Molly Dodd (November 11, 1921 — March 26, 1981) was an American actress.

Biography

Born as Mary Elise Dodd in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

to Rev. Neal Dodd (September 6, 1879 — May 26, 1966) and Lila Elsie Dodd (née Weaver; September 12, 1889 — March 28, 1949), her father was a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

of the

Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholic heritage and identity of the various Anglican churches. The term was coined in the early 19th century, although movements emphasising the Catholic nature of Anglica ...

Episcopal Church. Dodd began her

career The career is an individual's metaphorical "journey" through learning, work and other aspects of life. There are a number of ways to define career and the term is used in a variety of ways. Definitions The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defi ...

on the Los Angeles

stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

in 1939, debuting in a revival of the

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

''The Cradle Song'' with the Westwood Theatre Guild. Her performance in ''The Penguin'' (1940), at the Call Board Theatre in Hollywood, was reviewed as demonstrating unusual eccentric comedy gifts. That same year, she appeared in ''And Eternal Darkness'' at the Call Board and the review read, "Molly Dodd as the love interest was appealing." In February 1947, Dodd received a citation from the USO for her performance in Noël Coward's ''

Private Lives ''Private Lives'' is a 1930 comedy of manners in three acts by Noël Coward. It concerns a divorced couple who, while honeymooning with their new spouses, discover that they are staying in adjacent rooms at the same hotel. Despite a perpetu ...

'' at

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

camps. She acted in numerous stage productions through the years, including

summer stock In American theater, summer-stock theater is a theater that presents stage productions only in the summer. The name combines the season with the tradition of staging shows by a resident company, reusing stock scenery and costumes. Summer stock th ...

La Jolla La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood within the city of San Diego, California, United States, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781. La Jolla is surrounded on ...

. Dodd was in only four theatrical movies. She first appeared as a beautician in Hitchcock's ''

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties w ...

'' (

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...

) starring James Stewart and

Kim Novak Marilyn Pauline "Kim" Novak (born February 13, 1933) is an American retired film and television actress and painter. Novak began her career in 1954 after signing with Columbia Pictures and quickly became one of Hollywood's top box office stars, ...

. She also appeared as Mrs. Rigg in ''

What's the Matter with Helen? ''What's the Matter With Helen?'' is a 1971 American exploitation horror film directed by Curtis Harrington and starring Debbie Reynolds and Shelley Winters. Plot Leonard Hill and Wesley Bruckner are seen being loaded into a paddy wagon to face ...

'' ( 1971), which was written by her husband, writer Henry Farrell, and starred Debbie Reynolds and

Shelley Winters Shelley Winters (born Shirley Schrift; August 18, 1920 – January 14, 2006) was an American actress whose career spanned seven decades. She appeared in numerous films. She won Academy Awards for ''The Diary of Anne Frank'' (1959) and ''A Patch o ...

. In 1965, Dodd and actor/writer

Robert Lansing Robert Lansing (; October 17, 1864 – October 30, 1928) was an American lawyer and diplomat who served as Counselor to the State Department at the outbreak of World War I, and then as United States Secretary of State under President Woodrow Wi ...

formed the State Repertory Theatre as a rallying ground for professional actors who wanted to do plays outside the realm of commercial theatre. They did various productions – ''Spoon River Anthology'', a concert titled ''From Our Bag'', Pirandello's ''As You Desire Me'', and a double-bill titled ''Those Mad Victorians'', which the company took to

Caltech The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

in the late 1960s. When they returned to Caltech the following season, they performed ''An Evening With Oscar Wilde'', a concert reading based on

Wilde Wilde is a surname. Notable people with the name include: In arts and entertainment In film, television, and theatre * '' Wilde'' a 1997 biographical film about Oscar Wilde * Andrew Wilde (actor), English actor * Barbie Wilde (born 1960), Canad ...

's '' The Picture of Dorian Gray'' and '' The House of Pomegranates'', with Dodd as one of the players. She made a number of guest appearances on various top-rated TV shows, including ''

The Rifleman ''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television program starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show ...

'', ''

The Andy Griffith Show ''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American situation comedy television series that aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color. The ...

'', ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...

'', ''

Gomer Pyle Gomer Pyle is a fictional character played by Jim Nabors and introduced in the middle of the third season of ''The Andy Griffith Show''. A naïve and gentle auto mechanic, he became a character in the January 1963 episode, ''Man in a Hurry''. ...

'', '' Hazel'', ''

Petticoat Junction ''Petticoat Junction'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from September 1963 to April 1970. The series takes place at the Shady Rest Hotel, which is run by Kate Bradley; her three daughters Billie Jo, Bobbie Jo, and ...

'', ''

The Brady Bunch ''The Brady Bunch'' is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz that aired from September 26, 1969, to March 8, 1974, on ABC. The series revolves around a large blended family with six children. The show aired for five seasons and, afte ...

'', '' Bewitched'' and ''

The Rockford Files ''The Rockford Files'' is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner that aired on the NBC network from September 13, 1974 to January 10, 1980, and remains in syndication. Garner portrays Los Angeles private investiga ...

''. Dodd also played a mental patient in the TV movie ''

How Awful About Allan ''How Awful About Allan'' is a 1970 American made-for-television horror psychological thriller film directed by Curtis Harrington, the first of two collaborations with writer Henry Farrell (the other was ''What's the Matter with Helen?''), and ...

'' (1970), which was written by her husband, and starred

Anthony Perkins Anthony Perkins (April 4, 1932 – September 12, 1992) was an American actor, director, and singer. Perkins is best remembered for his role as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's suspense thriller '' Psycho'', which made him an influentia ...

and

Julie Harris Julia Ann Harris (December 2, 1925August 24, 2013) was an American actress. Renowned for her classical and contemporary stage work, she received five Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Play. Harris debuted on Broadway in 1945, against the wish ...

Death

Molly Dodd died at the age of 59 in

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to i ...

from undisclosed causes and was interred at the

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angel ...

Filmography

* ''

'' (

) ... beautician (uncredited) * '' My Six Loves'' (

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...

) ... woman (uncredited) * ''

'' ( 1971) ... Mrs. Rigg * '' Harper Valley PTA'' ( 1978) ... Olive Glover

TV filmography

* ''

'' (1970) ... unidentified patient * ''

The Whiz Kid and the Mystery at Riverton ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

'' (1974) ... Mrs. Blake * ''

'' (1977) Trouble in Chapter 17.... Housekeeper * '' ABC Afterschool Special'', "The Skating Rink" (1975) ... Mrs. Bayliss * '' Ruby and Oswald'' (1978) * '' The New Adventures of Heidi'' (1978) ... Mother Gertrude * '' A Last Cry for Help'' (1979) ... Ms. Harrison

TV Series

*'' Bachelor Father'' episode " Peter Falls in Love" as Woman at Laundromat *'' Playhouse 90'' episode "

Seven Against the Wall "Seven Against the Wall" is an episode of the American anthology series ''Playhouse 90''. It was about the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre''. Cast * Paul Lambert as Al Capone * Dennis Patrick as George 'Bugs' Moran * Frank Silvera as Nick Sorrell ...

" as Reporter with Capone *'' Dennis the Menace'' episode " Alice's Birthday" as Mrs. Williams - clerk in store *'' M Squad'' episode " The Outsider" as Police Sgt. Connally *'' The DuPont Show with June Allyson'' episode " Threat of Evil" as May Vale *''

'' episode " The Jailbird" as Bessie Steel Weaver *'' Peter Loves Mary'' episode " a Star Is Born" as Singing Teacher *'' Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.'' episode “ The Carriage Waits” as Woman #2 *'' Bewitched'' 2 episodes 1970-72 as Mrs. Brock *''

'' episode " I Dream of Genie" * ''

The Mary Tyler Moore Show ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977. Mo ...

'' episode "The Courtship of Mary's Father's Daughter" as Woman at Party *''

'' 2 episodes "Brace Yourself" as Saleslady (1970) & " Kelly's Kids" as Mrs. Payne (1974)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dodd, Molly 1921 births 1981 deaths 20th-century American actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American film actresses Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery