Mary Shipp

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Mary Shipp (September 17, 1915-May 8, 1997) was an American actress who performed primarily on radio and television. She portrayed "everything from giddy teenagers to siren-voiced vixens and stuffy matrons". [1]

Contents

Early years

Shipp was born on September 17, 1915, in Los Angeles. She studied ballet as a child, [2] and her professional debut came in a stock theater production of The Little Princess when she was 8 years old. Her early education came at Immaculate Heart Convent and Hollywood High School, and she majored in dramatics at Los Angeles City College, where her acting won awards. [3] Actress Jeanne Eagels was Shipp's aunt. [4] Shipp gained early acting experience with the Beverly Hills Community Players. [5]

Career

Shipp's radio career began when she portrayed Becky Thatcher on The Adventures of Tom Sawyer soon after she finished college. She portrayed Henry Aldrich's girlfriend, Kathleen, on The Aldrich Family concurrently with playing Milton Berle's wife on his program. She followed those roles by taking the part of Miss Spalding, a teacher of English in a night school class of immigrants, [1] on The Great Gildersleeve . [6] She portrayed Linda on My Best Girls. [7] Other radio programs on which Shipp performed included Cavalcade of America , Silver Theater , My True Story , [3] Manhattan at Midnight, [8] and Appointment with Life. [7]

Shipp continued to play Miss Spalding in the television adaptation of Life with Luigi. [9] In 1953 she joined the cast of the TV version of My Friend Irma , [10] portraying Kay Foster, a new roommate for Irma. [9] Other TV programs on which she appeared included You Are There , [11] Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre , [12] The Donna Reed Show , [13] Perry Mason , [14] Dangerous Assignment , [15] Crown Theatre with Gloria Swanson , [16] and The O. Henry Playhouse . [17]

Shipp acted in the 1953 film Jennifer, [18] and she wrote occasionally, including four scripts that she sold for the Kate Smith Speaks radio program. [3]

Personal life

Shipp married producer Harry Ackerman in Los Angeles on August 16, 1939. [19] They had a daughter and a son. [20] She died 8 May 1997 in Los Angeles, CA.

References

  1. 1 2 "Henry's Ex-Girl Friend Is Versatile Actress". The Portsmouth Star. April 20, 1952. p. B 10. Retrieved June 5, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ Cox, Jim (October 17, 2024). The Great Radio Sitcoms. McFarland. p. 215. ISBN   978-0-7864-9180-3 . Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 "Sweet Young Thing". Radio Romances. July 1945. p. 52. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Los Angeles". Radio Daily. April 29, 1937. p. 7. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  5. ↑ Wiener, Hal (November 19, 1932). "Beverly Hills Community Players Stage Group of One-Act Plays". Hollywood Filmograph. p. 11. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  6. ↑ "On the Air Waves: Who's News in Radio and TV". The Dayton Daily News. January 30, 1954. p. 17. Retrieved June 6, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  7. 1 2 "From the Production Centres: In New York City ..." Variety. June 7, 1944. p. 28. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  8. ↑ "From the Production Centres: In New York City ..." Variety. June 16, 1943. p. 30. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  9. 1 2 "Irma Has A New Roommate". The Evening Sun. Maryland, Baltimore. Associated Press. October 29, 1953. p. 40. Retrieved June 6, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Mosby, Aline (September 22, 1953). "CBS Boss' Wife Turns Up As Star in Major TV Show". The Wichita Eagle. United Press. p. 2. Retrieved June 6, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Sunday May 22". Ross Reports. May 15, 1955. p. E.
  12. ↑ "Friday January 3". Ross Reports. December 30, 1957. p. C. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Thursday November 5". Ross Reports. November 2, 1959. p. 44 C. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Saturday March 8". Ross Reports. March 3, 1958. p. D. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Monday October 20 (Contd)". Ross Reports. October 19, 1952. p. 9. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
  16. ↑ Terrace, Vincent (January 10, 2014). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010, 2d ed. McFarland. pp. 221–222. ISBN   978-0-7864-8641-0 . Retrieved June 7, 2025.
  17. ↑ Ames, Walter (June 17, 1957). "Lady Luck Riding With Bloomgarden, but Will She Quit?". Los Angeles Times. p. Part II, page 10. Retrieved June 7, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ "Jennifer (5407)". Exhibitor. November 4, 1953. p. 3633. Retrieved June 6, 2025.
  19. ↑ Shipp, Mary (February 1948). "No Marriage for Him!". Radio Mirror. pp. 46–47, 85–89. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Mary Shipp". Radio and Television Mirror. March 1950. p. 25. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
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