Marjorie Lord
Encyclopedia
Marjorie Lord is an American television and film actress. She played Kathy "Clancy" Williams opposite Danny Thomas
on Make Room for Daddy
and later Make Room for Granddaddy.
.
In 1934, at the age of sixteen, Lord made her Broadway
debut in The Old Maid
with Judith Anderson
. The following year, she was signed with RKO Radio Pictures. While appearing in Springtime for Henry with Edward Everett Horton
, director Henry Koster
approached her and signed her to a contract with Universal Studios
. She appeared in six feature films for Universal.
Her film work includes a number of wartime pictures, including the 1943 mystery Sherlock Holmes in Washington
, starring Basil Rathbone
in the title role. She appeared on the 1951 episode "The Return of Trigger Dawson" of Bill Williams
's syndicated
western
television series The Adventures of Kit Carson
.
In 1956, while she was appearing in Anniversary Waltz, Lord caught the attention of Danny Thomas, who asked her to replace Jean Hagen
as his television wife on Make Room for Daddy. Hagen had played Thomas' wife since the series' inception, but she was written out of the script in 1956. Lord accepted, and played the role until the show was cancelled in 1964.
In 1970, Lord and Thomas, along with several other original supporting actors, returned to television with Make Room for Granddaddy. The show lasted just one season.
In 1966, she played Mrs. Martha Meade, the wife of Bob Hope
's character in the screwball comedy Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number!
.
, with whom she had two children, including actress Anne Archer
. They were married from 1941 until their divorce in 1955. Her second husband was producer Randolph Hale, to whom she was married from 1958 until his death in 1974. Her third husband was banker Harry Volk, to whom she was married from 1976 until his death in 2000.
Lord has continued to remain active beyond her 90th birthday. On May 8, 2008, she participated in a "Salute to Television Moms" panel discussion organized by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
Her memoir is entitled A Dance and a Hug.
Danny Thomas
Danny Thomas was an American nightclub comedian and television and film actor, best known for starring in the television sitcom Make Room for Daddy . He was also the founder of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital...
on Make Room for Daddy
The Danny Thomas Show
The Danny Thomas Show is an American sitcom which ran from 1953-1957 on ABC and from 1957-1964 on CBS...
and later Make Room for Granddaddy.
Early life and career
Lord was born in San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
.
In 1934, at the age of sixteen, Lord made her 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...
debut in The Old Maid
The Old Maid (play)
The Old Maid is a 1935 play adapted by American playwright Zoe Akins from Edith Wharton's 1925 novel, The Mother's Recompense.The Irish dramatist Arthur Murphy also wrote a play of the same name, which was first produced in 1761.-External links:...
with Judith Anderson
Judith Anderson
Dame Judith Anderson, AC, DBE was an Australian-born American-based actress of stage, film and television. She won two Emmy Awards and a Tony Award and was also nominated for a Grammy Award and an Academy Award.-Early life:...
. The following year, she was signed with RKO Radio Pictures. While appearing in Springtime for Henry with Edward Everett Horton
Edward Everett Horton
Edward Everett Horton was an American character actor. He had a long career in film, theater, radio, television and voice work for animated cartoons. He is especially known for his work in the films of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.-Early life:Horton was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Isabella...
, director Henry Koster
Henry Koster
Henry Koster was born Hermann Kosterlitz in Berlin, Germany. He became a film director and later moved to Hollywood. Koster's father, a salesman, left home when Henry was a young man...
approached her and signed her to a contract with Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
. She appeared in six feature films for Universal.
Her film work includes a number of wartime pictures, including the 1943 mystery Sherlock Holmes in Washington
Sherlock Holmes in Washington
Sherlock Holmes in Washington is the fifth film in the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce series of Sherlock Holmes movies.- Plot :A British agent carrying a vital document is murdered on his way to deliver it in the USA...
, starring Basil Rathbone
Basil Rathbone
Sir Basil Rathbone, KBE, MC, Kt was an English actor. He rose to prominence in England as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in over 70 films, primarily costume dramas, swashbucklers, and, occasionally, horror films...
in the title role. She appeared on the 1951 episode "The Return of Trigger Dawson" of Bill Williams
Bill Williams (actor)
Bill Williams was an American television and film actor. He is best known for his starring role in the early 1950 television show The Adventures of Kit Carson.-Career:...
's 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...
western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
television series The Adventures of Kit Carson
The Adventures of Kit Carson
The Adventures of Kit Carson is an American Western series that aired in syndication from August 1951 to November 1955, originally sponsored by Coca-Cola. It stars Bill Williams in the title role as frontier scout Christopher "Kit" Carson...
.
In 1956, while she was appearing in Anniversary Waltz, Lord caught the attention of Danny Thomas, who asked her to replace Jean Hagen
Jean Hagen
-Early life:Hagen was born as Jean Shirley Verhagen in Chicago, Illinois, to Christian Verhagen , a Dutch immigrant, and his Chicago-born wife, Marie. The family moved to Elkhart, Indiana when she was 12 and she subsequently graduated from Elkhart High School...
as his television wife on Make Room for Daddy. Hagen had played Thomas' wife since the series' inception, but she was written out of the script in 1956. Lord accepted, and played the role until the show was cancelled in 1964.
In 1970, Lord and Thomas, along with several other original supporting actors, returned to television with Make Room for Granddaddy. The show lasted just one season.
In 1966, she played Mrs. Martha Meade, the wife of Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
's character in the screwball comedy Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number!
Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number!
Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! is a 1966 American comedy film starring Bob Hope and Elke Sommer.- Plot :A gorgeous actress named Didi has become more famous for commercials involving bubble baths than for acting...
.
Personal life
She has been married three times. Her first husband was actor John ArcherJohn Archer (actor)
John Archer was an American movie and television actor.-Biography:Born Ralph Bowman in Osceola, Nebraska, Archer moved to California at the age of five...
, with whom she had two children, including actress Anne Archer
Anne Archer
Anne Archer is an American actress who has performed in feature films, television, and stage and was named Miss Golden Globe in 1971. Among her best known roles is that of Beth Gallagher in the 1987 movie Fatal Attraction, for which she received a nomination for an Academy Award.-Career:Archer's...
. They were married from 1941 until their divorce in 1955. Her second husband was producer Randolph Hale, to whom she was married from 1958 until his death in 1974. Her third husband was banker Harry Volk, to whom she was married from 1976 until his death in 2000.
Lord has continued to remain active beyond her 90th birthday. On May 8, 2008, she participated in a "Salute to Television Moms" panel discussion organized by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
Her memoir is entitled A Dance and a Hug.