A Halloween tribute to a true leading lady! (623)

Today would have been the 90th birthday of this wonderful actress.  Her talents were first exposed to the world on the Broadway stage when she originated the role of Maggie in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."  On film she can be seen in I Remember Mama, Panic in the Streets, Fourteen Hours and Vertigo just to name a few.

As television quickly became a major place to find work she began playing guest parts on many different shows of the day.  Her resume includes "Robert Montgomery Presents", "Playhouse 90", "The United States Steel Hour", "Death Valley Days", "Dr. Kildare" and "Daniel Boone." 

I know I have mentioned this in a previous tribute but it is worth repeating.  Her appearance on "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" is one of the show's most popular episodes.  Entitled "Lamb to the Slaughter" it originally aired on April 13, 1958.  The story involves a scorned housewife getting even with her husband by clobbering him over the head with a frozen leg of lamb.  She immediately tossing the living room around to make it look like an intruder killed her husband and when the police arrive she offers to cook them a nice meal after their investigation.  As the detectives sit eating they are confident that they will soon find the murder weapon...in the background the vengeful woman just laughs to herself.  Hitchcock appears at the end to reveal what actually happens.......but I'm not telling.

In the late 1970's the actress took on the role of Eleanor "Miss Ellie" Southworth Ewing on the prime time soap opera "Dallas."  As she told Dinah Shore during an interview she was attracted to the show because she needed a job.  As Miss Ellie she played opposite Jim Davis (as husband Jock), Larry Hagman (as eldest son J.R.), Patrick Duffy (as youngest son Bobby), Linda Gray (as J.R.'s unhappy wife Sue Ellen), Charlene Tilton (as granddaughter Lucy) and Victoria Principal (as Bobby's energetic wife Pamela).  Heart troubles arose in 1983 and the actress was forced to miss 1/3 of the 1983-1984 television season.  By that time she decided to leave the show altogether and made what was supposed to be her final appearance on May 18, 1984.  Fellow 1940's screen actress Donna Reed was brought in for the 1984-1985 season but when the original Miss Ellie decided to return Reed was let go.  Miss Ellie number one returned in September 1985 and stayed with the show until the conclusion of the 13th season in the spring of 1990. 

That same year the actress retired to her home in Maine and remained in retirement until her death from lung cancer on August 8, 2005 at the age of 82.   

On what would've been her 90th birthday...

In Memoriam Remembers:
Barbara Bel Geddes

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