Harriet MacGibbon (born Harriet E. McGibbon; October 5, 1905 – February 8, 1987) was an American film, stage and television actress best known for her role as the insufferably snobbish, "blue-blooded Bostonian" Mrs. Margaret Drysdale in the sitcom ''

The Beverly Hillbillies ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor, backwoods family f ...

''.

Career

MacGibbon joined the stock company of Edward Clarke Lilley at Akron, Ohio. She then went to San Francisco and played leading roles for Henry Duffy. In Louisville, Kentucky, she acted with Wilton Lackaye,

Edmund Breese Edmund Breese (June 18, 1871 – April 6, 1936) was an American stage and film actor of the silent era. Biography Breese was born in Brooklyn, New York. His parents were Renshaw Breese and Josephine Busby. The Opera House in Eureka Spring ...

, William Faversham, Tom Wise and

Nance O'Neil Gertrude Lamson (October 8, 1874 – February 7, 1965), known professionally as Nance O'Neil or Nancy O'Neil, was an American stage and film actress who performed in plays in various theaters around the world but worked predominantly in the Unite ...

. There were regular productions, including ''Ned McCobb's Daughter'', ''

The Front Page ''The Front Page'' is a Broadway comedy about newspaper reporters on the police beat. Written by former Chicago reporters Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, it was first produced in 1928 and has been adapted for the cinema several times. Plot T ...

'', ''The Big Fight'', and a "transcontinental tour" starring MacGibbon in ''The Big Fight'', which began in Boston, Massachusetts, took in New Haven, Connecticut and Hartford, Connecticut, and ended at Caine's storehouse. During all of her travels while performing, MacGibbon managed to remain in Boston long enough to study the harp with Alfred Holy, first harpist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. She later said that when she gave up the instrument, Mr. Holy, "with unconscious humor", remarked, "What a pity, Miss MacGibbon, you look so lovely with a harp." She had a long and distinguished career on the Broadway stage, beginning in 1925 at the age of 19 when she acted in the play ''Beggar on Horseback'' at the Shubert Theatre. In the late 1930s, she did '' You Can't Take It With You'', the Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy, at the Biltmore Theatre in Los Angeles. From 1934 to 1937, MacGibbon portrayed Lucy Kent on the NBC radio soap opera ''Home Sweet Home''. Harriet MacGibbon in The Golf Specialist (1930)

Harriet MacGibbon in The Golf Specialist (1930)

Her film debut was a non-speaking bit as a snooty woman walking a dog across a golf course in

W.C. Fields WC or wc may refer to: * Water closet or flush toilet Arts and entertainment * ''W.C.'' (film), an Irish feature film * WC (band), a Polish punk rock band * WC (rapper), a rapper from Los Angeles, California * Westside Connection, former ...

' ''

The Golf Specialist ''The Golf Specialist'' is a 1930 pre-Code comedy short subject from RKO Pictures, starring W. C. Fields. It was his first talkie. The film was shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey when many early film studios in America's first motion picture industry ...

'' (1930), shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey.''The Golf Specialist'' (1930)
on YouTube She made numerous guest appearances on television starting in 1950, including Bewitched, Ray Milland's sitcom '' Meet Mr. McNutley''. Another sitcom in which MacGibbon appeared was ''

My Three Sons ''My Three Sons'' is an American television sitcom that aired from September 29, 1960, to April 13, 1972. The series was broadcast on ABC during its first five seasons, before moving to CBS for the remaining seasons. ''My Three Sons'' chroni ...

'', performing as Margaret Cunningham in the 1961 episode "Bub Goes to School". She was cast in five theatrical movies, including ''

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'' (1962), which was directed by

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and starred

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, and

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. Unlike her stage roles, MacGibbon's movie and television roles usually consisted of snooty society ladies, including her well-known role as Margaret Drysdale on ''

''.

Personal life and death

MacGibbon was married twice: to William R. Kane (divorced) and later to Charles Corwin White Jr., which ended when White died on December 25, 1967. With her first husband she had one child, a son. MacGibbon died at age 81 due to heart and lung failure. She was cremated, and her ashes interred in niche 61046 in the Columbarium of Remembrance at

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, Los Angeles, California.

Filmography

TV filmography

* ''Wacky Zoo of Morgan City'' (1970) as Mrs. Westerfield * ''

The Judge and Jake Wyler ''The Judge and Jake Wyler'' is a 1972 American TV movie directed by David Lowell Rich. The teleplay was written by Richard Levinson, William Link, and David Shaw. It was produced by Universal Television and broadcast by NBC on December 2, 1972. T ...

'' (1972) as hostess * ''The Best Place to Be'' (1979)

TV series – regular

* ''

Golden Windows ''Golden Windows'' is a daytime soap opera which aired on NBC from July 5, 1954 to April 1, 1955 from 3:15 to 3:30 PM/ET. The program was sponsored by Procter & Gamble, for Cheer. Synopsis The series tells the story of Juliet Goodwin (played by ...

'' (1954) as Mrs. Brandon (credited as Harriet McGibbon) * '' Hazel'' (1961) as Mother Baxter (uncredited) * ''

'' (1962–1969) as Mrs. Margaret Drysdale * ''

The Smothers Brothers Show ''The Smothers Brothers Show'' is an American fantasy sitcom featuring the Smothers Brothers that aired on CBS on Friday nights at 9:30 p.m. ET from September 17, 1965, to April 22, 1966, co-sponsored by Alberto-Culver's VO5 hairdressing ...

'' (1965) as Mrs. Costello

References

External links

* *
"History of Homeopathy – Biographies" about MacGibbon's father with some family background
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Macgibbon, Harriet E. 1905 births 1987 deaths American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American radio actresses American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni Actresses from Chicago Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Deaths from respiratory failure 20th-century American actresses