“Forgotten Hollywood”- Ovaltine?…
Manny P. here…
“`Cloris Leachman was an Oscar-winner for her portrayal of a lonely housewife in The Last Picture Show, a comedic force in Mel Brooks productions, and a signature character on MTM television programs. Her work on the small screen earned her a sitcom, Phyllis. She would garner more Emmy nominations and tied Julia Louis-Dreyfus for the most Emmy triumphs by an actress.
“`A character actor of extraordinary range, Leachman defied typecasting. Although she started out as Miss Chicago in the Miss America Pageant, Cloris willingly accepted unglamorous screen roles. In her early television career, she appeared as Timmy’s mother on the Lassie series. She was a call girl in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Frau Blücher in Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein, with the very mention of her name drawing equine whinnies. CLORIS LEACHMAN –>
“`She secured a scholarship to study under Elia Kazan at the Actors Studio in New York City, making her professional debut in 1948. In addition to the above memorable roles, Leachman also co-starred in Lovers and Other Strangers, Daisy Miller, Crazy Mama, The Muppet Movie, and in two Mel Brooks’ classics: High Anxiety and History of the World Part 1. On television, she guest-starred on Alfred Hitchcock Presents, 77 Sunset Strip, Gunsmoke, The Twilight Zone, Route 66, The Untouchables, Dr. Kildare, That Girl, Perry Mason, Adam-12, Mannix, The Big Valley, The Love Boat, and The Nanny.
“`Leachman was a close friend of Marlon Brando, she was a neighbor for a time of Judy Garland, and her former mother-in-law was actress Mabel Albertson. In 2017, she received PETA’s Lifetime Achievement Award for her dedication to animal-rights issues.
“`By the way, my reference to Ovaltine as the title of this blog relates to maybe the funniest line Frau Blücher (right) ever uttered. It was during a scene with Gene Wilder in Young Frankenstein.
“`The incredibly talented Cloris Leachman was ninety-four.
Until next time> “never forget”
This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 27th, 2021 at 5:42 pm and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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