Marjorie Lord
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Marjorie Lord (née Wollenberg; July 26, 1918 – November 28, 2015) was an American television and film actress. She played Kathy "Clancy" O'Hara Williams, opposite
Danny Thomas Amos Muzyad Yaqoob Kairouz, (born January 6, 1912 – February 6, 1991) known professionally as Danny Thomas, was an American comedian, actor, singer, producer, and philanthropist. He created and starred in ''The Danny Thomas Show''. In additio ...
's character on ''
The Danny Thomas Show ''The Danny Thomas Show'' (titled ''Make Room for Daddy'' for its first three seasons) is an American sitcom that ran from 1953 to 1957 on ABC and from 1957 to 1964 on CBS. Starring Danny Thomas as a successful night club entertainer, the sho ...
'' (''Make Room for Daddy)''.


Early years

Lord was born in
San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
, the daughter of Lillian Rosalie (née Edgar) and George Charles Wollenberg. During her early childhood, she was a ballet dancer. Her father was a cosmetics executive. Her paternal grandparents were German, as were two of her maternal great-grandparents. Her family moved to New York City when she was 15.


Career


Stage

In 1935, at the age of 16, Lord made her
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...
debut in '' The Old Maid'' with
Judith Anderson Dame Frances Margaret Anderson (10 February 18973 January 1992), known professionally as Judith Anderson, was an Australian actress who had a successful career in stage, film, and television. A pre-eminent stage actress in her era, she won two ...
. Her other Broadway appearances came in ''Signature'' (1945), ''Little Brown Jug'' (1946), and ''The Girl in the Freudian Slip'' (1967). Although most of Lord's success came in television, she said in 1963: "I am primarily a stage actress. That's what I was trained to do and that's my first love." In the 1970s, Lord was active in dinner theater productions, spending 34 weeks in such presentations in 1973 alone.


Film

One film reference book summarized Lord's movie career by saying, "For two decades, she played leading roles in mostly routine films ..."Aylesworth, Thomas G. and Bowman, John S. (1987). ''The World Almanac Who's Who of Film''. World Almanac. . P. 268. Lord was signed by
RKO Radio Pictures 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 Kei ...
in 1935. While appearing in ''Springtime for Henry'' with
Edward Everett Horton Edward Everett Horton, Jr. (March 18, 1886 – September 29, 1970) was an American character actor and comedian. He had a long career in film, theater, radio, television, and voice work for animated cartoons. Early life Horton was born March 18 ...
, director
Henry Koster Henry Koster (born Hermann Kosterlitz, May 1, 1905 – September 21, 1988) was a German-born film director. He was the husband of actress Peggy Moran. Early life Koster was born to Jewish parents in Berlin, Germany. He was introduced to cin ...
approached her and signed her to a contract with
Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...
. She appeared in six feature films and a
film serial A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, ge ...
''
The Adventures of Smilin' Jack ''The Adventures of Smilin' Jack'' is an aviation comic strip that first appeared October 1, 1933, in the ''Chicago Tribune'' and ended April 1, 1973. After a run of 40 years, it was the longest-running aviation comic strip. The strip was create ...
'' for Universal. Her film work includes a number of wartime pictures, including the 1943 mystery '' Sherlock Holmes in Washington'', starring
Basil Rathbone Philip St. John Basil Rathbone MC (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967) was an Anglo-South African actor. He rose to prominence in the United Kingdom as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in more than 70 films, primarily costume drama ...
in the title role. She also appeared in the Western films ''
Masked Raiders ''Masked Raiders'' is a 1949 American Western film.Richard Jewell & Vernon Harbin, ''The RKO Story.'' New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House, 1982. p238 It was originally called ''Trouble in Texas''. Filming started 25 April 1949. Plot Cast ...
'', '' Mexican Manhunt'', and ''
Down Laredo Way ''Down Laredo Way'' is a 1953 American Western film directed by William Witney and starring Rex Allen, Dona Drake and Slim Pickens.Pitts p.93 The film's art direction was by Frank Arrigo. Plot Cast * Rex Allen as Rex Allen * Koko as Koko, ...
''. In 1966, she played Mrs. Martha Meade, the wife of
Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...
's character, in the screwball comedy ''
Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! ''Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number!'' is a 1966 DeLuxe Color American comedy film starring Bob Hope and Elke Sommer. This film marked the first of three film collaborations for Hope and comedian Phyllis Diller, and was followed by '' Eight on the ...
''.


Television

Lord appeared in a 1950 episode of ''
The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in a ...
'' titled "Bullets for Ballots", also featuring Craig Stevens, and a 1955 episode entitled "The Law Lady". She appeared on the 1951 episode "The Return of Trigger Dawson" of Bill Williams's syndicated
western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
television series ''
The Adventures of Kit Carson ''The Adventures of Kit Carson'' is an American Westerns on television, Western television series that aired from 1951 to 1955 and consisted of 104 episodes. While airing, the show was shown in over 130 markets and was sold to the Coca-Cola Bott ...
'' and the 1954 production of "Shadow of Truth" on ''
Ford Theatre ''Ford Theatre'', spelled ''Ford Theater'' for the original radio version and known, in full, as ''The Ford Television Theatre'' for the TV version, is a radio and television anthology series broadcast in the United States in the 1940s and 195 ...
''. In 1956, while she was appearing in ''Anniversary Waltz'', Lord caught the attention of
Danny Thomas Amos Muzyad Yaqoob Kairouz, (born January 6, 1912 – February 6, 1991) known professionally as Danny Thomas, was an American comedian, actor, singer, producer, and philanthropist. He created and starred in ''The Danny Thomas Show''. In additio ...
, who asked her to replace
Jean Hagen Jean Hagen (born Jean Shirley Verhagen; August 3, 1923 – August 29, 1977) was an American actress best known for her role as Doll Conovan in '' The Asphalt Jungle'' (1950) and as Lina Lamont in ''Singin' in the Rain'' (1952), for which she wa ...
as his television wife on ''Make Room for Daddy''. Hagen had played Thomas' wife since the series' inception, but she was written out of the script in 1956 at the end of her contract. Lord accepted the role and joined the cast of the show, now called ''The Danny Thomas Show''. She played the role until the show was cancelled in 1964. In 1970, Lord and Thomas, along with several other original supporting actors, returned to television with ''
Make Room for Granddaddy ''The Danny Thomas Show'' (titled ''Make Room for Daddy'' for its first three seasons) is an American sitcom that ran from 1953 to 1957 on ABC and from 1957 to 1964 on CBS. Starring Danny Thomas as a successful night club entertainer, the sho ...
''. The show lasted just one season.


Later years

Lord remained active beyond her 90th birthday. On May 8, 2008, she participated in a "Salute to Television Moms" panel discussion organized by the
Academy of Television Arts and Sciences The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), also colloquially known as the Television Academy, is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the television industry in the United States. A 501(c)(6) non-profit or ...
.


Recognition

Lord has a star in the television section of the
Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...
, at 6317 Hollywood Boulevard. The star was dedicated on February 8, 1960.


Personal life

Lord was married three times. She wed actor John Archer on December 30, 1941, and they had two children, including actress
Anne Archer Anne Archer (born August 24, 1947) is an American actress. Archer was named Miss Golden Globe in 1971, and in the year following, appeared in her feature-film debut '' The Honkers'' (1972). She had supporting roles in '' Cancel My Reservation'' ...
. They were married from 1941 until their divorce in 1955. Her second husband was producer Randolph Hale, to whom she was married from 1958 until his death in 1974. Her third husband was Harry Volk, the former CEO of Union Bank and a Los Angeles philanthropist, to whom she was married from 1976 until his death in 2000. Her memoir is entitled ''A Dance and a Hug''. Lord is grandmother of Tommy Davis, son of her daughter Anne, both of whom are noted members of the
Church of Scientology The Church of Scientology is a group of interconnected corporate entities and other organizations devoted to the practice, administration and dissemination of Scientology, which is variously defined as a cult, a business, or a new religiou ...
.


Death

Lord died on November 28, 2015, aged 97, at her home in
Beverly Hills, California 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 Hills ...
of natural causes. Upon her death, she was
cremated Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a corpse through Combustion, burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India, Nepal, and ...
and her ashes given to her son, Gregg Archer.


Filmography


Film


Television


Stage


Bibliography


''A Dance and a Hug'', by Marjorie Lord (2004)


References


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lord, Marjorie 1918 births 2015 deaths 20th-century American actresses American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American people of German descent Actresses from San Francisco Actresses from New York City American women writers Writers from Los Angeles 21st-century American women