Rosemary Shirley DeCamp (November 14, 1910 – February 20, 2001) was an American radio, film, and television actress.

Life and career

Early life

Rosemary Shirley DeCamp was born in Prescott, Yavapai, Arizona on November 14, 1910 to William Valentine DeCamp and Margaret Elizabeth Hinman.

Radio

DeCamp first came to fame in November 1937, when she took the role of Judy Price, the secretary/nurse of Dr. Christian in the long-running Dr. Christian radio series. She also played in ''The Career of Alice Blair'', a transcribed syndicated soap opera that ran in 1939–1940.

Film and television

She made her film debut in ''

Cheers for Miss Bishop ''Cheers for Miss Bishop'' is a 1941 American drama film based on the novel ''Miss Bishop'' by Bess Streeter Aldrich. It was directed by Tay Garnett and stars Martha Scott in the title role. The other cast members include William Gargan, Edmund ...

'' and appeared in many

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

films, including ''

Eyes in the Night ''Eyes in the Night'' is a 1942 American crime mystery directed by Fred Zinnemann, based on Baynard Kendrick's 1941 novel ''The Odor of Violets'' and starring Edward Arnold, Ann Harding and Donna Reed. The film was followed by a sequel (also ...

'', ''

Yankee Doodle Dandy ''Yankee Doodle Dandy'' is a 1942 American biographical musical film about George M. Cohan, known as "The Man Who Owned Broadway". It stars James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, and Richard Whorf, and features Irene Manning, George Tobias, Ro ...

'' playing Nellie Cohan opposite

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor, dancer and film director. On stage and in film, Cagney was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He ...

, ''

This Is The Army ''This Is the Army'' is a 1943 American wartime musical comedy film produced by Hal B. Wallis and Jack L. Warner, and directed by Michael Curtiz, adapted from a wartime stage musical with the same name, designed to boost morale in the U.S. duri ...

'' playing the wife of

George Murphy George Lloyd Murphy (July 4, 1902 – May 3, 1992) was an American dancer, actor, and politician. Murphy was a song-and-dance leading man in many big-budget Hollywood musicals from 1930 to 1952. He was the president of the Screen Actors Guild fro ...

and the mother of

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

, ''

Rhapsody in Blue ''Rhapsody in Blue'' is a 1924 musical composition written by George Gershwin for solo piano and jazz band, which combines elements of classical music with jazz-influenced effects. Commissioned by bandleader Paul Whiteman, the work premiered i ...

'', and ''

Nora Prentiss ''Nora Prentiss'' is a 1947 American film noir drama film directed by Vincent Sherman and starring Ann Sheridan, Kent Smith, Bruce Bennett, and Robert Alda. It was produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The cinematography is by James Wong Howe ...

''. She played the mother of the character played by

Sabu Dastagir Sabu Dastagir (possibly born Selar Sabu; 27 January 1924 – 2 December 1963) was an Indian actor who later gained United States citizenship. Throughout his career he was credited under the name Sabu and is primarily known for his work in ...

in ''

Jungle Book ''The Jungle Book'' (1894) is a collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, who ...

''.

Bob Cummings Rosemary DeCamp Bob Cummings Show 1959

In 1951 and 1953, respectively, she starred in the nostalgic musical films '' On Moonlight Bay'' and its sequel, '' By The Light Of The Silvery Moon'', as Alice Winfield,

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress, singer, and activist. She began her career as a big band singer in 1939, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, " Sent ...

's mother, opposite

Leon Ames Leon Ames (born Harry L. Wycoff;U.S. Federal Census for 1910 for Fowler, Center Township, Benton County, State of Indiana, access via Ancestry.com January 20, 1902 – October 12, 1993) was an American film and television actor. He is best rememb ...

. DeCamp played Peg Riley in the first television version of ''

The Life of Riley ''The Life of Riley'' is an American radio situation comedy series of the 1940s that was adapted into a 1949 feature film, a 1950s television series, and a 1958 comic book. Radio The radio program initially aired on the Blue Network (later kn ...

'' opposite

Jackie Gleason John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916June 24, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, writer, composer, and conductor known affectionately as "The Great One." Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was know ...

in the 1949–1950 season, then reprised the role on radio with original star

William Bendix William Bendix (January 14, 1906 – December 14, 1964) was an American film, radio, and television actor, who typically played rough, blue-collar characters. He is best remembered for his role in ''Wake Island'', which earned him an Academy ...

for an episode of ''

Lux Radio Theater ''Lux Radio Theatre'', sometimes spelled ''Lux Radio Theater'', a classic radio anthology series, was broadcast on the NBC Blue Network (1934–35) (owned by the National Broadcasting Company, later predecessor of American Broadcasting Company ...

'' in 1950. From 1955–1959, she was a regular on the popular

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 ...

television comedy ''

The Bob Cummings Show ''The Bob Cummings Show'' (also known in reruns as ''Love That Bob'') is an American sitcom starring Bob Cummings, which was broadcast from January 2, 1955, to September 15, 1959. The program began with a half-season run on NBC, then ran for tw ...

'', playing Margaret MacDonald. She appeared in the 1961 '' Rawhide'' episode, "Incident Near Gloomy River". In 1962, she played a dishonest Southern belle in the NBC sitcom ''

Ensign O'Toole ''Ensign O'Toole'' is an American situation comedy that stars Dean Jones in the title role as an officer aboard the United States Navy destroyer USS ''Appleby'' in the early 1960s. It aired from 1962 to 1963. Synopsis Ensign O'Toole is a junio ...

'' with Dean Jones. She appeared in the role of Gertrude Komack on ABC's

medical drama A medical drama is a television show or film in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic programming go beyond the events pertaining to the chara ...

'' Breaking Point'' in the episode entitled "A Little Anger is a Good Thing". DeCamp appeared twice in different roles on ''

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American old-time radio and television anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program ...

''. In 1965, she played newspaper editor Caroline Romney of

Durango Durango (), officially named Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Durango; Tepehuán: ''Korian''; Nahuatl: ''Tepēhuahcān''), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

, in the episode "Mrs. Romney and the Outlaws". She portrayed Hannah Bailey, wife of James Briton "Brit" Bailey, in the 1969 episode "Here Stands Bailey". During the 1960s, she appeared in commercials for the laundry product 20 Mule Team Borax, which sponsored ''Death Valley Days''. DeCamp had a recurring role as Helen Marie, the mother of

Marlo Thomas Margaret Julia "Marlo" Thomas (born November 21, 1937) is an American actress, producer, author, and social activist. She is best known for starring on the sitcom ''That Girl'' (1966–1971) and her children's franchise '' Free to Be... You and ...

's character on the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

sitcom ''

That Girl ''That Girl'' is an American sitcom that ran on ABC from September 8, 1966 to March 19, 1971. It starred Marlo Thomas as the title character Ann Marie, an aspiring (but only sporadically employed) actress, who moves from her hometown of Brewster ...

'' from 1966–1970. She appeared in several 1968 episodes of the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

sitcom ''

Petticoat Junction ''Petticoat Junction'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from September 1963 to April 1970. The series takes place at the Shady Rest Hotel, which is run by Kate Bradley; her three daughters Billie Jo, Bobbie Jo, and B ...

'' as Kate Bradley's sister, Helen, filling in as a temporary replacement for the ailing

Bea Benaderet Beatrice Benaderet ( ; April 4, 1906 – October 13, 1968) was an American actress and comedienne. Born in New York City and raised in San Francisco, she began performing in Bay Area theatre and radio before embarking on a Hollywood career that ...

as the mother figure to Bradley's three daughters. DeCamp appeared in 2 episodes of

The Beverly Hillbillies ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor, backwoods family from ...

as Mrs Priscilla Rolfe Smith-Standish, a famous expert on antiquities who befriended the Clampetts. DeCamp made several appearances as the mother of Shirley Partridge in ''

The Partridge Family ''The Partridge Family'' is an American musical sitcom starring Shirley Jones and featuring David Cassidy. Jones plays a widowed mother, and Cassidy plays the oldest of her five children, in a family who embarks on a music career. It ran from Se ...

'' from 1970–1973. She also played The Fairy Godmother in the 1980s TV show, ''The Memoirs of a Fairy Godmother''. DeCamp played Buck Rogers' mother in flashback scenes of the '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'' episode "The Guardians" (1981). On July 7, 1946, her

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bev ...

home was damaged when struck by a wing after the experimental XF-11 piloted by

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, record-setting pilot, engineer, film producer, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most influential and richest people in th ...

(re-created in the 2004 movie, '' The Aviator'') crashed nearby. Although a piece of the wing and a part of the neighbor's roof landed in DeCamp's bedroom (where she and her husband were sleeping) they sustained no injuries.

Personal life and death

DeCamp was married to Inglewood Municipal Judge John Ashton Shidler for 57 years from 1941 until his death in 1998. The Shidlers raised four daughters: Margaret, Martha, Valerie, and Nita. Outliving most of her contemporaries, DeCamp died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

in 2001, age 90. She was

cremated Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre i ...

and her ashes given to her daughter. DeCamp was the author of a children's book, ''Here, Duke! The Adventures of an Irish Setter,'' which was published by the David McKay Company, in 1962. In 2009, she published ''Rosemary De Camp: Tigers in My Lap,'' an autobiographical book of her life in film and television. DeCamp was an active Democrat in California.

Filmography

*''

'' (1941) as Minna Fields *''

Hold Back the Dawn ''Hold Back the Dawn'' is a 1941 American romantic drama film in which a Romanian gigolo marries an American woman in Mexico in order to gain entry to the United States, but winds up falling in love with her. It stars Charles Boyer, Olivia de Havi ...

'' (1941) as Berta Kurz *''

'' (1942) as Messua *''

'' (1942) as Nellie Cohan *''

Smith of Minnesota ''Smith of Minnesota'' is a 1942 American Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Lew Landers and written by Robert Hardy Andrews. The film stars Bruce Smith (halfback), Bruce Smith, Arline Judge, Warren Ashe, Don Beddoe, Kay Harris a ...

'' (1942) as Mrs. Smith *''

'' (1942) as Vera Hoffman *''

Commandos Strike at Dawn ''Commandos Strike at Dawn'' is a 1942 war film directed by John Farrow and written by Irwin Shaw from a short story entitled "The Commandos" by C. S. Forester that appeared in ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine in June 1942. Filmed in Canada, it starred ...

'' (1942) as Hilma Arnesen *''

City Without Men ''City Without Men'' is a 1943 American film noir crime film directed by Sidney Salkow and starring Linda Darnell, Edgar Buchanan and Michael Duane. It was released by Columbia Pictures on January 14, 1943. A group of women lives in a boarding ...

'' (1943) as Mrs. Slade *''

This Is the Army ''This Is the Army'' is a 1943 American wartime musical comedy film produced by Hal B. Wallis and Jack L. Warner, and directed by Michael Curtiz, adapted from a wartime stage musical with the same name, designed to boost morale in the U.S. duri ...

'' (1943) as Ethel Jones *'' The Merry Monahans'' (1944) as Lillian Miles *''

Bowery to Broadway ''Bowery to Broadway'' is a 1944 American film starring Maria Montez, Jack Oakie, and Susanna Foster. Donald O'Connor and Peggy Ryan also had a small specialty act, and it was the only film they were in together where they didn't have a name or ...

'' (1944) as Bessie Kirby *''

Practically Yours ''Practically Yours'' is a 1944 comedic film made by Paramount Pictures, directed by Mitchell Leisen, written by Norman Krasna and starring Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray. Plot When a young pilot, Daniel Bellamy, is presumed dead after cra ...

'' (1944) as Ellen Macy *''

Blood on the Sun ''Blood on the Sun'' is a 1945 American war film directed by Frank Lloyd and starring James Cagney and Sylvia Sidney. The film is based on a fictional history behind the Tanaka Memorial document. The film won the Academy Award for Best Productio ...

'' (1945) as Edith Miller *''

'' (1945) as Rose Gershwin *''

Pride of the Marines ''Pride of the Marines'' is a 1945 American biographical war film starring John Garfield and Eleanor Parker. It tells the story of U.S. Marine Al Schmid in World War II, his heroic stand against a Japanese attack during the Battle of Guadalc ...

'' (1945) as Virginia Pfeiffer *''

Week-End at the Waldorf ''Week-End at the Waldorf'', an American comedy drama film directed by Robert Z. Leonard and starring Ginger Rogers, Lana Turner, Walter Pidgeon, and Van Johnson. It premiered in Los Angeles on 17 October 1945. The screenplay by Samuel and Bella ...

'' (1945) as Anna *''

Danger Signal ''Danger Signal'' is a 1945 film noir starring Faye Emerson and Zachary Scott. The screenplay was adapted from the 1939 novel of the same name by Phyllis Bottome. Plot A mysterious pulp writer—and psychopath—named Ronnie Mason, steals a de ...

'' (1945) as Dr. Jane Silla *''

Too Young to Know ''Too Young to Know'' is a 1945 American drama film directed by Frederick de Cordova, and written by Jo Pagano, and starring Joan Leslie, Robert Hutton, Dolores Moran, Harry Davenport, Rosemary DeCamp and Barbara Brown. It was released by Warner ...

'' (1945) as Mrs. Enright *''

From This Day Forward ''From This Day Forward'' is a 1946 American drama film directed by John Berry, starring Joan Fontaine and Mark Stevens. Plot Army sergeant Bill Cummings ( Mark Stevens) is about to be discharged after service in World War II. He was a blue co ...

'' (1946) as Martha Beesley *''

Two Guys from Milwaukee ''Two Guys from Milwaukee'' (UK title: ''Royal Flush'') is a 1946 American comedy film directed by David Butler (director), David Butler and starring Dennis Morgan, Jack Carson, and Joan Leslie. It was distributed by Warner Bros. The film is abou ...

'' (1946) as Nan *''

'' (1947) as Lucy Talbot *''

'' (1949) as Peg Riley *''

Night Unto Night ''Night unto Night'' is a 1949 American drama film directed by Don Siegel and written by Kathryn Scola. It is based on the 1944 novel by Philip Wylie. The film stars Ronald Reagan, Viveca Lindfors, Broderick Crawford, Rosemary DeCamp, Osa Massen ...

'' (1949) as Thalia Shawn *''

Look for the Silver Lining "Look for the Silver Lining" is a 1919 popular song with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by B.G. DeSylva. Background The song was written in 1919 for the unsuccessful musical ''Zip, Goes a Million''. In 1920, it was publishedSuskin, Steven ...

'' (1949) as Mama Miller *''

The Story of Seabiscuit ''The Story of Seabiscuit'' is a 1949 American drama film directed by David Butler and starring Shirley Temple and Barry Fitzgerald in a semi-fictionalized account of racehorse Seabiscuit, the top money winner up to the 1940s. The screenplay w ...

'' (1949) as Mrs. Charles S. Howard *''

The Big Hangover ''The Big Hangover'' is a 1950 American comedy film released by MGM. The film starred Van Johnson and Elizabeth Taylor and was written and directed by Norman Krasna. Supporting players include Percy Waram, Fay Holden, Leon Ames, Edgar Buchanan, S ...

'' (1950) as Claire Bellcap *''

Night into Morning ''Night Into Morning'' is a 1951 American drama film starring Ray Milland, John Hodiak and Nancy Davis. Plot Everything is going very well for college professor Phillip Ainley (Ray Milland), who has a loving wife and son and an offer to teach a ...

'' (1951) as Mrs. Annie Ainley *'' On Moonlight Bay'' (1951) as Alice Winfield *''

Scandal Sheet Tabloid journalism is a popular style of largely sensationalist journalism (usually dramatized and sometimes unverifiable or even blatantly false), which takes its name from the tabloid newspaper format: a small-sized newspaper also known as ...

'' (1952) as Charlotte Grant *''

The Treasure of Lost Canyon ''The Treasure of Lost Canyon'' is a 1952 American Technicolor adventure Western film directed by Ted Tetzlaff and starring William Powell, Julie Adams, Charles Drake, Tommy Ivo and Rosemary DeCamp.Bryant p.172 It was based on Robert Louis S ...

'' (1952) as Samuella *'' By the Light of the Silvery Moon'' (1953) as Alice Winfield *''

Main Street to Broadway ''Main Street to Broadway'' is a 1953 American romantic musical comedy-drama film by independent producer Lester Cowan, his final credit, in collaboration with The Council of the Living Theatre, which provided tie-up with a number of well-known ...

'' (1953) as Mrs. Craig *'' Man on a Bus'' (1955) *'' Many Rivers to Cross'' (1955) as Lucy Hamilton *''

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...

'' (1955) as Mrs. Thorne *'' 13 Ghosts'' (1960) as Hilda Zorba *

(1963) as Pricilla Rolfe Allen Smith-Standish *''

'' (1964) as Emily Mapes, (1968) Aunt Helen *'' Saturday the 14th'' (1981) as Aunt Lucille *''A Chip of Glass Ruby'' (1983) as Mother

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Decamp, Rosemary 1910 births 2001 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Los Angeles Actresses from New York City American film actresses American radio actresses American television actresses California Democrats Deaths from pneumonia in California Warner Bros. contract players