Ann Sothern

Born: 1909-01-22

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Ann Sothern (born Harriette Arlene Lake; January 22, 1909 – March 15, 2001) was an American actress who worked on stage, radio, film, and television, in a career that spanned nearly six decades. Sothern began her career in the late 1920s in bit parts in films. In 1930, she made her Broadway stage debut and soon worked her way up to starring roles. In 1939, MGM cast her as Maisie Ravier, a brash yet lovable Brooklyn showgirl. The character, based on the Maisie short stories by Nell Martin, proved to be popular and spawned a successful film series (Congo Maisie, Gold Rush Maisie, Up Goes Maisie, etc.) and a network radio series (The Adventures of Maisie). In 1953, Sothern moved into television as the star of her own sitcom Private Secretary. The series aired for five seasons on CBS and earned Sothern three Primetime Emmy Award nominations. In 1958, she starred in another sitcom for CBS, The Ann Sothern Show, which aired for three seasons. From 1965 to 1966, Sothern provided the voice of Gladys Crabtree, the title character in the sitcom My Mother the Car. She continued her career throughout the late 1960s with stage and film appearances and guest-starring roles on television. Due to health issues, she worked sporadically during the 1970s and 1980s. In 1987, Sothern appeared in her final film The Whales of August, starring Bette Davis and Lillian Gish. Sothern earned her first and only Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film. After filming concluded, she retired to Ketchum, Idaho, where she spent her remaining years before her death from heart failure in March 2001. Lucille Ball called Sothern "the best comedian in the business, bar none."


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Crazy Mama

as Sheba
Released: 1975-06-01

Melba Stokes, her mother Sheba and daughter Cheryl embark on a crime spree after their...

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The Blue Gardenia

as Crystal Carpenter
Released: 1953-03-20

Upon waking up to the news that the man she’d gone on a date with the previous night has been...

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A Letter to Three Wives

as Rita Phipps
Released: 1949-01-20

A letter is addressed to three wives from their "best friend" Addie Ross, announcing that she is...

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The Best Man

as Sue Ellen Gamadge
Released: 1964-04-05

The other party is in disarray. Five men vie for the party nomination for president. No one has...

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The Manitou

as Mrs. Karmann
Released: 1978-04-28

A psychic's girlfriend finds out that a lump on her back is a growing reincarnation of a 400...

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That's Entertainment! III

as (archive footage)
Released: 1994-07-01

Some of MGM'S musical stars review the studios history of musicals. From The Hollywood Revue of...

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Sylvia

as Mrs. Argona / Grace Argona
Released: 1965-02-10

Sylvia West (Carroll Baker) may not be who she says she is. Her fiancé, the very well-to-do...

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Lady in a Cage

as Sade
Released: 1964-06-10

A woman trapped in a home elevator is terrorized by a group of vicious hoodlums.

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The Whales of August

as Tisha Doughty
Released: 1987-10-14

Two aged sisters reflect on life and the past during a late summer day in Maine.

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Panama Hattie

as Hattie Maloney
Released: 1942-09-30

Sailors and spies mingle in between the acts at Hattie's nightclub in the Canal Zone.

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Thousands Cheer

as Ann Sothern
Released: 1943-09-13

Acrobat Eddie Marsh is in the army now. His first act is to become friendly with Kathryn Jones,...

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Kid Millions

as Joan Larrabee
Released: 1934-11-10

A musical comedy about a Brooklyn boy who inherits a fortune from his archaeologist father, but...

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Brother Orchid

as Florence 'Flo' Addams
Released: 1940-06-07

When retired racket boss John Sarto tries to reclaim his place and former friends try to kill...

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Words and Music

as Joyce Harmon
Released: 1948-12-31

Encomium to Larry Hart (1895-1943), seen through the fictive eyes of his song-writing partner,...

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That's Entertainment, Part II

as (archive footage)
Released: 1976-05-16

Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire present more golden moments from the MGM film library, this time...

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Golden Needles

as Fenzie
Released: 1974-07-17

An ancient Asian statue with the power to grant health and long life via secret acupuncture...

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Whoopee!

as Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)
Released: 1930-09-26

Western sheriff Bob Wells is preparing to marry Sally Morgan; she loves part-Indian Wanenis,...

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Cry 'Havoc'

as Pat
Released: 1943-11-23

The Army nurses on Bataan need help badly, but when it arrives, it sure isn't what they...

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Undercover Maisie

as Maisie Ravier
Released: 1947-03-01

Maisie Revere, a showgirl stranded in Los Angeles, decides to join the local police department...

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The Judge Steps Out

as Peggy
Released: 1947-12-15

A judge flees the pressures of professional and family life for a job as a short-order cook.

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A Letter to Three Wives

as Ma Finney
Released: 1985-12-16

Three women are going on a trip that leaves them incommunicado with the rest of the world, but...

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Twenty Years After

as (archive footage)
Released: 1944-01-01

This short celebrates the 20th anniversary of MGM. Segments are shown from several early hits,...

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Lady Be Good

as Dixie Donegan Crane
Released: 1941-09-18

Married songwriters almost split up while putting on a big show.

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The Greatest Mother of 'em All

as Dolly Murdock
Released: 1969-12-31

Stage mother Dolly Murdock (Ann Sothern) uses the attractiveness of her teenage daughter Tricia...

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Fast and Furious

as Garda Sloane
Released: 1939-10-06

Joel & Garda Sloan, a husband and wife detective team, who also sell rare books in New York,...

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The Killing Kind

as Thelma Lambert
Released: 1974-03-20

Young Terry Lambert returns home from serving a prison term for a gang-rape he was forced to...

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Madam Satan

as Zeppelin Reveler (uncredited)
Released: 1930-09-20

A socialite masquerades as a notorious femme fatale to win back her straying husband during a...

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Song of the West

as Bit Part
Released: 1930-03-15

Captain Stanton, who because of a misunderstanding over a woman with Major Davolo, has been...

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Maisie Gets Her Man

as Maisie Ravier
Released: 1942-06-01

Struggling performers, Sothern and Skelton's lives are thrown off gear when they are caught with...

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Gold Rush Maisie

as Maisie Ravier
Released: 1940-07-26

Maisie becomes attached to a dirt-poor farmer and his family as they try to make ends meet...

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There Goes the Groom

as Bettina Louise "Betty" Russell
Released: 1937-10-29

After striking it rich in Alaskan gold, a young man returns to marry his fiancé only to be...

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Shadow on the Wall

as Dell Faring
Released: 1950-05-19

Angered that her sister Celia has stolen her fiance, Dell Faring kills her and allows Celia's...

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Chubasco

as Angela
Released: 1968-04-14

A wild beach boy takes a job on a tuna fishing boat.

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Good News

as Student
Released: 1930-08-22

A college football star falls for his mousy French tutor.

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Trade Winds

as Jean Livingstone
Released: 1938-12-28

After committing a murder, Kay assumes a new identity and boards a ship. But, Kay is unaware...

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Melody in Spring

as Jane Blodgett
Released: 1934-04-07

It's love at first sight for singer John Craddock and Jane Blodgett who meet while John is...

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The Weekend Nun

as Mother Bonaventure
Released: 1972-12-21

Drama based on the life of Joyce Duco, with Joanna Pettet as a young nun torn between the...

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April Showers

as June Tyme
Released: 1948-03-27

A married couple who have a song-and-dance act in vaudeville are in trouble. Their struggling...

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Maisie Goes to Reno

as Maisie Ravier
Released: 1944-08-15

A Brooklyn showgirl gets mixed up in a divorce between a soldier and his wife.

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A Death of Innocence

as Annie La Cossit
Released: 1971-11-26

A mother travels to New York to see her daughter who is awaiting trial for murder. The mother is...

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Three Hearts for Julia

as Julia Seabrook
Released: 1943-05-21

When his wife threatens him with divorce, a reporter courts her again.

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A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound

as Self
Released: 1940-10-24

This short documentary, presented and directed by MGM sound engineer Douglas Shearer, goes...

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Ali Baba Goes to Town

as Herself
Released: 1937-10-29

While visiting Hollywood a starstruck movie fan (Eddie Cantor) fantasizes about himself cast in...

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Up Goes Maisie

as Maisie Ravier
Released: 1946-02-01

A showgirl working for an inventor battles crooks, who want to steal his ideas.

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Nancy Goes to Rio

as Frances Elliott
Released: 1950-03-10

Mother and daughter compete over same singing role and, unbeknownst to each other, the same man.

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Maisie Was a Lady

as Maisie Ravier
Released: 1941-01-10

Showgirl Maisie Ravier finds herself once again out of work. She meets a wealthy playboy who...

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You, John Jones!

as Mary Jones
Released: 1943-01-14

John Jones contemplates how fortunate he and his family are in America, where no wartime bombing...

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Super-Sleuth

as Mary Strand
Released: 1937-07-16

A movie actor playing a detective gets carried away with his role and starts trying to solve...

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Ringside Maisie

as Maisie Ravier
Released: 1941-08-01

Young undefeated boxer Terry Dolan, who's been lying to his invalid mother about his career,...

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Swing Shift Maisie

as Maisie Ravier
Released: 1943-10-01

Street-smart Maisie from Brooklyn lands a job at an airplane assembly plant during WWII and...

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Dangerous Number

as Eleanor
Released: 1937-01-22

Hank Medhill, artificial silk manufacturer, has returned to the U.S. from Japan to learn that...

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Fifty Roads to Town

as Millicent Kendall
Released: 1937-06-03

A man on the lam in the Canadian wilds encounters a young woman in a remote lodge who is also on...

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Broadway Thru a Keyhole

as Singer
Released: 1933-11-02

Racketeer Frank Rocci is smitten with Joan Whelan, a dancer at Texas Guinan's famous Broadway...

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You May Be Next!

as Fay Stevens
Released: 1936-02-05

Gangster tries to censor a crusading radio station by jamming its signal.

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The Little Dragons

as Angel
Released: 1980-07-18

Karate experts attempt to rescue a girl who was kidnapped by a mother and her two psycho sons.

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Congratulations, It's a Boy!

as Ethel Gaines
Released: 1971-09-21

A bachelor's life is interrupted by the appearance of a teenager who claims to be his son.

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Dulcy

as Dulcy Ward
Released: 1940-10-04

A dizzy young woman aranges to turn her inventor-boyfriend's vacation into a chance meeting with...

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Blind Date

as Kitty Taylor
Released: 1934-07-20

A young woman is torn between a wealthy suitor who wants her body and the honest young man who...

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Danger – Love at Work

as Antoinette "Toni" Pemberton
Released: 1937-09-30

A New York City lawyer finds himself falling in love with the daughter of a screwball South...

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The Outsider

as Mrs. Kozzek
Released: 1967-11-21

Darren McGavin is David Ross, a private investigator playing a game of follow the money. A...

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The Hell Cat

as Geraldine Sloane
Released: 1934-06-16

Reporter Dan Collins tries to expose a crooked gambling ring, but is waylaid by Geraldine...

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Show of Shows

as Performer in 'Meet My Sister' & 'Bicycle Built for Two' Numbers (as Harriet Lake)
Released: 1929-11-21

Now hear this. The studio that gave the cinema its voice offered 1929 audiences a chance to see...

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The Great Man's Whiskers

as Aunt Margaret Bancroft
Released: 1972-05-02

A young girl writes to President Abraham Lincoln to advise him to grow a beard.

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Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President

as Ethel Turp
Released: 1939-12-01

Joe and Ethel Turp are up in arms when their faithful old mailman is fired. Unable to get...

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Hotel for Women

as Ellen Connelly
Released: 1939-08-03

Guests at a women's residence club help a jilted small-town girl turn to modelling.

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Hooray for Love

as Patricia Thatcher
Released: 1935-06-14

A wealthy young man falls hard for a beautiful showgirl, and her wily father quickly realizes...

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Walking on Air

as Kit Bennett
Released: 1936-09-11

A strong-willed young woman hires a student to impersonate a boorish French count and brings him...

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Hollywood: Style Center of the World

as Self
Released: 1940-05-29

This short promotes the premise that movies often create a demand for the fashions seen in them....

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Smartest Girl in Town

as Frances Cooke
Released: 1936-11-27

A girl in search of a rich husband mistakes a millionaire for a male model.

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There Goes My Girl

as Connie Taylor
Released: 1937-05-21

Jerry and Connie are engaged to be married, but they're also rival newspaper reporters, and when...

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Maisie

as Maisie Ravier / Mary Anastasia O'Connor
Released: 1939-06-22

Wisecracking showgirl Maisie Ravier finds herself trapped in a Wyoming town when her new...

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Broadway Nights

as Showgirl (uncredited)
Released: 1927-05-15

Fannie joins Johnny to perform a music-hall act which becomes a success, until two Broadway...

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Eight Bells

as Marge Walker
Released: 1935-04-10

A trustworthy captain is reduced in rank so that the owner's daughter's fiancé may take charge.

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Fol-de-Rol

as Queen Gertrude
Released: 1972-02-27

A filmed version of Sid and Marty Krofft's 1968 live puppet show, set at a medieval fair. The...

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Grand Exit

as Adrienne Martin / Adeline Maxwell
Released: 1935-10-25

A Stumped insurance company is forced to re-hire the most expensive, most big-headed, but best...

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My American Wife

as Mary Cantillon
Released: 1936-08-06

Ann Sothern essays the title role in My American Wife. The story opens in Smelter City, Arizona,...

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Folies Bergère

as Mimi
Released: 1935-02-22

An entertainer impersonates a look-alike banker, causing comic confusion for wife and girlfriend.

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She's Got Everything

as Carol Rogers
Released: 1937-12-31

The day after Carol returns from a European trip, she wakes up to find her dead father's...

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Congo Maisie

as Maisie Ravier
Released: 1940-01-19

Maisie gets lost in a jungle in Africa and the jungle of romance. The African jungle has snakes,...

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Let's Fall in Love

as Jean
Released: 1933-12-26

A carnival girl pretends to be Swedish in order to win a movie role.

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Hell-Ship Morgan

as Mary Taylor
Released: 1936-02-08

A fishing-boat captain's bride eyes his first mate at sea.

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The March of Time

as Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Released: 1930-09-01

Unfinished pre-Code era film consisting of three sections with past performers from the stage...

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Don't Gamble with Love

as Ann Edwards
Released: 1936-02-28

Standard tale of husband and wife living a party lifestyle. He works in a gambling hall and she...

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The Party's Over

as Ruth Walker
Released: 1934-08-30

Bruce Blakely, a meek, mild-mannered certified public accountant, finally gets fed up with his...

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The Girl Friend

as Linda Henry
Released: 1935-09-27

An actor and two songwriters become rural con men.

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Lady in the Dark

as Liza
Released: 1954-09-25

The unhappy female editor of a fashion magazine is undergoing psychoanalysis.

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The Virginian

as Della Spencer
First aired: 1962-09-19

The Shiloh Ranch in Wyoming Territory of the 1890s is owned in sequence by Judge Henry Garth,...

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What's My Line?

as Self - Mystery Guest
First aired: 1950-02-02

Four panelists must determine guests' occupations - and, in the case of famous guests, while...

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The Lucy Show

as Rosie Harrigan
First aired: 1962-10-01

The Lucy Show is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 1962–68. It was Lucille Ball's...

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The Merv Griffin Show

as Self
First aired: 1962-10-01

The Merv Griffin Show is an American television talk show, starring Merv Griffin. The series ran...

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The Steve Allen Show

as Self - Guest
First aired: 1956-06-24

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Love, American Style

as Mrs. Devlin
First aired: 1969-09-29

An anthology comedy series featuring a line up of different celebrity guest stars appearing in...

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Alias Smith and Jones

as uncredited
First aired: 1971-01-05

Alias Smith and Jones is an American Western series that originally aired on ABC from 1971 to...

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The Alfred Hitchcock Hour

as Helen Cox
First aired: 1962-09-20

A continuation of the anthology series “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”, hosted by the master of...

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The DuPont Show with June Allyson

as Martha
First aired: 1959-09-21

The DuPont Show with June Allyson is an American anthology drama series which aired on CBS from...

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Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse

as uncredited
First aired: 1958-10-06

Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse is an American television anthology series produced by Desilu...

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The Ford Television Theatre

as Christine Emerson
First aired: 1952-10-02

This show started in New York City, with Broadway actors and actresses. It then moved to...

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Family Affair

as uncredited
First aired: 1966-09-12

Family Affair is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 12, 1966 to September 9,...

TV Show page

The Match Game

as Herself
First aired: 1962-12-31

In this panel game show, contestants try to match answers given by six celebrities to humorous...

TV Show page

My Mother the Car

as Gladys Crabtree
First aired: 1965-09-14

The story of the relationship between a man and his mother, the latter having been reincarnated...

TV Show page

The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.

as uncredited
First aired: 1966-09-13

The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. is an American spy-fi TV series that aired on NBC for one season from...

TV Show page

The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour

as Susie MacNamara
First aired: 1957-11-06

The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour is a collection of thirteen one-hour specials airing occasionally from...

TV Show page

The Ann Sothern Show

as Katy O'Connor
First aired: 1958-10-06

The Ann Sothern Show is an American sitcom starring Ann Sothern that aired on CBS for 93...

TV Show page

Flying High

as uncredited
First aired: 1978-09-29

Flying High is an American comedy-drama series that aired on CBS from August 28, 1978 until...

TV Show page

The Legend of Jesse James

as Widow Fay
First aired: 1965-09-13

The Legend of Jesse James is an American western series starring Christopher Jones in the tile...

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Captains and the Kings

as Mrs. Finch
First aired: 1976-09-30

Rags-to-riches tale of an Irish immigrant in late 1800s based on the novel by Taylor Caldwell.

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Letter to Loretta

as Self - Guest Host
First aired: 1953-09-20

Letter to Loretta is an American anthology drama series telecast on NBC from September 1953 to...

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Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

as Liz Quiz
First aired: 1951-10-05

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars is an anthology series that was telecast from 1951 until 1959 on CBS....

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