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- Actress
- Soundtrack
Forever embraced as the mumbling, bumbling Aunt Clara on the Bewitched (1964) television series, endearing character actress Marion Lorne had a five-decade-long career on the stage before ever becoming a familiar TV household name.
Born Marion Lorne MacDougall on August 12, 1883 (other sources list 1885 and 1888), she grew up in her native Pennsylvania, the daughter of Scottish and English immigrants. Trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, she appeared in stock shows, and was on the Broadway boards by 1905. She married English playwright Walter C. Hackett and performed in many of his plays throughout the 1920s and 1930s, including "Hyde Park Corner" and "The Gay Adventure". They at one point settled in England where they co-founded the Whitehall Theater. It was there that Marion began to sharpen and patent her fidgety comedy eccentrics in such plays as "Pansy's Arabian Knight," "Sorry You've Been Troubled," "Espionage" and "London After Dark". Upon Hackett's death in 1944, she returned to the States and again, after a brief retirement, became a hit in such tailor-made stage shows as "Harvey".
Marion made a definitive impression via her movie debut at age 60+ in Alfred Hitchcock's immortal suspenser Strangers on a Train (1951) as murderer Robert Walker's clueless, smothering mother. Surprisingly Hollywood used her only a couple more times on film after that auspicious beginning -- a grievously sad waste of a supremely talented comedienne. Marion wisely turned to TV instead and proved a dithery delight in such sitcoms as Mister Peepers (1952) and Sally (1957), gaining quirky status as well as part of the comedy ensemble on The Garry Moore Show (1958).
It was, however, her role as Elizabeth Montgomery's befuddled, muttering, doorknob-collecting witch-aunt on Bewitched (1964) -- whether bouncing into walls or conjuring up some unintended piece of witchcraft -- that put a lasting sheen on her long career. For that role she deservedly won an Emmy trophy for "Best Supporting Actress" -- albeit posthumously. Montgomery accepted her award. Sadly, Marion succumbed to a heart attack on May 9, 1968, just ten days before the actual ceremony. Elizabeth Montgomery gave a touching acceptance speech on her behalf.- Scottish-born Finlay Currie was a former church organist and choirmaster, who made his stage debut at 20 years of age. It took him 34 more years before making his first film, but he worked steadily for another 30 years after that. Although he was a large, imposing figure, with a rich, deep voice and somewhat authoritarian demeanor, he was seldom cast in villainous parts. He received great acclaim for his role as Magwitch in Great Expectations (1946), and one of his best remembered roles was that of Balthazar in Ben-Hur (1959). He was also Shunderson, Cary Grant's devoted servant with a secret past in People Will Talk (1951). Later in his life he became a much respected antiques dealer, specializing in coins and precious metals (coinage). He died in England at age 90. While his biggest Academy Award-winning film, Ben-Hur (1959) was in its final four+ months of filming, he became a widower when his only wife, Maude Courtney, passed away.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Phil Arnold (1909 - 1968) was an American screen, stage and television actor who appeared in approximately 200 films and television shows between 1938 and 1968 - in bit parts most of the time. A regular in the Three Stooges shorts, he also participated in many B movies, a few A ones and a host of TV series episodes. Easily recognizable by his small stature, his expressive face and his bald head, he played mainly popular types, whether good or bad ones. As a villain, he could easily embody a henchman or an escaped convict . Among the rare white collar roles he played he was a dentist once and a professor twice. But he was mostly cast as a common man, often with a big big mouth. Several times a cabbie, a delivery man, a vendor or a cop he was also hired to play a waiter, bellboy, an elevator boy, a parking attendant, a stage hand or even a bum.- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Albert Lewin was born on 23 September 1894 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945), Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951) and The Living Idol (1957). He was married to Mildred Mindlin Jacobs. He died on 9 May 1968 in New York City, New York, USA.- Edward Crandall was born on 2 March 1904 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Over the Hill (1931), Glorifying the American Girl (1929) and Dance Team (1932). He died on 9 May 1968 in Palm Beach, Florida, USA.
- Writer
Mercedes de Acosta was born on 1 March 1893 in New York City, New York, USA. She was a writer. She was married to Abram Poole. She died on 9 May 1968 in New York City, New York, USA.- Robert Malcolm was born on 13 March 1891 in New York, USA. He was an actor, known for The Living Christ Series (1951), A Foreign Affair (1948) and The Devil Thumbs a Ride (1947). He died on 9 May 1968 in Orange, California, USA.
- Harold Gray was born on 20 January 1894 in Kankakee, Illinois, USA. He was a writer, known for Annie (2014), Little Orphan Annie (1938) and Little Orphan Annie (1932). He was married to Winifred Frost and Doris C. Platt. He died on 9 May 1968 in La Jolla, California, USA.
- Additional Crew
Catherine Hunter was born on 4 May 1901 in Illinois, USA. Catherine died on 9 May 1968 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
Max Mannes was born on 5 May 1887 in Germany. He was an actor. He died on 9 May 1968 in Los Angeles, California, USA.