Edith Meiser (May 9, 1898 - September 26, 1993)

Edith Meiser spent most of her career on the Broadway stage. She did very little television and even fewer films only appearing in five to be exact. But during her long career on stage she did work with some amazing people including Vivian Vance. Her television credits: "Kraft Television Theatre" "Goodyear Television Playhouse" "Broadway Television Theatre" "Producers' Showcase" "Playwrights '56" "The United States Steel Hour" "The Defenders" "Naked City" And of course... "I Love Lucy" Yes in 1952 she appeared in two season one episodes playing Mrs. Phoebe Littlefield, wife of Tropicana Nightclub owner Mr. Alvin Littlefield (Gale Gordon). Her first appearance in "Lucy's Schedule" is rather prominent but her second in "Ricky Asks for a Raise" is much smaller. In "Lucy's Schedule" she reacts in horror when she finds Lucy stuck with a wax apple in her mouth...I can still hear her shout "Mrs. Ricardo!" She then plays double agent when she hears her husband and Ricky plotting to make their wives stay on schedule (or in Mrs. Littlefield's case go on one) and tells Lucy all about it. The two wives with the help of Ethel teach the men a lesson. It is a great episode...Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance and William Frawley are all at the top of their game and their supporting players Gale Gordon and Edith Mesier round out the cast making it absolutely flawless. I'm sure at the time she was doing it she never imagined anyone would ever remember it, but here it is 56 years later and she is still Mrs. Phoebe Littlefield.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Remembering the Cast of "Make Room for Daddy" / "The Danny Thomas Show" (583)

It was one of the longest running family sitcoms in television history.  Right there along side "I Love Lucy", "The Honeymooners", "Father Knows Best" and "My Little Margie" it was one of the most beloved programs of the day.  It began on ABC as "Make Room for Daddy" on September 29, 1953.  After 120 episodes the title changed to "The Danny Thomas Show" and in 1957 the program moved to CBS.  After a healthy eleven year run the show ended on April 27, 1964 after producing 351 episodes total.  In 1970 a majority of the cast returned for the show "Make Room for Granddaddy" which lasted from 1970 to 1971 producing 24 episodes.  The cast was headed up by Danny Thomas who played nightclub entertainer Danny Williams.  Jean Hagen played his wife Margaret, Rusty Hamer played his son Rusty and Sherry Jackson played his daughter Terry.  Jackson played Terry from 1953 to 1958 followed by Penny Parker who played the role from...
Read more

Doris Packer (May 30, 1904 - March 31, 1979)

She began in New York on Broadway and then started appearing on radio. Some of her radio credits include "Henry Aldrich" and "Mr. & Mrs. North." When she became a widow in 1953 she relocated to California where she began appearing on film and on television. Her first film was Meet Me at the Fair. She also appeared in The Perils of Pauline in 1967. She is best remembered as Mrs. Cornelia Rayburn, Beaver's Principal on "Leave it to Beaver." She also had a recurring role on "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis." Her final film appearance was in Shampoo in 1975... Other Television Credits: "The Great Gildersleeve" "Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theatre" "The Bob Cummings Show" "The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show" "I Love Lucy" "Lux Video Theatre" "The Jack Benny Program" "The Thin Man" "Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse" "Maverick" ...
Read more