FORGOTTEN FILMS: TV TRANSITION

Though typically overshadowed by Hollywood's A-list, there were respectable performances by numerous actors and actresses who never became major film stars. A common career shift was to the new medium of television. These periodic posts offer insight into their transition.

Patricia Blair: Patsy Lou Blake (1933-2013)

Like numerous attractive female actresses of the era, Patricia Blair got noticed first as a model. The photogenic Blair signed a contract with Warner Brothers in the mid-Fifties, later being picked up by MGM in 1959. She appeared as a second female lead—a common occurrence—in such standards as Jump Into Hell (1955), an uncredited role in The McConnell Story (1955) followed by Crime Against Joe (1956) alongside John Bromfield and Julie London. She played the devoted girlfriend of escaped convict and heroin dealer, Vince Edwards, in City of Fear (1959), a well-produced thriller with unintentionally funny moments. He steals a canister of what he believes to be experimental heroin—worth a fortune and Blair is all-in. In reality, it is a highly contagious radioactive isotope. Next came the low-budget caper, Cage of Evil (1960), playing the self-serving love interest and temptress of police detective, Ron Foster. Her second-tier productions did little to strengthen her film career so it was back to the small screen.

Television was already a big part of her resume when she became a semi-regular for one season on The Rifleman (1958) as the spunky love interest and businesswoman, Lou Mallory. Adding her seemed like a last-ditch effort to advance the series. Unfortunately, the move spelled an end to one of the series’s strongest points—the singular father and son relationship. Her most popular recurring role was playing the wife of frontiersman, Daniel Boone, on the long-running, highly-fictionalized series starring Fess Parker. Outside of Parker's 165 appearances, she had the most credits with 118 until the show ended in 1970.

For the Texas-born beauty there were single appearances on the “DOA” comedy-western, Dusty's Trail (1973) starring Bob Denver and the more promising, yet short-lived, Petrocelli (1975). Her last television role was her one appearance in the popular comedy, Me and My Girl (1988). After retirement, she produced industrial trade shows, echoing the business savvy of Miss Mallory of North Fork fame.

FORGOTTEN FILMS: TV TRANSITION

Though typically overshadowed by Hollywood's A-list, there were respectable performances by numerous actors and actresses who never became major film stars. A common occurrence was their transition to the new medium of television, often becoming familiar faces in homes across America. These periodic posts offer insight into their transition.

Merry Anders: Mary Anderson (1934-2012)

Merry Anders and her mother moved from Chicago to Los Angeles before her sixteenth birthday and doors opened for her to become a junior model. She never got much traction in her acting career—despite an uncustomary first name change—perhaps being born a decade too late to compete in a wardrobe full of attractive mid-century blondes. Her acting was adequate though her roles were not. Anders made her film debut in 1951 for 20th Century Fox films appearing in several uncredited small and supporting roles. She was indistinguishable as one of the fashion models in the film, How to Marry A Millionaire (1953) opposite the high profiles of Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall. She played a college girl in the film Titanic (1953) and appeared briefly in Three Coins in The Fountain (1954). Also that same year she was overpowered in another forgotten role for the comedy, Phffft (1954). Perhaps not knowing—or caring—what to do with her, Fox studios dropped her in 1954. Larger roles awaited her in the television universe.

Anders was a regular cast member of The Stu Erwin Show (1954-55) and the lead role in It’s Always Jan (1955-56). She landed a lead role in the NTA Film Network and syndicated TV sitcom, How to Marry a Millionaire (1957-59) co-starring, Barbara Eden and Lori Nelson. Anders appeared on several episodes of the Warner Bros. westerns, Cheyenne and Maverick. Also for Warner’s, 77 Sunset Strip provided numerous appearances during its entire run. Finally, in seven episodes she played Policewoman, Dorothy Miller, on Dragnet 1967. Producer and star, Jack Webb, had her wear a brunette wig suggesting that it made her look more serious. Someone should have advised the same for Heather Locklear of T.J. Hooker fame, though hair color was not her only believability problem.

Note: Wanting to live a normal life with a steady paycheck, Anders eventually became a successful customer relations coordinator at Litton Industries, where she remained until her retirement in 1994.