Sheree North
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Sheree North(bornDawn Shirley Crang;January 17, 1932 – November 4, 2005) was an American actress, dancer, and singer, known for being one of20th Century-Fox's intended successors toMarilyn Monroe.
Early life
[edit]North was born Dawn Shirley Crang[1]in Los Angeles, California, on January 17, 1932,[2]the daughter of June (née Shoard) and Richard Crang. Following her mother's remarriage to Edward Bethel, she was known as Dawn Shirley Bethel.[2]
Career
[edit]Beginnings
[edit]North made her film début as an uncredited extra inExcuse My Dust(1951). She was then spotted by a choreographer performing at the Macayo Club inSanta Monica,and was cast as a chorus girl in the filmHere Come the Girls(1953), starringBob Hope.Around that time, she adopted the stage name Sheree North. She made herBroadwaydébut in the musicalHazel Flagg,for which she won aTheatre World Award.[3]She reprised her role in the film version,Living It Up(1954), starringDean MartinandJerry Lewis.[citation needed]In early 1954, at age 22, she appeared in a live TV version ofCole Porter'sAnything GoesonThe Colgate Comedy Hour,withEthel Merman,Frank Sinatra,andBert Lahr.[4]
20th Century-Fox
[edit]In 1954, North signed a four-year contract with20th Century-Fox.The studio had big plans for her, hoping to groom her as a replacement for the studio's leading—and increasingly uncontrollable—female starMarilyn Monroe.Fox tested North for leading roles in two of their upcoming productions,The Girl in Pink TightsandThere's No Business Like Show Business—two films that had been offered to Monroe—while North was wearing Monroe's own studio wardrobe. After her screen tests, though, North was not cast in either film. In March 1954, North had a brush with scandal when she was revealed to have once danced in abikiniin an8 mmerotic film. Fox capitalized on the publicity, as the studio previously had with Monroe's nude calendar posing in 1952.[5]
In 1955, she was assigned the lead role oppositeBetty GrableinHow to Be Very, Very Popular(1955), a role that Marilyn Monroe had refused. Media attention surrounding Monroe's suspension, and North's hiring resulted in North appearing on the cover ofLifewith the cover line "Sheree North Takes Over from Marilyn Monroe".[6]How to Be Very, Very Populardid not live up to the hype Fox had generated, though North had appeared onWhat's My Line?to publicize the film and had been asked point-blank by one of the panelists if she has been associated with Monroe. The movie received mixed reviews from critics and was a moderate box-office success. Despite this, film historians, then and now, cite North's electrically charged dancing to "Shake, Rattle and Roll" as the film's most memorable scene.[7]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f5/Shereenorthlifemag.jpg/200px-Shereenorthlifemag.jpg)
In an attempt to promote North, Fox studio executives lobbied to cast her in films surrounded with popular stars. The studio had campaigned to cast her in a film with comedianTom Ewell,hoping to repeat the success he had with Monroe inThe Seven Year Itch(1955). Soon thereafter, the studio assigned North and Ewell to appear together in the romantic comedyThe Lieutenant Wore Skirts,plotting the story of an army lieutenant whose husband tries to get her discharged. To promote the film, North posed for several publicity shots showing her legs. When the majority of the shots were released, only her legs appeared, with the tagline "Believe it or not, these legs belong to an army lieutenant." The film premiered with much fanfare in January 1956, and became a box-office success, grossing over $4 million in the United States.[citation needed]
North's follow-up wasThe Best Things in Life Are Free(1956), a lavishmusicalin which her singing voice wasdubbedbyEileen Wilson.She received fourth billing underGordon MacRae,Dan Dailey,andErnest Borgnine.It was an attempt by the studio to broaden North's audience appeal, and while it earned favorable reviews from critics, it did not become the success for which Fox had hoped. In 1956, Fox signed anotherblonde bombshellin the person of Broadway actressJayne Mansfieldto a contract, and began promoting her instead of North. Although Fox gradually lost interest in North, the studio continued to offer her a string of films. She was offered the lead role in a film calledThe Girl Upstairs,in which she would have parodied Monroe's on-screen persona.[citation needed]
When North's agent suggested she decline the film, Fox put her on suspension for two months. When her suspension was lifted one month later, North agreed to appear inThe Way to the Gold,but only on the assurance thatElvis Presleywould be her co-star. When Presley withdrew due to salary disagreements, he was replaced withJeffrey Hunter,with whom North often quarreled. In the film, North attempted to progress from her blonde bombshell image, playing a sarcastic waitress, and while the film drew mixed reviews, it was a box-office success.[citation needed]
She next starred inNo Down Payment(1957), a melodrama about the lives of multiple families living in a California subdivision.Tony Randallplayed her alcoholic husband in the film. Although critically acclaimed, it was not a box-office success. The following year, she appeared in her final two films for Fox.In Love and War(1958) was a war drama film pairing her again with Jeffrey Hunter, and also withRobert Wagner,Dana Wynter,andHope Lange.It was not a critical or financial success. Although the musical film genre had declined in profitability, she next co-starred inMardi Gras(1958) withPat BooneandTommy Sands.It was her final film under her contract.[citation needed]
Later years
[edit]After North's contract with Fox ended in 1958, her career stalled, although she continued to act in films, television, and on the stage throughout the rest of her life. She guest-starred on episodes ofThe UntouchablesandGunsmoke(both 1963). North joined the cast ofI Can Get It for You Wholesalein 1962, which featuredElliott Gouldand introducedBarbra Streisand.She later guest-starred on a series of popular television series, includingBen Casey,Burke's Law(1963–65),The Virginian(1964–66),The Big Valley,The Iron Horse(both 1966), andThe Fugitive(1965–67).[citation needed]
After an eight-year absence from film acting, North accepted a lead role in theB-moviescience-fiction filmDestination Inner Space(1966). The film opened to only a minor release in 1966 and has rarely been seen since. North co-starred with Elvis Presley in one of his final films,The Trouble with Girls(1969).[citation needed]
When she was not working in films, she worked in musicals and many other theatrical productions. She appeared on Broadway doing a lively routine in the musicalHazel Flagg(1953), and won aTheatre World Award.This led directly to her being cast in the filmLiving It Up(1954). In 1962, she appeared on Broadway as Martha Mills inI Can Get It for You Wholesale,with Jack Kruschen, Elliott Gould, and Barbra Streisand in her Broadway debut. North also appeared in productions ofIrma La Douce,Bye Bye Birdie,andCan-Can.In 1965, she took over from Shirley Knight in a Los Angeles production ofDutchmanthat coincided with the 1965 Watts riots. The production was controversial and was blamed by conservatives for inciting unrest. It was picketed, ads in newspapers were blocked, and North's car was set on fire. Despite that, the production ran for a year.
From the 1960s onward, North focused mainly on becoming a solid and versatile character actress, appearing on almost every television Western, cop show, and medical drama produced from the 1960s through the 1990s. She displayed a talent for comic timing on many of the situation comedies of the era. She was a favorite in several made-for-television movies. She also earned Emmy nominations for appearances onMarcus Welby, M.D.(1969) andArchie Bunker's Place(1979).
A favorite of film producer/directorDon Siegel,she appeared in four of his films: inMadigan(1968) opposite Richard Widmark; inCharley Varrick(1973) with Walter Matthau; asJohn Wayne's long-lost love in the actor's final filmThe Shootist(1976); and inTelefon(1977). She had supporting roles in twoCharles Bronsonmovies,Breakout(1975) withRobert Duvall,andTelefon.Other notable performances were inThe Gypsy Moths(1969) with Burt Lancaster and Gene Hackman; and as Burt Lancaster's ex-lover in Michael Winner's Western,Lawman(1971) withRobert Ryan,Lee J. Cobb,Robert Duvall, andAlbert Salmi.She also appeared in the crime dramaThe Organization(1971) withSidney Poitier,and inThe Outfit(1973) with Duvall,Joe Don Baker,andKaren Black.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, North appeared in guest spots on TV shows, includingHawaii Five-O,The Streets of San Francisco,McMillan & Wife,Matlock,Family,andMagnum, P.I..She playedLou Grant's girlfriend in several episodes ofThe Mary Tyler Moore Show.She co-starred withSheldon Leonardin the short-lived CBS sitcomBig Eddiein 1975. During the 1980–81 season, North starred inI'm a Big Girl NowwithDiana Canova,Danny Thomas,andMartin Short.The series aired 19 episodes. In 1980, she played Marilyn Monroe's mother in the made-for-television filmMarilyn: The Untold Story.In 1983, she appeared in the ensemble cast ofSteven Bochco's seriesBay City Blues.The hour-long drama series aired eight episodes. North later appeared in two episodes ofThe Golden GirlsasBlanche Devereaux's sister Virginia.
In the 1990s, she appeared asCosmo Kramer's motherBabs Kramerin two episodes of the sitcomSeinfeld.Her last screen role was inJohn Landis' black comedySusan's Plan(1998).[citation needed]
Personal life
[edit]North was married four times and had two children. In 1948, at age 16, she married Fred Bessire, a draftsman, with whom she had a daughter, Dawn. The marriage ended in 1953. In 1955, she married television writer Bud Freeman; the marriage ended a year later. Her third marriage was to a psychologist, Gerhardt Sommer, with whom she had another daughter, Erica Eve. The marriage ended in divorce in 1963.[citation needed]At the time of her death, North was married to her fourth husband, Emmy Award-winning title designer Phillip "Phill" Norman.[7]
On November 4, 2005, aged 73, North died of complications following surgery atCedars-Sinai Medical Center.[8] [9]
Theatre
[edit]- Hazel Flagg(February 11, 1953 – September 19, 1953)
- I Can Get It for You Wholesale(March 22, 1962 – December 8, 1962)
- The Glass Menagerie(Laguna-Moulton Playhouse – January 3, 2000)
Filmography
[edit]Features
[edit]Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1951 | Excuse My Dust | Six Girl Club Member | Uncredited |
1953 | Here Come the Girls | Chorine with Elephant | Uncredited |
1954 | Living It Up | Jitterbug Dancer | |
The Girl in Pink Tights | Uncompleted | ||
1955 | How to Be Very, Very Popular | Curly Flagg | |
1956 | The Lieutenant Wore Skirts | Lieutenant Katy Whitcomb | |
The Best Things in Life Are Free | Kitty Kane | ||
1957 | The Way to the Gold | Henrietta 'Hank' Clifford, waitress | |
No Down Payment | Isabelle Flagg | ||
1958 | In Love and War | Lorraine | |
Mardi Gras | Eadie West | ||
1966 | Destination Inner Space | Dr. Rene Peron | |
1968 | Madigan | Jonesy | |
1969 | The Gypsy Moths | Waitress | |
The Trouble with Girls | Nita Bix | ||
1970 | Io sono la legge | ||
1971 | Lawman | Laura Shelby | |
The Organization | Mrs. Morgan | ||
1973 | Charley Varrick | Jewell Everett | |
The Outfit | Buck's Wife | ||
1975 | Breakout | Myrna | |
1976 | The Shootist | Serepta | |
Survival | Sheree | ||
1977 | Telefon | Marie Wills | |
1978 | Rabbit Test | Mystery Lady | |
1979 | Only Once in a Lifetime | Sally | |
1988 | Maniac Cop | Sally Noland | |
1990 | Cold Dog Soup | Mrs. Hughes | |
1991 | Defenseless | Mrs. Bodeck | |
1998 | Susan's Plan | Mrs. Beyers |
Television
[edit]- The Bing Crosby Show(CBS, January 3, 1954) as Herself
- The Colgate Comedy Hour(1954) (Season 4 Episode 22: "Anything Goes" ) as Bonnie
- Shower of Stars(1954) (Season 1 Episode 2: "Lend an Ear" )
- What's My Line?(1955) as Herself
- Playhouse 90(1957) (Season 2 Episode 3: "Topaze" ) as Suzy
- The Witness(1961) (Season 1 Episode 14: "Ma Barker" ) as Blossom Knight
- The Untouchables(1963) (Season 4 Episode 13: "Search for a Dead Man" ) as Claire Simmons
- Gunsmoke(1963) (Season 9 Episode 2: "Lover Boy" ) as Avis Fisher
- The Eleventh Hour(1963) (Season 2 Episode 11: "There Should Be an Outfit Called 'Families Anonymous'!" ) as Peggy Lewis
- Breaking Point(1963) (2 episodes)
- (Season 1 Episode 1: "Solo for B-Flat Clarinet" ) as Lisa Adams
- (Season 1 Episode 15: "Don't Cry, Baby, Don't Cry" ) as Susan Beaumont
- The Great Adventure(1964) (Season 1 Episode 12: "Wild Bill Hickok- the Legend and the Man" ) as Agnes Lake
- Ben Casey(1963–1964) (2 episodes)
- (Season 3 Episode 1: "For This Relief, Much Thanks" ) (1963) as Lisa Adams
- (Season 3 Episode 28: "Dress My Doll Pretty" ) (1964) as Gloria Cooper
- The Greatest Show on Earth(1964) (Season 1 Episode 28: "This Train Don't Stop Till It Gets There" ) as Gloria
- Burke's Law(1963–1965) (3 episodes)
- (Season 1 Episode 10: "Who Killed the Kind Doctor?" ) (1963) as Myrtle 'Gigi' String
- (Season 2 Episode 15: "Who Killed Davidian Jonas?" ) (1964) as The Maharani of Kooshipoo
- (Season 2 Episode 19: "Who Killed Rosie Sunset?" ) (1965) as Cleo Delaney
- The Loner(1965) (Season 1 Episode 14: "Escort for a Dead Man" ) as Cora Rice
- The Virginian(1964–1966) (2 episodes)
- (Season 2 Episode 24: "Another's Footsteps" ) (1964) as Karen Anders
- (Season 4 Episode 27: "That Saunders Woman" ) (1966) as Della Saunders
- Run for Your Life(1966) (Season 2 Episode 1: "The Day Time Stopped" ) as Jeannie Lake
- The Big Valley(1966) (Season 2 Episode 9: "The Man from Nowhere" ) as Libby Mathews
- The Iron Horse(1966) (Season 1 Episode 15: "A Dozen Ways to Kill a Man" ) as Alix Henderson
- Code Name: Heraclitus(1967, TV movie) as Sally
- Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre(1965–1967) (3 episodes)
- (Season 3 Episode 2: "The Crime" ) (1965) as Mary
- (Season 4 Episode 13: "Code Name: Heraclitus - Part 1" ) (1966) as Sally
- (Season 4 Episode 14: "Code Name: Heraclitus - Part 2" ) (1967) as Sally
- The Fugitive(1965–1967) (2 episodes)
- (Season 3 Episode 8: "An Apple a Day" ) (1965) as Marianne Adams
- (Season 4 Episode 27: "The Walls of Night" ) (1967) as Willy
- Mannix(1968) (Season 2 Episode 2: "Comes Up Rose" ) as Rose Anderson
- Here Come the Brides(1968) (Season 1 Episode 5: "A Hard Card to Play" ) as Felicia
- Then Came Bronson(1969) (Pilot Episode) as Gloria Oresko
- My Friend Tony(1969) (Season 1 Episode 12: "Computer Murder" ) as Vivian
- The Name of the Game(1970) (Season 2 Episode 25: "One of the Girls in Research" ) as Mrs. Palmer
- The Most Deadly Game(1970) (Season 1 Episode 5: "Who Killed Kindness?" ) as Lottie
- The Interns(1971) (Season 1 Episode 18: "The Challenger" ) as Beth Calico
- Vanished(1971, TV movie) as Beverly West
- The Smith Family(1971) (Season 2 Episode 4: "Lost Lady" ) as Peggy Manners
- Alias Smith and Jones(1972) (Season 2 Episode 18: "The Men That Corrupted Hadleyburg" ) as Bess Tapscott
- Rolling Man(1972, TV movie) as Ruby
- Cannon(1972) (Season 2 Episode 5: "Stakeout" ) as Millie Carroll
- Jigsaw(1972) (Season 1 Episode 4: "Finder's Fee" )
- Trouble Comes to Town(1973, TV movie) as Mrs. Murdock
- McMillan & Wife(1973) (Season 2 Episode 5: "No Hearts, No Flowers" ) as Dr. Marion Voight
- Snatched(1973, TV movie) as Kim Sutter
- Kung Fu(1973) (Season 1 Episode 14: "The Third Man" ) as Noreen Gallagher
- Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law(1973) (Season 3 Episode 3: "The Pool House" ) as Evelyn Knight
- Hawkins(1973) (Season 1 Episode 1: "Murder in Movieland" ) as Debbie Lane
- The Streets of San Francisco(1973) (Season 2 Episode 5: "Going Home" ) as Donna Coughlin
- Maneater(1973, TV movie) as Gloria Baron
- Key West(1973, TV movie) as Brandi
- Hec Ramsey(1974) (Season 2 Episode 3: "Dead Heat" ) as Esther Helpinstall
- Winter Kill(1974, TV movie) as Betty
- Kojak(1974) (2 episodes) as Mrs. Giancana
- (Season 2 Episode 1: "The Chinatown Murders: Part 1" )
- (Season 2 Episode 2: "The Chinatown Murders: Part 2" )
- Hawaii Five-O(1974) (Season 7 Episode 2: "A Hawaiian Nightmare" ) as Doris Brown
- Barnaby Jones(1974) (Season 3 Episode 6: "Forfeit by Death" ) as Roxy Morgan
- Wide World Mystery(1974) (Episode: "The Cloning of Clifford Swimmer" ) as Mrs. Janet Swimmer
- The Whirlwind(1974, TV movie)
- Movin' On(1974) (2 episodes) as Dinah
- (Season 1 Episode 12: "Goin' Home: Part 1" )
- (Season 1 Episode 13: "Goin' Home: Part 2" )
- The Mary Tyler Moore Show(1974–1975) (2 episodes) as Charlene Maguire
- (Season 5 Episode 4: "Lou and That Woman" ) (1974)
- (Season 5 Episode 19: "The Shame of the Cities" ) (1975)
- A Shadow in the Streets(1975, TV movie) as Gina Pulaski
- Medical Center(1971–1975) (3 episodes)
- (Season 3 Episode 15: "Shock! Part 1" ) (1971) as Karen Porter
- (Season 3 Episode 16: "Shock! Part 2" ) (1972) as Karen Porter
- (Season 6 Episode 23: "Half a Life" ) (1975) as Sylvia Ronston
- Big Eddie(1975) (10 episodes) as Honey Smith
- Marcus Welby, M.D.(1976) (Season 7 Episode 16: "How Do You Know What Hurts Me?" ) as June Monica
- Most Wanted(1976) (Pilot Episode) as Melissa Dawson
- Family(1976) (Season 2 Episode 9: "On the First Day of Christmas" ) as Constance Hume
- Baretta(1977) (Season 3 Episode 22: "Big Bad Charlie" ) as Amy
- Future Cop(1977) (Season 1 Episode 4: "Carlisle Girl" ) as Claire Hammond
- Westside Medical(1977) (2 episodes) as Laurie
- (Season 1 Episode 9: "My Physician, My Friend: Part 1" )
- (Season 1 Episode 10: "My Physician, My Friend: Part 2" )
- Hallmark Hall of FameHave I Got a Christmas for You(1977) as Adele Serkin
- The Night They Took Miss Beautiful(1977, TV movie) as Layla Burden
- Fantasy Island(1978) (Season 1 Episode 5: "The Prince/The Sheriff" ) as Julie
- A Real American Hero(1978, TV movie) as Carrie Todd
- Amateur Night at the Dixie Bar and Grill(1979, TV movie) as Lettie Norman
- Women in White(1979, TV movie) as Lisa Gordon
- Portrait of a StripperakaThe Secret Life of Susie Hanson(1979, TV movie) as Sally Evers
- Archie Bunker's Place(1979) (2 episodes) as Dotty Wertz
- (Season 1 Episode 4: "Archie and the Oldest Profession" )
- (Season 1 Episode 12: "Barney and the Hooker" )
- A Christmas for Boomer(1979, TV movie) as Dorothy
- Marilyn: The Untold Story(1980, TV movie) as Gladys Baker
- I'm a Big Girl Now(1980-1981) (16 episodes) as Edie McKendrick
- Legs(1983, TV movie) as Ida
- Bay City Blues(1983-1984) (8 episodes) as Lynn Holtz
- Magnum, P.I.(1984) (Season 4 Episode 16: "The Return of Luther Gillis" ) as Blanche Rafferty
- Scorned and Swindled(1984, TV movie) as Maxine Wagner
- Trapper John, M.D.(1985) (Season 6 Episode 18: "The Unholy Ghost" ) as Tilly Whiteside
- ABC Afterschool Special(1986) (Season 14 Episode 6: "Are You My Mother?" ) as Madelyn
- Matlock(1986) (2 episodes) as Alice Jenkins
- (Season 1 Episode 6: "The Don: Part 1" )
- (Season 1 Episode 7: "The Don: Part 2" )
- Murder, She Wrote(1987) (Season 3 Episode 18: "No Laughing Murder" ) as Norma Lewis
- Jake Spanner, Private Eye(1989, TV movie) as Mrs. Bernstein
- Freddy's Nightmares(1989) (Season 2 Episode 8: "Bloodlines" ) as Joyce Burton
- Hunter(1989) (Season 6 Episode 8: "Shield of Honor" ) as Dorothy Nickens
- The Golden Girls(1985–1989) (2 episodes) as Virginia Hollingsworth
- (Season 1 Episode 4: "Transplant" ) (1985)
- (Season 5 Episode 11: "Ebb Tide" ) (1989)
- Dead on the Money(1991, TV movie)
- Seinfeld(1995–1998) (2 episodes) as Babs Kramer
- (Season 6 Episode 11: "The Switch" ) (1995)
- (Season 9 Episode 22: "The Finale" ) (1998)
Awards and honors
[edit]- Won: For performance inHazel Flagg(1953)
- Nominated: Outstanding Lead Actress for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series,Marcus Welby, M.D.episode "How Do You Know What Hurts Me?" (1976)
- Nominated: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series,Archie Bunker's Place(1980)
References
[edit]- ^Willis, John; Hodges, Ben, eds. (July 1, 2008).Theatre World 2005–2006: The Most Complete Record of the American Theatre.Hal Leonard. p. 346.ISBN978-1-5578-3708-0.Retrieved2024-03-09.
- ^abWilson, Scott (2016).Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons.Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company. p. 553.ISBN978-0-7864-7992-4.
- ^Sheree Northat theInternet Broadway Database
- ^"Anything Goes! on DVD".Television Academy Foundation's Archive of American Television.Archived fromthe originalon November 3, 2014.RetrievedDecember 26,2014.
- ^Brown, Gene (1995).Movie Time: A Chronology of Hollywood and the Movie Industry from Its Beginnings to the Present(paperback). New York: MacMillan. p.222.ISBN978-0-0286-0429-9.
- ^"Sheree North".Variety.Retrieved16 January2022.[dead link]
- ^abOliver, Myrna (2005-11-05)."Sheree North; blond bombshell recast career with character roles".The Boston Globe.
- ^Some sources claim that it was cancer-related surgery but noreliablefirst-hand sources disclose the precise nature of the surgery, nor did her family.
- ^Oliver, Myrna (November 7, 2005)."Sheree North, 72; Stand-In for Marilyn Monroe Forged a Lengthy Acting Career".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved16 January2022.
External links
[edit]- 1932 births
- 2005 deaths
- 20th-century American actresses
- 20th Century Studios contract players
- Actresses from Los Angeles
- American female dancers
- American film actresses
- American musical theatre actresses
- American television actresses
- Deaths from cancer in California
- 20th-century American singers
- 20th-century American women singers
- 20th-century American dancers