Lindsay Wagner: An Expensive Lady

September 14, 2026September 8, 2026 / thewritelife61 / Leave a comment

As we continue with our “Expensive Parts” blog theme, today we are learning about the career of Lindsay Wagner, the person behind The Bionic Woman which we learned about last week.

Wagner was born in Los Angeles in 1949. Her parents divorced when she was seven, and later her mother and stepfather moved to Oregon where she attended high school and got involved in school plays.

After high school, Wagner spent some time in France before enrolling at the University of Oregon. She later transferred to Mt. Hood Community College but soon dropped out. School was difficult for her, and she was eventually diagnosed with dyslexia.

Wagner returned to Los Angeles where she tried acting. During that time, she was a contestant on The Dating Game in 1969. In 1971, she was offered a contract with Universal Studios.

Her first television appearance was in 1971 on Adam-12. During the seventies, she continued to take television roles on a variety of shows including Owen Marshall Counselor at Law, The FBI, The Rockford Files, and Marcus Welby MD. I loved her role on Rockford. As Sara Butler, she was one of the few women who spoke her mind to Jim Rockford . . . and he listened! However, their relationship began in the pilot with her giving him a NSF check. I’m guessing if she hadn’t gotten the call for The Bionic Woman, she might have been on Rockford as his romantic interest for more episodes. It would have been fun to see where that might have taken the show from where it ended up.

Through her Universal contract, she was given the role of Jaime Sommers on an episode of The Six Million Dollar Man in 1975. The creator, Ken Johnson, hired her after watching her Rockford episode. As we learned last week, this was supposed to be a one-time appearance. Sommers was a high-school sweetheart of Steve Austin, The Six Million Dollar Man character. After she has an accident, he convinces his government bosses to save her in the same way he had been saved, using bionic parts. They agree if she will work as a government operative. At the end of the episode, Sommers’ body is rejecting the bionic parts and Steve learns of her death.

However, the character was so popular that they decided to spin off a show, and The Bionic Woman was created by Johnson. The show was popular during its first two seasons, but ABC cancelled it and NBC took it over for a final third season. Both The Bionic Woman and The Six Million Dollar Man were cancelled in 1978.

After the show ended, most of Wagner’s roles were in television miniseries or made-for-tv movies. Her only series work was on an episode of The Fall Guy in 1983. The following year, she received another recurring role on a new show called Jessie where she played a psychologist who helped the California Police solve murders. However, this one only lasted for 11 episodes.

In 1989 she was offered another cast role in A Peaceable Kingdom. This was about a Rebecca Cafferty, a recent widow from New York with three young children who accepts a job as the managing director of a large California zoo where her brother Dr. Jed McFadden, also works. This one made it to twelve episodes before being cancelled.

She continued to act through the nineties and 2000s, appearing in movies and television movies and a few more obscure series. In 2018 she was cast on Grey’s Anatomy as Alex Karev’s mother. For the next two years, she was in four episodes. In June of that year, she costarred in a video game being developed by Sony.

Though she continued doing some acting, most of her time since then has been spent working on books and taping commercials. Her first book was about using acupressure to achieve results formerly available only with a surgical facelift. In 1994, she was one of the first celebrities to come out with a cookbook, High Road to Health filled with vegetarian options.

Off screen Lindsay is passionate about the study and sharing of holistic health, the healing of body, mind and spirit. From 2003-2006, in collaboration with the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, Lindsay co-facilitated a support group for families reuniting who were struggling with domestic violence. In addition, she has taught acting and camera technique.

I would consider Wagner’s career successful, but I’m not sure if her acting career was successful for her. I could not find out what her goals were and what type of acting career would have been satisfying for her specifically. However, she has helped thousands of people with her off-screen roles and is to be applauded for using her life to help others.

Her website states that “Lindsay Wagner makes little distinction between her life as an actress, advocate, mother, or author. What unites these various parts is a commitment through her work and her personal life to exploring and advancing human potential.” I love that, what more can I say?

Hugh Beaumont: The Best Father on Television

May 25, 2026May 25, 2026 / thewritelife61 / 2 Comments

As we wind up our blog theme Model Parents, we concentrate on the career of Hugh Beaumont, the man many of us recall as Ward Cleaver on Leave It to Beaver.

Beaumont was born in Kansas in 1909. After high school, he enrolled in the University of Chattanooga where he played football. Later he studied at the University of Southern California, receiving his master of theology in 1946.

In 1941, Beaumont married actress Kathryn Adams. They were divorced in 1974. Hugh was a lay minister in the Methodist church, and during WWII he was a medic.

His passion for acting led him to appear in an impressive 99 films over his career. In the mid-1940s, Beaumont stepped into the shoes of private detective Michael Shayne in a string of five films — roles that showcased the quiet charisma and moral strength that would later define his most famous television character.

During the fifties, he transitioned to television where he had roles in many of the dramatic shows that were so popular then. In 1957 he got his big break with the role of Ward Cleaver on Leave It to Beaver. Beaumont also tried his hand at directing during the run of the show, directing 23 episodes.

📷laura’smiscellaneousmusings.com As Michael Shayne

The cast was a close one. Jerry Mathers shared his first memory of Beaumont which was not from Leave It to Beaver: “I actually worked with Hugh Beaumont even before we started shooting Leave It to Beaver. I was cast with him in a promotional film for Rose Hills Memorial Park. One thing I remember is that during a scene, I was supposed to cry on cue. Hugh asked me if I had ever done that before and I told him no. He said, ‘Put your face into your hands and laugh really hard.’ It’s an old actor’s trick because the sound of laughter and crying are very closely related. I tried and it worked.”

When Mathers came in for Hugh’s audition, he remembered the actor and they had good chemistry right from the start. Mathers said that he and Hugh had a wonderful relationship for his entire life. He fondly remembered Hugh coming over to his house to play cards with Jerry’s father and some of his friends.

During the sixties and seventies, Hugh was involved with community theater taking roles on several television shows including Lassie, Petticoat Junction, Marcus Welby MD, Mannix, and Medical Center. He also wrote several television screenplays and radio scripts, as well as short stories. His last role was in 1971 when he retired from entertainment to start a Christmas tree farm in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.

Beaumont died in 1982 while visiting his son in Germany.

Beaumont always kept his integrity. He once said that “sometimes my work as an actor presents a conflict with my ideals as a clergyman. I don’t believe in the old saying that the end justifies the means and no money that I can earn as an actor can accomplish so much good that I would feel justified in violating my ideals to earn it. , . . If the question ever arises in a serious way, of course, I would have to give up my acting.”

Hugh Beaumont was kindly remembered by everyone he worked with. He had dual careers with one foot in Hollywood and one in the church which isn’t always easy. He then took on a third profession selling Christmas trees. He seemed to be a man who enjoyed what he did and chose the right path for himself at each stage of his journey.

Robert Young: Pretty Successful for a Guy with “No Sex Appeal”

May 11, 2026April 17, 2026 / thewritelife61 / 2 Comments

Our theme this month is Model Parents and today we are learning about the career of Robert Young, otherwise known as Jim Anderson on Father Knows Best.

Young was born in Chicago in 1907. Young’s family moved around while he was growing up, landing in Los Angeles. When he was ten, his father abandoned the family and Young ended up with a paper route to help make ends meet. After high school, Robert attended the Pasadena Playhouse. While he was learning acting skills, he worked as a bank clerk and a reporter, as well as an extra in the Keystone Cops movies. While touring with a stock company, he was offered a contract from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Young appeared in more than 100 films during his career. After his contract ended, he worked for 20^th Century Fox, United Artists, and RKO Radio Pictures. Louis B. Mayer claimed Young “had no sex appeal.” Most of his films were B films, so despite the number of films he made, television is where he made his mark in entertainment. He only had about 15 acting credits in television, but in four of those shows, he was part of the cast.

In 1933 Young married Betty Henderson and they were together until her death in 1994.

His first tv role was on The Ford Television Theater in 1954. That same year he was offered the role of Jim Anderson on Father Knows Best. That show produced 202 episodes, lasting till 1960. Young was the only member of the cast who had been on the radio show. His character was ranked #6 on TV Guide’s list of the “Fifty Greatest TV Dads of All Time in 2004.

The cast was close, and Jane Wyatt got along well with her sitcom husband. When he passed away in 1998, she said he was “simply one of the finest people to grace our industry.” She went on to say that “though we never socialized off the set, we were together every day for six years, and during that time he never pulled rank and always treated his on-screen family with the same affection and courtesy he showed his loved ones in private life.”

Perhaps part of why they were so close is that they had to endure producer Eugene Rodney and his many rules. Elinor Donahue said that Robert Young called him a Benevolent Despot. He wouldn’t allow them to ask to change a line or action. He made everyone who was in the show audition for a part no matter how small it was or how many acting credits they had.

Wyatt, Billy Gray, who played his son, and Elinor Donohue, who played his oldest daughter, all attended his 90^th birthday party in 1997.

In 1961 he was offered another starring role in a television show. This one isn’t remembered as well. Window on Main Street only lasted one season. In addition to acting, Young was the creator and producer of this sitcom.

During the next decade, he accepted roles on ten different shows including Dr. Kildare, The Name of the Game, and Owen Marshall Counselor at Law.

In 1966, Young had a nervous breakdown, and it took him almost four years to recover. When he did, he had another offer waiting for him. From 1969-1976. Young once again got the starring role in a television series when he put on a white coat for Marcus Welby MD. Young earned his only Emmy for Dr. Welby.

While he appeared in a handful of made-for-television movies during the seventies, the only show he became part of the cast on was Little Women in 1979.

His last television performance was in the made-for-tv movie reunion for Father Knows Best in 1988.

Young also showed up in several commercials including a long-running campaign for Sanka coffee.

Sadly, Young suffered from depression and alcoholism. In 1991, he attempted suicide. Afterward he encouraged others who were suffering and in honor of his work, the Robert Young Community Mental Health Center was named for him. The center began in Illinois and now has branches in Iowa as well.

In 1998, Robert died from respiratory failure.

Young was a reserved and quiet man despite his outgoing television personalities. He said that he “was an introvert in an extrovert profession.” Perhaps it’s not surprising that one of his closest friends was Robert Board, his stand-in for twenty years.

Yet, his two most famous roles were as outgoing men: Robert Anderson, insurance salesman and Marcus Welby, doctor. I was sorry to hear how many struggles he had in his personal life. Despite his suffering, he put together an amazing and successful career. If you are remembered for two major roles, you can’t do much better than Jim Anderson and Marcus Welby.

Jane Wyatt: Proving That Mother Knows Best

May 4, 2026April 17, 2026 / thewritelife61 / 5 Comments

This month we are learning about “Model Parents” as we learn more about the careers of Jane Wyatt and Robert Young from Father Knows Best and Barbara Billingsley and Hugh Beaumont from Leave it to Beaver.

First up is Jane Wyatt. Jane was born in New Jersey in 1910 because her mother, who lived in New York, was at a resort when she was born. The doctor had to come by horse and buggy, so she was born before he got there. Her father was an investment banker on Wall Street, and her mother was a drama critic and playwright. Jane attended Chapin School and after high school enrolled at Barnard College. Halfway through her college studies, she left school to join the apprentice school at the Berkshire Playhouse in Massachusetts. She wanted to be a horse jockey or an actress and after acting throughout her private schooling and college, acting it was.

After working on Broadway for a bit, she was given a contract at Universal, appearing in One More River in 1934. Wyatt said the road to the studio was barely paved and it ran next to a trolley path. Make-up and hair people didn’t come to the studio, so the actors had to hire their own maids who brought their equipment to the studio by trolley.

A year later she married an investment banker, Edgar Bethune Ward, and they were together until his death in 2000. The couple met when they were house guests of Franklin D. Roosevelt at his Hyde Park home.

She would go on to appear in 34 films, the two most famous coming at the end and beginning of her career. She appeared in Lost Horizon in 1937. Later in her career in an interview with St. Anthony Messenger, she said that she felt the movie was ruined because “during the war, they cut out all the pacifist parts of the film—the High Lama talking about peace in the world. All that was cut because they were trying to inspire those GIs to get out there go bang, bang, bang.”

At the end of her career, she took a role in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

Wyatt’s career might have looked very different. She was up for the role of Melanie Hamilton on Gone with the Wind, but she didn’t get the part.

During the forties, her film career suffered because she was an outspoken critic of Joseph McCarthy. She said she was able to work in New York but not in California.

Wyatt recalled seeing television for the first time at Benny Goodman’s house. He had this “tiny square thing on his bar,” and they watched a western for a bit and then everyone at the dinner party agreed that it would never amount to anything. Ironically, she ended up becoming well known because of television.

Wyatt began her television career in 1951 on Nash Airflyte Theatre. These drama series kept her employed during the early to mid-fifties. Then in 1954 Wyatt was given the role of Margaret Anderson on Father Knows Best. She would continue with the role until 1960.

Wyatt was a three-time Emmy winner, winning for her role of Margaret Anderson from 1958-1960.

Jane talked about her time on the hit series. She said the shows “were written to be entertaining, but the writers had something to say. Every script always solved a little problem that was universal. It appealed to everyone. I think the world is hankering for a family. People may want to be free, but they still want a nuclear family.”

She admitted to The Washington Post that she got frustrated at times because “she was never seen reading a book or having a hobby . . . for the time, it was okay.” She also felt strongly that Margaret was an equal to Jim intellectually. She recalled an episode when Margaret became a successful fly fisherman.

It sounds like everyone was ready for the show to end. Wyatt said “The first year was pure joy. The second year was when the problems set in. We licked them, and the third year was smooth going. Fatigue began to set in during the fourth year. We got through the fifth year because we all thought it would be the last. The sixth? Pure hell.”

Wyatt did get along with her sitcom husband well. When he passed away in 1998, she said he was “simply one of the finest people to grace our industry.” She went on to say that “though we never socialized off the set, we were together every day for six years, and during that time he never pulled rank and always treated his on-screen family with the same affection and courtesy he showed his loved ones in private life.”

The cast was close. Elinor Donahue said in her Television Academy interview that Jane Wyatt was a friend of hers all her life as was Billy Gray. Jane was the one who disciplined the kids on the set. Elinor never had a nuclear family of her own and never had a typical high school day until she started at Hollywood High while the show was being worked on.

Perhaps part of why they were so close is that they had to endure producer Eugene Rodney and his many rules. Elinor said that Robert Young called him a Benevolent Despot. He wouldn’t allow them to ask to change a line or action. He made everyone who was in the show audition for a part no matter how small it was or how many acting credits they had.

Although Wyatt must have received a lot of fan mail during her time on the series, she later said she received the most fan mail for two other roles: her Star Trek roles.

Though she never joined the cast for another show, she was kept busy for the next three decades. During the sixties you can see her on Wagon Train and Star Trek. Ironically when Gene Roddenberry presented his idea for Star Trek to the network officials, he compared it to a space-themed Wagon Train. These were two of her favorite appearances.

In 1964, she was part of the very first made-for-tv movie, See How They Run. This was about three children who are stalked by hired killers after they unknowingly take evidence pointing to the existence of a corrupt international cartel, which has just murdered their father.

She did another first in the sixties, appearing in Season 1, Episode 1 of Love American Style, “Love and the Pill.”

During the seventies, Wyatt continued her appearances, and you will see her in reruns from The Virginian, Marcus Welby MD, and Medical Center, as well as several made-for-tv movies reunions for Father Knows Best.

The eighties kept her busy in Qunicy, ME; Happy Days; The Love Boat; and St. Elsewhere. Her last role was in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles in 1992.

Wyatt began fundraising for the March of Dimes in 1943 and continued with the organization until her death. She also enjoyed gardening and birding with Betty White.

Wyatt was offered the role of Rose in her later years for Titanic in 1997, but she turned it down. In 2006 she died in her sleep from natural causes at home. Her son said her mind was sharp until the end.

Listening to her interview with the Television Academy, it’s obvious she truly loved acting. She discussed how tough of a profession it was with the long hours, the rejections, and the unending preparation.

Fun fact, Jane said there is a Mount Wyatt in Antarctica. Her boyfriend at the time was with Byrd there and Admiral Byrd later sent her a letter telling her that they named the mountain for her.

She said she would like to be remembered as having a happy marriage and family life. She did have to give up some of her acting offers in order to do that well.

Jane Wyatt certainly had a successful marriage, family life, and career. You can’t ask for more than that.

Sara Seegar: What a Character!

April 27, 2026January 6, 2026 / thewritelife61 / 2 Comments

As we wind up our April blogs What a Character!, we end with Sara Seegar. Seegar was born in Indiana but grew up in London, Paris and Hollywood where she went to school. She then attended Los Angeles Junior College, majoring in drama.

She moved to London to appear on the stage there but returned to the United States once WWII began. Seegar began performing on Broadway before appearing on film, radio, and television.

The year she came home from London she met Ezra Stone while performing in Horse Fever. They were married two years later.

The couple raised their children in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, performing at the Bucks County Playhouse.

Seegar would appear in eight films, the most famous of which was The Music Man.

She only had 37 televisions credits, but she made memorable appearances on many of the most popular shows. She began her television career on several of the fifties’ drama shows that were so popular early in television history.

She began the sixties on Perry Mason, then moving to sitcoms including The Donna Reed Show, The Andy Griffith Show, and The Patty Duke Show. Her most famous role was Eloise Wilson on Dennis the Menace. Sylvia Field and Joseph Kearns played Martha and George Wilson from 1959-1962. After Kearns passed away, Field left the show, and Gale Gordon and Seegar took over as George’s brother and sister-in-law. Sara discussed her role of Eloise, saying “One of the things I’ve enjoyed about the role as Mrs. Wilson is that she could be me. Of course, basically, she’s sweeter, but I’ve been pretty much myself.”

She continued her roles in both sitcoms and dramas in the seventies including Marcus Welby MD, The Brady Bunch, and Kojak. She was in ten episodes of Bewitched, often playing the wife of one of Darrin and Larry’s clients. Her last appearance was in 1979 on The White Shadow.

From 1967-1990 Seegar was a workshop leader, lecturer, and guide for the American College Theater Festival and the Kennedy Center. Seegar passed away in 1990 in Pennsylvania.

I wish I knew more about the life of Sara Seegar. Viewers often mention how funny she was in the scenes she was in on Bewitched. It sounds like she had a lovely career.

Sandra Gould: What a Character

November 24, 2025July 28, 2025 / thewritelife61 / 2 Comments

We are winding up our blog series “What a Character” with Sandra Gould. I have to be honest, I had an unfair bias against Sandra Gould. I didn’t know a lot about her career, I just knew that she replaced Alice Pearce as Gladys Kravitz, and it was a bad replacement. It wasn’t Sandra’s fault—I blame the show’s producers.

Some actors truly are irreplaceable. Eartha Kitt, while a great Cat Woman, just wasn’t Julie Newmar. Imagine trying to replace Henry Winkler as the Fonz halfway into the show. Can you picture tuning into MASH and finding Hawkeye was now played by someone other than Alan Alda? Pearce was perfect in that role and, despite her being nosy and annoying, she was likable and that is hard to do. Gould’s Gladys was loud and brash, and I felt like I heard fingernails on a chalkboard whenever she was in a scene.

As long as I’m oversharing, I never cared for Dick Sargent either. While he was able to replace Dick York in some ways, York was just Darrin. Okay, I’m done and ready to talk about the good aspects of Sandra Gould and her long career.

Gould was born in Brooklyn in 1916. She entered the entertainment business early becoming a kid dancer in the Cat Skills by age 13.

Gould found a lot of success on radio, appearing on “My Friend Irma” and “Duffy’s Tavern.” Her first radio job came along when she was only 9 on “The Danny Thomas Show.” Gould was with Jack Benny for almost fifteen years.

In 1938 she married Larry Berns, a broadcasting executive. They were married until his death in 1965. Berns joined CBS in 1942 writing and producing radio and TV series including Our Miss Brooks. He later worked on McHale’s Navy and Broadside.

Sandra’s first role was in the big screen T-Men in 1947. Most of her roles were inept or gabby women, typically a telephone operator, nurse, receptionist, landlady, or saleswoman. Gould once mentioned that she played an operator more than any other actress. I did notice 10-15% of her roles mentioned switchboard operators.

While she continued to appear in movies, most of her acting credits came on television. She appeared in Oboler Comedy Theater in 1949. In the early days of television, many of the series were drama or comedy reenactments of movies or plays. Sometimes, new stories were written for these episodes. Gould continued with these roles into the mid-fifties.

From 1952-55 she appeared as Mildred on I Married Joan. This series starred Joan Davis and Jim Backus. He was a judge, and she was another “Lucy Ricardo” always getting into mischief or causing hardships for her husband.

Gould was kept very busy with offers during the end of the fifties and throughout the sixties. She could be seen doing comedy on Our Miss Brooks, I Love Lucy, The Jack Benny Program, My Three Sons, The Brady Bunch, and I Dream of Jeannie among others. She also tried western life on Wagon Train. Her drama performances included Hawaiian Eye and I Spy. She even dipped her toe into animation on The Flintstones.

At the end of the sixties, she was given the Glady Kravitz role. Pearce and Gould split the character’s appearances: Pearce had 27 episodes with Gould having 29.

Gould had stepped away from acting for a time. She published two books for girls: Always Say Maybe and Sexpots and Pans. They both seem quite dated today in their advice to girls to get the right type of husband. At the time she accepted the role of Gladys she said she had gone through a very rough year. Her husband died. Then her writing partner Peter Barry died. Then Alice Pearce, who was a good friend of hers. She had no desire to take over the role, but George Tobias who played Abner and was also a friend, called her to come in for an audition.

I could not find any information about she and Barry collaborating. One article specifically mentioned that they wrote scripts for Honey West, Tammy, and The John Forsythe Show, but I don’t see either of their names as writers for these shows. Barry is listed as a writer for 23 shows in the late fifties and early sixties, and he was a radio scriptwriter. Perhaps they had written some scripts that were never filmed.

I guess I am in the minority on the Bewitched issue because most sites I visited described her role similarly, usually something like Hollywood Spotlight’s description: “her over-the-top performance and shrill voice were popular with viewers, and she succeeded ultimately in making the character her own.” She also reprised her role as Gladys in the sitcom Tabitha in 1977 which was about Darrin and Samantha’s daughter as an adult.

Some time during her stint on Bewitched, she got married again to Hollingsworth Morse, and they were together until his death in 1988. Hollingsworth was a director and assistant director on almost 90 programs and movies including McHale’s Navy, Dukes of Hazzard, and Mork and Mindy.

The seventies and eighties found her primarily in drama roles, although she could be spotted in a handful of sitcoms. You can catch her on Columbo, Marcus Welby MD, Ironside, Crazy Like a Fox, and MacGyver. During the nineties, she took on roles that were described as “old lady” on Friends and on her last appearance which was Boy Meets World in 1999.

Not long after filming this episode, Gould passed away from a stroke following heart surgery.

Gould had a long and successful career and certainly made the nosy, gabby character her own. I’m glad the job on Bewitched helped her get through a very sad and difficult time in her life. However, I still am claiming she was not right for Gladys who should have been written off the show and just replaced with a new neighbor. But I respect Gould and the characters she made her own on the big and little screens.

Burt Mustin: What a Character

December 30, 2024March 16, 2024 / thewritelife61 / 2 Comments

This month we are looking at some of our favorite character actors. As we wrap up the series, we are ending on a high note with the amazing Burt Mustin. Like Charles Lane, Mustin had a prolific career in Hollywood and television. However, unlike Lane, Mustin was offered his first acting job at age 67 after he had retired.

Mustin was born in Pittsburgh in 1884. His father was a stockbroker. After high school, Mustin enrolled in the Pennsylvania Military College (now Widener University) with a degree in civil engineering. During his college career he played trombone in the band and played goalie for his hockey team.

After graduation, Mustin toured Europe, planning to work at his father’s brokerage firm. However, a financial panic destroyed the company.

One of Burt’s university classmates was Charles Spinney. According to Burt, Spinney displayed lots of photographs of young ladies from his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. One day, he was showing them to Burt when he spotted the photo of what he referred to as “the prettiest girl in the room.” Mustin traveled to Memphis to meet her and in 1915 he married Frances Robina Woods. The couple had no children and remained together for their entire lives, with Frances passing away in 1969.

After working as an engineer for a few years, Mustin decided to try to sell automobiles. In an interview, Mustin admitted, “I was the worst engineer the school turned out.” He began selling Oakland Sensible Sixes and later Franklins, Lincolns, and Mercurys. WWII put an end to car sales for a few years, so Mustin began working for the Better Business Bureau and then the Chamber of Commerce. He stayed in Pittsburgh until he retired.

He did a bit of amateur acting and continued his passion for music. He was part of the oldest Gilbert and Sullivan troupe in the country, the Pittsburgh Savoyards; the Pittsburgh Opera; and an officer in the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America.

He was a founding member of the Pittsburgh Lions Club in 1921 and a life member in the Fellows Club of Pittsburgh. Mustin served as an announcer for the first weekly variety show on radio station KDKA.

After retiring, Mustin and his wife moved to Tucson, Arizona for her health where he continued acting. William Wyler saw him in a stage production of “Detective Story” and told Mustin to let him know if he ever wanted to pursue a film career. When Wyler was casting for Detective Story in 1951, Mustin reached out to him. The couple later moved to Los Angeles. Mustin would appear in 67 films overall.

In 1968 Mustin was cast in Speedway with Elvis and Nancy Sinatra. In one scene the stars have a lover’s quarrel in a coffee shop. When they make up, Elvis sings a song for his girl. Mustin is in the background cleaning the café and working at the counter. The producers felt the scene needed something else. That something else ended up being Mustin singing and dancing with a mop. No one on the set realized that Burt could sing before that adlibbed scene.

1951 was also the year that Mustin appeared on television in The Adventures of Kit Carson. He would find a new career in television for the next two decades, appearing in more than 130 series (which would equal more than 400 actual episodes).

During the fifties, he would be attracted to many westerns and dramas; however, he found his way onto a few comedies including The Great Gildersleeve, December Bride, and Our Miss Brooks.

If I listed half of the 1960s shows he appeared on, you would still be reading this blog next Monday when my new one is dropped. Take my word for it that he was on almost every popular sixties’ sitcom, including 14 episodes as Gus the fireman on Leave it to Beaver. Other sixties hits you can find him on include The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Joey Bishop Show, The Jack Benny Show, The Beverly Hillbillies, Get Smart, The Andy Griffith Show, The Lucy Show, Bewitched, Gomer Pyle USMC, Petticoat Junction, and My Three Sons, not to mention many dramas and westerns including Bonanza and Gunsmoke. He was no less busy in the seventies where we could catch him in Marcus Welby, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Brady Bunch, Love American Style, Adam-12, All in the Family, and Phyllis.

Johnny Carson loved having Mustin on The Tonight Show, where he was a fan favorite. He shared a lot of fun stories on the show. One of them was about him being at the first World Series for baseball in 1903 when the Pittsburgh Pirates played the Boston Red Sox. Unfortunately for Burt, Boston came back to win the series, but as a bonus he did get to see Honus Wagner play on the diamond.

Mustin passed away eight years after his wife at the age of 92. He left a gift to the college he was loyal to his entire life, enabling Widener University to renovate their theater. It is now named the Burton H. Mustin Theatre and Lecture Hall.

It’s hard to wrap your head around what a busy film and television career Mustin had. He was an actor for the last 25 years of his life, and with 67 movies and more than 400 episodes, that means that he accumulated about 20 credits per year which is almost two a month from age 67 to 92. Talk about an amazing career. Mustin proved that it’s never too late to find your next passion. Thanks for so many great memories Burt Mustin.

Joan Tompkins: What a Character

July 1, 2024July 1, 2024 / thewritelife61 / 2 Comments

We are starting a blog about Supportive Women, great actresses who made classic television so much better. I’m beginning with Joan Tompkins.

Tompkins was born in 1915 in Mount Vernon, NY. She began her career in stock theater companies in New York in the thirties before appearing on Broadway in several shows including “My Sister Eileen,” “Pride and Prejudice,” and “Fly Away Home.” Henry Fonda was in several the plays with Joan.

In 1936 she married actor Stephen Ker Appleby in New York, but five years later they divorced. Appleby was born in Wales and known best for his 1960s movies. He lived to be 100. From 1942-1951 she was married to Bruce MacFarlane before they divorced. McFarlane died in 1967 and had 28 acting credits in television and film. Joan would then marry a third actor in 1951, Karl Swenson, “the man of a thousand voices.” The two worked together on the radio. Many fans of Little House on the Prairie would recognize Karl as Lars Hanson. Swenson obtained an amazing 175 credits, primarily on television during the two decades before his death.

After WWII Joan became a foster parent for a crippled Polish boy, Tomasz Machcinski. He later became a photographer. In 1994, their story was made into a documentary, “Child from a Catalog.” Machcinski’s life story was very interesting. He was born in the Kampinos Forest in Gorki, Poland. He spent his childhood living in hospitals and orphanages. After developing a relationship with Joan, he graduated as a precision mechanic in 1963. In 1966, he took up photography and created thousands of self-portraits. Some were as historic characters. He chose the stories, make up, and costumes. He once said that he didn’t “use wigs, tricks, but I use everything that happens to my body, such as hair regrowth, tooth loss, diseases, aging, etc.” He has had exhibits in Copenhagen, Beverly Hills, Warsaw, New York, and Paris. Machcinski passed away in 2022.

Tompkins had a long radio career. She was the voice of Nora Drake on “This is Nora Drake” which was on CBS radio until 1959.

She began her television career in 1954 on an episode of Ponds Theater. Almost all of her 93 acting credits were for television shows. She had a recurring role on a soap, Valiant Woman, appearing in 176 of the 1027 episodes of the show as Marion Walker. Throughout the fifties, she showed up in several dramas as well as The Donna Reed Show, Bachelor Father, and Father Knows Best.

During the sixties, she had two recurring roles. She played Mrs. Brahms on Occasional Wife in 1966-67. I remember her on My Three Sons; between 1967-1970, she appeared as Lorraine Miller, Katie’s mom, nine times.

You can catch glimpses of her on many of your favorite shows from the sixties and seventies, including Hazel; The Danny Thomas Show; Perry Mason; Gomer Pyle: USMC; Dr. Kildare; The Man From UNCLE; Bewitched; Bonanza; The Brady Bunch; Marcus Welby, MD; The Mary Tyler Moore Show; The Mod Squad; and The Bob Newhart Show.

Her last television appearances were in 1980. She played Grandma Gertie in an episode of Eight is Enough and a physician in a made-for-tv film, The Night the City Screamed.

Karl and Joan moved to Beverly Hills where they founded an acting company. Karl directed the plays Joan appeared in. After Karl’s death in 1978, Joan joined a writing group and wrote several books. She died at home in 89.

Joan Tompkins is another one of those actresses that made television better during the fifties, sixties, and seventies. I’m glad we could learn a bit more about her and her career.

Marcus Welby, MD: Every Family’s Doctor

July 17, 2023July 1, 2023 / thewritelife61 / 5 Comments

This month we are “Examining Our Favorite Medical Series.” Beginning in 1969 and staying on the air for seven seasons, this show was a show that the entire family could agree to watch. In fact, on The Partridge Family, there is at least one episode where the Partridges are watching Marcus Welby, MD.

Marcus Welby (Robert Young) is a family doctor who truly likes and knows his patients. Sometimes he even made house calls. Dr. Steven Kiley (James Brolin) is his business partner and they both rely on Nurse/Office Manager Consuelo Lopez (Elena Verdugo).

Produced by David Victor and David J. O’Connell, the show aired on Thursday nights. Victor also produced episodes of Dr. Kildare as well as The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law, and Lucas Tanner, among others. O’Connell produced episodes from several series but he was kept busy in the Editorial Department for a slew of shows, including Tales of West Fargo, Bachelor Father, Leave It to Beaver, The Jack Benny Show, Wagon Train, McHale’s Navy, and The Munsters. (In the future, I will definitely look into a show about editors for a blog.)

Welby and Kiley were very different. Kiley rode a motorcycle to work while Welby drove a sedan. Welby was a widower; he started his career as a doctor in the US Navy during the war. He enjoyed sailing on the ocean. Welby often wanted to use more radical treatments than his younger partner who was more conservative in his patient care. A lot of ailments were tackled on the series including impotence, depression, brain damage, breast cancer, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, rape, and abortion.

The two doctors had a private practice with operating privileges at Lang Memorial Hospital. Both doctors had girlfriends, Myra (Anne Baxter) and Janet (Pamela Hensley). Welby’s daughter (Christine Belford) and grandson (Gavin Brendan) were often on the set as was Kathleen Faverty (Sharon Gless), an assistant program director.

In season two the show made it to number one for ABC. Both Young and Brolin won Emmys and the show won an Emmy for Outstanding Dramatic Series.

After seven seasons of medical storylines, the show’s viewership began to wane. Many of the medical series were running out of steam at that time. Once ratings continued on the decline, the show was canceled.

However, eight years later, The Return of Marcus Welby, MD aired. Young and Verdugo continued their roles although Brolin was no longer available. It must have done well, because a second movie was filmed in 1988–Marcus Welby, MD – A Holiday Affair. This would be the last acting role Young would accept.

I have many fond memories of watching this show when I was young with my family. Marcus Welby reminded me of our family doctors; he was kind, gentle, smart, and had a great bedside manner. And he made house calls! Don’t get me wrong, there are still many doctors with his characteristics and they kind of make house calls now over the computer but it’s not the same. Thanks, Dr. Welby, for caring for all of us for seven years.

Dr. Kildare: The “Perfect” Doctor

July 10, 2023July 1, 2023 / thewritelife61 / 2 Comments

This month we are checking out a few favorites in a blog series: “Examining Our Favorite Medical Shows.” Last week we learned a bit about Ben Casey. Today we are looking at a similar show to Ben Casey, although in many ways it was very different: Dr. Kildare. Dr. Kildare was also on the air from 1961-66. MGM produced this show created by Max Brand in the 1930s. The show had previously been a movie and a radio series. Unlike Ben Casey who seemed to argue with everyone, Dr. Kildare (Richard Chamberlain) was a respectful intern at Blair General Hospital. He wants to help his patients and listens to his mentor, Dr. Leonard Gillespie (Raymond Massey). In season three, Kildare became a resident, and the episodes focused more on the stories about the patients.

In 1960 a pilot was filmed with Joseph Cronin in the Kildare role and Lew Ayres as Gillespie which did not sell. The role of Kildare was offered to William Shatner and James Franciscus who both turned it down. In 1961, a new pilot was produced with Chamberlin and Massey. One of the reasons Massey accepted the role is because he was certain the show would only last one season, and he wanted to continue with his movie career. The popularity of the show put his film career on hold for five years.

Other cast members who appeared on the show included Dr. John Kapish (Ken Berry), Nurse Fain (Jean Inness), Dr. Agurski (Eddie Ryder), Dr. Gerson (Jud Taylor), Dr. Lowry (Steve Bell) Nurse Conant (Jo Helton), and Nurse Lawton (Lee Kurty).

The guest stars on this show were amazing. I feel like this should be read in auctioneer mode but here goes: Eddie Albert, Jack Albertson, Fred Astaire, Ed Asner, Lauren Bacall, Ed Begley, Joan Blondell, Tom Bosley, Beau Bridges, Charles Bronson, James Caan, Robert Culp, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Angie Dickinson, Olympia Dukakis, Barbara Eden, Linda Evans, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Peter Falk, Beverly Garland, Ron Howard, Kim Hunter, Celeste Holm, Carolyn Jones, James Earl Jones, Brian Keith, Ted Knight, Harvey Korman, Cloris Leachman, Jack Lord, Walter Matthau, Gavin McLeod, Ricardo Montalban, Harry Morgan, Jack Nicholson, Leonard Nimoy, Carroll O’Connor, Suzanne Pleshette, Basil Rathbone, Robert Redford, Robert Reed, Cesar Romero, Gena Rowlands, William Shatner, Jean Stapleton, Gloria Swanson, Rip Torn, Sam Waterston, Dennis Weaver, and Robert Young. For a show that was only on five years, it was an impressive guest cast.

To add more realism to the show, writer E. Jack Neuman spent several months working with interns in a large hospital. Technical advice was provided by the American Medical Association.

The show was realistic in portraying all the drama that is truly found in a city hospital. The plots involved a lot of medical and social issues including smallpox, physician competency, drug addiction, malpractice, and euthanasia. Neuman definitely captured what life in a large, city hospital was like. Kildare makes about $60 a month, or $500 in today’s terms, works long hours, rotates through the various medical departments and has senior physicians overrule his diagnoses.

Just like Ben Casey, the first seasons produced stand-alone episodes and after the success of Peyton Place, storylines carried over from one show to another to entice the audience to tune in again the next week.

The theme music for the series was composed by Jerry Goldsmith. A CD set was released in 2009 which included the theme, the original music from the 1960 pilot, Richard Chamberlain’s recording of “Three Stars Will Shine Tonight,” and musical scores from the five seasons by Hurr Sukman, Richard Markowitz, Morton Stevens, Lalo Schifrin, John Green, and Burt Bacharach.

Airing on Thursday nights, the show was in the top ten during season one and the top twenty for seasons two and three. The show received about 12000 fan letters weekly, and, in addition, Chamberlain received letters personally asking for medical advice.

The network moved the show to Tuesday nights against Red Skelton and McHale’s Navy for season five and the viewers did not follow. The ratings declined, and the show was canceled.

This show really changed Chamberlain’s career. He had always been a small-role guy before this show, but he suddenly became a teen idol. He received more than 35,000 fan letters a month. Onscreen the idealistic Kildare and the wise, sometimes cantankerous, Gillespie don’t always agree but they had great chemistry on the set and apparently off the set as well. Unlike Ben Casey, the cast on this show did get along and Chamberlain mentioned that he always enjoyed working with Massey.

Richard said he grew up in a family where they all pretended to be perfect. So, he went through life trying to be perfect too. He said that philosophy did not work well for his life, but it did work well for Dr. Kildare.

Following the show he would take a turn on Broadway, in big-screen movies, and back on television where he specialized in mini-series like Shogun and The Thorn Birds, both in the 1980s.

One fact I found interesting was that the DVD release of the show included a never-aired pilot from a different medical show, The Eleventh Hour in 1962. The episode originally was written for Dr. Kildare. Drs. Kildare and Gillespie assist Dr. Bassett (Wendell Corey), a psychiatrist diagnosing one of his patients Ann (Vera Miles). Instead of airing on Dr. Kildare, Chamberlain and Massey were cut out of the film and it was submitted as a pilot for the show, with the title “Ann Costigan: a Duel on a Field of White.”

Even Mad Magazine got on the Kildare bandwagon. The 1962, #74 issue, featured “Dr. Killjoy,” a parody of the show.

Everyone seemed to like this show. Then again, what is not to like? You have a handsome doctor, exhilarating drama, a fun guest star every week, and realistic stories. The show would go on to inspire the talents behind a variety of medical series including Marcus Welby MD, ER, House, and Grey’s Anatomy.