Marion Lorne

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Marion Lorne
Marion Lorne.jpg
circa mid-1960s
Born Marion Lorne MacDougall
(1883-08-12)August 12, 1883
West Pittston, Pennsylvania, United States
Died May 9, 1968(1968-05-09) (aged 84)
New York City, New York, United States
Resting place Ferncliff Cemetery
Greenburgh, New York, United States[1]
41°01′39″N 73°49′57″W / 41.02750°N 73.83250°W / 41.02750; -73.83250
Occupation Actress
Years active 1905–1968
Spouse(s) Walter C. Hackett (until his death in 1944)
Lorne with Louise Drew in the play The Florist Shop (1909)

Marion Lorne (August 12, 1883[2][3] – May 9, 1968) was an American film, television and theatre actress.

After a career in theatre in New York City and London, Lorne made her first film in 1951, and for the remainder of her life, played small roles in films and television. Her recurring role, between 1964 and her death in 1968, as Aunt Clara in the comedy series, Bewitched (1964–1972) brought her widespread recognition, and for which she was posthumously awarded an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

Contents

Early life and education [edit]

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She was born Marion Lorne MacDougall in West Pittstown, Pennsylvania, a small mining town halfway between Wilkes-Barre and Scranton, of Scottish and English immigrant parents. While her year of birth is listed as 1885 on her tombstone, it was usually listed as 1888 when she was alive and the Social Security Death Index lists it as 1883.

Lorne studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.

Career [edit]

Lorne debuted on Broadway in 1905; she also acted in London theaters, enjoying a flourishing stage career on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. After appearing in a couple Vitaphone shorts, Success (1931) starring Jack Haley and A Peach of a Pair (1934) starring Shemp Howard and Daphne Pollard, she made her feature film debut at age 68 in Strangers on a Train (1951), directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The role was typical of the befuddled, nervous, and somewhat aristocratic matrons that she usually portrayed.

From 1952-1955, Lorne was seen as perpetually confused junior high school English teacher Mrs. Gurney on the pioneering sitcom Mr. Peepers, starring Wally Cox. From 1957 to 1958, she co-starred with Joan Caulfield in the NBC sitcom Sally in the role of an elderly widow and the co-owner of a department store.[4] Although afraid of live television, declaring "I'm a coward when it comes to a live [television] show," [5] she was persuaded to appear a few times to promote the film The Girl Rush with Rosalind Russell in the mid-1950s. Later, between 1958 and 1964, she was a regular on The Garry Moore Show (1958–1964) prime time comedy program.

Her last role, as Aunt Clara in Bewitched, brought Lorne her widest fame. She played a lovable, forgetful witch who is losing her powers because of her old age and whose spells usually end in disaster. Aunt Clara is obsessed with doorknobs, often bringing her collection with her on visits. Lorne had an extensive collection of doorknobs in real life, some of which she used as props in the series.[6]

She appeared in twenty-eight episodes and was not replaced after she died of a heart attack in New York City just prior to the start of production of the show's fifth season, aged 84.

The producers of Bewitched realized that Lorne's portrayal of the beloved Aunt Clara could not be replicated. Instead, character actress Alice Ghostley was recruited to fill the gap as the newly created Esmeralda. Coincidentally, Lorne and Ghostley had appeared side-by-side in the comedy-drama film The Graduate (1967), directed by Mike Nichols, as partygoers Miss DeWitte and Mrs. Singleman the year before Lorne's death.[7] She received a posthumous Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on Bewitched. The statue was accepted by Bewitched star Elizabeth Montgomery.

Filmography and television work [edit]

Year Title Genre Role Notes
1931 Success Short film Molly's mother
1934 A Peach of a Pair Short film Mrs. Potter
1951 Strangers on a Train psychological thriller Mrs. Anthony
July 3, 1952 to June 12, 1955 Mr. Peepers sitcom Mrs. Gurney television
1955 The Girl Rush musical comedy Aunt Clara
Aug. 21, 1955 The Ed Sullivan Show variety Herself in "The Girl Rush Show"
September 17, 1955 Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall variety Herself
1956–57 The Steve Allen Show variety Herself
1957–58 Sally sitcom Myrtle Banford television, 26 episodes
1958 Suspicion mystery drama Mrs. Foster television, one episode
1958 DuPont Show of the Month anthology series Veta Louise Simmons television, episode (television adaptation of the comedy play Harvey (1944))
1958–1964 The Garry Moore Show variety show herself television
1959 (25 November 1959) I've Got a Secret game show herself television
1964–1968 Bewitched sitcom Aunt Clara television, 28 episodes
1966 The Lucy Show sitcom Woman at coat show television, one episode (uncredited)
1967 The Graduate comedy-drama Miss DeWitte

Theatre work [edit]

  • Dance Me a Song as Grandmother (Jan 20, 1950 – Feb 18, 1950)
  • Harvey as Veta Louise Simmons (Nov 01, 1944 – Jan 15, 1949)
  • Off With The Motley (1937-1938) [Whitehall Theatre, London]
  • London After Dark (1937) [Streatham Hill Theatre]
  • London After Dark (1937) [Apollo Theatre, London]
  • The Fugitives (1936) [Whitehall Theatre, London]
  • Espionage (1935-1936) [Apollo Theatre, London]
  • Afterwards (1934) [Whitehall Theatre, London]
  • The White Sisters (1933) [Whitehall Theatre, London]
  • The Gay Adventure (1932) [Whitehall Theatre, London]
  • Road House (1932) [Whitehall Theatre, London]
  • Take a Chance (1931) [Whitehall Theatre, London]
  • Captain Applejack (1931) [Whitehall Theatre, London]
  • It Pays to Advertise (1930-1931)
  • Hyde Park Corner (1930)
  • Freedom of the Seas (1929)
  • Regeneration (1928)
  • The Wicked Earl (1928) His Majesty's Theater in London
  • The Barton Mystery (1927)
  • 77 Park Lane (1927)
  • 77 Rue Chalgrin (1925)
  • Other Men's Wives (1922)
  • The Barton Mystery (Oct 13 - 30, 1917; 20 performances)
  • It Pays to Advertise (1915-1916)
  • Don't Weaken (Jan 14, 1914 - Jan 1914)
  • The Little Minister as Lady Babbie (6/22/1910 - ??/2010) [Hunter-Bradford Players at the Parsons Theater]
  • The Florist Shop as Angelica Perkins (Aug 09, 1909 - Sep 1909)
  • The Devil as Mimi (Aug 18, 1908 - Nov 1908)
  • Here Tonight (1908)
  • Mrs. Temple's Telegram (Feb 01, 1905 - Mar 27, 1905)

Awards and nominations [edit]

Year Result Award Category Series Reference
1954 nominated Emmy Award Best Series Supporting Actress Mr. Peepers [8]
1955 nominated Emmy Award Best Supporting Actress in a Regular Series Mr. Peepers [8]
1958 nominated Emmy Award Best Continuing Supporting Performance by an Actress in a Dramatic or Comedy Series Sally [8]
1967 nominated Emmy Award Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Comedy Bewitched [8]
1968 won Emmy Award Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Comedy Bewitched [8]

Personal life [edit]

She was married to playwright Walter Hackett, who died in 1944.

Lorne is buried at Ferncliff Cemetery in Greenburgh, New York.[1]

See also [edit]

Portal icon Biography portal
Portal icon Film portal
Portal icon Theatre portal
Portal icon Television portal

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b Database (undated). "Marion Lorne". Find a Grave. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  2. ^ Database (undated). "Marion Lorne". Notable Names Database. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  3. ^ [unreliable source?] Staff (2001). "Bewitched Biography – Marion Lorne". harpiesbizarre.com. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  4. ^ "Sally". Classic TV Archives. Retrieved September 11, 2009. 
  5. ^ New York Times – Sep 26, 1958
  6. ^ "Aunt Clara's Doorknob Collection". September 23, 2008. Retrieved July 16, 2009.  Text "publisher Nick at Night Flashback" ignored (help)
  7. ^ [unreliable source?] "When Esmeralda Sneezed". harpiesbizarre. October 1, 2007. Retrieved October 1, 2007. 
  8. ^ a b c d e Database (undated). "Marion Lorne". emmys.com (database operated by Academy of Television Arts & Sciences). Retrieved October 7, 2012.

External links [edit]
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