Career Alice Ghostley

1 career

1.1 stage
1.2 television
1.3 film

career
stage

ghostley first came broadway in leonard sillman s new faces of 1952 , in film version released in 1954. appeared in 1960 revue thurber carnival , in beauty part (1962), playing several distinct roles in each. performed in several musical comedies, including shangri-la (1956). in 1978, succeeded dorothy loudon, had created role of miss hannigan in original broadway run of musical annie.

television

a veteran of television, ghostley appeared joy, 1 of ugly stepsisters in 1957 musical television production of richard rodgers , oscar hammerstein s cinderella, starred julie andrews in title role. other stepsister played actress kaye ballard. twelve years later, ghostley guest-starred harried maternity nurse on ballard s comedy series, mothers-in-law.

ghostley guest starred on nbc police comedy, car 54, you?, joe e. ross , fred gwynne. portrayed recurring characters on several situation comedies, beginning bewitched in 1966 in maid order , in ghostley played inept maid named naomi, hired darrin stephens (played dick york) assist wife samantha (elizabeth montgomery) during pregnancy. towards end of 1965-66 season, actress-comedian alice pearce, featured nosy neighbor gladys kravitz on bewitched, died. producers of series offered role of gladys ghostley, refused it. result, in fall of 1966, character actress sandra gould assumed role of gladys. in september 1969, after death of actress marion lorne, played aunt clara, ghostley joined bewitched semiregular in role of esmeralda, shy witch served maid , babysitter stephens household. ghostley s character of esmeralda created replace aunt clara s role bumbler of magic. (coincidentally, ghostley , lorne shared brief scene in 1967 film graduate, few months prior lorne s death , before ghostley cast in bewitched.)

on february 22, 1969, appeared aggie on ghost & mrs muir (starring edward mulhare , hope lange). episode entitled make me match . captain , mrs. muir matched claymore gregg (charles nelson reilly). on march 6, 1970, appeared on episode of ghost & mrs muir, curious cousin . played nosey cousin harriet. interferes mrs muir s private life. divert excessive attention, claymore, posing captain gregg, comes court her.

ghostley s esmeralda appeared in 15 episodes of bewitched between 1969 , 1972. during 2 years on bewitched, ghostley joined cast of mayberry r.f.d., playing cousin alice (the namesake of rock singer alice cooper) after frances bavier s character, aunt bee, written out of series. appeared in 14 episodes.

after 8 years, bewitched cancelled abc in spring of 1972. later year in september, hired semiregular abc-tv variety series, julie andrews hour; in addition participating in songs , sketches, andrews , ghostley featured in recurring segment roommates sharing small apartment. julie andrews hour cancelled abc in spring of 1973 after 24 episodes. throughout 1970s , 1980s, ghostley appeared in episodes of situation comedies such hogan s heroes (alternating kathleen freeman playing gertrude linkmaier, general burkhalter s sister), times, maude, 1 day @ time, odd couple, , s happening!!.

between 1986 , 1993, ghostley portrayed bernice clifton, off-kilter, eccentric friend of julia , suzanne sugarbaker s mother, perky, on designing women. later played irna wallingsford in 6 episodes of evening shade. had recurring role of ida mae brindle in sitcom small wonder, ran 1985 1989. among many other guest roles, appeared in flashback episode crazed mother-in-law of dorothy zbornak (bea arthur) on golden girls. made one-time appearance great-grandma in sabrina teenage witch. ghostley made few guest appearances on daytime drama passions in 2000, playing ghost of matilda matthews.

film

among roles in motion pictures, ghostley appeared in kill mockingbird (1962), playing stephanie crawford, neighborhood gossip. appeared in film version of grease shop teacher mrs. murdock. in 1985, had supporting role in nancy allen comedy not publication. alice played grandmama in direct-to-video movie addams family reunion.