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Pamela Duncan (actress)

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Pamela Duncan
File:Pamela Duncan actor.jpg
Publicity photo of Duncan from a 1958 episode of Highway Patrol
Born(1924-12-28)December 28, 1924
DiedNovember 11, 2005(2005-11-11) (aged 80)
OccupationActress
Years active1951–1964

Pamela Duncan (December 28, 1924 – November 11, 2005) was an American B-movie actress who starred in the 1957 Roger Corman cult science fiction film Attack of the Crab Monsters and later appeared in the 2000 Academy Award-nominated documentary, Curtain Call, that focused on the lives and careers of the residents of the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, New Jersey.

Biography

A native of Brooklyn, New York, Duncan won several local beauty pageants as a teenager[1] before moving to Southern California to get into film acting.[citation needed] She attended Cornell University[2] and Hunter College.[3]

Duncan worked three years in summer stock theatre.[2] Her first role came when she appeared in the 1951 film Whistling Hills. Also in the 1950s, she played the part of Mike Hammer's secretary Velda in the mystery drama My Gun Is Quick.

On television, Duncan appeared on a number of television programs. In 1958 she appeared on Perry Mason as the murder victim and title character in "The Case of the Daring Decoy." Other television appearances included Pony Express, Highway Patrol, Maverick, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Colt .45, Tombstone Territory, Sea Hunt, Tales of Wells Fargo episode 14 The Sliver Bullets, and in 1959 she appeared in Bat Masterson, as Rachel Lowery in the episode "Lady Luck."

In still another 1959 appearance, Duncan was cast as traveling show performer "Princess Nadja" in the episode "RX: Slow Death" on the syndicated anthology series, Death Valley Days, hosted by the "Old Ranger" (Stanley Andrews).

On November 11, 2005, Duncan died from a stroke at the Booth Home in Englewood, New Jersey. She was 80.[1]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1951 Whistling Hills Cora - Waitress
1951 Lawless Cowboys Nora Clayton
1952 Confidence Girl Braddock's Nurse Uncredited
1952 The Ring Frances - Carhop Uncredited
1953 A Blueprint for Murder Nurse Uncredited
1954 Dragonfly Squadron Anne Taylor
1954 The Saracen Blade Zenobia
1954 Return from the Sea Nurse
1956 Seven Men from Now Señorita Nellie
1956 Julie Peggy Davis Uncredited
1957 Attack of the Crab Monsters Martha Hunter
1957 The Undead Diana Love / Helene
1957 My Gun Is Quick Velda, Hammer's Secretary
1957 Gun Battle at Monterey Maria Salvador
1959 Don't Give Up the Ship Lt. Ward Uncredited
1959 Career Myra Holloway Uncredited
1961 Summer and Smoke Pearl Uncredited
1962 Girls! Girls! Girls! Cigarette Girl Uncredited

References

  1. ^ a b "Pamela Duncan; was in 'Attack of Crab Monsters'". The Boston Globe. Massachusetts, Boston. Associated Press. November 21, 2005. p. D 7. Retrieved 30 June 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b Johnson, Erskine (April 10, 1958). "Pamela Duncan Is TV's Famed Unknown". News-Press. Florida, Fort Myers. Newspaper Enterprise Association. p. 7 A. Retrieved 30 June 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Weaver, Tom (2014). A Sci-Fi Swarm and Horror Horde: Interviews with 62 Filmmakers. McFarland. pp. 178–183. ISBN 978-0-7864-5831-8. Retrieved April 18, 2020.