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Mary Wickes

Women like me. They think I'm wholesome or something.

About Me

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Born:Mary Isabelle WickenhauserFrom the old school of wisecracking, loud and lanky Mary Wickes had few peers while forging a career as a salty scene-stealer whose abrupt, tell-it-like-it-is demeanor made her a consistent audience favorite on every medium for over six decades. She was particularly adroit in film parts that chided the super rich or exceptionally pious, and was a major chastiser in generation-gap comedies. TV holds a vault full of not-to-be-missed vignettes where she served as a brusque foil to many a top TV comic star. Case in point: who could possibly forget her merciless ballet taskmaster, Madame Lamond, putting Lucille Ball through her rigorous paces at the ballet bar in a classic "I Love Lucy" (1951) episode?
Unlike the working-class characters she embraced, this veteran character comedienne was actually born Mary Isabella Wickenhauser on June 13, 1910, in St. Louis, Missouri, the daughter of a well-to-do banker. Of Irish and German heritage, she grew into a society débutante following high school and graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a degree in political science. She forsook a law career, however, after being encouraged by a college professor to try theater, and she made her debut doing summer stock in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The rest, as they say, is history.
With the encouragement of stage legend Ina Claire whom she met doing summer theater, Mary transported herself to New York where she quickly earned a walk-on part in the Broadway play "The Farmer Takes a Wife" starring Henry Fonda in 1934. In the show she also understudied The Wizard of Oz (1939)'s "Wicked Witch" Margaret Hamilton, and earned excellent reviews when she went on in the part. Plain and hawkish in looks while noticeably tall and gawky in build, Mary was certainly smart enough to see that comedy would become her career path and she enjoyed showing off in roles playing much older than she was. New York stage work continued to pour in, and she garnered roles in "Spring Dance" (1936), "Stage Door" (1936), "Hitch Your Wagon" (1937), "Father Malachy's Miracle (1937) and, in an unusual bit of casting, Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre production of "Danton's Death." All the while she kept fine-tuning her craft in Summer Stock.
A series of critically panned plays followed until a huge door opened for her in the form of Miss Preen, the beleaguered nurse to an acid-tongued, wheelchair-bound radio star (played by the hilarious Monty Woolley) in the George S. Kaufman/Moss Hart comedy "The Man Who Came to Dinner." Oddly enough, for once, it was Mary doing the cowering. The play was the toast of Broadway for two wacky years and she went on tour with it as well. She also become a Kaufman favorite.
Hollywood took notice as well, and when Warner Bros. decided to film the play, it allowed both Mary and Woolley to recreate their parts. The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942), which co-starred Bette Davis and Ann Sheridan, was a grand film hit and Mary was now officially on board in Hollywood, given plenty of chances to freelance.
At Warners she lightened up the proceedings a bit in the Bette Davis tearjerker Now, Voyager (1942) as nurse to Gladys Cooper. Elsewhere she traded quips with Lou Costello as a murder suspect in the amusing whodunit Who Done It? (1942); played a WAC in Private Buckaroo (1942) with The Andrews Sisters; and dished out her patented smart-alecky services in both Happy Land (1943) and My Kingdom for a Cook (1943).
She returned to Broadway for a few seasons, often for Kaufman, and did some radio work, but returned to Hollywood and played yet another nurse in The Decision of Christopher Blake (1948), a part written especially for her. She appeared with 'Bette Davis (I)' for a third time in June Bride (1948), finding some fine moments as a magazine editor. Playing characters that were born to butt heads with the stars, she went on to perform yeoman work in On Moonlight Bay (1951) and its sequel, By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953); I'll See You in My Dreams (1951); White Christmas (1954) and The Music Man (1962) as one of the "Pick-A-Little, Talk-A-Little" housewives of River City.
Television roles also began filtering in for Mary as she continued to put her cryptic comedy spin on her harried housekeepers and working women. Mary played second banana to a queue of comedy's best known legends in the 1950s and 1960s, notably Lucille Ball (who was a long-time neighbor and pal off-screen), Danny Thomas, Red Skelton, Bob Hope, Jack Benny, Jimmy Durante, Peter Lind Hayes and Gertrude Berg. Her work with Berg on the series "The Gertrude Berg Show" (1961) earned Mary an Emmy nomination. Among babyboomers, she is probably best remembered as Miss Cathcart in "Dennis the Menace" (1959).
In later years Mary's gangly figure filled out a bit as she continued to appear here and there on the small screen as both a guest and regular. Later in life she enjoyed a bit of a resurgence. Perhaps remembered earlier for her Sister Clarissa in the madcap comedy film The Trouble with Angels (1966) with Rosalind Russell, Mary donned the habit once again as crabby musical director Sister Mary Lazarus in the box-office smash Sister Act (1992) and its sequel, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993). She also churned out a few roles as cranky relatives as in Postcards from the Edge (1990) as Meryl Streep's grandmother & 'Shirley Maclaine''s mother; and as Aunt March in Little Women (1994) with Winona Ryder. True to form, one of her last roles was voicing a gargoyle in the animated The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), which was released after her death.
The never-married Los Angeles-based performer died in October of 1995 after entering the hospital with respiratory problems. While a patient, Mary suffered a broken hip from an accidental fall and complications set in following surgery. She was 85. When it came to deadpan comedy, Mary was certainly no second banana. She was a truly a star.

My Interests

I'd like to meet:

# The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) (voice) .... Laverne # "Life with Louie" (1995) TV series .... Grandma (unknown episodes) # Little Women (1994) .... Aunt March # Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993) .... Sister Mary Lazarus # Sister Act (1992) .... Sister Mary Lazarus # "Father Dowling Mysteries" .... Marie Murkin (43 episodes, 1987-1991) ... aka Father Dowling Investigates (UK) - The Consulting Detective Mystery (1991) TV episode .... Marie Murkin - The Malibu Mystery (1991) TV episode .... Marie Murkin - The Hardboiled Mystery (1991) TV episode .... Marie Murkin - The Monkey Business Mystery (1991) TV episode .... Marie Murkin - The Mummy's Curse Mystery (1991) TV episode .... Marie Murkin (38 more) # Postcards from the Edge (1990) .... Grandma# "Highway to Heaven" .... Minnie (1 episode, 1988) - Country Doctor (1988) TV episode .... Minnie # "Punky Brewster" .... Mrs. Dempsey / ... (2 episodes, 1984-1987) - So Long, Studio (1987) TV episode .... Mrs. Dempsey - Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1984) TV episode .... Sister Bernadette # Fatal Confession: A Father Dowling Mystery (1987) (TV) .... Marie Murkin # Alf Loves a Mystery (1987) (TV) # Almost Partners (1987) (TV) .... Aggie Greyson # The Christmas Gift (1986) (TV) .... Henrietta Sawyer # "Murder, She Wrote" .... Mrs. Alva Crane (1 episode, 1985) - Widow, Weep for Me (1985) TV episode .... Mrs. Alva Crane # "ABC Afterschool Specials" .... Ms. Crandall (1 episode, 1985) - First the Egg (1985) TV episode .... Ms. Crandall # The Canterville Ghost (1985) (TV) .... Mrs. Umney # "Trapper John, M.D." .... Hazel / ... (3 episodes, 1981-1984) - Of Cats, Crashes and Creeps (1984) TV episode .... Rocy Flanagan - The Good Life (1982) TV episode .... Hazel - Hate Is Enough (1981) TV episode .... Miranda # "Matt Houston" .... Nellie (1 episode, 1984) - Wanted Man: Part 2 (1984) TV episode .... Nellie # "The Waltons" .... Octavia (1 episode, 1981) - The Hostage (1981) TV episode .... Octavia # "The Love Boat" .... Mrs. Randolph (1 episode, 1981) - Maid for Each Other/Lost and Found/Then There Were Two (1981) TV episode .... Mrs. Randolph # Touched by Love (1980) .... Margaret ... aka To Elvis, with Love # Willa (1979) (TV) .... Eunice # Lucy Calls the President (1977) (TV) .... Millie Baker # "Tabitha" .... Casandra (1 episode, 1977) - Halloween Show (1977) TV episode .... Casandra # "Doc" (1975) TV series .... Nurse Mrs. Beatrice Tully (1975-76) (unknown episodes) # "M*A*S*H" .... Colonel Reese (1 episode, 1975) - House Arrest (1975) TV episode .... Colonel Reese # "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" .... Dr. Bess Winestock (1 episode, 1974) ... aka The Night Stalker - They Have Been, They Are, They Will Be.. (1974) TV episode .... Dr. Bess Winestock # Ma and Pa (1974) (TV) # "Here's Lucy" .... Isabel / ... (9 episodes, 1969-1974) - Lucy, the Sheriff (1974) TV episode .... Clara Simpson - Lucy Plays Cops and Robbers (1973) TV episode .... Violet Barker - Lucy and Eva Gabor Are Hospital Roomies (1972) TV episode .... Nurse - Lucy's Big Break (1972) TV episode .... Nurse Sylvia Ogilvy - Lucy and Her All-Nun Band (1971) TV episode .... Sister Paula Carter (4 more) # "Sigmund and the Sea Monsters" .... Aunt Zelda (4 episodes, 1973-1975) - Ghoul School Days (????) TV episode .... Aunt Zelda - Is There a Doctor in the Cave? (????) TV episode .... Aunt Zelda- Paul Revere Rides Again (????) TV episode .... Aunt Zelda - The Monster Who Came to Dinner (????) TV episode .... Aunt Zelda # Snowball Express (1972) .... Miss Wigginton # "Sanford and Son" .... Mary (1 episode, 1972) - The Light Housekeeper (1972) TV episode (as Mary Wicks) .... Mary # The Man Who Came to Dinner (1972) (TV) .... Nurse Preen # "Hallmark Hall of Fame" (1 episode, 1972) ... aka Hallmark Television Playhouse - The Man Who Came to Dinner (1972) TV episode # Napoleon and Samantha (1972) .... Clara # Open Window (1972) .... Mrs. Sappleton # "The Jimmy Stewart Show" .... Mrs. Bullard (3 episodes, 1971) - Period of Readjustment (1971) TV episode .... Mrs. Bullard - A Bunk for Unc (1971) TV episode .... Mrs. Bullard - Pro Bono Publico (1971) TV episode .... Mrs. Bullard # Columbo: Suitable for Framing (1971) (TV) .... Landlady # "The Man and the City" .... Cora (1 episode, 1971) - Running Scared (1971) TV episode .... Cora # "The Debbie Reynolds Show" .... Aunt Harriet (1 episode, 1970) - Advice and Dissent (1970) TV episode .... Aunt Harriet # "Julia" .... Melba Chegley (2 episodes, 1969) - The Grass Is Sometimes Greener (1969) TV episode .... Melba Chegley - Tie Wolf (1969) TV episode .... Melba Chegley # The Monk (1969) (TV) .... Mrs. Medford # "The Queen and I" .... Hazel Becker (1 episode, 1969) - Requiem for Becker (1969) TV episode .... Hazel Becker # Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows (1968) .... Sister Clarissa # "I Spy" .... Mildred (1 episode, 1968) - Shana (1968) TV episode .... Mildred # "The Lucy Show" .... Fran / ... (7 episodes, 1963-1967) ... aka The Lucille Ball Show (USA: alternative title) - Lucy's Mystery Guess (1967) TV episode .... Aunt Agatha - Lucy and Robert Goulet (1967) TV episode .... Miss Hurlow - Lucy the Babysitter (1967) TV episode .... Mrs. Winslow - Lucy Puts Out a Fire at the Bank (1963) TV episode .... Fran - Lucy and Viv Play Softball (1963) TV episode .... Fran(2 more) # "The Beverly Hillbillies" .... Adaline Ashley (1 episode, 1967) - The Social Climbers (1967) TV episode .... Adaline Ashley # The Spirit Is Willing (1967) .... Gloria Tritt # "F Troop" .... Samantha Oglesby (1 episode, 1967) - Marriage, Fort Courage Style (1967) TV episode .... Samantha Oglesby # "Bonanza" .... Hattie / ... (2 episodes, 1963-1966) ... aka Ponderosa (USA: rerun title) - A Christmas Story (1966) TV episode .... Hattie - The Colonel (1963) TV episode .... Martha # "The Pruitts of Southampton" .... Amelia Pembroke (1 episode, 1966) ... aka The Phyllis Diller Show (USA: new title) - Phyllis, the Upstairs Girl (1966) TV episode .... Amelia Pembroke # The Trouble with Angels (1966) .... Sister Clarissa # "Ben Casey" (1 episode, 1965) - The Day They Stole County General (1965) TV episode # How to Murder Your Wife (1965) .... Harold's Secretary # Dear Heart (1964) .... Miss Fox # Fate Is the Hunter (1964) .... Mrs. Llewlyn # "My Three Sons" (1 episode, 1964) - Caribbean Cruise (1964) TV episode # "Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre" .... Nurse (1 episode, 1963) ... aka The Chrysler Theater ... aka Universal Star Time (syndication title) - It's Mental Work (1963) TV episode .... Nurse # "Kraft Suspense Theatre" .... Mrs. Mike (1 episode, 1963) - The Machine That Played God (1963) TV episode .... Mrs. Mike # "Temple Houston" (1963) TV series .... Ida Goff (unknown episodes) # "Our Man Higgins" .... Mme. Amethyst (1 episode, 1963) - Love Is Dandy (1963) TV episode .... Mme. Amethyst # "Dennis the Menace" .... Miss Esther Cathcart / ... (9 episodes, 1959-1962) ... aka Just Dennis (UK) - Jane Butterfield Says (1962) TV episode .... Miss Ester Cathcart - You Go Your Way (1962) TV episode .... Miss Cathcart - Dennis' Obligation (1961) TV episode .... Miss Esther Cathcart - Miss Cathcart's Friend (1961) TV episode .... Miss Esther Cathcart - Dennis, the Campaign Manager (1961) TV episode .... Miss Esther Cathcart (4 more) # The Music Man (1962) .... Mrs. Squires ... aka Meredith Willson's The Music Man (USA: complete title) # "The Gertrude Berg Show" .... Maxwell (1 episode, 1961) ... aka Mrs. G Goes to College - First Test (1961) TV episode .... Maxwell # "Shirley Temple's Storybook" .... Hannah / ... (2 episodes, 1960-1961) ... aka The Shirley Temple Theatre (USA: third season title) - The Princess and the Goblins (1961) TV episode .... Lottie - Little Men (1960) TV episode .... Hannah # "The Chevy Show" .... Edith Gunther (1 episode, 1961) - Autumn Crocus (1961) TV episode .... Edith Gunther # The Sins of Rachel Cade (1961) .... Marie Grieux # One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) (voice) ... aka Walt Disney's 101 Dalmatians (USA: alternative title) # Cimarron (1960) .... Mrs. Neal Hefner ... aka Edna Ferber's Cimarron (USA: complete title) # The Gambler, the Nun and the Radio (1960) (TV) .... Nurse# "Startime" .... Myrtle (1 episode, 1959) ... aka Ford Startime ... aka Lincoln-Mercury Startime - Cindy's Fella (1959) TV episode .... Myrtle # It Happened to Jane (1959) .... Matilda Runyon ... aka Jane from Maine (USA) ... aka Twinkle and Shine (USA: reissue title) # "The Thin Man" .... Sally (1 episode, 1959) - Bat McKidderick (1959) TV episode .... Sally # "Zorro" .... Dolores Bastinado / ... (3 episodes, 1958) - The Well of Death (1958) TV episode .... Dolores Bastinado - The Deadly Bolas (1958) TV episode .... Dolores Maldonado - The Cross of the Andes (1958) TV episode .... Dolores Bastinado # The Proud Rebel (1958) (uncredited) .... Mrs. Ainsley # "Make Room for Daddy" .... Liz (1 episode, 1956-1958) ... aka The Danny Thomas Show (USA: new title) - Terry's Friend (1958) TV episode .... Liz # "Walt Disney Presents: Annette" (1958) TV series .... Katie # Don't Go Near the Water (1957) .... Janie # "Lux Video Theatre" (1 episode, 1957) ... aka Summer Video Theatre (USA: summer title) - Dark Hammock (1957) TV episode # "Playhouse 90" .... Grace (1 episode, 1957) - Circle of the Day (1957) TV episode .... Grace # Dance with Me Henry (1956) .... Miss Mayberry # "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" .... Blanche Armstaedter / ... (2 episodes, 1956) - Toby (1956) TV episode .... Mrs. Foster - The Baby Sitter (1956) TV episode .... Blanche Armstaedter # Good Morning, Miss Dove (1955) .... Miss Ellwood # "The Alcoa Hour" .... Sally Brass (1 episode, 1955) - The Small Servant (1955) TV episode .... Sally Brass # "Shower of Stars" .... Lizzie (1 episode, 1955) ... aka Chrysler Shower of Stars - Time Out for Ginger (1955) TV episode .... Lizzie # "The Halls of Ivy" .... Alice (1 episode, 1955) - The Umbrella Man (1955) TV episode .... Alice # Destry (1954) .... Bessie Mae Curtis # White Christmas (1954) .... Emma Allen # Ma and Pa Kettle at Home (1954) .... Miss Wetter # "Studio One" .... Mary Poppins (3 episodes, 1949-1954) ... aka Studio One Summer Theatre (USA: summer title) ... aka Studio One in Hollywood (USA: new title) ... aka Summer Theatre (USA: summer title) ... aka Westinghouse Studio One (USA) ... aka Westinghouse Summer Theatre (USA: summer title) - The Runaway (1954) TV episode - Mrs. Hargreaves (1952) TV episode - Mary Poppins (1949) TV episode .... Mary Poppins # "Bonino" (1953) TV series .... Martha (1953) # The Actress (1953) .... Emma Glavey # Half a Hero (1953) .... Mrs. Watts # By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953) .... Stella # Bloodhounds of Broadway (1952) (uncredited) .... Lady at Laundry # The Story of Will Rogers (1952) .... Mrs. Foster, Landlady # Young Man with Ideas (1952) .... Mrs. Gilpin ... aka Young Man in a Hurry (USA) # "I Love Lucy" .... Madame Lamand (1 episode, 1952) ... aka Lucy in Connecticut (USA: rerun title) ... aka The Sunday Lucy Show (USA: rerun title) ... aka The Top Ten Lucy Show (USA: rerun title) - The Ballet (1952) TV episode .... Madame Lamand # I'll See You in My Dreams (1951) .... Anna # On Moonlight Bay (1951) .... Stella (Winfields' cook and housekeeper) # "The Peter Lind Hayes Show" (1950) TV series .... Housekeeper (unknown episodes, 1950) ... aka The Peter and Mary Show (USA: first episodes title) # The Petty Girl (1950) .... Prof. Whitman ... aka Girl of the Year (UK) # "The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre" (1 episode, 1950) ... aka Chevrolet Television Theatre (USA) ... aka The Broadway Playhouse - Highly Recommended (1950) TV episode # Anna Lucasta (1949) .... Stella # "The Philco Television Playhouse" (1 episode, 1949) ... aka Arena Theatre (USA: new title) ... aka Repertory Theatre (USA: new title) ... aka The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse (USA: new title) - Dark Hammock (1949) TV episode # "The Ford Theatre Hour" .... Miss Preen (1 episode, 1949) - The Man Who Came to Dinner (1949) TV episode .... Miss Preen # "NBC Presents" (1 episode, 1949) - Fancy Meeting You Here (1949) TV episode # The Decision of Christopher Blake (1948) .... Clara # "Actor's Studio" (2 episodes, 1948) ... aka The Play's the Thing (USA: last season title) - Goody Bye, Miss Lizzie Borden (1948) TV episode - The Catbird Seat (1948) TV episode # June Bride (1948) .... Rosemary McNally # Higher and Higher (1943) .... Sandy Brooks # Happy Land (1943) (uncredited) .... Emmy # My Kingdom for a Cook (1943) .... Agnes Willoughby # Rhythm of the Islands (1943) .... Susie Dugan # How's About It (1943) .... Michele 'Mike' Tracy # Who Done It? (1942) .... Juliet Collins # Keeping Fit (1942) .... Ann - Andy's wife # Now, Voyager (1942) .... Nurse Dora Pickford # The Mayor of 44th Street (1942) .... Mamie # Private Buckaroo (1942) .... Bonnie-Belle Schlopkiss # Blondie's Blessed Event (1942) .... Sarah Miller ... aka A Bundle of Trouble (UK) # The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942) .... Nurse Preen # Seeing Red (1939) (uncredited) .... Mrs. Smith # Too Much Johnson (1938) .... Mrs. Battison # Watch the Birdie (1935) (uncredited) (unconfirmed) .... Undetermined Role

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