Cynthia Pepper
Encyclopedia
Cynthia Pepper is a blonde American
actress whose principal work was accomplished during the early 1960s. Born Cynthia Anne Culpepper in Hollywood, California, she was the daughter of entertainer Jack Pepper
(Edward Jackson Culpepper, 1902–1979), and Pepper's second wife, Dawn. Cynthia Pepper is retired from television
and film
, but still makes personal appearances arranged through her website.
In 1960, Pepper appeared three episodes of two ABC
detective
series, ‘’Bourbon Street Beat
’’, with Andrew Duggan
and Richard Long
, and ‘’77 Sunset Strip
’’ with Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.
, Roger Smith
, and Edd Byrnes.
In 1960-1961, she was cast as next-door teenager Jean Pearson, the romantic interest of young Mike Douglas, played by Tim Considine
, in Fred MacMurray
’s long-running My Three Sons
. The next year, Pepper starred in her own 26-week series, Margie
in the role of the Roaring Twenties
teenager Margie Clayton. Pepper was actually twenty-one at the time Margie went on the air. Margie followed My Three Sons on the ABC Thursday night schedule. Her costars on Margie included Penny Parker
as her friend Maybelle Jackson and Tommy Ivo
as boyfriend Haywood Botts. Character actor
Dave Willock
played her father, Harvey Clayton. Wesley Marie Tackitt portrayed her mother, Nora Clayton.
On February 2, 1962, just weeks before Margie ended its run, Pepper appeared as herself on the program Here's Hollywood
with hostess Helen O'Connell
. The program interviewed celebrities, often at their homes.
After Margie, Pepper appeared in 1964 as PFC
Midge Riley with Elvis Presley
in the film
Kissin' Cousins
. In 2002-2003, she appeared in television documentaries
about Presley’s life and recalled her own experiences with him.
In 1964, Pepper returned to My Three Sons for a final guest appearance. The story line had her returning to fictitious Bryant Park and hoping to see Mike Douglas one more time only to learn he is engaged to Sally Ann Morrison. Thereafter, her roles were limited to guest appearances on such series as The Addams Family
with John Astin
, Julia
with Diahann Carroll and Lloyd Nolan
, The Flying Nun
with Sally Field
, and the short-lived The Jimmy Stewart Show
in 1972.
Pepper resides in Las Vegas
, Nevada
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress whose principal work was accomplished during the early 1960s. Born Cynthia Anne Culpepper in Hollywood, California, she was the daughter of entertainer Jack Pepper
Jack Pepper
Jack Pepper was an American vaudeville dancer, singer, comedian, musician, and later in life a Dallas, Texas nightclub manager....
(Edward Jackson Culpepper, 1902–1979), and Pepper's second wife, Dawn. Cynthia Pepper is retired from television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, but still makes personal appearances arranged through her website.
In 1960, Pepper appeared three episodes of two ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
series, ‘’Bourbon Street Beat
Bourbon Street Beat
Bourbon Street Beat is a private detective series which aired on the ABC network from 1959-1960 and featured Andrew Duggan as Cal Calhoun, Richard Long as Rex Randolph, Van Williams as Kenny Madison, and Arlene Howell as Melody Lee Mercer, the secretary at the New Orleans detective agency in which...
’’, with Andrew Duggan
Andrew Duggan
-Career:During World War II, Duggan was in the 40th Special Services Company, led by actor Melvyn Douglas in the China Burma India Theater of World War II. His contact with Douglas later led to his performing with Lucille Ball in the play Dreamgirl. He developed a friendship with Broadway...
and Richard Long
Richard Long (actor)
Richard Long was an American actor better known for his leading roles in several ABC television series, including The Big Valley, Nanny and the Professor and Bourbon Street Beat.-Early life:...
, and ‘’77 Sunset Strip
77 Sunset Strip
77 Sunset Strip is an hour-length American television private detective series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Roger Smith, and Edd Byrnes....
’’ with Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. is an American actor known for his starring roles in the television series 77 Sunset Strip and The F.B.I. He is also known as recurring character "Dandy Jim Buckley" in the series Maverick and as the voice behind the character Alfred Pennyworth in Batman: The Animated Series...
, Roger Smith
Roger Smith (actor)
Roger LaVerne Smith is an American television and film actor and screenwriter. He starred in the television detective series 77 Sunset Strip. He is married to the actress Ann-Margret.-Early life:...
, and Edd Byrnes.
In 1960-1961, she was cast as next-door teenager Jean Pearson, the romantic interest of young Mike Douglas, played by Tim Considine
Tim Considine
Timothy Daniel "Tim" Considine is a former American child actor and young adult actor who was popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s...
, in Fred MacMurray
Fred MacMurray
Frederick Martin "Fred" MacMurray was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 movies and a successful television series during a career that spanned nearly a half-century, from 1930 to the 1970s....
’s long-running My Three Sons
My Three Sons
My Three Sons is an American situation comedy. The series ran from 1960 to 1965 on ABC, and moved to CBS until its end on August 24, 1972. My Three Sons chronicles the life of a widower and aeronautical engineer named Steven Douglas , raising his three sons.The series was a cornerstone of the CBS...
. The next year, Pepper starred in her own 26-week series, Margie
Margie (TV series)
Margie is a television situation comedy starring Cynthia Pepper that was broadcast on ABC from October 12, 1961 to April 12, 1962 in the 9:30 Eastern Thursday time slot, sponsored by Procter & Gamble. The series was adapted from a 1946 film of the same name starring Jeanne Crain.- Plot :The show...
in the role of the Roaring Twenties
Roaring Twenties
The Roaring Twenties is a phrase used to describe the 1920s, principally in North America, but also in London, Berlin and Paris for a period of sustained economic prosperity. The phrase was meant to emphasize the period's social, artistic, and cultural dynamism...
teenager Margie Clayton. Pepper was actually twenty-one at the time Margie went on the air. Margie followed My Three Sons on the ABC Thursday night schedule. Her costars on Margie included Penny Parker
Penny Parker
Penny Parker was a series of 17 books written by Mildred A. Wirt Benson and published from 1939 through 1947. Penny was a high school sleuth who also occasionally moonlighted as a reporter for her father's newspaper....
as her friend Maybelle Jackson and Tommy Ivo
Tommy Ivo
Tommy Ivo , also known as "TV Tommy", is an actor and drag racer, who was active in the 1960s racing community. In the late 1950s, Ivo raced a twin Nailhead Buick engined dragster which was the first Gasoline Powered dragster to break the nine-second barrier. The car held the Drag News Standard...
as boyfriend Haywood Botts. Character actor
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
Dave Willock
Dave Willock
Dave Willock was an American character actor. Willock appeared in 181 films and television shows from 1939 to 1989. He is probably most familiar to modern audiences from his performance as Baby Jane Hudson's father in the opening scenes of the cult classic What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?...
played her father, Harvey Clayton. Wesley Marie Tackitt portrayed her mother, Nora Clayton.
On February 2, 1962, just weeks before Margie ended its run, Pepper appeared as herself on the program Here's Hollywood
Here's Hollywood
Here's Hollywood is an American celebrity interview program which aired on weekday afternoons on NBC at 4:30 Eastern time from September 26, 1960, to December 28, 1962.-Overview:...
with hostess Helen O'Connell
Helen O'Connell
Helen O'Connell was an American singer, actress, and dancer.Born in Lima, Ohio, O'Connell joined the Jimmy Dorsey band in 1939 and achieved her best selling records in the early 1940s with "Green Eyes", "Amapola," "Tangerine" and "Yours"...
. The program interviewed celebrities, often at their homes.
After Margie, Pepper appeared in 1964 as PFC
Private First Class
Private First Class is a military rank held by junior enlisted persons.- Singapore :The rank of Private First Class in the Singapore Armed Forces lies between the ranks of Private and Lance-Corporal . It is usually held by conscript soldiers midway through their national service term...
Midge Riley with Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
in the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
Kissin' Cousins
Kissin' Cousins
Kissin' Cousins is a 1964 musical film comedy starring Elvis Presley in two roles, one as an American soldier, the other a hillbilly. The screenplay was nominated in the category of best written American musical by the Writers Guild of America...
. In 2002-2003, she appeared in television documentaries
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about Presley’s life and recalled her own experiences with him.
In 1964, Pepper returned to My Three Sons for a final guest appearance. The story line had her returning to fictitious Bryant Park and hoping to see Mike Douglas one more time only to learn he is engaged to Sally Ann Morrison. Thereafter, her roles were limited to guest appearances on such series as The Addams Family
The Addams Family
The Addams Family is a group of fictional characters created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. As named by Charles Addams, the Addams Family characters include Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Lurch, Grandmama, Wednesday, Pugsley, and Thing....
with John Astin
John Astin
John Allen Astin is an American actor who has appeared in numerous films and television shows, and is best known for the role of Gomez Addams on The Addams Family, and other similarly eccentric comedic characters.-Early years:...
, Julia
Julia (TV series)
Julia is an American sitcom notable for being one of the first weekly series to depict an African American woman in a non-stereotypical role. Previous television series featured African American lead characters, but the characters were usually servants. The show starred actress and singer Diahann...
with Diahann Carroll and Lloyd Nolan
Lloyd Nolan
Lloyd Benedict Nolan was an American film and television actor.-Biography:Nolan was born in San Francisco, California, the son of Margaret and James Nolan, who was a shoe manufacturer...
, The Flying Nun
The Flying Nun
The Flying Nun is an American sitcom produced by Screen Gems for ABC based on the 1965 book The Fifteenth Pelican, by Tere Rios, which starred Sally Field as Sister Bertrille...
with Sally Field
Sally Field
Sally Margaret Field is an American actress, singer, producer, director, and screenwriter. In each decade of her career, she has been known for major roles in American TV/film culture, including: in the 1960s, for Gidget or Sister Bertrille on The Flying Nun ; in the 1970s, for Sybil , Smokey and...
, and the short-lived The Jimmy Stewart Show
The Jimmy Stewart Show
The Jimmy Stewart Show is an American sitcom starring James Stewart as a professor at a small town university called Josiah Kesser College. Twenty-four episodes of the show were broadcast in the 1971–1972 season on the NBC network's Sunday night schedule , under the sponsorship of Procter &...
in 1972.
Pepper resides in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
.