Barbara Darrow (November 18, 1931 - August 26, 2018) was an American

motion picture A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, since ...

and television

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

Early years

Darrow was born in

Hollywood, California Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...

, to George H. Wittlinger, a motion-picture landscape artist, and Alice Simpson Wittlinger, a former silent-screen actress.Barbara Darrow
at Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen, retrieved January 28, 2012 She graduated from Hollywood High School.

Career

Darrow's work as a model led to her receiving offers of film contracts. On August 31, 1950, a judge approved her seven-year contract with

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

. She made mostly

B-movie A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second ...

s in the 1950s, including ''The Monster That Challenged The World'' and '' Queen of Outer Space''. She replaced Marla English opposite

Spencer Tracy Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an American actor. He was known for his natural performing style and versatility. One of the major stars of Classical Hollywood cinema, Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy was the ...

in ''

The Mountain The Mountain () was a political group during the French Revolution. Its members, called the Montagnards (), sat on the highest benches in the National Convention. The term, first used during a session of the Legislative Assembly, came into ge ...

'', after English had an adverse reaction to a

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

vaccine A vaccine is a biological Dosage form, preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease, infectious or cancer, malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verifi ...

. By 1955, she was one of only three actors under contract to RKO. On television, Darrow portrayed Nurse Forester in the NBC medical drama '' Doctors' Hospital''. She also made several appearances in one or two episodes of popular television shows in the 1950s. Some of these include ''

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'', sometimes called ''The Burns and Allen Show'', is a half-hour television sitcom broadcast from 1950 to 1958 on CBS. It starred George Burns and Gracie Allen, one of the most enduring acts in entertainm ...

'', '' Bachelor Father'', ''

The Bob Cummings Show ''The Bob Cummings Show'' (also known in reruns as ''Love That Bob'') is an American sitcom starring Bob Cummings, which was broadcast from January 2, 1955, to September 15, 1959. The program began with a half-season run on NBC, then ran for ...

'', '' M Squad'', and ''

Peter Gunn ''Peter Gunn'' is an American detective fiction, private eye television series, starring Craig Stevens (actor), Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn with Lola Albright as his girlfriend, lounge singer Edie Hart. The series was broadcast by NBC from Sept ...

''.

Personal life

On September 28, 1956, Darrow married Thomas David Tannenbaum, son of David Tannenbaum (mayor of

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hil ...

for two terms in 1952 and 1956), and remained married until his death on December 1, 2001. A talent agent at MGM, he became the founding president of

Viacom Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to: * Viacom (1952–2005), a former American media conglomerate * Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom * Viacom18, a joint venture between Pa ...

. They had three children. Her youngest daughter Audrey married

Bobby Darin Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert Cassotto; May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor who performed Pop music, pop, Swing music, swing, Folk music, folk, rock and roll, and country music. Darin started ...

and

Sandra Dee Sandra Dee (born Alexandra Zuck; April 23, 1942 – February 20, 2005) was an American actress. Dee began her career as a child model, working first in commercials and then film in her teenage years. Best known for her portrayal of ingénues ...

's only child, Dodd Darin. Her son Eric Tannenbaum became president of

Columbia TriStar Television Columbia TriStar Television, Inc. (abbreviated as CTT) was an American television production and distribution company, which was active from 1994 until its reincorporation as Sony Pictures Television in 2002. It was the third iteration of what ...

at age 33; he later executive produced ''

Two and a Half Men Two and a Half Men is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn that aired on CBS for 12 seasons from September 22, 2003, to February 19, 2015. The series originally starred Charlie Sheen as Charlie Harper, a hedonis ...

''. Darrow's uncle is

John Darrow John Darrow (born Harry Simpson; 17 July 1907 – 24 February 1980) was an American actor of the late silent and early talking film eras. He is the uncle of actress Barbara Darrow. Biography Born in Leonia, New Jersey in 1907, Darrow began a ...

, a silent-film star turned successful agent, from whom she borrowed her stage name. Her older sister Madelyn Darrow became a model, and married tennis player

Pancho Gonzales Ricardo Alonso "Pancho" González (May 9, 1928 – July 3, 1995), known sometimes as Richard Gonzales, was an American tennis player. He won 15 major singles titles, including two U.S. National Championships in 1948 and 1949, and 13 Professi ...

Filmography

Movies

*''

Tall Story ''Tall Story'' is a 1960 American romantic comedy film made by Warner Bros., directed by Joshua Logan, and starring Anthony Perkins and Jane Fonda in her film debut. It is based on the 1957 novel ''The Homecoming Game'' by Howard Nemerov, wh ...

'' - Frieda Jensen (1960)Barbara Darrow
at TVguide, retrieved January 28, 2012 *'' Queen of Outer Space'' - Kaeel (1958) *''

The Monster That Challenged the World ''The Monster That Challenged the World'' is a 1957 black-and-white science-fiction monster film from Gramercy Pictures, produced by Arthur Gardner, Jules V. Levy, and Arnold Laven (who also directed), and starring Tim Holt and Audrey Dalton ...

'' - Jody Sims (1957) *''

'' - Simone (1956) *'' The Best Things in Life Are Free'' - Brenda (uncredited, 1956) *''Diane'' - Lady in Waiting (uncredited, 1956) *'' Susan Slept Here'' - Miss Jennings (1954)
Susan Slept Here
' at TCM Movie Database *'' The French Line'' - Donna Adams (1953) *'' Grounds for Marriage'' - Pretty Girl (uncredited, 1951) *''

A Life of Her Own ''A Life of Her Own'' is a 1950 American melodrama film directed by George Cukor and starring Lana Turner and Ray Milland. The screenplay by Isobel Lennart focuses on an aspiring model who leaves her small town in the Midwest to seek fame and fort ...

'' (uncredited, 1950)

Television

*''

Switch In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type o ...

'' - Nurse, Willie (2 episodes, 1977) *''Doctors Hospital'' - Nurse Forester (1975) *'' Mission: Impossible'' - Proprietress (1972) *''

Love, American Style ''Love, American Style'' is an American anthology comedy television series that aired on ABC from September 29, 1969, to January 11, 1974. The series was produced by Paramount Television. During the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, it was a pa ...

'' - Helen, Elizabeth (2 segments, 1970–1971) *''

Alcoa Theatre ''Alcoa Theatre'' is a half-hour American anthology series sponsored by the Alcoa Corporation and telecast on NBC at 9:30 pm on Monday nights from September 30, 1957 to May 23, 1960. For its first four months on the air, the title ''Turn o ...

'' - ''The Silent Kill'', Linda Hollander (1960) *''

Tightrope Tightrope walking, also called funambulism, is the skill of walking along a thin wire or rope. It has a long tradition in various countries and is commonly associated with the circus. Other skills similar to tightrope walking include slack rope ...

'' - Lois (1 episode, 1959) *'' Markham'' - Helen Dunhill (1 episode, 1959) *''Adventure Showcase'' - Linda Hollander (1 episode, 1959) *'' Colt .45'' - Nita (1 episode, 1959) *'' M Squad'' - Shelly Dana (1 episode, 1959) *''

'' - Virginia Pelgram (1 episode, 1959) *''

'' - Betty Jean, Lola (2 episodes, 1958–1959) *''

Goodyear Theatre ''Goodyear Theatre'' (also known as ''Award Theatre'' and ''Golden Years of Television'') is a 30-minute dramatic television anthology series telecast on NBC from October 14, 1957, to September 12, 1960. Cast Actors appearing in the series inc ...

'' - Oma Jean (1 episode, 1958) *'' Bachelor Father'' - Carol Spencer (1 episode, 1958) *'' Mike Hammer'' - Sharon O'Closky (1 episode, 1958) *''

'' - Barbara Parker, Peggy, Sylvia (3 episodes, 1957–1958) *''G.E. True Theater'' - Rita (1 episode, 1957)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Darrow, Barbara 1931 births 2018 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from California American film actresses American television actresses RKO Pictures contract players 21st-century American women Actors from Hollywood, Los Angeles