Doris Packer (May 30, 1904 – March 31, 1979) was an American actress, possibly best known for her recurring role as Mrs. Cornelia Rayburn, Theodore Cleaver's elementary school principal in the

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

, ''

Leave It to Beaver ''Leave It to Beaver'' is an American television sitcom that follows the misadventures of a suburban boy, his family and his friends. It starred Barbara Billingsley, Hugh Beaumont, Tony Dow and Jerry Mathers. CBS first broadcast the show ...

''. Packer portrayed the mother of

millionaire A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. Depending on the currency, a certain level of prestige is associated with being a millionaire. Many national currencies have, or ...

playboy Chatsworth Osborne, Jr. on CBS's '' The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis''. Earlier, she played Clarice Armitage, mother of Milton Armitage, whose character on the series Osborne replaced. In most of her screen roles, she was known for her aristocratic and intellectual bearing and precise use of the English language.

Background

Packer was born in

Menominee, Michigan Menominee ( ) is a city and the county seat of Menominee County, Michigan in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsula. The population was 8,488 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Menominee County, Mi ...

. Her family moved to southern

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

when she was quite young. She became interested in acting while in

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

. After attending the

University of California at Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the Ca ...

, she moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to study under noted drama and dance teacher Evelyn Thomas. Packer also appeared in Broadway shows. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Packer enlisted in the U.S. Army

Women's Army Corps The Women's Army Corps (WAC; ) was the women's branch of the United States Army. It was created as an auxiliary unit, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), on 15 May 1942, and converted to an active duty status in the Army of the United S ...

(WACs), joining in 1943 as a

Private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

and eventually reaching the rank of

Technical Sergeant Technical sergeant is the name of three current and two former enlisted ranks in the United States Armed Forces, as well as in the U.S. Civil Air Patrol. Outside the United States, it is used only by the Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force, and ...

. Her discharge records were likely lost in the 1973 fire at the Military Personnel Records Center. Packer appeared in an episode of '' Colgate Theatre'' in 1958 and played wealthy society matrons on ''

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 ...

'' and ''

I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes spanning six seasons. The series starred Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz, along with Vivian ...

'' and Mrs. Wiley on ''

The Andy Griffith Show ''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American sitcom television series that was 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 series ...

''. She had a recurring role as Clara Mason in the 1960-61 sitcom ''

Happy Happiness is a complex and multifaceted emotion that encompasses a range of positive feelings, from contentment to intense joy. It is often associated with positive life experiences, such as achieving goals, spending time with loved ones, ...

''. Packer played Mrs. McGillicuddy in the 1961 episode "Gladys' Political Campaign" on the CBS sitcom '' Pete and Gladys''. She played Grandmother Nedra in S3 E35 (1962) of ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television series created by Rod Serling in which characters find themselves dealing with often disturbing or unusual events, an experience described ...

'' entitled "

I Sing the Body Electric "I Sing the Body Electric" is a poem by Walt Whitman from his 1855 collection ''Leaves of Grass''. The poem is divided into nine sections, each celebrating a different aspect of human physicality. Its original publication, like the other poems in ...

". She played the wealthy Mrs Huntingdon in a 1963 episode "I'm No Henry Walden!" on CBS's '' The Dick Van Dyke Show''. She appeared on three episodes of ''

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 ...

'' as wealthy matron Mrs. Fenwick. She made a guest appearance on '' Perry Mason'' in 1962 as Mrs. Campion in "The Case of the Polka Dot Pony". During the first season of '' Petticoat Junction'' in 1964, Packer appeared in the thirtieth episode, titled "Kate and the Dowager". She portrayed a hotel guest whom Kate Bradley was trying to impress. She played retiring high school teacher Miss Hortense Pringle in a season two episode of ''

My Favorite Martian ''My Favorite Martian'' is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 29, 1963, to May 1, 1966, for 107 episodes. The show stars Ray Walston as "Uncle Martin" (the Martian) and Bill Bixby as Tim O'Hara. ''My Favorite Martian'' was th ...

'' entitled '' "We Love You, Miss Pringle"'' in 1965.

Family

Packer was married to stage director Rowland G. Edwards for 25 years — from September 29, 1928 until his death on August 10, 1953. The couple had no children.

Death

Packer died, aged 74, in 1979 in Glendale, California, of natural causes. Her body was interred in

Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park is a privately owned cemetery in Glendale, California, United States. It is the original and current flagship location of Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries, a chain of six cemeteries and four additional mortuaries ...

, California, with her grave marker noting her military service.Wilson, Scott. ''Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons'', 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 25047-25048). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Packer, Doris 1904 births 1979 deaths Actresses from Greater Los Angeles Actresses from Michigan People from Menominee, Michigan Military personnel from Michigan American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Women's Army Corps soldiers University of California, Los Angeles alumni 20th-century American actresses