Isabel Randolph
Encyclopedia
Isabel Randolph was an American character actress active in radio and film from the 1940s through the 1960s, and in television from the early 1950s to the mid 1960s.
(on the air 1935-1959), where she began in various "snooty" roles January 13, 1936, eventually becoming the long-running series character, the pompous Mrs. Abigail Uppington, a snooty society matron whom Fibber addressed as "Uppy", and whose pretensions Fibber delighted in deflating. She stayed with the comedy series for many years, but was gone when the show premiered in the Fall of 1943.
She also starred as the wife in NBC's soap opera Dan Hardings' Wife (on the air January 20, 1936 thru February 10, 1939), and was in the cast of another NBC soap opera One Man's Family
(on the air 1932-59) during the 1940s.
in 1941 and Here We Go Again
in 1942, both spin-offs of the Fibber McGee and Molly radio series. In 1943, she co-starred again as Mrs. Uppington, but with country–music pioneer Roy Acuff
instead, in the Republic musical O, My Darling Clementine. She worked in more than a few 1940s films with Lucille Ball
. She played many small roles in major pictures, and starred in major (though stereotypical) roles in B-pictures — though, in at least one Republic Western of the early 1950s (Thundering Caravans, one of the Sheriff Rocky Lane film series), she was cast against type as an evil criminal mastermind.
). She was seen as private-school proprietress Mrs. Nestor during the final (1955–1956) season of Our Miss Brooks
. She played the recurring character of neighbor Mrs. Boone in 1954's Meet Millie
, one of the first of the sit-com hits for CBS. She was also a regular comedic actor in 1952 on The Abbott and Costello Show
, and from 1957-62 on The Red Skelton Show
. Her first appearance on television was as a protagonist on the 1951 version of Dick Tracy; one of her last appearances on television was in 1966 in her recurring role as Clara Petrie, the mother of Rob (Dick Van Dyke) on The Dick Van Dyke Show
.
She died January 11, 1973, in Burbank, California, survived by two daughters.
Early life
Born in 1889 in Illinois, Isabel Randolph had an extensive acting career in regional theater all over the American Midwest, from the pre-WWI era right up through to the start of her radio career in the mid-1930s — for example, she was at the Princess Theater in Des Moine, Iowa, in 1918, and, in 1931, at the Loyola Community Theater in Chicago.Radio career
Isabel Randolph gained nationwide popularity on the famous radio show Fibber McGee and MollyFibber McGee and Molly
Fibber McGee and Molly was an American radio comedy series which maintained its popularity over decades. It premiered on NBC in 1935 and continued until its demise in 1959, long after radio had ceased to be the dominant form of entertainment in American popular culture.-Husband and wife in real...
(on the air 1935-1959), where she began in various "snooty" roles January 13, 1936, eventually becoming the long-running series character, the pompous Mrs. Abigail Uppington, a snooty society matron whom Fibber addressed as "Uppy", and whose pretensions Fibber delighted in deflating. She stayed with the comedy series for many years, but was gone when the show premiered in the Fall of 1943.
She also starred as the wife in NBC's soap opera Dan Hardings' Wife (on the air January 20, 1936 thru February 10, 1939), and was in the cast of another NBC soap opera One Man's Family
One Man's Family
One Man's Family, is a long-running American radio soap opera. It was heard for almost three decades, from 1932 to 1959. Created by Carlton E. Morse, it was the longest-running uninterrupted serial in the history of American radio...
(on the air 1932-59) during the 1940s.
Film career
Even while young, Isabel Randolph specialized in middle-aged "grand dame" roles on stage and radio, continuing in these roles when she entered films in 1940. She re-created her character of Mrs. Uppington in RKO's Look Who's LaughingLook Who's Laughing
Look Who's Laughing is a 1941 film about a radio personality who plans to build an airplane plant in a small town. This film precedes its sequel Here We Go Again.-Cast:* Edgar Bergen - Himself* Charlie McCarthy - Himself* Jim Jordan - Fibber McGee...
in 1941 and Here We Go Again
Here We Go Again
-In film and television:* Here We Go Again , a 1970s American sitcom starring Larry Hagman* Here We Go Again , a 1942 film featuring Fibber McGee and Molly, Edgar Bergen and Ginny Simms-Albums:...
in 1942, both spin-offs of the Fibber McGee and Molly radio series. In 1943, she co-starred again as Mrs. Uppington, but with country–music pioneer Roy Acuff
Roy Acuff
Roy Claxton Acuff was an American country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the King of Country Music, Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedown" format to the star singer-based format that helped make it internationally successful.Acuff...
instead, in the Republic musical O, My Darling Clementine. She worked in more than a few 1940s films with Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
. She played many small roles in major pictures, and starred in major (though stereotypical) roles in B-pictures — though, in at least one Republic Western of the early 1950s (Thundering Caravans, one of the Sheriff Rocky Lane film series), she was cast against type as an evil criminal mastermind.
Selected Films
Isabel Randolph worked on over seventy films from 1939 to 1959. Among them were:- Scrambled EggsScrambled Eggs (cartoon)Scrambled Eggs is a cartoon produced by Walter Lantz Productions in 1939 featuring a mischievous satyr-like creature named Peterkin.-Production:This cartoon was production #984 for Walter Lantz Productions, the fourth in the Cartune Classics series....
(1939), a Walter Lantz cartoon (voice, (unconfirmed), playing Various Mother Bird Characters) - The WomenThe Women (1939 film)The Women is a 1939 American comedy-drama film directed by George Cukor. The film is based on Clare Boothe Luce's play of the same name, and was adapted for the screen by Anita Loos and Jane Murfin, who had to make the film acceptable for the Production Code in order for it to be released.The film...
(1939) (uncredited) playing Woman in Cabinet - The Corsican BrothersThe Corsican Brothers (1941 film)The Corsican Brothers is a 1941 swashbuckler film starring Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. in a dual role as the title Siamese twins, separated at birth and raised in completely different circumstances. Both thirst for revenge against the man who killed their parents, both fall in love with the same woman,...
(1941) (uncredited) playing Countess Isabelle's Mother - Mr. Dynamite (1941) (uncredited) playing Dowager
- Take a Letter, DarlingTake a Letter, DarlingTake a Letter, Darling is a 1942 comedy film directed by Mitchell Leisen. It was nominated for three Academy Awards; Best Cinematography, Best Score and Best Art Direction .-Cast:* Rosalind Russell - A.M...
(1942) (uncredited) playing Mrs. French - My Favorite BlondeMy Favorite BlondeMy Favorite Blonde is a 1942 American comedy film starring Bob Hope and Madeleine Carroll.The movie depicts a vaudeville performer who gets mixed up with British and German secret agents in the days just before America enters World War II.-Cast:...
(1942) (uncredited) playing Frederick's Mother - Henry Aldrich Gets GlamourThe Aldrich FamilyThe Aldrich Family, a popular radio teenage situation comedy , was also presented in films, television and comic books. In the radio series' well-remembered weekly opening exchange, awkward teen Henry's mother called, "Hen-reeeeeeeeeeeee! Hen-ree Al-drich!", and he responded with a breaking...
(1943) (uncredited) playing Mrs. Stacey - Shadow of a Doubt (1943) (uncredited) playing Mrs. Margaret Green
- Little WomenLittle Women (1949 film)Little Women directed by Mervyn LeRoy is based on Louisa May Alcott's novel of the same name. The screenplay was written by Sally Benson, Victor Heerman, Sarah Y. Mason, and Andrew Solt...
(1949) (uncredited) playing Mrs. Gardiner - The Fuller Brush GirlThe Fuller Brush GirlThe Fuller Brush Girl is a 1950 slapstick comedy starring Lucille Ball and directed by Lloyd Bacon. Animator Frank Tashlin wrote the script. Ball plays a quirky door-to-door cosmetics salesperson for the Fuller Brush Company...
(1950) (uncredited) playing Bridge Player Mrs. Annabel South - Ain't Misbehavin'Ain't Misbehavin'Ain't Misbehavin' is a musical revue with a book by Murray Horwitz and Richard Maltby, Jr., music by Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller, and lyrics by various writers...
(1955) (uncredited) playing Matron - Hot ShotsHot Shots (1956 film)Hot Shots is a 1956 comedy film starring The Bowery Boys. The film was released on December 23, 1956 by Monogram Pictures and is the forty-third film in the series. It was directed by Jean Yarbrough and written by Jack Townley.-Synopsis:...
(1956) playing Mrs. Taylor - It Started with a Kiss (1959) (uncredited) playing Mrs. Chalmers
Television career
In her television career from 1951 to 1966, Isabel Randolph appeared most often on comedies, with an occasional drama (such as Perry MasonPerry Mason (TV series)
Perry Mason is an American legal drama produced by Paisano Productions that ran from September 1957 to May 1966 on CBS. The title character, portrayed by Raymond Burr, is a fictional Los Angeles defense attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner...
). She was seen as private-school proprietress Mrs. Nestor during the final (1955–1956) season of Our Miss Brooks
Our Miss Brooks
Our Miss Brooks is an American situation comedy starring Eve Arden as a sardonic high school English teacher. It began as a radio show broadcast on CBS from 1948 to 1957. When the show was adapted to television , it became one of the medium's earliest hits...
. She played the recurring character of neighbor Mrs. Boone in 1954's Meet Millie
Meet Millie
Meet Millie, a situation comedy about a wisecracking Manhattan secretary from Brooklyn, made a transition from radio to television in the early 1950s. In the live television version, Mom and Millie were living in Jackson Heights, Queens...
, one of the first of the sit-com hits for CBS. She was also a regular comedic actor in 1952 on The Abbott and Costello Show
The Abbott and Costello Show
The Abbott and Costello Show is an American television sitcom starring the popular comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello that premiered in syndication in the fall of 1952 and ran until May 1954....
, and from 1957-62 on The Red Skelton Show
The Red Skelton Show
The Red Skelton Show is an American variety show that was a television staple for two decades, from 1951 to 1971. It was second to Gunsmoke and third to The Ed Sullivan Show in the ratings during that time. Skelton, who had previously been a radio star, had appeared in several motion pictures as...
. Her first appearance on television was as a protagonist on the 1951 version of Dick Tracy; one of her last appearances on television was in 1966 in her recurring role as Clara Petrie, the mother of Rob (Dick Van Dyke) on 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....
.
Personal life
Isabel Randolph was born December 4, 1889, in Illinois.She died January 11, 1973, in Burbank, California, survived by two daughters.