Ann Doran
| Ann Doran | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
Ann Lee Doran July 28, 1911 Amarillo, Texas, U.S. |
| Died |
September 19, 2000 (aged 89) Carmichael, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1922–88 |
Ann Lee Doran (July 28, 1911 – September 19, 2000) was an American character actress.[1]
Early years
Doran was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.R. Doran;[2] her mother was an actress whose professional name was given as Rose Allen in two sources[3][4] and Carrie Barnett in another source.[5] She was born in Amarillo, Texas,[5] and attended high school in San Bernardino, California.[4]
Film career
Doran began acting at the age of four. (A 1979 newspaper article said that Doran's debut came when she was 11 years old.)[4]
She appeared in hundreds of silent films under assumed names to keep her father's family from finding out about her work. Rarely in a featured role (with the exception of James Dean's dominating mother in Rebel Without a Cause (1955)), Doran appeared in more than five hundred motion pictures and one thousand episodes of television shows, such as the American Civil War drama Gray Ghost.
Doran worked as a stand-in, then bit player, then incidental supporting player. By 1938 she was under contract to Columbia Pictures, where the company policy was to use the members of its stock company as often as possible. Thus, Doran appears in Columbia's serials (such as The Spider's Web and Flying G-Men), short subjects (including those of The Three Stooges, Charley Chase, Andy Clyde, Harry Langdon, and Vera Vague), B features (including the Blondie, Five Little Peppers, and Ellery Queen series), and major feature films. She became a favorite of Columbia director Frank Capra and appears in many of his productions. Most of these appearances were supporting roles, although she did play leads in Columbia's Charley Chase comedies of 1938-40 and in one Charles Starrett western feature, Rio Grande (1938).
Columbia filmed two boy-and-his-dog stories with juvenile star Ted Donaldson in 1945-46. When the Donaldson films became a full-fledged series (featuring the dog "Rusty") in 1947, Doran was cast as Donaldson's mother in the next six films. Her steady, sensible maternal roles led to her being cast as James Dean's mother in Rebel Without a Cause.
Television
Doran played Charlotte McHenry, the housekeeper in Shirley,[6]:962 Agnes Haskell, Eddie Haskell's mother, in Leave It to Beaver[6] and Mrs. Kingston, the housekeeper, in Longstreet.[6]:621-622
Doran guest starred on many television programs, including three appearances in the role of Bonnie Landis in the CBS legal drama, The Public Defender, starring with fellow Texan Reed Hadley. She appeared in the religion anthology series Crossroads in the 1956 episode "The White Carnation", along with Elinor Donahue, James Best, and J. Carrol Naish. In 1952 she appeared in an episode of The Lone Ranger entitled "Hidden Fortune".
Doran was cast in the CBS children's western My Friend Flicka, the story of a boy and his horse on a Wyoming ranch. She also appeared in episodes of Ray Milland's CBS sitcom Meet Mr. McNutley and Kenneth Tobey's syndicated aviation adventure series, Whirlybirds. Doran guest-starred on CBS's Perry Mason in "The Case of the Prodigal Parent" (1958), "The Case of the Lurid Letter" (1962), and "The Case of the Drowsy Mosquito" (1963).
Doran was cast twice in 1959-1960 in episodes of the ABC/Warner Brothers western series Colt .45, starring Wayde Preston.
In 1960, she was cast as Martha Brown, the mother of horse rider Velvet Brown (Lori Martin) in the NBC family drama National Velvet.[6]:746 She made one appearance on ABC's McHale's Navy as Mrs. Martha "Pumpkin" Binghampton, wife of Captain Binghampton (Joe Flynn).
Three years later, she appeared in the first episode of the ABC western series The Legend of Jesse James as Zerelda James Samuel, the mother of Jesse and Frank James.[6]
She also appeared in the program M*A*S*H as "Nurse Meg Cratty," who runs an orphanage in Korea. In the Season Four episode "The Kids," Nurse Cratty and her charges bunked with the M*A*S*H unit to avoid snipers.
Other professional activities
Doran was an early member of the Screen Actors Guild and served on the board of the Motion Picture & Television Fund for 30 years.[7]
Later years
Doran continued to work in movies and television until shortly before her death.
Death
Doran died at the age of 89 on September 19, 2000,[5] in Carmichael, California. Following her death her remains were cremated. She bequeathed $400,000 to the Motion Picture Country House, the retirement home for the movie industry.
Legacy
July 28, 2016 was designated as Ann Doran Day in Amarillo, Texas.
Selected filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1922 | Robin Hood | Page to Richard | Uncredited |
| 1934 | Servants' Entrance | Marie, the Maid | Uncredited |
| 1936 | Mr. Deeds Goes to Town | Girl on Bus | Uncredited |
| Palm Springs | Schoolgirl | Uncredited | |
| 1937 | Paid to Dance | Rose Trevor | Alternative title: Hard to Hold |
| 1938 | Penitentiary | Blanche Williams | |
| You Can't Take It With You | Maggie O'Neill | ||
| Rio Grande | Jean Andrews | Lead role | |
| 1939 | Blind Alley | Agnes | |
| The Man They Could Not Hang | Betty Crawford | ||
| Three Sappy People | Party guest | ||
| 1940 | His Girl Friday | Newspaper Office Worker | Uncredited |
| 1941 | Sun Valley Serenade | Waitress | Uncredited |
| 1941 | Meet John Doe | Bert Hansen's wife | Uncredited |
| 1941 | Penny Serenade | Dotty "Dot" | |
| 1942 | They All Kissed the Bride | Helene - the Drew's Maid | Uncredited |
| 1943 | So Proudly We Hail! | Lt. Betty Peterson | |
| Air Force | Mrs. Mary Quincannon | Uncredited | |
| 1944 | Mr. Skeffington | Maria, a nursemaid | Uncredited |
| 1945 | Pride of the Marines | Ella Mae Merchant | Alternative title: Forever in Love |
| 1946 | The Strange Love of Martha Ivers | Bobbi St. John | |
| 1947 | My Favorite Brunette | Miss Rogers | |
| 1948 | Pitfall | Maggie | |
| 1949 | The Kid from Cleveland | Emily Barrows Novak | |
| 1950 | Never a Dull Moment | Jean Morrow | |
| 1951 | The People Against O'Hara | Betty Clark, Policewoman | |
| 1952 | The Rose Bowl Story | Mrs. Addie Burke | |
| 1952 | Love Is Better Than Ever | Mrs. Levoy | |
| 1952 | Rodeo | Mrs. Martha Durston | |
| 1953 | Island in the Sky | Moon's wife | Uncredited |
| 1954 | Them! | Child Psychiatrist | Uncredited |
| 1954 | The High and the Mighty | Mrs. Joseph | |
| 1955 | Rebel Without a Cause | Carol Stark | |
| 1955 | The Desperate Hours | Mrs. Walling | Uncredited |
| 1957 | Shoot-Out at Medicine Bend | Sarah Devlin | |
| 1958 | The Deep Six | Elsie - Mike's Wife | Uncredited |
| 1958 | It! The Terror from Beyond Space | Mary Royce | |
| 1959 | A Summer Place | Mrs. Talbert | Uncredited |
| 1963 | Captain Newman, M.D. | Mrs. Pyser | Uncredited |
| 1964 | The Brass Bottle | Martha Kenton | |
| 1964 | Kitten with a Whip | Mavis Varden | |
| 1965 | Mirage | Tenant in Apartment 3R | Uncredited |
| 1966 | Not with My Wife, You Don't! | Doris Parker | |
| 1967 | The Hostage | Miss Mabry | |
| 1968 | Live a Little, Love a Little | Landlady | Uncredited |
| 1969 | The Arrangement | Nurse Costello | |
| 1970 | There Was a Crooked Man... | Mrs. Lomax | |
| 1971 | The Hired Hand | Mrs. Sorenson | |
| 1976 | The Gumball Rally | Mrs. Ontley | |
| 1976 | Flood! | Emma Fisher | |
| 1981 | All Night Long | Grandmother Gibbons | |
| 1986 | Wildcats | Mrs. Chatham | Alternative title: First and Goal |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1952 | Adventures of Superman | Mrs. King | 1 episode |
| 1953 | The Danny Thomas Show | Teacher | 1 episode |
| 1954 | Ramar of the Jungle | Irene Loring | 1 episode |
| 1955 | Brave Eagle | Whispering Grass | 1 episode |
| 1956 | Father Knows Best | Dorothy Tyler | 1 episode |
| 1957 | December Bride | Miss Moore | 1 episode |
| 1958 | M Squad | Mrs. Rainey | 1 episode |
| Perry Mason | Mrs. Claire Durrell in "The Case of the Prodigal Parent" | 1 episode | |
| Official Detective | Charlotte | Episode: "The Cover-Up" | |
| 1959 | Frontier Doctor | Ma "Dallas" Bell | 1 episode |
| Bourbon Street Beat | Mary Dumont | 1 episode, "The Tiger Moth" | |
| 1960 | Wagon Train | Aunt Lizzie | 1 episode |
| 1963–1970 | The Virginian | Various | 5 episodes |
| 1965 | McHale's Navy | Mrs. Binghamton | 1 episode |
| 1966–1967 | Hey, Landlord | Marcy Banner | 2 episodes |
| 1968 | The Guns of Will Sonnett | Margaret Stover | 1 episode |
| 1970 | The Bold Ones: The Lawyers | Mrs. Grimbi | 1 episode |
| 1970 | Ironside | Dora Copeland | 1 episode |
| 1971–1972 | Longstreet | Mrs. Kingston | 23 episodes |
| 1972 | The Odd Couple | Loretta Spoon | 1 episode |
| 1973 | Emergency! | Mrs. Perigrew and Hannah | 2 episodes |
| 1973 | Barnaby Jones | Nurse Nora Randall | 1 episode |
| 1974 | The Rookies | Mrs. Coleman | 1 episode |
| 1974 | Little House on the Prairie | Mrs. Tyler | 1 episode |
| 1975 | M*A*S*H | Nurse Meg Cratty | 1 episode |
| 1978 | Fantasy Island | Emma Howard | 1 episode |
| 1979 | Eight Is Enough | Ms. Ryder | 1 episode |
| 1980 | Shriley | Charlotte McHenry | 13 episodes |
| 1982 | Father Murphy | Abby | 1 episode |
| 1983 | Tales of the Unexpected | Mary Deacon | 1 episode |
| 1984 | Knots Landing | Mercy | 1 episode |
| 1985 | Highway to Heaven | Mrs. Bradley | 2 episodes |
| 1986 | The A-Team | Nora | 1 episode |
| 1986 | Trapper John, M.D. | Mrs. McAndrew | 1 episode |
| 1987 | The Twilight Zone | Mrs. Clark | 1 episode |
| 1988 | Hunter | Mrs. Rawling | 1 episode |
References
- ↑ "Ann Doran, 89, Character Actress". The New York Times. October 3, 2000.
- ↑ "Ann Doran, Mother Are Greeted by Old Friends". The San Bernardino County Sun. California, San Bernardino. March 28, 1948. p. 35. Retrieved July 4, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Todd, John (January 10, 1945). "Hollywood". The Tipton Daily Tribune. Indiana, Tipton. International News Service. p. 2. Retrieved July 4, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 3 "Ann Doran: Never A Star But Back This Fall". Logansport Pharos-Tribune. Indiana, Logansport. United Press International. August 1, 1979. p. 11. Retrieved July 4, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 3 "Ann Doran, 89; character actress". Santa Cruz Sentinel. California, Santa Cruz. The New York Times. October 3, 2000. p. 6. Retrieved July 4, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7. P. 591.
- ↑ Scott, Vernon (July 25, 1979). "Never a star, but plenty of work". The Ottawa Journal. Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. United Press International. p. 33. Retrieved July 4, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ann Doran. |
- Ann Doran at the Internet Movie Database
- Ann Doran at the TCM Movie Database
- All Time Rebel {1955-2005 | 50th Anniversary} (Archived 2009-10-25)