Norma Jean Nilsson (born January 1, 1938) is a former child actress in
old-time radio
The Golden Age of Radio, also known as the old-time radio (OTR) era, was an era of radio in the United States where it was the dominant electronic home entertainment medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcasting in the earl ...
and films.
[DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 203.]
Early years
Nilsson is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Arthur V. Nilsson. Her father was a professor of anatomy at the
Los Angeles College of Chiropractic. She has an older brother, Arthur Jr.
She began performing when she was 3 years old and was active during World War II, entertaining troops at Army camps across the United States.
[
Nilsson attended Victory Garden School and Bancroft Junior High School. Newspaper columnist ]Louella Parsons
Louella Rose Oettinger, (August 6, 1881 – December 9, 1972) known by the pen name Louella Parsons, was an American gossip columnist and a screenwriter. At her peak, her columns were read by 20 million people in 700 newspapers worldwide.
She ...
wrote in 1946 that Nilsson had an IQ of 162.
Radio
When Nilsson was 4 years old, she won a talent contest on ''Tune-Out Time'' on KECA. At 5, she made her "first big-time radio appearance", portraying a dying girl on ''Free World Theatre''. At 8, her picture was featured on the cover of the July 21, 1946, issue of ''Radio Life'' magazine.[
In 1947, she was the highest-paid child actress in radio.][ An article published in ''Radio and Television Mirror'' in 1951 reported that she was "a charter member of the Five Hundred Club, an organization of children who have appeared on five hundred or more radio broadcasts."][Terrace, Vincent (1999). ''Radio Programs, 1924–1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . pp. 45–46.] Kathy (the Andersons' younger daughter) on the radio version of ''Father Knows Best
''Father Knows Best'' is an American sitcom starring Robert Young (actor), Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Elinor Donahue, Billy Gray (actor), Billy Gray and Lauren Chapin. The series, which began on radio in 1949, aired as a television show for six ...
'', Glory Mae (the "little girl who lives next door") on '' The Jack Carson Show''.,Cavalcade of America
''Cavalcade of America'' is an anthology drama series that was sponsored by the DuPont Company, although it occasionally presented musicals, such as an adaptation of ''Show Boat'', and condensed biographies of popular Composer, composers. It was ...
'' and the radio version of ''Have Gun, Will Travel
Have or having may refer to:
* the concept of ownership
* any concept of ''possession''
* the English verb "to " is used:
** to express possession linguistically, in a broad sense
** as an auxiliary verb
** in constructions such as ''have somet ...
''.
Film
Nilsson was seen in ''Suspense
Suspense is a state of anxiety or excitement caused by mysteriousness, uncertainty, doubt, or undecidedness. In a narrative work, suspense is the audience's excited anticipation about the plot or conflict (which may be heightened by a viol ...
'' (1946), ''The Actress
''The Actress'' is a 1953 American comedy-drama film directed by George Cukor based on Ruth Gordon's autobiographical play ''Years Ago''. Gordon also wrote the screenplay. The film stars Spencer Tracy, Jean Simmons, and Teresa Wright, and featur ...
'' (1953) and '' The Green-Eyed Blonde'' (1957). She also appeared on the TV series '' Official Detective'' as Mary in the 1957 episode 'The Night It Rained Bullets'.[Classic TV Archive 'CTVA' Episode Guide-US Crimes Shows]
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nilsson, Norma Jean
1938 births
Living people
American film actresses
American radio actresses
American television actresses
20th-century American actresses
Actresses from Hollywood, Los Angeles
21st-century American women