Patricia Morrow is a former
actress
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...
, best known for her portrayal of waif-like
Rita Jacks
''Peyton Place'' is an American prime-time soap opera that aired on ABC in half-hour episodes from September 15, 1964, to June 2, 1969.
Loosely based upon the 1956 novel of the same name by Grace Metalious, the series was preceded by a 195 ...
in the primetime soap opera ''
Peyton Place'' from 1965 to 1969.
Career
Acting career
Morrow usually appeared on television and made her debut in 1953, when she got the role of Constance Philbrick in ''
I Led 3 Lives
''I Led 3 Lives'' (also known as ''I Led Three Lives'') is an American drama series syndicated by Ziv Television Programs from October 1, 1953, to January 1, 1956. The series stars Richard Carlson. The show was a companion piece of sorts to th ...
''. She also played bit parts in several films, including ''
Ma and Pa Kettle at Home
''Ma and Pa Kettle at Home'' is a 1954 American comedy film directed by Charles Lamont. It is the sixth, and also most successful, installment of Universal-International's ''Ma and Pa Kettle'' series starring Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride.
P ...
'' (
1954
Events
January
* January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany.
* January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting.
* January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...
), ''
Artists and Models
''Artists and Models'' is a 1955 American musical romantic comedy film in VistaVision directed by Frank Tashlin, marking Martin and Lewis's 14th feature together as a team. The film co-stars Shirley MacLaine and Dorothy Malone, with Eva Gabor ...
'' (
1955
Events January
* January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama.
* January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut.
* January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...
), ''
The Bad Seed
''The Bad Seed'' is a 1954 novel by American writer William March, the last of his major works published before his death.
Nominated for the 1955 National Book Award for Fiction, ''The Bad Seed'' tells the story of a mother's realization that h ...
'' (
1956
Events
January
* January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan.
* January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...
), and ''
The Wrong Man
''The Wrong Man'' is a 1956 American docudrama film noir directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Henry Fonda and Vera Miles. The film was drawn from the true story of an innocent man charged with a crime, as described in the book ''The True Sto ...
'' (1956).
Morrow later got supporting roles in films and started guest starring in several series in the 1960s, including ''
Leave It to Beaver'', ''
My Three Sons
''My Three Sons'' is an American television sitcom that aired from September 29, 1960, to April 13, 1972. The series was broadcast on ABC during its first five seasons, before moving to CBS for the remaining seasons. ''My Three Sons'' chronicl ...
'' and ''
Perry Mason
Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a cli ...
''. In 1964, she got her first and only lead role in a film, a musical called ''
Surf Party''. She got more recognition when she landed the role of
Rita Jacks
''Peyton Place'' is an American prime-time soap opera that aired on ABC in half-hour episodes from September 15, 1964, to June 2, 1969.
Loosely based upon the 1956 novel of the same name by Grace Metalious, the series was preceded by a 195 ...
in the
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
''
Peyton Place''. Despite only being contracted for a few episodes, she played the role for four years, between 1965 and 1969. During the show's run, Morrow became highly popular among the crowd.
Morrow reprised the role from 1972 to 1974 in ''
Return to Peyton Place
''Return to Peyton Place'' is a 1959 novel by Grace Metalious, a sequel to her best-selling 1956 novel '' Peyton Place''.
Plot summary
After the phenomenal success of her first novel, Metalious hastily penned a sequel centering on the life and ...
''. She initially declined the role, saying she could not combine working five days a week on the show with law school. However, she accepted a contract of two working days a week and she motivated her return by saying: "I really can't turn down money. I have to use what earning power I have right now.
["Pat Morrow Returns To Peyton Place", '' The Terre Haute Star'', May 27, 1972]
Morrow made her final screen appearance in 1985, playing yet again Rita Jacks in the made for television film ''
Peyton Place: The Next Generation''.
Post-acting career
Following the demise of ''Peyton Place'', Morrow, inspired by visits to
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
, immersed in volunteer work with kids on probation in a
ghetto
A ghetto, often called ''the'' ghetto, is a part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially as a result of political, social, legal, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished t ...
in Los Angeles. On her motivation, she commented: "Those kids need a model. Somebody to say, 'You can do what you want, be what you want.' Most of them don't think they can do anything. It is only through agencies like the
Legal Aid Society
The Legal Aid Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit legal aid provider based in New York City. Founded in 1876, it is the oldest and largest provider of legal aid in the United States. Its attorneys provide representation on criminal and civil matt ...
, that youngsters learn of outlets — where to go and how to get there."
["Peyton Serial Stands Pat With Pat" by Charles Witbeck, '']Winnipeg Free Press
The ''Winnipeg Free Press'' (or WFP; founded as the ''Manitoba Free Press'') is a daily (excluding Sunday) broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It provides coverage of local, provincial, national, and international news, as well as ...
'', May 6, 1972
During her volunteer work, Morrow became interested in political and legal leverage. She enrolled in
Glendale University College of Law Glendale is the anglicised version of the Gaelic Gleann Dail, which means ''valley of fertile, low-lying arable land''.
It may refer to:
Places Australia
*Glendale, New South Wales
**Stockland Glendale, a shopping centre
* Glendale, Queensland, a ...
, from which she graduated during her run on ''Return to Peyton Place''.
On her political contribution, Morrow commented: "I want to see if the democratic process works. I want to see if it can be done. I think a lot of our difficulties are perpetuated by untrained office holders, and I resent the fact most politicians don't know a darned thing about local problems."
Personal life
During the run of ''Peyton Place'', Morrow had a relationship with her onscreen husband
Christopher Connelly
Christopher Connelly (September 8, 1941 – December 7, 1988) was an American actor, best known for his role as Norman Harrington in the successful prime time ABC soap opera '' Peyton Place''. He stayed with the series during its entire f ...
. Morrow married Carl Lance Brisson, the son of
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 1975. Shortly after their divorce in 1982, Morrow adopted a baby girl she named Marielle Margaret Morrow. Her father was Robert (Bob) Morrow, a Los Angeles attorney and Patricia was raised in the
Toluca Lake
Toluca Lake is an affluent neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley northwest of downtown. The name is also given to a private natural lake fed by wells and maintained by neighboring property owner ...
area.
Filmography
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrow, Patricia
Living people
American film actresses
American television actresses
Glendale University College of Law alumni
Actresses from Los Angeles
21st-century American women
Year of birth missing (living people)