Melinda Plowman

Melinda Plowman
Plowman in 1951
Born	Melinda Ann Plowman (1941-05-13) May 13, 1941 (age 83) Abilene, Texas, U.S.
Other names	Melinda Ann Casey Melinda Casey
Occupation(s)	Actress, assistant director
Years active	1949 − 1996
Spouses	Philip Casey Robert Ballew
Children	2

Melinda Ann Plowman (born May 13, 1941), also known as Melinda Ann Casey and Melinda Casey, is an American actress and associate director. She began her acting career at age 6 and appeared in feature films and television episodes through the 1960s. In the 1970s, she became a member of the Directors Guild of America and worked as an associate director through the 1990s.

Early life

Melinda Ann Plowman was born on May 13, 1941, in Abilene, Texas. ^[1] Her parents, Homer Lee Plowman and Lura Frances Slaughter, had met and married in Abilene in 1934. ^[2] She has one younger sister. ^[3] Her second birthday party, hosted by her mother and grandmother, was reported in the Abilene Reporter-News . ^[4]

The family moved to Los Angeles in 1942. ^[5] Plowman was enrolled in a dance school at age 3. ^[5] She was "discovered" at the age of 6 through the dancing school and was cast in a bit part in the 1949 film Little Women . ^[5]

Career

Plowman with Dan Duryea in Chicago Calling (1951)

Acting

Plowman acted in Hollywood films in the 1950s but primarily worked in television. ^[6] She appeared in seven NBC Matinee Theater episodes, as well as episodes of Ford Theatre , The Loretta Young Show , and The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show . ^[5] She was one of the original Mouseketeers on The Mickey Mouse Club . ^{[7] [8] [9]}

Her parents preferred to maintain her status as a freelance actor rather than a studio contract player. ^[3] Her mother accompanied her on the set. ^[3] When she wasn't working, Plowman attended a public elementary school and, later, San Marino High School in San Marino, California. ^[5] During film shoots, she had a private tutor on the set. ^{[3] [5]}

Plowman landed her first leading role at the age of 25 in the 1966 horror film Billy the Kid Versus Dracula . ^[6]

Directing

In the 1970s, she joined the Directors Guild of America, listing herself as an associate director under the name Melinda Ann Casey. ^[10] She continued working on film crews through the 1990s.

Personal life

Plowman married Phil Casey, a talent manager, in Las Vegas in August 1967. ^[11] They had one son. ^[2] Plowman later married Robert Ballew, with whom she has a daughter. ^[2] In 1971, her parents moved back to Fort Worth. ^[2] She lives in Victoria, British Columbia. ^[2]

Filmography (as an actress)

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1949	Little Women	Girl	Uncredited [5]
	Holiday Affair	Girl
	Ma and Pa Kettle	Susie Kettle
1950	Three Came Home	English girl
	My Blue Heaven	Pringle girl
	Again Pioneers	Rebecca Ashby	As Malinda Plowman
1951	Home Town Story	Katie Washburn
	Chicago Calling	Nancy Cannon
1952	Monkey Business	Little girl
	Carrie	Little girl
1953	Pack Train	Judy
1956	Wiretapper
1957	The Green-Eyed Blonde	Betsy Abel	As Linda Plowman
1966	Billy the Kid Versus Dracula	Betty Bentley
1976	Street Girls	Adelle	As Linda Reynolds
1982	Wrong Is Right	W.T.N. news staffer	As Melinda Ann Casey [12]
Sources: [13] [14]

TV

Year	Title	Role	Episode
1950	Big Town	Kathy
	The Gene Autry Show	Betsy Simmons
	The Cisco Kid	Carol Cartright
1952	The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet	Girl, Linda, Melinda, Sean's girl, Sue Bailey	5 episodes
	Ford Television Theatre	Little girl
	Cavalcade of America	Vi as a teenager
1953	The Danny Thomas Show	Mary Lou
	General Electric Theater	Charlotte Dunn
1954	Rocky Jones, Space Ranger	Jonica
	Annie Oakley	Jill Turner, Penny	2 episodes
1955	The Adventures of Champion	Sally Custer	Episode: "Salted Ground" [13]
	The Adventures of Champion	Lorna	Episode: "Canyon of Wanted Men" [13]
	Science Fiction Theatre	Alice
1956	The Mickey Mouse Club	Peggy	[7]
	Diamond Mystery Theater	Susan Davis	Episode: "The Man Across the Street" [15]
1958	The Donna Reed Show	Babs	Episode: "Parting of the Ways" [13]
	Wanted: Dead or Alive	Patience Fairweather	Season 3, Episode 22 "Detour"
1959	The June Allyson Show	Nancy	1 episode
	Bonanza	Heather Lowell	1 episode
	The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis	Central High Girl
1960	My Three Sons	Julie	Season 6, episode: "the wrong Robbie"
	National Velvet	Sally Grimes
1961	The Americans	Molly	1 episode
	Bachelor Father	Agnes	1 episode
1962	Wagon Train	Penelope	Episode: "Path of the Serpent" [16]
	Perry Mason	Maureen Thomas	Episode: "The Case of the Polka-Dot Pony" [17]
	Going My Way	Jane Everett
1963	The Fugitive	Ellen Tolan	Episode: "See Hollywood and Die"
	The Virginian		Episode: "A Time Remembered"
	My Favorite Martian	Sally
	Petticoat Junction	Mary Jane Burris
1964	The Outer Limits	Vivia Hayden	Episode: "Don't Open Till Doomsday"
	Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.	Girl Marine
1965	Please Don't Eat the Daisies	Terry, Secretary	2 episodes
1966	The Felony Squad	Mylene Bruce, Suellen Taubs	2 episodes
	Bonanza		Episode: "Four Sisters from Boston" [18]
1967	Judd, for the Defense	Girl
1969–1971	Hot Wheels (TV series)	Janet Martin	Voice [19]
	Skyhawks	Cynthia Hughes	Voice [20]
Sources: [12] [13] [21]

References

1. "Six New Arrivals At Hospitals Here". Abilene Reporter-News . May 13, 1941. p. 14. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
2. "Frances Slaughter Plowman". Fort Worth Star-Telegram . January 11, 2017. p. A16. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Teenager Vacations From Career as Well as School". Abilene Reporter-News. August 28, 1957. p. 48. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Melinda Plowman Honored on Birthday". Abilene Reporter-News. May 16, 1943. p. 35. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
5. Harter, Billie (August 27, 1957). "Melinda Plowman, Young Starlet, Visits In City". Lubbock Evening Journal. p. 4. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
6. Boggs 2013, p. 181.
7. Woolery 1985, p. 478.
8. Bowles 1976, p. 137.
9. "Times TV Log". San Mateo Times . March 13, 1957. p. 23. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
10. Directory of Members. Directors Guild of America. 1976. pp. 56, 399. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
11. Carroll, Harrison (August 30, 1967). "Behind the Scenes". Shenandoah Evening Herald . p. 16. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Melinda Casey". Video Detective. 2020. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
13. "Melinda Plowman". British Film Institute. 2020. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
14. "Melinda Plowman". AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute. 2019. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
15. "Thursday, July 12". The Philadelphia Inquirer . July 8, 1956. p. 6. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
16. "Wagon Train". TV Guide. 2020. Archived from the original on March 27, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
17. Kelleher, Brian; Merrill, Diana (1998). "Episode Guide – The Sixth Season". The Perry Mason TV Show Book. Archived from the original on July 10, 2010. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
18. "TV Week". Pasadena Independent Star-News . October 30, 1966. p. 73. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
19. Terrace 2014, p. 478.
20. Terrace 2014, p. 980.
21. "Melinda Plowman". TV Guide. 2020. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.

Sources

• Boggs, Johnny D. (2013). Billy the Kid on Film, 1911-2012. McFarland. ISBN   9781476603353.
• Bowles, Jerry G. (1976). Forever Hold Your Banner High!: The Story of the Mickey Mouse Club and what Happened to the Mouseketeers. Doubleday. ISBN   9780385116220.
• Terrace, Vincent (2014). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). McFarland. ISBN   9780786486410.
• Woolery, George W. (1985). Children's Television, Part II: The First Thirty-five Years, 1946-1981. Scarecrow Press. ISBN   9780810816510.

External links

• Melinda Plowman at IMDb
• Melinda Plowman at the TCM Movie Database