) and married him
before she turned 18. On April 1, 1950, her son, Mark Charles was born
in Los Angeles. After five years of marriage, She divorced Parrish,
returning to films. During the 1950’s, Gloria said she kept having
problems with Darryl F. Zanuck chasing her around his desk! In August
1956, Gloria, then 25, was involved with Grover “Sandy” Sanders in Las
Vegas – enter husband #2. He was 37. In 1960, she was supposed to do a
guest appearance on Lloyd Bridges’ Seahunt, but turned it down
because her part required diving gear. Gloria had a fear of small,
enclosed spaces; she felt that in a prior life she had been buried
alive. She and Grover separated in 1963 and were divorced in 1964.
Husband #3 was Steve Joseph Capobianco, a physician. Their daughter,
Maria was born on April 15, 1967. This marriage ended three years
later. In 1977, she was married for the fourth and final time to
Patrick Mullally, a dentist, until her death in September 2000.
As
of 1961, Ms. Talbott all but retired from making films in order to raise
her children, but continued to work on the small screen until 1966 when
she was a full time stay-at-home mom. Gloria’s classic patrician
features and demeanor suited her well in her many roles. She appeared
in the popular Zane Grey Theatre. In the series You Are
There, she was Lady Jane Grey in “The Last Day of an English
Queen”. She appeared in single episodes of: The Untouchables,
Roaring 20’s, Annie Oakley, Death Valley Days, Dr. Kildare, Hopalong
Cassidy, Laramie, Mike Hammer, Mr. And Mrs. North, Surfside 6, The
Adventures of Wild Bill Hickock, The Gene Autry Show, and The
Rebel. She was in 2 episodes of: West Point Story, based on
actual people and events, The Millionaire, The Cisco Kid, Riverboat,
General Electric Theater, Fireside Theater and Bat Masterson.
She racked up 3 episodes in: Wanted: Dead or Alive as well as
Restless Gun, Rawhide and Gunsmoke. And Gloria had 4
Perry Mason’s to add to her collection. Also, in the 1950’s, she
had a recurring role as Abbie Crandall in Wyatt Earp and Moneta
Esperon on the Zorro TV series. In short, Gloria Talbott was in
just about every major series of the 1950’s and some prominent ones of
the early 1960’s. Her last television appearance was on a police drama
series entitled 87th Precinct with Robert Lansing,
Norman Fell and Gina Rowlands in March of 1962.
TAOS EPISODE: THE
GIRL WHO HIRED SUPERMAN
Those very glamorous
qualities that seemed to set her apart, served Gloria well in this
episode. To say she added a touch of class to the set would be more
fair. Mara Van Cleaver is the perfect embodiment of the “poor little
rich girl” and Gloria portrays this role so well. Her rude,
demeaning comments to the Planet employee when placing the ad to hire
Superman exemplify this. When Clark tells her that Superman is not for
hire, she immediately makes the assumption “He sounds terribly
stuffy.” This writer feels that, for such a wealthy heiress, she
certainly wasn’t a fashion plate in that scene at the Daily Planet! But
I have to say that, at the private party, as Mara, Gloria makes a
stunning appearance with her bare shoulders, long arms, and elongated
frame. Her black sequined gown certainly fits her like a glove! Here
is where Gloria Talbott was truly a fashion diva!
Mara’s request for a
“spectacular entrance” is no disappointment as Superman crashes through
the picture window. Gloria plays up the fact that Mara Van Cleaver
is one spoiled brat. Her disdain for poor Lois is so evident: “A woman
reporter – how novel”. When Lois mentions that some people might think
that other things are important besides money, Gloria is impeccable with
her vocal intonations as she says, “Oh, I do believe we’re having
sarcasm”.
Proving that diamonds
are a girl’s best friend, she is less than pleased when the Man of
Steel pops the diamond from her brooch and then crushes it in his bare
hand, leaving it in dusty fragments. It’s a good thing that Superman
put it back together again – as Mara’s reaction would dictate. She
seems to be in awe of this Superman, unlike Lois and Jimmy, who take the
demonstration of his powers in stride. When Jimmy takes a picture of
Superman with the ladies, John Eldredge and Maurice Marsac, it is
Gloria, as Mara who, with both hands, has attached herself to Superman’s
arm.
While
she definitely could be considered incorrigible, there is a
vulnerability and naiveté to Mara Van Cleaver. She is totally oblivious
that her gems are imitations. She is in sheer disbelief when guardian,
Jonas, the incomparable John Eldredge, informs her that she is broke.
Mara has spent money as if her back yard contained an entire orchard of
money trees. It’s never occurred to her that the well might ever run
dry. She threatens to have Jonas thrown in jail for embezzling her
fortune, but guess again, Mara! Jonas reminds her that she is up to her
pretty neck in this plot for “after all, I’m not the one who hired
Superman.” We are given a premonition of what is to become of poor Mara
when Jonas paints a picture of her as a penniless, working girl. The
reality of her plight now sinking in, she ponders how she ever got into
this situation. It is more overwhelming when Lois and Jimmy return to
the mansion and she tries to buy their silence. For perhaps the first
time, she learns an invaluable lesson – that money can’t buy everything,
especially where one’s integrity is concerned.
Her conscience taking
over, she tries to alert Clark to Lois and Jimmy’s whereabouts, but only
ends up in the same fate as they have. Of course, Clark manages to get
them out of trouble. What you do see is a genuine concern on Mara’s
part for Clark: “We heard a terrible noise. Are you all right?” Once
everything returns to normal, we now see Mara working at the Daily
Planet as a copy girl. This episode is a great morality play, as Mara
now understands and embraces the principle of the work ethic. She
insists that the money she used to hire our favorite hero be given to
charity as was originally intended.
Gloria
and her husband, Patrick were involved in a motorcycle accident in 1993.
Gloria’s right elbow was seriously injured, resulting in nerve damage
affecting her back and legs. For years afterwards, she received photos
in the mail for autographing, but couldn't sign them due to her injury.
However, she kept them all in hopes that she would be able to sign and
return them someday. In her last years, she began to have more
difficulty walking, and was bedridden in the months prior to her death.
She developed pneumonia, and was admitted to a hospital, where she
became critical. She died very peacefully. According to her husband,
having two grandchildren kept her going the last couple years, despite
the pain she endured.
Gloria Talbott remains a
cult favorite for her portrayals in westerns as well as her sci-fi
films. She was one of those stars who provided a touch of class to both
the big and little screens.
Photos provided by Thom
Hamilton
February 2007
Virginia Christine was
not the only Swedish miss to work on TAOS. Veda Ann Borg was born in
Boston, Massachussetts, on January 11, 1915. Her father, Gottfried
Borg, a Swedish immigrant, was a painter and decorator. Her mother,
Minna Noble Borg had been a secretary before marrying Gottfried. Veda
had hopes of becoming a cartoonist, but she established herself as a
model in New York in the early 1930s.
Despite having no prior
acting experience, Veda was given a secret screen test by Paramount in
1936 and signed on the spot. Her contract was short-lived with only one
film, Three Cheers for Love (1936), starring Bob Cummings and
William Frawley. Warner Brothers was a better fit. In Kid Galahad
(1937), she co-starred with Edward G. Robinson, Bette Davis,
Humphrey Bogart, and Wayne Morris. She had the knack of making even the
smallest bit parts memorable as evidenced in this performance. The
Case of the Stuttering Bishop was a Perry Mason venture. In The
Singing Marine with Dick Powell, Veda got billing over Jane Wyman.
In Public Wedding, the tables are turned; Jane Wyman gets top
billing along with William Hopper. San Quentin (1937)
teamed Veda with Pat O’Brien, Humphrey Bogart, and Ann Sheridan.
The
movie is a commentary on the Depression era and how inmates of the
prison are affected by it. In Confession with Kay Francis, Ian
Hunter, Basil Rathbone, and Donald Crisp, Veda plays one of Rathbone’s
conquests. Kay Francis is on trial for her life, while her defense
attorney is none other than a very young, moustached and full head of
hair—Ben Welden. While Veda’s part isn’t a large one, the movie is good.
In It’s Love I’m After, a comedy, Veda plays a maid. Co-stars
included the great talents of Bette Davis, Olivia deHavilland, Spring
Byington, and Bonita Granville. Veda’s only movie in 1938, Over the
Wall, paired her with two future TAOS alumni, John Hamilton and
Jonathon Hale. Her two films of 1939 were The Law Comes to Texas and
Miracle on Main Street.
A life-threatening
automobile accident in 1939 interrupted Veda’s career. Her face had to
be completely reconstructed by plastic surgery. Upon gaining her first
major role after the surgery, she said “I felt I had come back from the
grave.” Veda
emerged from this with a harder, more distinctive countenance than
before—it’s no wonder she was so adept being the brassy chorus girl, gun
moll and "kept women" that she would portray over the next twenty years.
Resuming film work, Veda worked on 10 films in 1940. The first was the
serial cliffhanger, The Shadow with Victor Jory and Roger Moore
(not 007, but Robert Young’s older brother). During the 1940’s she
freelanced at what is referred to as “poverty studios” like Monogram.
She was pegged as a “wisecrackin',
fast-talking, tough cookie...not the quiet ingénue that was
typical of the films of the period.”
In
Revenge of the Zombies
(sci-fi) she plays John Carradine’s deceased wife, Lila. Also featured
was Gale Storm, as part of a series for Monogram pictures (1943).
Veda had a part in the
Oscar winning film, Mildred Pierce (1945), starring Joan
Crawford, Ann Blyth, and Eve Arden. Despite considerable talent, her
leading roles usually occurred in B pictures like What a Blonde
(1945). Another of her serials, Jungle Raiders, (1945) was
a Sam Katzman production. The
Corsican Brothers
(1941)
paired Veda with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., J. Carol Naish, and a future
TAOS alumna,
Sarah Padden. In 1949, Forbidden Women told the tale
of three women hanging out in a bar, trying to gain the sympathy of the
bartender as they tell of their marital woes. Veda’s husband in this one
was Bill Kennedy, future announcer of the TAOS introduction, Robert
Shayne, and one Noel Neill.
She began picking up
some impressive "A" credits in the 1950s, notably as Vivian Blaine's
showgirl pal in the mammoth musical Guys and Dolls (1955). Veda’a
first movie with John Wayne was Big Jim McClain (1952), also with
Hans Conreid and James Arness. John Wayne, as an investigator for the
House on Un-American Activities gives viewers an inkling of what that
era was like in American history. Her last movie appearance was in the
John Wayne-directed film, The Alamo (1960). For eleven years,
Veda Ann Borg was the wife of director Andrew V. McLaglen.
Veda Ann Borg's career lasted
approximately 25 years, from the mid 1930s through about 1960. She did
roughly 80 films of various types, including a dozen westerns.
Veda’s TAOS Appearance
One of the most memorable episodes
of the entire series, The Stolen Costume begs the question of how
would CK/Superman react to someone actually discovering his secret
identity. This is one of the episodes written by Ben Peter Freeman.
(Please note: he wrote 7 of the episodes, including The Evil Three,
Mystery in Wax, and The Deserted Village). Mr. Freeman’s
treatment of female characters as strong-willed women is evident. The
Stolen Costume shows us Connie, a woman who really knows how to use
her brain. Connie overshadows Ace. It is Connie who knows the value of
what T-Ball has brought them. Connie perseveres in her interrogation
until told what she want to know. Veda’s brilliant portrayal of Connie
shines. Veda’s vocal intonation in the dialogue impacts perfectly. It’s
the emphasis on “The bullets bounced right off him!” as Ace shoots
Clark. It’s the panic in her voice when she asks, “Is he dead?” after
Clark knocks Candy out. It’s the smug attitude she adopts with “Yeah,
and that’ll put the whammy on your Superman racket but good!” And you
can hear her fright in “You’re not going to leave us here!” when
Superman brings them to the cabin on the mountaintop. Veda runs the
gamut of emotion.
Other TV Appearances
TAOS only began Veda’s TV career.
In 1953, she appeared in The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok as a
redheaded sheriff. She had a recurring role as Honeybee Willis in
The Life of Riley. She was in The Public Defender (1954), and
two episodes of the General Electric Theater (1954). Veda was
also in an episode of Stories of the Century (1955). She appeared
in three episodes of a WW II series entitled Navy Log (1955-57).
There was an Alfred Hitchcock episode (1956), and another recurring role
as Polly in the Disney mini-series, Corky and White Shadow series
(1956). She appeared in The Thin Man (1957), the State
Trooper (1957), Loretta Young Theatre (1958), Sugarfoot
(1958), 3 episodes of The Restless Gun, (1958), and Bonanza
(1961).
Veda in The Alamo
When I (Thom) first saw John
Wayne's version of The Alamo (1960), I had no idea who Veda was;
I didn’t know she had been in TAOS. John Wayne handpicked all the cast
members for this production; among them was Veda Van Borg who portrayed
Nell. Despite her dress in homespun cloth, a frayed straw hat and
sun-damaged hair, she makes a striking appearance. Most impressive are
her eyes. The makeup department put lenses on Veda eyes to portray her
blindness with an almost glass-like appearance. Her final scenes, Veda
gives one of her most powerful performances. It is worth watching again
and again. Also, the recreation of the Alamo still stands today in
Brownsville, Texas.
On a personal note,
Veda’s first husband was Paul Herrick, whom she married in 1942. She
met her second husband, Andrew V. McLaglen in 1945 while appearing with
his father Victor McLaglen in Love, Honor and Goodbye (1945).
Veda had three children:
Mary McLaglen, Josh McLaglen, and Victor McLaglen II. All three
children would end up working on the production end of the movie
business. Mary: unit production manager or assistant director
for such films as The Client, One Fine Day, Practical Magic, Divine
Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, and Miss Congenialty 2 (to
name a few). Josh: first or second assistant director of such
films as Alien 3, Dolores Claiborne, Titanic, The X-Files, The
Haunting, Reign of Fire, The Polar Express, Constantine and The
Lake House. Victor (Andy
McLaglen): directed films such as
McClintock, Cahill-US Marshall, and episodes of Gunsmoke,and
Have Gun Will Travel, among others.
Veda Ann Borg died of cancer on
August 16, 1973 at the age of 58, leaving behind her many unforgettable
roles as the woman who didn’t fit into high society, the zany blonde, or
one who was flawed. For the TAOS fan, Connie will always be one of the
most memorable women in the series.
December 2006
Once upon a
time, on March 20, 1920, about six years after the birth of George
Reeves, there was a Swedish American miss who made her entrance in
Stanton, Iowa. Are we beginning to see a pattern here of all the Iowa
natives who have been involved with
Superman? Her name was Virginia Ricketts, later as Virginia Kraft, when
her mother remarried. She became known as Virginia Christine. Her early
years were spent in Scandinavian communities in both Iowa and Minnesota.
She attended kindergarten and early elementary classes at the Elmwood
Elementary School near Drake University in Des Moines. As a student at
Mediapolis High School (class of 1937), Virginia dreamed of becoming a
concert pianist. During her high school years, she won state honors in
both vocal and instrumental music, as well as a National Forensic League
Award contest. This brought her to Chicago to work
for a radio station. Her family relocated to Los Angeles and it is here
that Virginia sought radio work while attending college at UCLA. While
there, Warner Bros. studio reps saw her in a play. They signed her up
and renamed her. A starlet was born—Virginia Christine. They cast her in
"Edge of Darkness".
She
was trained for a theatrical career by the actor/director, Fritz Feld,
who later would become her husband. They had two sons.
In 1942, her Warner Brothers
contract brought her bit parts in Edge of Darkness (1943),
playing a Norwegian peasant girl named “Miss Olson”. Dealing with the
Nazi occupation of Norway, the film starred Errol Flynn, Ann Sheridan
and Walter Huston. Mission to Moscow (1944) is based on the real
Ambassador to Russia, Joseph H. Davies. It features the talents of
Walter Huston, Gene Lockhart, Eleanor Parker, Virginia in an uncredited
role, and one Robert Shayne.
While
functioning as a freelance actress, Virginia played the female lead in
The Mummy’s Curse (1945). Teamed with Lon Chaney Jr, she
portrayed Princess Ananka. Later, she would come to consider this
picture “ghastly” in her own words, and definitely not one of her
highlights. There was the low budget western serial, The Scarlet
Horseman (1946) in which she had a recurring role as Carla
Marquette. That same year, she teamed up with Hugh Beaumont in Murder
Is My Business in the Michael Shayne series. And in 1949, she
appeared with George Reeves in Special Agent.
One
high note was the cult film Invasion of the Body Snatchers
(1956), while one of her worst
ventures was Billy the Kid Meets Dracula (1978).
As Mrs. Simpson, she appeared in High Noon (1952) with Gary
Cooper, Grace Kelly, and Lloyd Bridges to name a few. She was in the
1952 version of Cyrano de Bergerac with Jose Ferrer. Also that year, Ms.
Christine was in Never Wave at a WAC, a war comedy in which
Rosalind Russell and Jane Seymour starred with her. Virginia even had a
Disney movie in her resume, Johnny Tremain (1957). The notables
from this film were Sebastian Cabot and Annette Funicello. In 1963, she
appeared in 4 for Texas starring the Rat Pack and Ursula Andress
and Anita Ekberg. In 1964, she was cast for a role in The Killers,
based on a Hemingway short story. It was originally intended for
television; however, it was rejected by the censors because of the
violence.
She matured into
a character actress who was quite in demand when she appeared in Stanley
Kramer films: The Men (1950), Not as a Stranger (1955),
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
(1967). Her last film was Woman of the Year, (1976), a remake of
the old Tracy-Hepburn movie.
Although she
appeared in many films, here is one actress whose impact was most
definitely felt on the small screen rather than the large one. It
would seem that Virginia Christine was one of the most sought after
actresses to appear in many popular series in the 1950’s and 1960’s. In
fact, the busy, 5-foot-4 Iowan racked up
more than 150 movies and 300 television shows in her career.
Her
TV credits are far too numerous to mention. Some of the highlights
include multiple episodic appearances in Dragnet, The Ford Television
Theatre, Science Fiction Theatre, State Trooper, Trackdown, The
Rifleman, The Untouchables, Perry Mason, Bonanza, The Fugitive, Wagon
Train, The Virginian, The F.B.I.,
and Daniel Boone. And those are just the multiples! She had numerous
one-time appearances in many of our favorites from the 1950’s and
1960’s. She was also considered a voice artist, and did voice work in
Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo.
Another
memorable actress, we see her in only one episode, as the famous Lady
in Black.
Because she was so proficient in doing foreign accents, it’s no
wonder that Virginia was chosen to appear in this episode! I found it
most interesting that the character of lady in black would be the
central part of this episode, and yet, we only see her in the beginning
and at the end. We are given a glimpse of the lady in black’s secret
identity, Mrs. Frank, in a few brief scenes in the middle of the
episode. We see Jim Olson on the phone with Clark, telling him that he
is apartment sitting, as his mother and her friend are visiting
relatives in Michigan. As Jim leaves the building, he has an encounter
with a man with the scar on his face—none other than John Doucette. At
the bus stop, Jim has his first meeting with the lady in black. “I do
not think it will rain today, do you?” she says with her thick foreign
accent. Her next line of “He said the clouds are very near” make one
wonders what sort of secret message this is. Indeed, poor Jim looks
rather baffled himself.
As with a
typical spy thriller, the lady in black takes Jim into an alley and
persuades him to take a brown paper package from her for safekeeping. He
attempts to go after the mysterious lady, but she seemed to have
vanished into thin air. He then heads toward the back entrance of the
apartment building. Standing at the door, a dagger is thrown, landing in
the door molding. Jim hurries inside with a package full of money,
dropping it outside in the hallway, and calls Clark, telling him a story
that seems unbelievable. Still, being the hero that he is, Superman
makes a trip over to make sure everything is all right.
With Superman on
the scene, Jim’s story seems to be a tall tale. To make matters worse,
Mrs. Frank is first seen in the episode. Virginia, as Mrs. Frank brings
in a bag of groceries, and is asked if she found a knife at the back
door. She produces a rubber dagger and nonchalantly makes a comment
about how the kids are always leaving them there. Once Superman takes
off, she remarks “He sure flies pretty” and then goes about her
business. Virginia is then discussing with her husband how they are
switching expensive paintings with imitations. I must admit I chuckled
over her comment on modern art, and then the way she said, “Eyes, eyes,
eyes!”
Now toward the
end of the episode, the Lady in Black drops in on Jim. She tries to
persuade him to hide her, while Superman appears a moment later. With
her thick accent, she tries to excuse herself and leave the apartment
but Superman will not allow this. Fearful that Superman will take
action, she moves backward and says, “You would not touch a lady,” Of
course, our superhero, always the gentleman responds with “of course
not” but then uses his super breath to strip her of the hat and heavy
veil, revealing Mrs. Frank. At this point, Virginia pours on the tears
and is led from the apartment by Superman. And that is the last time we
see her in the episode.
Despite
all of her incredible film and television work, Virginia will most
likely be remembered as Mrs. Olson, the friendly, Swedish neighbor of
the Folger’s coffee commercials. In each one, she would provide
comfort to a young married couple by showing the new wife how to make
the perfect cup of coffee. Virginia began filming these commercials in
1965. She became so identified with the Mrs. Olson character, that her
hometown erected a water tower shaped like a coffee pot named after her.
Virginia Christine
retained her warm feelings for Iowa through the years, and returned
there for school reunions. She died July 24, 1996 but left behind a
long-standing film and television legacy.
(Special thanks to
Thom Hamilton for his assistance with the photos)
November 2006
Tribute
to Sarah Padden
We have been blessed to have
marvelous male character actors from the TAOS series that have left
an indelible mark on those episodes. Names so familiar to us such as
Herb Vigran, Ben Welden, and John Doucette were indeed
unforgettable. As I watched the series during syndication, I kept
asking why the women in the series never had any recurring
appearances like the men did. That’s why I decided, with Carl’s
blessing of course, to call attention to those women, who may have
only had one or two appearances, but whom also stand out in their
own right.
Many will never remember her real
name. Indeed, for TAOS fans, regardless of what other film or
television work she has done, she will always be known as Mrs.
Carmady in The Haunted Lighthouse episode. The actress, who
pretended to be Jimmy Olson’s Aunt Louisa, is really Sarah Padden.
She was born on October 16, 1881 in England. I’m not sure at what
point she came to the USA, but she spent the majority of her life
and career on this side of the Atlantic. Sarah had appeared in more
than 169
movies and television episodes during her career.
Sarah Padden’s film and television
career spanned the years of 1926-1961. During that time, she had
some major, many minor, and some uncredited roles. Like our beloved
George Reeves, Sarah had her share of appearances with major movie
stars. Sarah appeared in three films in 1931 – Mata Hari, Yellow
Ticket, and Bad Girl. Some of her co-stars included Greta
Garbo, Lionel Barrymore, Lawrence Olivier, and Boris Karloff. Bad
Girl received an Academy Award for Best Director and the film
was nominated as best picture. Other films featured Sarah with the
likes of Spencer Tracy, Ralph Bellamy, Helen Hayes and Clark Gable.
One of her early films, Tomorrow’s Children (1934) dealt with
the controversial subject of sterilization of people with physical
and mental defects. In this film, Sarah, whose daughter is to be
married is to be sterilized so a genetic defect cannot be passed
along. One venture, in 1939, cast a young Sarah Padden opposite
Mickey Rooney in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
One of Sarah’s films in 1943,
Hangmen Also Die, tells the story of a Nazi hangman and how
he himself loses his life. While reading up on this movie, I was
surprised to see that the summary was written by Jim Beaver. The
1940’s ushered in roles for Sarah in 34 westerns. It is here that I
for one have seen her in the majority of her films. This is also
where some of her best character acting is seen. Usually seen as the
rugged mother figure, head of a ranch, or even as the evil matriarch
on the wrong side of the law, Sarah seemed to shine in these roles.
She like George Reeves also appeared in a Hoppy movie entitled In
Old Colorado 1941), featuring William Boyd and Andy Clyde. Sarah
was in Gene Autry’s Heart of the Rio Grande (1942). In
“Marshal of Laredo” (1945), Sarah Padden had a young costar named
Robert Blake, later to be known as Baretta.
Due
to her versatility for character roles, Miss Padden was also
featured in comedies. Reg’lar Fellers (1941) finds an old and
mean Sarah about to be robbed when, the group of kids she finds
bothersome helps prevent the robbery. She eventually recants her
attitude toward children as a result. One of the kids in the group
is Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer of the Little Rascals/Our Gang fame.
Another comedy from this decade was So This Is Washington, an
installment of a seven-part series featuring Abner and Lum, two
backwoods grocery proprietors who think they’ve invented a synthetic
rubber. Sarah was featured as Aunt Charity Speers in this part. One
of her major roles came from comedy. She was Mom Palooka in the
1940’s Joe Palooka prizefighter series featuring Jimmy
Durrante and Stu Irwin. The Baby Boomers might not remember this,
but their parents might, as this was a very popular series.
In the early 1950’s Sarah appeared
in several noteworthy films. In 1950, Sarah starred in a movie
entitled The Missourians which happened to be directed by
George Blair. He, of course would go on to direct some of the TAOS
episodes. Sarah portrays a mother once more, while John Hamilton is
the mayor and Lane Bradford (Jet Ace) portrays a character
named Stash. Also in 1950, Sarah, in another western, entitled
Gunslingers, portrayed Rawhide Rose Rawlins. Two of her
co-stars were Andy Clyde and Bill Kennedy (TAOS announcer and race
announcer in Joey). House By The River (1951) was a
murder mystery. Sarah appears with Jane Wyatt and Peter Brocco (The
Secret of Superman). In 1952, it was Big Jim McLain with
John Wayne, James Arness, Hans Conried and Veda Ann Borg (The
Stolen Costume).
In addition to those already
mentioned, Sarah Padden had appeared with other actors who would
later become TAOS alumni: Arthur Space (The Seven Souvenirs),
Sterling Holloway (The Machine That Could Plot Crimes, Whistling
Bird, Through the Time Barrier), Jonathon Hale (The Evil
Three, Panic in the Sky), Maurice Marsac (The Birthday
Letter, The Girl Who Hired Superman), and Virginia Christine (Lady
in Black).
Once television had become an
accepted form of entertainment, Sarah was seen in many series in the
1950’s. She appeared in the very first episode of the first season
of Mr. And Mrs. North, entitled Weekend Murder. George
Blair was also one of the directors for this episode. Sarah appeared
in two Cisco Kid episodes with Jonathon Hale. In addition,
she was in Dragnet, Lone Ranger, and Roy Rogers episodes, and
The Loretta Young Show.
If anyone could be typecast, it
would have been Sarah. She always played the madcap, eccentric
heiress, a sympathetic mother of a very misguided son or daughter,
or a ruthless matriarch. Admittedly, she was very convincing in
these roles. In some films, Sarah was the one who made you chuckle
from some of her zany antics. In others, she was the virtual
maternal figure. In some, however, she was a fearsome character with
cold as steel eyes that would make anyone queasy. Indeed, in many of
her roles she portrayed someone you’d love to hate. For most of her
film work, Sarah’s hair was pulled back into that tiny bun that
seemed to be a signature trait for her.
Here’s a little known fact about
Sarah Padden. Did you know that Sarah was one of four actresses
being considered for the role of Auntie Em in The Wizard of Oz?
Just think of how her career might have gone had she been
immortalized in that classic. Although she didn’t land the part,
that didn’t stop Sarah from working and her resume proves that.
Her
TAOS appearance in The Haunted Lighthouse is one of my
favorite episodes. First, I love lighthouses. I used to marvel at
how large and small craft would be steered away from dangerous rocks
on a shoreline. As a child, I recall my grandmother was into the
soaps. One of her favorites was The Guiding Light, which
featured a lighthouse. The first time I saw The Haunted
Lighthouse, I wondered why the lighthouse was haunted. Clark’s
introduction about Aunt Louisa being pleasant enough but still
having an underlying tension sets the tone. Sarah Padden’s acting
ability is seen first in the warm smile and expressive eyes as she
introduces Jim Olson to Alice. When her son, Chris balks at having a
visitor, he gets the response in typical Sarah Padden harshness,
“You’re lucky I remembered he was coming at all!”
Sarah turns on the charm when Jim
Olson has a run in with cousin Chris. Sarah sweetly tells Jimmy that
she wants him to forget all the unpleasantness with his cousin Chris
and have a real vacation. Then she kisses him and tells him to be a
good boy. She sounded so convincing. Another side of Sarah’s Aunt
Louisa comes forth as she catches Jim and Alice sneaking out of the
house. Her “Where do you two think you’re going?” tone of voice is
authoritative, but panicked. After Jim explains they were going to
look for her, Sarah the ever charming, sends Jim off to bed with a
smile and “Good Night”. Immediately after he is out of sight,
Sarah’s smile disappears and her eyes form daggers.
With Superman and the Coast Guard
en route to Moose Island, Chris tells his mother to be prepared to
blow up the lighthouse to conceal any evidence of the ongoing
smuggling. Sarah now shows us worry and concern with her voice and
expressive eyes, “Chris! Alice is up there with her!” His total
disregard for Alice’s safety is such a counterpoint to Sarah, seated
at the kitchen table. Her body language conveys sadness, worry,
regret, and resignation. When Alice is tying her up, it’s the look
in Sarah Padden’s eyes that makes you feel sympathetic toward her.
Sarah’s last two performances were
in a 1957 episode of Crossroads where she played the
grandmother of a prison inmate, and in 1958 she was a ranch owner in
Girl With an Itch. Sarah Padden died on December 4, 1967. She
may be gone but she certainly is not forgotten.
[Many thanks to Thom Hamilton for
his assistance with research and photos]
For those of you unfamiliar with Detroit,
here’s a bit of history. The French built Detroit as a fort on the
River bearing the same name as the city. Through the years, the city
built a network of roads that resembled half of a wagon wheel. Each
spoke was a different road or avenue. The main spoke in that half
wheel is what we now call Woodward Avenue. Woodward bears the name
of a Detroit Judge, Augustus B. Woodward, who could be very
sarcastic or one who liked to joke. Woodward Avenue has remained the
“main drag” of Detroit—all 27 miles of it. Before Detroit became a
city back in 1815, Native Americans used Woodward as one of their
main routes. At that time, it was known as the Saginaw Trail. When
the path became a wood-planked passage, it was nicknamed the
“corduroy road” and wagons used to roll over it. The 1820’s brought
tollbooths, and the road was made of gravel, mud, and cedar blocks.
In 1909, Woodward had the distinction of having the first mile ever
of concrete in the world—between Six Mile and Seven Mile roads.
Finally, in 1916, the entire 27-mile length of highway all the way
from downtown Detroit to Pontiac was paved. It also had the nation’s
first three-color traffic light on it.
Needless to say, Henry Ford, Detroit, and
cars go together like Kellogg’s, Battle Creek, and cereal. Woodward
was an integral part of automotive production. Henry Ford’s first
car was built at his home, which was four blocks west of Woodward.
Chrysler was founded three blocks east of Woodward. GM introduced
its Pontiac line as well as GMC truck and coach lines in Pontiac in
1926. In each case, these plants rose up right off the Woodward
corridor.
Now, having come from a city like Chicago, with
an excellent mass transit system, it was hard to envision why
Detroit didn’t have one. Since Detroit is the birthplace and main
hub of the automotive industry, one would think that people would
have no trouble getting around this city. But to the natives here,
the automobile is representative of many things. First and foremost,
it is the primary industry that drives the economy of this city.
Second, it fosters one’s independence to go from one place to
another. Hence, the old Dinah Shore jingle of “See the USA in your
Chevrolet” was the theme for many. Why take a bus when you can go to
your very own destination, eliminate everyone else’s, and get there
faster? Third, certain car models represented an affluent social
position, such as the Cadillac, Lincoln, or Chrysler. Many of the
old time wealthy had more than one of these cars housed on their
estates.
But when all is said and done, it was the
marriage of cars and teenagers together on Friday night at the
drive-ins, or peeling rubber to impress the girls in the car next to
you on the highway that would shape the evolution of the car.
Indeed, being a part of that tradition, Woodward embodied
Steppenwolf’s now famous stanza of “Get your motor running; head out
on the highway, Looking for adventure in whatever comes our way”.
This year marked the 12th annual
Dream Cruise. The event has been billed as the “world’s largest
one-day celebration of car culture.” It started out as a one-time
event to raise funds for a children’s soccer field. Since that first
Cruise back in 1995, it has been transformed into a cultural event
that celebrates, not only the classic cars, but the fashions and
music of the past as well. The city limits of Detroit end at Eight
Mile Road. That’s where the city suburb of Ferndale begins. The cars
inhabit Woodward from there to Pontiac for a total of 16 miles of
Woodward Avenue. The media coverage of this event includes
nationally known car magazines and periodicals, to several local
newspapers, and our very own WOMC, the classic oldies radio station,
and WXYZ-TV, our ABC affiliate.

This year, I decided to focus on
cars from the earlier years than TAOS. Two real beauties are Ford’s
1930 Model A Coupe and a 1931 Model A Victoria Coupe. My dad was a
great lover of Buick. But this 1938 Buick Special 4-door sedan has
distinctive chrome and bears the Buick symbol on the front. The
interior was plush velour.

For the baby boomers born in 1948, including myself,
I found the prettiest Chevrolet Fleetmaster convertible in a creamy
yellow color.
Its interior, brown leather, was most luxurious.

From the first season of TAOS,
The Deserted Village, Clark and Lois drive down to Clifton in
a 1951 Chrysler New Yorker convertible. This picture of a 1951
Plymouth Cambridge gives you an idea of the styling. Cars were still
a bit boxy, but even back then the emphasis was on what was under
the hood.

When you compare GM’s blue 1951
Olds Rocket 88 convertible, with what Clark was driving, you see
very similar styles in the body length, headlights and chrome
detail.

Although I didn’t see too much
of TAOS cars, I did manage to find a 1958 police squad car. The 1958
version differed from Lois’ 1957 in the taillights. Instead of
having the full length of the fin having the taillights, the 1958
switched to the round ball at the base.
One of my favorites was the 1962
Cadillac, shown here in the Series 62 convertible.
Cadillac developed a longer car,
and note the tiny fins that would become larger in successive years.
I also have fond memories of the 1965 and 1966 Mustang. I had to get
one photo of a red car and how appropriate that it was the ’66
Mustang.

As I recall, one of the most desirable cars for drag racing was the
1970 Dodge Challenger. Most of them came with a full vinyl top in
their sportier versions.
Their distinctive taillight section was a dead giveaway.

What I would describe as “Cruise
Fever” starts out on Monday of that week, even though the Cruise
doesn’t officially occur until Saturday. During that time, you’ll
start to see cars rolling in to park in the Northwood Shopping
Center at the corner of Woodward and Thirteen Mile Roads. Serious
cruise participants come equipped with their lawn chairs and
literally camp out all day long in said parking lot. By Wednesday,
you’ll see areas being roped off and a good portion of that parking
lot with the cars in them. I know, as I have to pass that stretch
coming home from work every day. By Friday, it’s hard for local
traffic to get from one side of town to the other. All up and down
the Woodward corridor in the 9 cities that participate, you’ll see
events to display some of these beautifully restored vehicles. One
neat thing about Michigan—they have historic license plates for
these vehicles, which have the year of the car being licensed.
With the songs of the Beach Boys, Jan & Dean,
and countless others from that era, you can almost picture the kids
going to Susie-Q restaurant, a traditional stop at Maverick’s where
you had drive up orders brought to your car while listening to the
radio playing on the menu speaker, or meeting in Ted’s parking lot.
Annual attendance at our Dream Cruise is usually between 1.5 million
and 1.7 million. This year, we had rain on the day of the Cruise, so
we had a little less than 1 million visitors. Still, that is
impressive for a one-day event.
Just in case any of you would like more
information on the Dream Cruise, the link is
http://www.woodwarddreamcruise.com. If you enjoy classic cars,
you won’t be disappointed. Meanwhile, happy cruisin’ to all!
This past
weekend I happened to be in Chicago for a reunion-related project.
That being done, my classmate and I took her kids to the Wizard
World Convention. Upon arrival, we went our separate ways for a
while, and so I set out on my own quest…strange, that this one took
me back to the place of my birth. It was in Chicago that I first
discovered the wonderful world of a Superman, along with a man named
George Reeves, and his friends, Noel Neill, Jack Larson, John
Hamilton, Robert Shayne, and all those famous character actors. Now,
I had come back home to complete the pilgrimage and would seek out
our original Lois Lane.
I realize
that for those like Carl and Leslie, this is more of a common
occurrence. But to those of us who have only dreamt of meeting our
dear First Lady of TAOS, having the quest become a reality is almost
next to impossible to imagine. Yet, here I stood, amidst all the
hustle, bustle, and congestion—seeking the one person who has kept
our TAOS memories alive all these years, along with Jack Larson.
From the
moment I entered that convention center, my mind went into overdrive
with questions. I wondered how I would react to The Lady.
Would I be able to ask her questions, or would I stand there like a
bungling idiot? I realized that it didn’t matter—this was about the
mission to find Ms Neill and when I would find her, I prayed that I
would be able to speak to her with some level of coherence. Like
other conventions I’ve attended over the years, this one was wild,
crazy and fun. There were so many displays of comic books, action
figures, posters of Brandon Routh and people dressed in costumes.
Lou Ferrigno of The Incredible Hulk was there. Dirk Benedict
was signing Battlestar Galactica autographs, although I
remember him more as “Face” from The A-Team. Then there is
Scott L Schwartz, wrestler/actor, who also has a TAOS connection via
Gene LeBell (thank you, Larry for letting me in on that one). When I
told Scott that I hailed from the Detroit area, he told me that he
used to wrestle in Detroit at Cobo Hall. It was like meeting an old
friend. But even with all of the other celebrities there, none of
them could deter me. I just had to see the one person whom
I’ve longed to meet for so many years.
My
eyes glanced along the wall, as I knew that’s where SHE would be.
Then I saw it…that familiar poster of our favorite hero, George as
Superman, with our favorite heroine. I meandered through the crowds
and somehow found myself standing behind a group of people. They
were huddled around a table so I could not see her. As they began to
thin out, I approached with some trepidation. Then I spotted a
familiar face from Carl’s web page. “Larry?” I shyly asked. He
turned to me, so I said, “I’m Colete…from the Boards. It’s so nice
to finally meet you!” I added how much I’ve enjoyed his latest book
on Noel, particularly the early years. Larry was very warm and
friendly to me. He brought me over to the table and then introduced
me to “The Lady” herself. She flashed one of her famous smiles, and
extended her hand to me. I held it with both of mine and told her
what a great honor it was to meet her. To say I was a bit shaky
would be a masterpiece of understatement. I kept thinking I should
pinch myself—Can this really be happening? If it’s a dream, don’t
let me wake up! I didn’t know what to call her—Ms Neill? Noel?
She told me to call her “Lois”. I just stood there in total awe of
her. Our “Lois” may be very petite, but she has the heart of a lion.
She has such a presence and aura, and stands tall on her own.
I told her
that I had brought her a little present and she seemed very
surprised at that. I opened my purse and handed it to her. Her
reaction was priceless! She reminded me of someone who had just
opened her first Christmas present and discovered it was exactly
what she wanted. Her face had a look that told me she was pleased.
She thanked me and flashed another of her famous smiles. This was
definitely one for the memory books, Folks!
Sensing
this was a Kodak moment, Larry asked me if I brought my camera. I
immediately handed it to him. He snapped two pictures of “Ms Lois”
and me. I wanted to reciprocate so I’d have a picture of the two of
them, but he told me that he “isn’t photogenic” (that’s usually my
line). Not to worry, determined as I was, I did manage to get one of
Larry as well.
With the
camera put away, I turned to our First Lady of TAOS and told her
that one picture in her book had very special meaning for me. I
described it to her and felt myself getting a bit choked up. I took
her hand and told her that my mother, who would be 82 if she were
alive, had a similar one taken when she was 21. I told her how she
reminded me so much of my mom in that one. She was touched by that
and gave me a little hug.
What could
be more of an honor and privilege than spending some special time
with Ms Lois? I was so thrilled just to be in her presence. I am
exceptionally proud and pleased to report that she is just as
amiable and wonderful as Carl has told us she is. Our Lois puts one
at ease immediately and I found myself hanging on her every word. I
enjoyed the “girl talk” that we had, but we also spoke a bit about
TAOS. I told Ms Lois that The Wedding of Superman was one of
my favorite episodes because she finally got the man. At that, she
flashed one of her legendary smiles and gave a nod. Although there
are probably many things I could have asked her, my mind was a
blank. It was wonderful just watching her interact with people. To
coin a phrase from George as Superman, “I’m not very good with
words”, but just being in her presence was extraordinary!
All good
things must come to an end, and my time with the First Lady of TAOS
ended all too quickly. She remains a splendid ambassador for TAOS
and that entire ensemble cast. She tirelessly greets the fans with
great exuberance. She signs their photos and memorabilia, and has
her picture taken with them. I spent a few moments with her, but
came away feeling I’d known her my entire life. I was deeply touched
by her genuine concern for others,
and how much she enjoys being
close to the fans. I experienced the First Lady of TAOS, and that is
one I will cherish and remember always.
I’ve stated
before, that even though George never had any children of his own,
he has an entire generation of children. And yes, George, we are
the adults who do appreciate you. By the same token, our First Lady
of TAOS has been like a mother to all the fans who watched her then,
and continue to watch her faithfully. For an entire generation of
girls such as myself, The Original Lois Lane blazed a
trail and showed us how to remain competitive in a man’s world,
while still retaining our femininity. The little lady from
Minneapolis continues to be an inspiration to all of us. Stay well,
“Lois”, for we love you dearly!
August 2006
I haven’t been to one
of these in years. In fact, in years past, I usually would have been out
at the soccer field for the weekend. But I happened to be on the west
side for a meeting and dropped in at the Motor City Comic Con Saturday
afternoon.
I was the "lady
in black" to borrow a phrase from our beloved TAOS. Another figure,
Darth Vader kept waving at me and trying to get me to come to him. But
with several Imperial Storm Troopers circling me, I decided to meander.
I
went down one aisle, and saw Jon Provost. I totally agree with Carl. Jon
is very down to earth and very personable. We talked a bit about how
Lassie’s appearance has changed throughout the years. He even told me a
bit about the last series he was in and that Bob Weatherwax was quite
concerned about the ratings. That’s when they had Tommy Rettig (Jeff)
and June Lockhart doing guest spots. But then I saw this picture of Jon
with a Beagle, and that's all I needed. This was Jon’s dog in real life
and we started talking about beagles. I related how I became a foster
mother to a beagle named Tucker. This was Jon’s first visit to Detroit
and I told him I hoped he would return. The last thing I told him was
not to mention the Cavs in this town. We had Piston fever—and as of
Sunday, our home team did us proud!
Nearby,
was Tony Dow. Every time I wanted to speak to him, someone kept asking
me to take their picture. Finally, I went up to him and told him how I'd
seen a picture of him on the web with Jim Nolt’s daughter, Lisa. His
wife asked me where the picture was taken; I said it was at Noel's
birthday party. His wife said she remembered the party, and they had a
great time. We talked a bit about Hugh Beaumont—as a role model.
I related The Big Squeeze episode and told him that he portrayed
the same fatherly figure in that one, as he would play on Leave it to
Beaver.
By
the time I could see John Wesley Shipp, it was toward the end of the day
when they were packing up. I told him how I felt he was really good as
The Flash. I asked him about Robert Shayne. John had nothing but
kind words for him—called him a true legend, and a gifted actor. I asked
him if they talked about on the set. That's when he told me that they
were always rushing them through scenes so they were lucky to see each
other. Sounds a good deal like TAOS, doesn’t it? He gave total credit to
his stunt double for all of the daring things that his had to perform,
but he tried to do whatever he could.
Another aisle
and I found John Saxon. I asked him if he really did the karate moves in
Enter the Dragon with Bruce Lee. He responded that he did—except
for he backward flips. He was quick to add that not even Bruce did those
backward flips.
One
of the highlights was speaking to Karen Allen. With her hair in braids,
she didn't look any different from when she was in
Raiders of the
Lost Ark. She had
just undone the braids and we talked about hair—one of the
things women are prone to discuss. She is all but retired from show
business and has her own line of custom made shirts and sweaters in New
York. She went to college for fashion design and mentioned F.I.T. where
my daughter's best friend attends currently. She did say that if a
project came along, and it was too good to pass up, that she'd fit it in
with her schedule. But she's content with her business and raising her
15-year-old son.
As I was making
my way down one of the aisles, a whistling and strange, familiar sounds
startled me. I turned round to find R2D2 all lit up as I was walking by.
So I had to tell him that I could not forget about him and asked him to
give my regards to C3PO.
I really wanted
to see Brent Spiner, but he was constantly busy, busy, busy. I lucked
out as he was taking a break. In passing, I told him that, although he
will forever be Data for me, I liked his mad scientist from
Independence Day. There were others—Lee Meriwether, who still looks
the same. People constantly surrounded Adam West.
Knowing
my love for cars, I was content with the Batmobile. I knew it was a
Pontiac, but didn't know if it was a custom GTO or another model. Sure
enough, it was a 1966 customized Pontiac Catalina. I saw the Herbie
Volkswagen and fondly remembered my friend, Cindy, whose mint green one
we once tried to fit in 17 people! Starsky and Hutch's Ford
Torino was also there, along with the A-team’s GMC van and Dukes of
Hazard Dodge squad car.
And, of course,
what comic con would be complete without the comic books! Of course, I
zeroed in on those Superman and Lois Lane. But when you see them, and
knowing that George is my one true Superman, I kept saying, “Randy
Garrett, where are you?” We really need to commission him to do one for
us!
May 2006
Cars From TAOS in the Mid 1950s
Whenever I would go with my dad for a drive, we
used to play a game. He’d point to a car and ask me what model and year
it was. I used to know the slightest differences in model years – from
headlights to taillights, fins or no fins. This isn’t unusual as a
hobby, except that, as a girl, I knew more about these cars than some of
the boys!
In
The Adventures of Superman, the 1955-56 season marks the
beginning of Chrysler vehicles as the cars of choice. Both Lois and
Clark used Plymouth models. This was the era of two- toned
coordinated colors on the Belvedere body and interiors, and lots of
chrome on bumpers. Lois had the convertible version, while Clark drove
the station wagon. The 1955 models
premiered a sleeker look than the ’54 model year. The next time you
watch Joey, Peril by Sea, The Big Freeze, or Wedding of Superman,
pay attention to the cars.
The
1955 taillight shape was common not only for Plymouth, but for GM cars, like the Chevy. It isn’t until
1956 that the beloved fins start appearing on all makes of cars.
My dad had a 1956
Plymouth Savoy. Although the front of the ’55 and ’56 are similar, you can see the
difference in the rear of the car. In 1956, they got fins!
As
of 1957, the auto industry was into big, bold and long. Lois’ model had
dual headlamps. When you watch The Atomic Captive, where Lois
and Jimmy have taken the poor radioactive Dr. Latislav further into the
desert, I think it is a orange or rust two-toned Plymouth Fury or
Belvedere that Jimmy is driving.
Also appearing in
this episode is the 1958 black Chrysler Imperial. This baby was sleek
and very stylish. Their model was the 4-door sedan and was probably
from the Southampton series. You can also see the Imperial in
Superman’s Wife and The Big Forget.

The 50’s and early
60’s were truly a golden age for car styling. Majestic, stylish, and
sleek, these classic beauties made their owners feel like kings and
queens of the road. You could see the USA in more than a Chevrolet.
Since
Lois Lane seemed to have a keen eye for cars, I wonder what she would
have thought of the first car I ever owned, a 1967 Plymouth Barracuda.
Mine was in tan with black interior, bucket seats and a console.
According to our neighbor, who worked at the GM Technical Center, my car
had the best acceleration of any car he’d driven at GM. Not bad for a
19 year old girl. What do you think?
April 2006
Grandpa Bob and His Love of Trains
(Written to his Grandchildren, Mat, Sara, Ellen)
In order to understand your Grandfather’s
connection to trains, you’d have to know about some of the other Morlock
men. Your great, great grandfather, William Morlock came from Germany
and was a boilermaker by trade. Upon arrival in this country, he and
his wife settled in Terre Haute, Indiana. William worked as a fireman
during the days when horses would pull along the “fire engine”. Your
great grandfather, Fred also worked as a boilermaker, but for the
railroad in Indiana. I’ve heard that he originally worked for the
Pennsylvania Railroad in Terre Haute. But at some point, he relocated
to Chicago, where he worked on the Belt Company Railroad of Chicago,
known by most as the Chicago Belt. Trains at that time were steam
powered, water being heated by wood and then coal being loaded into the
furnace. That’s what enabled the engines to move. Here’s a picture of
one of their engines.
Your Grandpa Bob grew up with trains all around
him. The south side of Chicago used to have the stockyards. Here,
cattle, sheep, and other livestock were shipped to the stockyards and
then killed and processed for shipments to the various meatpacking
plants across the nation. An engine would then couple all the cars and
transport them to waiting trains so that meat would be delivered across
the country. Years later, the stockyards would be closed down and would
later be relocated in St. Louis. With the stockyards gone, Chicago had
already developed such a network of railroad track that it became the
railway hub of the Midwest and the entire country.
After WW II ended, the soldiers returned home from
the war and the U.S. Government paid for them to go back to
school. Grandpa Bob went to Machinist School to receive his tradesman
degree. He then went to work on the Chicago Belt. I’m not positive, but
it was most likely because he wanted to advance himself, that your
Grandpa Bob left the Belt and went to work for the Grand Trunk Western
Railway. The GTW--as we lovingly refer to it--was a “tenant” of
the Belt. That meant that, for a rental fee, they were allowed to use
the Belt’s track system in order to go from one destination to another.
The GTW was owned by the Canadian National Railway.
This would become an important factor later on when Grandpa would seek a
promotion as a Locomotive Foreman, a managerial position. This would
eventually take all of us from Chicago to Detroit.
All during the time I was growing up, Grandpa and I
would look at TV programs, like The Adventures of Superman, which
showed a locomotive in the introduction. Grandpa Bob used to know the
model numbers of all the various steam engines and would rattle them off
to me. He always said that steam was a more efficient way of running an
engine and required less maintenance. Of course, I couldn’t understand a
good deal of what he was saying to me. He just liked to share his love
of trains and I loved them as well. During the mid to late 1950’s, the
train engines were now diesel powered. The USA looked to the train as
the main transportation of freight. The diesel trains were faster and
more powerful and connected the Midwest with the west coast and the
eastern seaboard.
When all the major railroads converted to diesel
engines, there were some that really stood out. Santa Fe line had either
big silver or red engines. The Santa Fe line was the ultimate line for
passenger trains, although they handled freight as well. Their engines
were sleeker in design than their rounded steam predecessors. Their
powerful engines were designed to cut down on the number of stops made
since they no longer had to fill up a boiler with water. The Santa Fe
used the southern route going through Iowa, Missouri, Colorado, Arizona,
New Mexico and finally ending up in Los Angeles, California. The
Northern Pacific used another route, through the northern states and
ended up in Seattle. The diesels, like their steam predecessors had a
bell and whistle. But the whistle was a two or three toned sort of
whining sound. On summer nights, I can sometimes hear the train whistles
as they drive through a road crossing. It’s like having an old friend
waving in the distance to me.
Grandpa used to tell me there were two types of
engines--road and yard. The road engines are those that actually
transport people or freight from one city to another. If you think of
horses, then the road engines are like the stagecoach horses. The yard
engines are the workhorses, similar to plow horses on a farm. The yard
engines work at uncoupling cars from one train and putting them on
another.
Bicentennial Engine - 1976
All the engines have a “garage”, or
space in the
Roundhouse,
which is rounded but is usually a
semi-circle. Outside
the roundhouse is a track
leading
up to the turntable. An engine
would
come
out from the roundhouse, drive onto the
turntable,
and then would be turned to a
connecting
track in the rail yard for work or
connection
to the cars it would pull.
Back in the roundhouse, as each engine drives over its
track, there is an area like a basement right
beneath it. This is called “The Pit” and that’s where
Grandpa and the machinists would work on the engines
for routine maintenance. Grandpa Bob used to
tell me that, in the early 60’s, the engines of
the GTW were squared off--looking more
rectangular--and they had a small walkway around the
sides and front with a mini-rail. Grandpa
would remove the panel from the side where he
would work on the pistons for the engine.
I actually drove a train once! I was surprised
because an engine is different from the inside of a car. There are
dozens of switches on a panel in front of the engineer that operate the
different parts of the engine. A lever, called the throttle
powers the engine into movement. I asked the engineer how much should I
turn it so we didn’t jump off the track. I rang the bell and blew the
horn through the train yard. It was exciting and a bit scary--all at the
same time.
I’ll never forget the Christmas Uncle Rob got his
first Lionel train. I was so jealous; I liked dolls and typical girl
things, but I’ve always loved the trains. When Mat got his miniature
train set, I thought of how proud Grandpa Bob would be, and how he would
have loved to share his train stories with each of you.
Your Grandfather’s claim to fame was that he
promoted the first minority to a trade union on his line. Grandpa was
extremely proud of this accomplishment. I only knew him as Robby--a
tall, roly-poly looking man--but gentle as they come. Grandpa was a
great mentor, and he helped Robby study for the machinist exam. Robby
paved the way for other minorities to become tradesmen. Grandpa’s work
ethic was such that, if you did your job and did it well, then
everything was fine. He seemed to bring out the best in his men. And if
he felt they were not working up to their potential, he had no problem
telling them so!
March 2006

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