Friday, April 29, 2016

Physician & Businessman Jules C. Stein 1981 Forest Lawn Glendale Cemetery


Jules C. Stein (April 26, 1896 – April 29, 1981) was an American physician and businessman who co-founded Music Corporation of America (MCA).


Early life and education

Stein was born in South Bend, Indiana to Lithuanian Jewish immigrants, one of six children (three boys and three girls) of Louis Stein, a dry goods store owner, and Rosa Cohen (née Kahanaski).[1] In 1915, he graduated[1] from the University of Chicago. While in college, he supported himself by playing the violin and saxophone at weddings and bar mitzvahs; and later, realizing that he was not a very good musician, by organizing dance bands for the same events.[1] In 1921, he graduated with a medical degree from Rush Medical College.[1] He then went to the University of Vienna to study for a year and upon returning to Chicago, he was appointed chief resident at Cook County Hospital.[1] Stein continued to book bands on the side and eventually left his secure life as an ophthalmologist for the entertainment industry. At the time, Chicago was a hotbed for jazz—which had recently displaced ragtime as the popular music—and when combined with Prohibition, created a lucrative environment for entertainment. Stein adjusted to the new landscape and shifted from booking bands for weddings to nightclubs. Stein became very successful. Several of his bands played for speakeasies owned by Al Capone with whom Stein was friends.[1]



Career

In 1924, he contributed $5,000 and along with equal contributions from Fred Hamm and Ernie Young, founded the Music Corporation of America (MCA). He arranged one-night bookings, rather than having bands seek engagements for whole seasons which was then the norm. He signed Guy Lombardo and other top bands of the day. Stein started package deals for complete shows for hotels and radio broadcasting. Spreading from the one-man start to bases in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Cleveland, Stein's organization by the mid-1930s represented more than half the nation's major bands, including those of Ted Weems, Isham Jones and Benny Goodman.

In 1937, MCA opened shop in Hollywood and became the agent for such stars as Bette Davis, Betty Grable, Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, Eddie Cantor, Ingrid Bergman, Frank Sinatra and Jack Benny. By the mid-1940s it was estimated that half of the movie industry's stars were being represented by MCA. The MCA organization picked up the nickname the octopus due to its large reach in many different directions. In 1958, it acquired the 430-acre (1.7 km2) Universal Studios moving into producing television programs and motion pictures while still representing talent clients, garnering accusations of conflict of interest.

In 1958, Music Corporation of America was reincorporated as MCA, Inc. which it was known by and took its stock public. Dr. Stein's biggest accomplishment came in 1962 when his company announced it was buying American Decca Records and its subsidiary Universal Pictures; however that same year, a federal antitrust suit was started against MCA. Both parties reached an agreement that MCA got rid of its worldwide talent agency business to go forward with its acquisition. Stein had been sole owner of the organization until 1954, when he voluntarily distributed 53 percent of his interest to key executives and employees, with 10 percent of the stock placed in an innovative MCA profit-sharing trust. Stein served as president of MCA until 1946, when he named Lew Wasserman as his successor as chief executive. He continued as chairman of the board until 1973 and remained a director thereafter.



Philanthropy

Dr. Jules Stein and his wife Doris founded the Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA in the 1960s.[2]

Personal life

In 1928, he married Doris Babette Openheimer (née Jones) who was also of Jewish descent. She had two sons, Harold and Gerald, with her first husband, Harold Oppenheimer, a Kansas City car dealer whom she married at the age of eighteen;[1] Stein raised her sons as his own. Doris was also a cousin of the actor George Jessel. Stein and Openheimer had two daughters:

author/editor Jean Stein (born 1934) married William vanden Heuvel, a diplomat and lawyer who served in the U.S. Justice Department under Robert F. Kennedy. They had two children: journalist and television personality Katrina vanden Heuvel, publisher of The Nation; and Wendy vanden Heuvel (born 1961), an actress and producer in New York. Jean Stein later married Torsten Wiesel, a co-recipient with David H. Hubel of the 1981 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Susan Stein Shiva (born 1936) married Gil Shiva of New York.[2] They had two children: Alexandra Elizabeth Shiva,[3] and Andrew Shiva PHD, who founded the National Currency Foundation.[2][4] 



Jules Stein died in Los Angeles, aged 85, in 1981. His widow, Doris J. Stein, later founded the Doris J. Stein Foundation in Beverly Hills, California. Doris Stein (died 1984) and her daughter, Susan Shiva (died January 3, 1983)[3] both died from breast cancer, less than two years apart. Jules Stein is buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery Glendale







References

1. The Last Mogul: Lew Wasserman, McA, and the Hidden History of Hollywood By Dennis McDougal 
2. New York Times: Weddings "Anya Herz, Andrew Shiva" November 21, 2008 
3. New York Times: "Mrs. Susan Stein Shiva" January 5, 1983 
4. National Currency Foundation: Andrew Shiva 

"Jules Stein, MD (deceased)". The American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. 2008. 
"About Jules Stein". Jules Stein Eye Institute. Jules Stein Eye Institute. 
Kihss, Peter (April 30, 1981). "New York Times Obituary". The New York Times.


Soap Opera Producer William J. Bell 2005 Westwood Village Cemetery


William Joseph "Bill" Bell (March 6, 1927 – April 29, 2005) was an American screenwriter and television producer, best known as the creator of the soap operas Another World, The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful.



Personal life

Bell was married to former talk show host Lee Phillip Bell, who co-created The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful with him. Their three children, Bill Jr., Bradley, and Lauralee, and daughter-in-law Maria Arena Bell are all involved in their parents' soaps in some capacity.

Brenda Dickson, an original cast member of The Young and The Restless, claims that Bell blacklisted her after 15 years on the show after they partook in a secret love affair. He then went on to wreak havoc on her personal and professional life by hiring "Mafia cartel judges and attorneys" to "ruin" her life.[1] As a result, she ended up "broke and homeless" and has been blocked from working ever since.[2][3]



On April 29, 2005, Bell died at age 78 from complications of Alzheimer's disease. He is buried at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.




Writing legacy

Procter and Gamble Productions

He started out as a comedy writer at WBBM-TV in Chicago, and one day he made a call to Irna Phillips' secretary Rose Cooperman asking her "Does Irna have an opening?" Rose said Irna did have an opening. By the time he got there it turned out the guy who was leaving decided to stay. About two years later William J. Bell was in advertising business and he ran into Irna's niece. She mentioned him to Irna and Ms. Phillips remembered who he was; she also knew his wife, who was a celebrity in Chicago at that time. He started out at $75 a week and ended up living in what once was Howard Hughes' villa. His mother regularly listened to radio soap operas: Life Can Be Beautiful, The Romance of Helen Trent, Our Gal Sunday and The Guiding Light.

He started his writing career on The Guiding Light and then moved over to As the World Turns, working under the legendary "Queen of Soaps," Irna Phillips; Phillips' other protegee at the time was Agnes Nixon. Bell co-created Another World with Phillips in 1964. In 1965, he co-created the primetime As the World Turns spinoff Our Private World.

Days of our Lives

In 1966, he was hired as head writer of the then-struggling soap Days of Our Lives. Bell was credited with the show's initial surge of popularity. Bell changed the dynamics of soaps when he began focusing on sexuality. Formerly, soap operas did not delve into the sexual side of their romances. He intended to leave the show around 1972 when he began creating his own show The Young and the Restless, but the show sued him and he agreed to write long-term story projections for them. He remained as head writer until 1975.

The Young and the Restless

In 1972, CBS executives wanted a new daytime serial that was youth oriented. William along with his wife Lee Phillip Bell created The Young and the Restless for the network under the working title, The Innocent Years. However before the show went into production, he had to rename the series as Bell mentioned..."We were confronted with the very disturbing reality that young America had lost much of its innocence. Innocence as we had known and lived it all our lives had, in so many respects, ceased to exist." They renamed the series to The Young and the Restless because they felt it "reflected the youth and mood of the early seventies." He spent between ten to sixteen hours a day writing stories.

The Young and the Restless debuted on March 26, 1973. Although slow to rise in the ratings (he got very frustrated and asked head of CBS Daytime Bud Grant to cancel the serial), CBS had faith in the show and gave it a chance. YandR was credited for breathing new life into the daytime serial, with its brightness, humor and cutting-edge storylines. As he did on Days of our Lives, Bell saw to sexuality also playing a major role in the stories. Bell guided YandR as head writer from 1973 until stepping down in 1998, the longest tenure of any head writer in soap opera history. YandR has been the highest-rated soap on the air since 1988 in households, and 1989 among viewers.

The Bold and the Beautiful

In 1986, he began working on creating another soap for CBS Daytime, but plans were halted until the end of the year when the network decided to cancel the soap Capitol and needed a replacement. He created The Bold and the Beautiful, which debuted on March 23, 1987. BandB is known for its glamorous look as it is set in the fashion industry. It followed YandR and has been a ratings success as well.

Awards and recognition

In 1992, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 19th annual Daytime Emmy Awards. 

Producing and writing credits

Another World Co-Creator Co-Head Writer: May 1964 - March 1965

As the World Turns Co-Head Writer: 1965-1966 Writer: 1950s-1960s

The Bold and the Beautiful Creator (with Lee Phillip Bell) Executive Producer: March 23, 1987 - Spring 1996 (with Lee Phillip Bell) Head Writer: March 23, 1987–Spring 1993

Days of Our Lives Head Writer: 1966-1975

Guiding Light Writer: 1950s

Our Private World Co-creator

The Young and the Restless - Creator (with Lee Phillip Bell) Executive Producer: March 26, 1973 – 1976, January 2004-April 2005 Senior Executive Producer: 1976 - January 2004 Head Writer: March 26, 1973 - July 15, 1998 Executive Story Consultant: 1998 - April 2005

Head writing tenures

Preceded by none 

Head Writer of Another World (with Irna Phillips) May 4, 1964 – March 1965 Succeeded by James Lipton Preceded by Irna Phillips 

Head Writer of As the World Turns (with Irna Phillips) 1965 – 1966 Succeeded by Katherine Babecki Preceded by Kenneth M. Rosen Peggy Phillips 

Head Writer of Days of Our Lives July 5, 1966 – May 6, 1975 Succeeded by Pat Falken Smith Preceded by none 

Head Writer of The Young and the Restless (with Kay Alden: 1997 – July 15, 1998) March 26, 1973 – July 15, 1998 Succeeded by Kay Alden Preceded by none 

Head Writer of The Bold and the Beautiful March 27, 1987 – 1993 Succeeded by Bradley Bell 

Executive Producing Tenure

Preceded by none 

Executive Producer of The Young and the Restless (with John Conboy: 1973 – 1982) (with H. Wesley Kenney: 1982 – 1986) (with Edward J. Scott: 1987 – 2001) (with David Shaughnessy: 2001 – 2004) (with John F. Smith: 2003 – April 29, 2005) March 26, 1973 – April 29, 2005 Succeeded by John F. Smith Preceded by none 

Executive Producer of The Bold and the Beautiful (with Lee Phillip Bell: 1988 – 1996) March 23, 1987 – 1996 Succeeded by Bradley Bell



Legacy

Soap opera writer, creator William J. Bell dies at 78 Bell currently holds the distinction of having created the largest number of soap opera characters that are still appearing on the air, with 25 characters on either The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful, or Days of Our Lives:

Doug Williams (Days of Our Lives) - 1970-1984, 1986–1987, 1993–1996, 1999–present (played by Bill Hayes) 
Jill Foster Abbott (The Young and the Restless) - 1973–present (currently played by Jess Walton) 
Maggie Horton (Days of Our Lives) - 1973-1984, 1985–present (played by Suzanne Rogers) 
Hope Brady (Days of Our Lives) - 1974–present (currently played by Kristian Alfonso) 
Paul Williams (The Young and the Restless) - 1978–present (played by Doug Davidson) 
Nikki Newman (The Young and the Restless) - 1978–present (currently played by Melody Thomas Scott) 
Victor Newman (The Young and the Restless - 1980-2009, 2010–present (played by Eric Braeden) 
Jack Abbott (The Young and the Restless) - 1980–present (currently played by Peter Bergman) 
Esther Valentine (The Young and the Restless) - 1982–present (played by Kate Linder) 
Traci Abbott (The Young and the Restless) - 1982-1996, 1999, 2001–02, 2006, 2007–present (played by Beth Maitland) 
Victoria Newman (The Young and the Restless) - 1982–present (currently played by Amelia Heinle) 
Lauren Fenmore (The Young and the Restless) - 1983-1995, 2000, 2001–present (played by Tracey E. Bregman) 
Eric Forrester (The Bold and the Beautiful) - 1987–present (played by John McCook) 
Brooke Logan (The Bold and the Beautiful) - 1987–present (played by Katherine Kelly Lang) 
Donna Logan (The Bold and the Beautiful) - 1987-94, 1996–98, 2000–01, 2004, 2006–present (currently played by Jennifer Gareis) 
Katie Logan (The Bold and the Beautiful) - 1987-1989, 1991–2004, 2007–present (currently played by Heather Tom) 
Nicholas Newman (The Young and the Restless) - 1989–present (currently played by Joshua Morrow) 
Rick Forrester (The Bold and the Beautiful) - 1990-2006, 2007–present (currently played by Jacob Young) 
Neil Winters (The Young and the Restless) - 1991–present (played by Kristoff St. John) 
Michael Baldwin (The Young and the Restless) - 1991-1993, 1997–present (played by Christian LeBlanc) 
Billy Abbott (The Young and the Restless) - 1993-2003, 2006, 2008–present (currently played by Burgess Jenkins) 
Sharon Newman (The Young and the Restless) - 1994–present (currently played by Sharon Case) 
Phyllis Newman - 1994-1998, 2000-2013, 2014-present (currently played by Gina Tognoni) 
Adam Newman (The Young and the Restless) - 1995-1998, 2008–present (currently played by Justin Hartley) 
Lily Winters (The Young and the Restless) - 1995-1998, 2002–present (currently played by Christel Khalil)

References

1. Brenda Dickson (2013). "My True Hidden Hollywood Story", My Memoir of Sexual Harassment, Blacklisting, and Love Affairs with some of the most Powerful Men in Hollywood. Blue Boulevard Publications. ASIN B00C8T6Z7I. 
2. Marcus, Stephanie (April 22, 2013). "'Young And The Restless' Star Claims She's Broke and Homeless". Huffington Post. 
3. http://www.mstarz.com/articles/11663/20130423/brenda-dickson-broke-homeless-producer-william-j-bell-blacklists-the-young-and-the-restless-starlet-after-secret-love-affair-leads-hollywood-downfall.htm

Thursday, April 28, 2016

"12 Angry Men" Actor Ed Begley Sr. 1970 San Fernando Mission Cemetery


Edward James "Ed" Begley, Sr. (March 25, 1901 – April 28, 1970) was an American actor of theatre, radio, film, and television.[1]


Dick Powell and Ed Begley Sr. 

Early years

Begley was born in Hartford, Connecticut, the son of Hannah (née Clifford) and Michael Joseph Begley, Irish immigrants.[2][3][4] After he dropped out of school as a fifth-grader, Begley ran away from home several times, going to work for "carnivals, fairs, and small circuses."[5] Later he sold brushes, delivered milk and served in the United States Navy.[5]



Career

Begley began his career as a Broadway and radio actor while in his teens. He appeared in the hit musical Going Up on Broadway in 1917 and in London the next year. He later acted in roles as Sgt. O'Hara in the radio show The Fat Man. His radio work included Stroke of Fate and a period as Charlie Chan amongst other roles. He also starred in the 1950s radio program Richard Diamond, Private Detective, playing Lieutenant Walter Levinson, head of homicide at the 5th Precinct, Manhattan. In the late 1940s, he began appearing regularly in supporting film roles. He was elected a member of The Lambs in 1943.

In the 1952–1953 television season, Begley co-starred with Eddie Albert in the CBS sitcom Leave It to Larry. Begley, though only five years older than Albert, played the father-in-law and employer of Albert's character, Larry Tucker, a shoe salesman, who with his young family lives with Begley. In 1954 Begley starred in the NBC Television show called Big Boy as Joe Grant, an engineer for the Union Pacific Railroad living in Cheyenne, Wyoming, who worked on the famous Union Pacific Big Boy steam locomotives. The show is about how Begley's character copes with the transition from steam locomotives to diesel locomotives in the 1950s.



He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Sweet Bird of Youth (1962). Some of his other notable films include 12 Angry Men (1957) as juror #10, The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964), and Wild in the Streets (1968). 



One notable role Begley played both on television (twice in 1955) and in the theatrical film (1956) is William (Bill) Briggs, one of the three primary characters in Rod Serling's Patterns.



In 1956, he appeared in the Broadway production of Inherit the Wind, in the role of Matthew Harrison Brady. For this performance, he won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.[6][7]

His other television work included appearances on Justice, Empire, The Virginian, Bonanza, The Fugitive, Target: The Corruptors, The Invaders, The Wild Wild West, and Going My Way, with Gene Kelly.



Begley married three times. He is the father of the actor and environmental advocate Ed Begley, Jr.



Among his many Broadway credits were All My Sons and Our Town.



Begley died of a heart attack in Hollywood, California.[8] He is buried at the San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, California.




Filmography

Year Film Role Notes

1947 Body and Soul Party leader uncredited 
         The Web Man uncredited 
         Boomerang Paul Harris 
         The Roosevelt Story Narrator Documentary 
1948 Sorry, Wrong Number James Cotterell 
         Deep Waters (film) Josh Hovey 
         The Street with No Name Chief Bernard Harmatz  
         Sitting Pretty Horatio J. Hammond 
1949 The Great Gatsby Myron Lupus 
         It Happens Every Spring Edgar Stone 
         Tulsa John J. 'Johnny' Brady as Edward Begley 
1950 Stars in My Crown Lon Backett Backfire (1950 film) Captain Garcia 
         Saddle Tramp Mr. Hartnagle Convicted Mackay, Head of Parole Board 
         Wyoming Mail Prison Warden Haynes 
         Dark City Barney 
1951 The Lady from Texas Dave Blodgett 
         You're in the Navy Now Port Commander 
1952 The Turning Point Neil Eichelberger 


         Deadline - U.S.A. Frank Allen 

         On Dangerous Ground Captain Brawley 
         Lone Star Anthony Demmet 
         Boots Malone Howard Whitehead 
1954 Big Boy Joe Grant 
1956 Patterns William Briggs 
1957 12 Angry Men Juror #10 


1959 Odds Against Tomorrow Dave Burke 

1961 The Green Helmet Bartell 
1962 Sweet Bird of Youth Tom 'Boss' Finley Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Laurel Award for Top Male Supporting Performance (3rd place) Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture 
1964 The Unsinkable Molly Brown Shamus Tobin Laurel Award for Top Male Supporting Performance (2nd place) 
1965 Inherit the Wind Brady Nominated-Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Drama 
1966 The Oscar Grobard 
1967 The Violent Enemy Colum O'More 
         Warning Shot Captain Roy Klodin 
         Do Not Fold, Staple, Spindle, or Mutilate Billion Dollar Brain General Midwinter 
1968 Firecreek Preacher Broyles 


         Hang 'Em High Captain Wilson, Cooper Hanging Party 

         Wild in the Streets Senator Allbright 
         A Time to Sing Kermit Dodd 
1969 The Monitors President 
1970 Neither Are We Enemies Annas 
         Hallmark Hall of Fame Easter special 
         Road to Salina Warren 
         The Dunwich Horror Dr. Henry Armitage

Radio

Date Show Episode Role Notes

1944–45 Charlie Chan all Charlie Chan [9] 
1949 Let George Do It "The Man Under the Elm Tree" Darrell [10] 
1951 Tales of the Texas Rangers "Blind Justice" Unknown [11] "No Living Witnesses" "Paid in Full" "The Blow Off" 
1952 Tales of the Texas Rangers "Birds of a Feather" "Prelude to Felony"

References

1. Obituary Variety, May 6, 1970. 
2. [1] 
3. [2] 
4. http://www.tonic.com/post/ed-begley-jr-hollywoods-go-to-green-guru/ 
5. "Ed Begley Loves Life". The Bridgeport Post. April 24, 1964. p. 21. 
6. "Ed Begley". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. 
7. "Inherit the Wind". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. 
8. Ed Begley dies in California 
9. Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. p. 149. 
10. Radio Detectives 
11. Old Time Radio Westerns—radio shows Begley appeared in.


Wednesday, April 27, 2016

"Barbie" Inventor & Businesswoman Ruth Handler 2002 Hillside Cemetery


Ruth Marianna Handler (née Mosko; November 4, 1916 – April 27, 2002) was an American businesswoman and inventor. She served as the president of the toy manufacturer Mattel Inc., and is best remembered for inventing the Barbie doll.



Early life

Handler was born as Ruth Marianna Mosko in Denver, Colorado to Polish Jewish immigrants Ida Mosko (née Rubenstein) and Jacob Mosko.[2] She married her high school boyfriend, Elliot Handler and moved to Los Angeles in 1938.[3] Her husband decided to make their furniture out of two newfound types of plastics, Lucite and Plexiglas. Ruth Handler suggested that he start doing this commercially and they began a furniture business. Ruth Handler worked as the sales force for the new business, landing contracts with Douglas Aircraft Company and others.[3]



Formation of Mattel

Her husband Elliot Handler and his business partner Harold "Matt" Matson formed a small company to manufacture picture frames, calling it "Mattel" by combining part of their names ("Matt" and "Elliot"). Later, they began using scraps from the manufacturing process to make dollhouse furniture. The furniture was more profitable than the picture frames and it was decided to concentrate on toy manufacturing. The company's first big-seller was the "Uke-a-doodle," a toy ukulele.



Barbie: the beginning

Ruth Handler claimed her daughter Barbara, who was becoming a pre-teen, played with paper dolls by pretending they were adults.[4] Handler noted the limitations of the paper dolls, including how the paper clothing failed to attach well. She wanted to produce a three-dimensional plastic "paper doll" with an adult body and a wardrobe of fabric clothing, but her husband and Mr. Matson thought parents would not buy their children a doll with a voluptuous figure. While the Handler family was vacationing in Europe, Ruth Handler saw the German Bild Lilli doll (which was not a children's toy, but rather an adult gag gift) in a Swiss shop and brought it home. The Lilli doll was a representation of the same concept Ruth had been trying to sell to other Mattel executives.

Once home, she reworked the design of the doll and named her Barbie after the Handlers' daughter, Barbara.[4] Barbie debuted at the New York toy fair on March 9, 1959 but was not an immediate success. When Disney introduced The Mickey Mouse Club children's television show, Mattel invested heavily in television advertising. The TV commercials for the Barbie doll paid off and Barbie rocketed Mattel and the Handlers to fame and fortune. Subsequently, they would add a boyfriend for Barbie named Ken, after the Handlers' son, and many other "friends and family" to Barbie's world.



Later years

Handler was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1970. She had a modified radical mastectomy, which was often used at the time to combat the disease, and because of difficulties in finding a good breast prosthesis, she decided to make her own. Handler went on to found a company, Ruthton Corp., formed by her and Peyton Massey, which manufactured a more realistic version of a woman's breast, called "Nearly Me."



Though the Handlers took a more hands-off approach to their company's business practice after resigning, they continued to create new ideas. One project Handler took on in the 1980s was Barbie and the Rockers. She was credited as a writer of the 1987 film Barbie and the Rockers: Out of this World. Handler was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 1997.



She died in California from complications of surgery for colon cancer on April 27, 2002, aged 85.[5] Her husband Elliot died nine years later at the age of 95. They are buried at Hillside Cemetery in Culver City, California. 







References

1. Ruth Handler, Whose Barbie Gave Dolls Curves, Dies at 85 - New York Times 
2. Jewish Virtual Library: "Ruth Mosko Handler - (1916-2002)  
3. "Who Made America?: Ruth Handler". PBS. 
4. "History: Ruth Handler". Mattel. 
5. Associated Press (April 28, 2002). "Creator of Barbie dies at 85". USA Today. 



Gerber, Robin. Barbie and Ruth: The Story of the World's Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her. Harper/Collins, 2008.


Tuesday, April 26, 2016

"Lady in the Lake" Actress Jayne Meadows 2015 Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills Cemetery


Jayne Meadows (September 27, 1919 – April 26, 2015), also known as Jayne Meadows-Allen, was an American stage, film and television actress, as well as an author and lecturer. She was nominated for three Emmy Awards during her career and was the elder sister of actress and memoirist Audrey Meadows.



Early life

Jayne Meadows was born Jane Meadows Cotter in 1919,[1] in Wuchang, China, one of three sections of Wuhan, in the Hubei Province (where the family relocated to after a bomb fell on the Cotter home; the other two sections are Hanyang and Hankou), the daughter of American Episcopal missionary parents, the Rev. Francis James Meadows Cotter and his wife, the former Ida Miller Taylor, who had married in 1915.[2] Meadows was the older sister of actress Audrey Meadows. She also had two brothers (both now deceased). In the early 1930s, the family settled in Sharon, Connecticut where her father had been appointed rector of Christ Church.[3]



Career

Meadows' most famous movies include: Undercurrent (with Katharine Hepburn), Song of the Thin Man (with William Powell and Myrna Loy), David and Bathsheba (with Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward and Raymond Massey), Lady in the Lake (with Robert Montgomery and Audrey Totter), Enchantment (with David Niven and Teresa Wright). Louella Parsons presented to Meadows the Cosmopolitan Award for Finest Dramatic Performance of 1949, for, Enchantment.

Among her earliest television appearances, Meadows played reporter Helen Brady in a 1953 episode of Suspense opposite Walter Matthau titled, "F.O.B. Vienna." She was a regular panelist on the original version of I've Got a Secret and an occasional panelist on What's My Line?, the latter alongside husband Steve Allen. She also appeared on the NBC interview program Here's Hollywood. During the early days of the burgeoning live entertainment scene in Las Vegas, the Allens occasionally worked together as an act.

Prior to Allen's death in 2000, the couple made several television appearances together; in 1998 they played an argumentative elderly couple in an episode of Homicide: Life on the Street in which Allen's character accidentally shoots a man in the act of committing suicide by plunging from the roof of the elderly couple's building. In 1999, the couple made their last joint TV appearance (again playing a couple) in the all-star episode of the Dick Van Dyke series Diagnosis: Murder, titled "The Roast," which marked Steve Allen's final screen appearance. She also appeared in City Slickers (as the telephone voice of Billy Crystal's character's over-protective and oversolicitous mother).



Later life and death

She was married to Steve Allen from 1954 until his death in 2000. They had one son, Bill. Allen's three children from his first marriage (Stephen Jr., Brian and David) are her stepchildren.[4]

Meadows was active in Republican affairs although Steve Allen was a Democrat. She was the recipient of several Doctor of Humane Letters degrees from various universities.[5]

Meadows remained active until 2009 when she fell and fractured her hip. Her last public appearance was in August 2009 at the Early TV Memories First-Class Commemorative Stamp Dedication Ceremony. 



Jayne Meadows died on April 26, 2015 of natural causes at her home in Encino, California, aged 95.[6] She and Steve Allen are buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery Hollywood Hills




Selected filmography

Undercurrent (1946) 
Lady in the Lake (1947) 
Dark Delusion (1947) 
Song of the Thin Man (1947) 
The Luck of the Irish (1948) 
Enchantment (1948) 
David and Bathsheba (1951) 
It Happened to Jane (1959) 
College Confidential (1960) 
Norman... Is That You? (1976) 
City Slickers (1991) 
The Player (1992) 
City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold (1994) 
Casino (1995) 
The Story of Us (1999)

Notable television work

I've Got a Secret (panelist from 1952–1959) 
Jukebox Jury (1953) 
To Tell the Truth (regular panelist from 1957–1961) 
The Judy Garland Show (ep. 11, 1963) 
The Eleventh Hour (guest star, 2-part episode, 1964) 
Medical Center (cast member from 1969–1972) 
James Dean (1976) 
The Practice (episode "The Snow Job," 1976) 
Meeting of Minds (1977–1981) 
Trivia Trap (panelist Celebrity Week from 1984) 
Miss All-American Beauty (1982) 
The Ratings Game (1984) 
Alice in Wonderland (1985) 
The Parent Trap: Hawaiian Honeymoon (1989)

References

1. Ancestry.com U.S., Consular Reports of Births, 1910-1949 Record for Jane Cotter 
2. Miss Ida M. Taylor to be Bride of Rev. F.J.M. Cotter on May 27, The New York Times, April 16, 1915
3. Pollak, Michael (April 27, 2015). "Jayne Meadows, Actress and Steve Allen's Wife and Co-Star, Dies at 95". The New York Times. p. A25. 
4. Obituary for Steve Allen, nytimes.com
5. L.A. Times profile of Jayne Allen, articles.latimes.com
6. Notice of death of Jayne Meadows, etonline.com