Marion Lorne Louise Drew 1909 The Florist Shop

Marion Lorne MacDougal or MacDougall (sources differ) (August 12, 1883 – May 9, 1968), known professionally as Marion Lorne, was an American actress of stage, film, and television. After a career in theatre in New York and

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, Lorne made her first film in 1951, and for the remainder of her life played small roles in films and television. Her recurring role as Aunt Clara in the comedy series '' Bewitched'', between 1964 and her death in 1968, brought her widespread recognition, and she was

posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death * ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987 * ''Posthumous'' (E ...

awarded an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

Early life and education

Lorne was born in West Pittston, Pennsylvania, a small mining town halfway between

Wilkes-Barre Wilkes-Barre ( or ) is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Luzerne County. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It is the s ...

and

Scranton Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 U.S. census, Scranton is the largest city in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Wyoming V ...

. She was the daughter of William Lorne MacDougall, MD, and his wife, Jane Louise (née Oliver), known as "Jennie". She was born in 1883 (although by the 1920s, she had shaved five years off of her age). While her year of birth is listed as 1885 in some sources, including the date inscribed o
her urn
(which appears to be erroneous), it was usually listed as 1888 when she was alive. The 1900 United States Census (enumerated in June 1900) gives her age as 16,1900 census record for Marion Lorne MacDougall, although her middle initial appears as "M", not "L"
ancestry.com; accessed September 22, 2015. and along with the

Social Security Death Index The Social Security Death Index (SSDI) was a database of death records created from the United States Social Security Administration's Death Master File until 2014. Since 2014, public access to the updated Death Master File has been via the Limit ...

(SSDI), lists her year of birth as 1883. Her parents were Scottish and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

immigrants. She had a younger brother, Lorne Taylor MacDougall (October 20, 1893 – September 5, 1943).''The Magic of Marion Lorne''. TV Guide, March 23–29, 1968, pp 20-21. She studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.

Career

Lorne debuted on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

in 1905; she also acted in London theaters, enjoying a flourishing stage career on both sides of the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

. In London, she had her own theater, the Whitehall, where she had top billing in plays written by Walter C. Hackett, her husband. None of her productions at the Whitehall had runs shorter than 125 nights. After appearing in a few

Vitaphone Vitaphone was a sound film system used for feature films and nearly 1,000 short subjects made by Warner Bros. and its sister studio First National from 1926 to 1931. Vitaphone was the last major analog sound-on-disc system and the only one ...

shorts, including ''Success'' (1931) starring

Jack Haley John Joseph Haley Jr. (August 10, 1897 – June 6, 1979) was an American actor, comedian, dancer, radio host, singer and vaudevillian. He was best known for his portrayal of the Tin Man and his farmhand counterpart Hickory in the 1939 Metro-G ...

, she made her feature-film debut in her late 60s in '' Strangers on a Train'' (1951), directed by

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

. In the early days of TV, from 1952 until 1955 Lorne had a regular role as perpetually confused junior high school English teacher Mrs. Gurney on ''

Mister Peepers ''Mister Peepers'' is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from July 3, 1952, to June 12, 1955. Overview Wally Cox starred as Robinson J. Peepers, Jefferson City's junior high school science teacher. Others in the cast included Tony Randall a ...

''. From 1957 to 1958, she co-starred with

Joan Caulfield Beatrice Joan Caulfield (June 1, 1922 – June 18, 1991) was an American actress and model. After being discovered by Broadway producers, she began a stage career in 1943 that eventually led to signing as an actress with Paramount Pictures. In th ...

in the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

sitcom ''

Sally Sally may refer to: People *Sally (name), a list of notable people with the name Military * Sally (military), an attack by the defenders of a town or fortress under siege against a besieging force; see sally port *Sally, the Allied reporting na ...

'' in the role of an elderly widow, who happens to be the co-owner of a

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...

.McNeil, Alex, ''Total Television: The Comprehensive Guide to Programming From 1948 to the Present, Fourth Edition'', New York: Penguin Books, 1996, , p. 719.Brooks, Tim, and Earle Marsh, ''The Complete Directory to Prime-Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present (Sixth Edition)'', New York: Ballantine Books, 1995, , p. 897. It was cancelled after one 26-episode season. Although afraid of live television, declaring, "I'm a coward when it comes to a live elevisionshow", she was persuaded to appear a few times to promote the film ''

The Girl Rush ''The Girl Rush'' is a 1955 American musical comedy film starring Rosalind Russell, filmed in Technicolor and VistaVision, and released by Paramount Pictures.

'' with

Rosalind Russell Catherine Rosalind Russell (June 4, 1907November 28, 1976) was an American actress, comedienne, screenwriter, and singer,Obituary '' Variety'', December 1, 1976, p. 79. known for her role as fast-talking newspaper reporter Hildy Johnson in the H ...

in the mid-1950s. Between 1958 and 1964, she made regular appearances on ''

The Garry Moore Show ''The Garry Moore Show'' is the name for several separate American variety series on the CBS television network in the 1950s and 1960s. Hosted by experienced radio performer Garry Moore, the series helped launch the careers of many comedic talent ...

'' (1958–1962). Her last role, as Aunt Clara in '' Bewitched'', brought Lorne her widest fame as a lovable witch who is losing her powers due to old age (and whose spells usually end in disaster). Aunt Clara usually visited by coming down the chimney; her hobby was collecting doorknobs, and she often brought her collection with her on visits. Lorne had an extensive collection of doorknobs in real life, some of which she used as props in the series.

Death

Lorne appeared in 27 episodes of ''Bewitched'' and was not replaced after she died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

in her

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

apartment on May 9, 1968, aged 84, prior to the start of production of the show's fifth season. She is interred at

Ferncliff Cemetery Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum is located at 280 Secor Road in the hamlet of Hartsdale, town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, United States, about north of Midtown Manhattan. It was founded in 1902, and is non-sectarian. Fernc ...

in Greenburgh, New York.

Posthumous

The producers of ''Bewitched'' decided that Lorne's character as Aunt Clara could not be replaced by another actress. (Aunt Clara was never mentioned in any subsequent ''Bewitched'' episode.) Comedic actress

Alice Ghostley Alice Margaret Ghostley (August 14, 1923 – September 21, 2007) was a Tony Award-winning American actress and singer on stage, film and television. She was best known for her roles as bumbling witch Esmeralda (1969–70; 1972) on ''Bewitched'' ...

was recruited to fill the gap as "Esmeralda", a different type of older witch with wobbly magic whose spells often went astray. Coincidentally, Lorne and Ghostley had appeared side-by-side as partygoers in the iconic comedy-drama film ''

The Graduate ''The Graduate'' is a 1967 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols and written by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham, based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from W ...

'', made the year before Lorne's death. She received a posthumous

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on ''Bewitched''. The award was accepted by ''Bewitched'' star

Elizabeth Montgomery Elizabeth Victoria Montgomery (April 15, 1932 – May 18, 1995) was an American actress whose career spanned five decades in film, stage, and television. She is best remembered for her leading role as the witch Samantha Stephens on the televisi ...

Personal life

In 1911, Lorne married playwright Walter C. Hackett. They were married until his death in 1944. The couple had no children.

Filmography and television work

Theatre work

* ''Dance Me a Song'' as Grandmother (January 20, 1950 – February 18, 1950) * ''Harvey'' as Veta Louise Simmons (November 1, 1944 – January 15, 1949) * ''Off With The Motley'' (1937-1938) hitehall Theatre, London* ''London After Dark'' (1937) treatham Hill Theatre* ''London After Dark'' (1937) pollo Theatre, London* ''The Fugitives'' (1936) hitehall Theatre, London* ''

Espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...

'' (1935-1936) pollo Theatre, London* '' Afterwards'' (1933) hitehall Theatre, London* ''The White Sisters'' (1933) hitehall Theatre, London* ''

The Gay Adventure ''The Gay Adventure'' is a 1936 British comedy film directed by Sinclair Hill and starring Yvonne Arnaud, Barry Jones and Nora Swinburne. It was made at Welwyn Studios by the independent company Grosvenor Films.Wood p.90 It was based on the 19 ...

'' (1932) hitehall Theatre, London* '' Road House'' (1932) hitehall Theatre, London* '' Take a Chance'' (1931) hitehall Theatre, London* ''Captain Applejack'' (1931) hitehall Theatre, London* '' Good Losers'' (1931) hitehall Theatre, London* ''It Pays to Advertise'' (1930-1931) * ''Hyde Park Corner'' (1930) * ''

The Freedom of the Seas Freedom of the seas ( la, mare liberum, lit. "free sea") is a principle in the law of the sea. It stresses freedom to navigate the oceans. It also disapproves of war fought in water. The freedom is to be breached only in a necessary inter ...

'' (1929) * '' Sorry You've Been Troubled'' (1929) * ''Regeneration'' (1928) * '' Other Men's Wives'' (1928) * '' The Wicked Earl'' (1928) is Majesty's Theater, London* ''The Barton Mystery'' (1927) * ''77 Park Lane'' (1927) * ''77 Rue Chalgrin'' (1925) * '' Ambrose Applejohn's Adventure'' (1921-1923) riterion Theatre, London* '' Mr. Todd's Experiment'' (1920) * '' The Barton Mystery'' (October 13–30, 1917; 20 performances) * '' It Pays to Advertise'' (1915-1916) * ''Don't Weaken'' (January 1914) * ''The Little Minister'' as Lady Babbie (June 22, 1910 - 1910) unter-Bradford Players at the Parsons Theater* ''The Florist Shop'' as Angelica Perkins (August 9, 1909 - September 1909) * ''The Devil'' as Mimi (August 18, 1908 - November 1908) * ''Here Tonight'' (1908) * ''Mrs. Temple's Telegram'' (February 1, 1905 - March 27, 1905)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * *
Marion Lorne
in 1914 with

Wallace Worsley Wallace A. Worsley, Sr. (December 8, 1878 – March 26, 1944) was an American stage actor who became a film director in the silent era. During his career, Worsley directed 29 films and acted in 7 films. He directed several motion pictures sta ...

later a famous film director (City Museum of New York)
I've Got A Secret! - Marion Lorne 11/25/1959
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lorne, Marion 1883 births Age controversies 1968 deaths 19th-century American actresses 20th-century American actresses Actresses from New York City Actresses from Pennsylvania American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American people of English descent American people of Scottish descent Burials at Ferncliff Cemetery People from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni