Doris Packer
Encyclopedia
Doris Packer was an American
actress, possibly best known as Mrs. Cornelia Rayburn, Theodore Cleaver
's principal in Leave It to Beaver
.
She also portrayed the mother of millionaire
playboy Chatsworth Osborne, Jr.
(Steven Franken
), on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
. Prior to playing Chatsworth's mother, she played Clarice Armitage, mother of Milton Armitage (Warren Beatty
), whose character Chatsworth replaced.
in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
. Her family moved to southern California
when she was quite young. She became interested in acting while in high school
. After attending the University of California at Los Angeles, she moved to New York City
to study under noted drama teacher Evelyn Thomas. Packer appeared in many Broadway
shows.
In 1954, she appeared as Florence on an episode ("Sixteen Vertical") of Rod Cameron
's crime drama series, City Detective
. In 1955-1956, Packer appeared three times as a nurse in the NBC sitcom It's a Great Life
, featuring Frances Bavier
. In 1958, she guest-starred in 1958 on Rod Cameron's subsequent syndicated
series, State Trooper
, in "The Last Stage Robbery" episode. She played wealthy society matrons on The Burns and Allen Show and I Love Lucy
. She had a recurring role as Clara Mason in the 1960-1961 NBC trivial sitcom Happy
, set at a Palm Springs
motel
and featuring a talking baby. Her co-stars included Ronnie Burns
and Lloyd Corrigan
. She also appeared as the wealthy Mrs Huntingdon in a 1963 episode ["I'm No Henry Walden!) of The Dick Van Dyke Show
.
Packer appeared on NBC's anthology series, The Barbara Stanwyck Show
. In 1964–65, Packer appeared on the short-lived CBS sitcom, Many Happy Returns
, starring John McGiver
and set in the complaint division of a fictitious Los Angeles
department store
called Crockmyer's.
, California, from natural causes.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress, possibly best known as Mrs. Cornelia Rayburn, Theodore Cleaver
Theodore Cleaver
Theodore "The Beaver" Cleaver is the fictional title character in the American television series Leave It to Beaver. Seven-year-old Beaver is son to June and Ward Cleaver and sibling to thirteen-year-old Wally Cleaver .Beaver prefers "messin' around" with his pals and reading comic books to...
's principal in Leave It to Beaver
Leave It to Beaver
Leave It to Beaver is an American television situation comedy about an inquisitive but often naïve boy named Theodore "The Beaver" Cleaver and his adventures at home, in school, and around his suburban neighborhood...
.
She also portrayed the mother of millionaire
Millionaire
A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. It can also be a person who owns one million units of currency in a bank account or savings account...
playboy Chatsworth Osborne, Jr.
Chatsworth Osborne, Jr.
Chatsworth T. Osborne, Jr., is the millionaire dilettante in 35 of the 142 episodes of CBS's situation comedy series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. The character, played by Steven Franken, was introduced midway through the first season and returned as a recurring character in the second, third,...
(Steven Franken
Steven Franken
Steven Franken, sometimes spelled Stephen Franken is an American actor who has appeared on screen and television for a half century. He is the cousin of Al Franken.-Career:...
), on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 1959 to 1963. The series and some episode scripts were adapted from a 1951 collection of short stories of the same name, written by Max Shulman, that also inspired the 1953 film The Affairs of Dobie Gillis with Debbie...
. Prior to playing Chatsworth's mother, she played Clarice Armitage, mother of Milton Armitage (Warren Beatty
Warren Beatty
Warren Beatty born March 30, 1937) is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and director. He has received a total of fourteen Academy Award nominations, winning one for Best Director in 1982. He has also won four Golden Globe Awards including the Cecil B. DeMille Award.-Early life and...
), whose character Chatsworth replaced.
Background
Packer was born in MenomineeMenominee, Michigan
Menominee is a city in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,131. It is the county seat of Menominee County. Menominee is the fourth-largest city in the Upper Peninsula, behind Marquette, Sault Ste. Marie, and Escanaba...
in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. Her family moved to southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
when she was quite young. She became interested in acting while in high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
. After attending the University of California at Los Angeles, she moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to study under noted drama teacher Evelyn Thomas. Packer appeared in many Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
shows.
In 1954, she appeared as Florence on an episode ("Sixteen Vertical") of Rod Cameron
Rod Cameron
Rod Cameron was a Canadian-born movie actor whose career extended from the 1930s to the 1970s. He appeared in horror, war, action and science fiction movies, but is best remembered for his many Westerns....
's crime drama series, City Detective
City Detective (TV series)
City Detective is a half-hour syndicated crime drama starring Rod Cameron as 43-year-old Bart Grant, a tough 1950s New York City police lieutenant. The first of three consecutive Rod Cameron series, City Detective aired between January 1, 1953 and May 10, 1955...
. In 1955-1956, Packer appeared three times as a nurse in the NBC sitcom It's a Great Life
It's a Great Life
It's a Great Life is an American situation comedy which aired on NBC from 1954 to 1956...
, featuring Frances Bavier
Frances Bavier
Frances Elizabeth Bavier was an American stage and television actress. Originally from the New York theatre, Bavier worked in film and television from the 1950s...
. In 1958, she guest-starred in 1958 on Rod Cameron's subsequent syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
series, State Trooper
State Trooper (TV series)
State Trooper is a half-hour television crime drama set in the 1950s American West, starring Rod Cameron as Rod Blake, an officer of the Nevada State Troopers. The series aired 104 episodes in syndication from September 25, 1956, to June 25, 1959...
, in "The Last Stage Robbery" episode. She played wealthy society matrons on The Burns and Allen Show and I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
. She had a recurring role as Clara Mason in the 1960-1961 NBC trivial sitcom Happy
Happy (1960 TV series)
Happy is an NBC situation comedy about a talking baby, starring Ronnie Burns , the adopted son of George Burns and Gracie Allen, which aired from June 8 to September 28, 1960, and again from January 13 to September 8, 1961....
, set at a Palm Springs
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
motel
Motel
A motor hotel, or motel for short, is a hotel designed for motorists, and usually has a parking area for motor vehicles...
and featuring a talking baby. Her co-stars included Ronnie Burns
Ronnie Burns (actor)
Ronald Jon "Ronnie" Burns worked briefly as a television actor, but is primarily remembered as the adopted son of comedians George Burns and Gracie Allen.-Early life:...
and Lloyd Corrigan
Lloyd Corrigan
Lloyd Corrigan was an American film actor, producer, screenwriter and director who began working in films in the 1920s...
. She also appeared as the wealthy Mrs Huntingdon in a 1963 episode ["I'm No Henry Walden!) of The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Dick Van Dyke Show is an American television sitcom that initially aired on the Columbia Broadcasting System from October 3, 1961, until June 1, 1966. The show was created by Carl Reiner and starred Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore. It was produced by Reiner with Bill Persky and Sam Denoff....
.
Packer appeared on NBC's anthology series, The Barbara Stanwyck Show
The Barbara Stanwyck Show
The Barbara Stanwyck Show is an American anthology drama television series which ran on NBC from September 1960 to September 1961. Barbara Stanwyck served as hostess, and starred in all but four of the half-hour productions. The four she did not star in were actually pilot episodes of potential...
. In 1964–65, Packer appeared on the short-lived CBS sitcom, Many Happy Returns
Many Happy Returns (TV series)
Many Happy Returns is a situation comedy television series that ran on CBS for twenty-six episodes, from September 21, 1964 to April 12, 1965, under the sponsorship of General Foods.-Cast:The show starred character actor John McGiver...
, starring John McGiver
John McGiver
John Irwin McGiver was a character actor who made more than a hundred appearances in television and motion pictures over a two-decade span from 1955 to 1975....
and set in the complaint division of a fictitious Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
called Crockmyer's.
Family
Packer was married to stage director Rowland G. Edwards for twenty-five years — from 1928 until his death in 1953; they had no children.Death
She died at the age of seventy-four in 1979 in GlendaleGlendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
, California, from natural causes.