Pamela Britton (born Armilda Jane Owens, March 19, 1923 – June 17, 1974) was an American actress, best known for appearing as Lorelei Brown in the television series '' My Favorite Martian'' (1963–1966) and for her female lead in the film noir classic '' D.O.A.'' (1950). Throughout her acting career, Britton appeared often on Broadway and in several Hollywood and television films.

Early career

Armilda Jane Owens was born in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

, to Ethel (Waite) and Dr. Raymond Gilbert Owens, a physician. Her mother was a prominent stage, radio, and early television actress. She had two sisters: Virginia, who was an actress for

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orph ...

; and Mary, a social worker. Armilda attended Holy Angels Academy and the State Teacher's Normal School in her home town of Milwaukee. By the age of nine she was doing summer stock, and Hollywood came calling at age ten. Her mother rejected the advances, saying she wanted her to be an actress, not a child star. Owen started auditioning for roles at the age of 15, using the name "Gloria Jane Owen". She found that as soon as people knew who her mother was, they expected her to be as accomplished an actress. She used a pseudonym to audition under, choosing Pamela (from a British book) and Britton (to emphasize the source). In 1943 she found voice work as Jackie Gleason's mother-in-law on "The Honeymooners" radio show.

Theatre work

After a stint touring with bandleader Don McGuire, Britton's big break came when she was cast as both Celeste Holm's understudy and as Gertie in the Broadway production of ''Oklahoma!'' She played Meg Brockie in the Broadway production of ''

Brigadoon ''Brigadoon'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, and music by Frederick Loewe. The song "Almost Like Being in Love", from the musical, has become a standard. It features two American tourists who stumble upon Brigadoon, a m ...

'' (1947). When ''Oklahoma!'' went on tour, she took over Holm's role as Ado Annie. Britton's New York agent eventually sent her credentials to

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

executive Marvin Schneck. He came to see one of her performances in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, and was disappointed. He returned a second night, however, after additional cajoling from her agent, and he signed Britton immediately.

Hollywood

Britton's first role in a major production was as

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

's girlfriend in '' Anchors Aweigh''. Afterward, however, came a forgettable part in ''

A Letter for Evie ''A Letter for Evie'' is a 1946 American comedy film directed by Jules Dassin. Plot New York city girl Evie O'Connor works as a secretary for the Trojan Shirt Co. in Brooklyn. She has her mind set on finding a tall, strong man to marry - one t ...

'' in 1946. She went on hiatus to play the comic role of Meg Brockie in the original 1947 production of ''

'' on Broadway. She returned to the big screen opposite

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...

in '' Key to the City'' (1950), and then went on to make her most significant film appearance in the classic '' D.O.A.'', also in 1950. She made her third film of the year in the

Red Skelton Richard Red Skelton (July 18, 1913September 17, 1997) was an American entertainer best known for his national radio and television shows between 1937 and 1971, especially as host of the television program ''The Red Skelton Show''. He has stars ...

vehicle, '' Watch the Birdie'' (1951). About 19 years passed before she returned to the big screen. Britton portrayed the title role of the TV version of the Chic Young newspaper comic strip '' Blondie'' (1957), opposite Arthur Lake as her husband, Dagwood Bumstead. She reprised her role in ''Brigadoon'' in 1954, appeared in '' Annie Get Your Gun'' at the

Santa Barbara Bowl The Santa Barbara Bowl is a 4,562-seat amphitheater, located in Santa Barbara, California. The amphitheater is open for concerts from approximately April through approximately October with an average of about 27 concerts per season. Booked exclu ...

, and then returned to Broadway to replace an ailing Janis Paige in ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on " The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also b ...

''.

''My Favorite Martian''

What is perhaps her signature role began in 1963 and lasted until 1966 when she appeared as the nosy and ditzy landlady, Mrs. Lorelei Brown, in '' My Favorite Martian''. After the series ended, Britton appeared in the movies, '' If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium'' and '' Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came''.

Personal life and death

Britton was married on April 8, 1943, in Texas, to Captain Arthur Steel after they met on a blind date arranged by one of her sisters. After the wedding, he was posted to Italy on active service while Britton remained working at home. They had a daughter, Katherine Lee (born September 8, 1946). After the war, Steel worked as an advertising executive and went on to manage the

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, musician, rodeo performer, and baseball owner who gained fame largely by singing in a crooning s ...

hotels (Steel and Autry were first cousins). As their daughter grew up, Britton worked mainly in West Coast theater. After performing on tour with

Don Knotts Jesse Donald Knotts (July 21, 1924February 24, 2006) was an American actor and comedian. He is widely known for his role as Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife on '' The Andy Griffith Show'', a 1960s sitcom for which he earned five Emmy Awards. He als ...

in ''The Mind with the Dirty Man'', Britton was admitted to Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, Illinois, where she died of brain cancer on June 17, 1974, aged 51.

Filmography

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Britton, Pamela 1923 births 1974 deaths American film actresses American musical theatre actresses American television actresses People from Arlington Heights, Illinois Deaths from brain cancer in the United States Actresses from Milwaukee University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee alumni 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers