Louise Fitch
Louise Fitch | |
---|---|
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Born | October 18, 1914[1] |
Died | September 11, 1996 |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Creighton University |
Spouse | Jerome Rosenthal (1938 - ?) |
Louise A. Fitch (October 18, 1914 – September 11, 1996) was an American actress best known for her work in old-time radio.
Early years
Fitch was born into a Yiddish-speaking family in Omaha, Nebraska,[1] to Leo (Lev) Fitch (1884–1947) and Fannie (Frieda) Riekes Fitch (1896–1960), Jewish immigrants from Ukraine and Russia, respectively.[2][1][3][non-primary source needed] She grew up in Council Bluffs, Iowa, where she received her elementary and secondary education.[4] While she was a student at Creighton University, Fitch was a beauty queen, editor of the school's newspaper, and the school's best violinist.[5] She initially majored in journalism, planning to go into that profession, but opportunities for acting changed her mind.[6] Participation in Creighton's dramatics society helped Fitch to develop her acting skills, and her debut on stage came unexpectedly when she had to go on for a leading lady who became sick. She gained additional experience by acting with a stock theater company throughout her college years.[4]
Radio
Fitch first worked in radio as a copywriter for station KOIL in Omaha, Nebraska, for five months. Her entry into acting on radio came by accident when she visited a friend who was an announcer at a station in Chicago. A director mistakenly had her audition for a part, leading her to be cast as Nancy in That Brewster Boy.[4]
Fitch's roles on radio programs included those shown in the table below.
Program | Character |
---|---|
Arnold Grimm's Daughter | Bernice Farriday[7] |
Bachelor's Children | Anne Beacham[8] |
Big Sister | Margo Kirkwood[9] |
Fighting Senator | Priscilla (Mike) Logan[10] |
Guiding Light | Rose Kransky[11] |
Kitty Keene, Inc. | Anna[12] |
Light of the World | Zebudah[4] |
Lone Journey | Sydney Sherood[13] |
Manhattan Mother | Dale Dwyer[14] |
Mortimer Gooch | Betty Lou Harrison[15] |
The Road of Life | Carol Evans Martin[12]: 285 |
The Romance of Helen Trent | Gloria Grant[16] |
Scattergood Baines | Eloise Comstock[12]: 296 |
Two on a Clue | Debbie Spencer[17] |
Valiant Lady | Christine Jeffreys[18] |
We Love and Learn | Andrea Reynolds[19] |
Woman in White | Betty Adams[20] |
By late 1937, Fitch had rejected two offers to act in films, preferring to remain in radio.[21]
Hollywood Blacklist
Fitch was an actress in the 1950s that took on roles such as Blood of Dracula and I Was a Teenage Werewolf. During this time period, McCarthyism and the Red Scare were circulating. With the fear of Communism during the Cold War, Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed that he had a list of confirmed communists in the United States.[22] This list affected politicians, blue collar workers, and actors/actresses such as Fitch herself. "The Red Channels" in which was a pamphlet written that gave a list of people in show business who had potential communist ties.[23][24] This pamphlet created the Hollywood Blacklist that Fitch was placed on[25][26] Hundreds of others in show business were Blacklisted and were not able to get jobs, having to testify in front of the HUAC[27] These people were given the option to give the name of another communist or remain silent and be placed on the blacklist.
Television
Fitch played Nurse Bascomb on the CBS drama Medical Center.[28] Fitch played Mrs. Deutch on Hart to Hart "As the Hart Turns", and Mrs. Ballard on Magnum, P.I. episode "Ghost Writer".
Film
Under the name of Louise Lewis, she also appeared in Cassavetes' movie Opening Night.
Personal life
Fitch married attorney Jerome Rosenthal in 1938.[16]
Death
On September 11, 1996, Fitch died in Los Angeles at age 81.[29]
References
- ^ a b c U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
- ^ 1920 United States Federal Census
- ^ JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry (JOWBR)
- ^ a b c d "Nebraska-Born Girl Heard In CBS Drama". The Nebraska State Journal. Nebraska, Lincoln. September 9, 1945. p. 28. Retrieved August 7, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Meet a Radio Cinderella". Harrisburg Telegraph. Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. February 11, 1937. p. 13. Retrieved August 7, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Studio Notes". The Evening News. Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. November 3, 1937. p. 18. Retrieved August 7, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Violin Brings Actress Chance to 'Crack' Radio". Wisconsin State Journal. Wisconsin, Madison. March 25, 1941. p. 24. Retrieved August 8, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Early All-Cohan Broadcast Promised For Waring Band". The Greenville News. South Carolina, Greenville. July 13, 1942. p. 10. Retrieved August 9, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Joins 'Big Sister'". Harrisburg Telegraph. Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. October 18, 1947. p. 19. Retrieved August 8, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "CBS Drama Probes Corrupt Elections". The Nebraska State Journal. Nebraska, Lincoln. August 11, 1946. p. 32. Retrieved August 8, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Versatile Star". The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, the Evening News. Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre. March 31, 1943. p. 7. Retrieved August 9, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 190. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
- ^ "Questions and Answers". The Nebraska State Journal. Nebraska, Lincoln. June 22, 1941. p. 36. Retrieved August 9, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "On the Air". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Ohio, Cincinnati. October 3, 1938. p. 19. Retrieved August 8, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Louise Fitch". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. January 17, 1937. p. 52. Retrieved August 7, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Helen Trent". Des Moines Tribune. Iowa, Des Moines. March 21, 1940. p. 21. Retrieved August 9, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Steinhauser, Si (June 11, 1945). "Radio Star Hitched her Wagon to a Motto". The Pittsburgh Press. Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh. p. 23. Retrieved August 9, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Here and There on the Air". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Missouri, St. Louis. October 14, 1945. p. 79. Retrieved August 9, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "New 'Andrea'". The Times. Louisiana, Shreveport. July 20, 1944. p. 7. Retrieved August 9, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Busy Actress". Harrisburg Telegraph. Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. July 25, 1942. p. 20. Retrieved August 9, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Actress Declines Hollywood Offers". Detroit Free Press. Michigan, Detroit. November 21, 1937. p. 50. Retrieved August 7, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ History.com Editors (November 13, 2009). "McCarthy says communists are in State Department". History.com.
{{cite web}}
:|last=
has generic name (help) - ^ McDonough, John (June 22, 2010). "Reliving The Scare: Looking Back On 'Red Channels'". National Public Radio.
- ^ "The Cold War Home Front: Red Channels". History on the Net. July 18, 2012.
- ^ Goldsmith Press (2018). "The Broadcast 41 Women and the AntiCommunist Blacklist". MIT press.
- ^ "McCarthyism". 2008–2018.
- ^ History.com Editors (October 17, 2018). "Hollywood 10". History.com.
{{cite web}}
:|last=
has generic name (help) - ^ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 676. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
- ^ "Louise Fitch; Acted in Movies, Cult Films, TV". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. September 19, 1996. p. 24. Retrieved August 8, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.