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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 List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...
, 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 ''Bewitched'' is an American fantasy sitcom television series that originally aired for eight seasons on ABC from September 17, 1964, to March 25, 1972. It is about a witch who marries an ordinary mortal man and vows to lead the life of a typ ...
'', 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 Posthumous publication refers to material that is published after the author's death. This can be because the auth ...
awarded an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.


Early life and education

Lorne was born in
West Pittston West Pittston is a borough in the Greater Pittston area of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on the Susquehanna River (opposite of Pittston City). In 2020, the population was 4,644. The town once produced mine screens ...
, Pennsylvania, a small mining town halfway between Wilkes-Barre and Scranton. 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 ...
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 The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a private performing arts conservatory with two locations, one in Manhattan and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related art ...
in New York City.


Career

Lorne debuted on Broadway 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 Walter C. Hackett (November 10, 1876 – January 20, 1944) was an American-British playwright. Biography Several of his stage works (such as '' Ambrose Applejohn's Adventure'', ''The Freedom of the Seas'', ''The Regeneration'', ''Hyde Park Corn ...
, 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, 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''. From 1957 to 1958, she co-starred with Joan Caulfield in the NBC sitcom '' Sally'' 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 appe ...
.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'' with Rosalind Russell in the mid-1950s. Between 1958 and 1964, she made regular appearances on '' The Garry Moore Show'' (1958–1962). Her last role, as Aunt Clara in ''
Bewitched ''Bewitched'' is an American fantasy sitcom television series that originally aired for eight seasons on ABC from September 17, 1964, to March 25, 1972. It is about a witch who marries an ordinary mortal man and vows to lead the life of a typ ...
'', 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 ma ...
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 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'', 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.


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 tang ...
'' (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 ''Good Losers'' is a British mystery play by Michael Arlen and Walter C. Hackett. It was originally performed at the Whitehall Theatre in London's West End where it ran for 134 performances between 16 February and 13 June 1931. The original cast ...
'' (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 inte ...
'' (1929) * ''
Sorry You've Been Troubled ''Sorry You've Been Troubled'' is a mystery play by the British-American writer Walter C. Hackett. It premiered at His Majesty's Theatre in London's West End where it ran for 157 performances between 24 September 1929 and 1 February 1930. The ...
'' (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 ''Ambrose Applejohn's Adventure'' is a 1921 play written by Walter Hackett. It was a hit on the West End, where it ran for 18 months, and also on Broadway, where it was performed under the title ''Captain Applejack''. It has been adapted multip ...
'' (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


See also

*
List of American film actresses The following American film actresses are listed alphabetically. It contains both actresses born American and those who acquired American nationality later. Some actors who are well known for both film and TV work are also included in the list ...
* List of American television actresses *
List of Americans of English descent This is a list of notable Americans of English descent, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants. To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they ...
* List of people from New York City *
List of people from Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, the fifth most populous state in the United States, is the birthplace or childhood home of many famous Americans. People from Pennsylvania are called "Pennsylvanians". The following is a list of notable Americans who were bo ...
*
List of Primetime Emmy Award winners This list showcases the Primetime Emmy Award winners in the comedy program, drama program, variety program, and lead actors categories. In the early days of the Primetime Emmy Awards, categories awarded by the Academy of Television Arts & Scienc ...
* List of Scottish Americans


References


External links

* * *
Marion Lorne
in 1914 with Wallace Worsley 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