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Ruth Thane McDevitt ( Shoecraft; September 13, 1895 – May 27, 1976) was an American film, stage, radio, and television actress.


Career

The daughter of John Barnabas Shoecraft and Elizabeth Imber Shoecraft, McDevitt was born in
Coldwater, Michigan Coldwater is a city in Branch County, Michigan, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,945. It is the county seat of Branch County, located in the center of the southern border of Michigan. The city is surrounded by Co ...
, but grew up in
Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...
. After attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, she married Patrick McDevitt on December 10, 1928, and decided to devote her time to her marriage. After her husband's death in 1934, she returned to acting. She made her debut on Broadway in 1940, and succeeded her friend Josephine Hull in '' Arsenic and Old Lace'', '' Harvey'', and '' The Solid Gold Cadillac''. McDevitt also acted on radio, portraying the title character's mother in ''Keeping up with Rosemary'' and Jane in ''This Life Is Mine''. On television, McDevitt portrayed Bessie Thatcher in the DuMont drama '' A Woman to Remember'' (1949). She played Mom Peepers in the 1950s sitcom '' Mister Peepers'' and Grandma Hanks on CBS's '' Pistols 'n' Petticoats''. She was a regular on ''The Everly Brothers Show'' and the NBC soap ''
Bright Promise ''Bright Promise'' is an American daytime soap opera that ran on NBC from September 29, 1969 to March 31, 1972. Synopsis The show revolved around students and faculty at the fictional Bancroft College, located in the community of Bancroft, somew ...
'' from September 1969 to June 1970. McDevitt also had a regular role as Emily Cowles on '' Kolchak: the Night Stalker'', starring Darren McGavin. McDevitt guest starred in such series as ''
Suspense Suspense is a state of mental uncertainty, anxiety, being Decision-making, undecided, or being Doubt, doubtful. In a Drama, dramatic work, suspense is the anticipation of the wikt:outcome, outcome of a plot (narrative), plot or of the solution t ...
'', ''
Cosmopolitan Theatre ''Cosmopolitan Theatre'' is an American anthology series which aired on the DuMont Television Network Tuesdays at 9pm ET from October 2, 1951 to December 25, 1951. Synopsis The series consisted of live presentations of stories written for ''Cosm ...
'', ''
Decoy A decoy (derived from the Dutch ''de'' ''kooi'', literally "the cage" or possibly ''ende kooi'', " duck cage") is usually a person, device, or event which resembles what an individual or a group might be looking for, but it is only meant to lu ...
'', ''
The United States Steel Hour ''The United States Steel Hour'' is an anthology series which brought hour long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the United States Steel Corporation (U. S ...
'', '' Westinghouse Studio One'', '' The Alfred Hitchcock Hour'' (2 episodes)'','' '' The Andy Griffith Show'' (2 episodes), '' The Debbie Reynolds Show'', '' The Ghost & Mrs. Muir'', ''
Mayberry R.F.D. ''Mayberry R.F.D.'' (abbreviation for Rural Free Delivery) is an American television series produced as a spin-off continuation of ''The Andy Griffith Show''. When star Andy Griffith decided to leave his series, most of the supporting characters ...
'', ''
I Dream of Jeannie ''I Dream of Jeannie'' is an American fantasy sitcom television series, created by Sidney Sheldon that starred Barbara Eden as a sultry, 2,000-year-old genie and Larry Hagman, as an astronaut with whom she falls in love and eventually mar ...
'', '' Bewitched'' (3 episodes), '' The Courtship of Eddie's Father'', ''
Love, American Style ''Love, American Style'' is an anthology comedy television series that aired on ABC from 1969 to 1974. The series was produced by Paramount Television. During the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, it was a part of ABC's Friday primetime lineup ...
'', ''
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 ...
'', '' Nanny and the Professor'', '' Room 222'', '' Mannix'' (2 episodes), '' Here's Lucy'', '' Gunsmoke'', '' Marcus Welby, M.D.'', '' Phyllis'', '' Little House on the Prairie'', '' The Streets of San Francisco'', '' Naked City'', and '' All in the Family'' (on which she had a recurring role during 1974 and 1975). Her film debut was in ''
The Guy Who Came Back ''The Guy Who Came Back'' is a 1951 film made by 20th Century Fox, directed by Joseph M. Newman, and starring Paul Douglas, Joan Bennett, and Linda Darnell. The screenplay was written by Allan Scott, based on story by William Fay. Plot Injur ...
'' (1951), followed by memorable roles in '' The Parent Trap'' (as camp counselor Miss Inch),
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 ...
's '' The Birds'' (as Mrs. MacGruder, the pet store saleslady), '' Boys' Night Out'', '' Dear Heart'', '' The Shakiest Gun in the West'', '' Angel in My Pocket'', '' The Love God?'', '' Change of Habit'', '' The War Between Men and Women'', and ''
Mixed Company ''Mixed Company'' is a 1974 American comedy-drama film directed by Melville Shavelson and written by Shavelson and Mort Lachman. It stars Barbara Harris, Joseph Bologna, Tom Bosley, Lisa Gerritsen, Dorothy Shay, Ruth McDevitt and Haywood ...
''.


Death

McDevitt died, aged 80, in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California and is interred in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery.


Filmography

She also appeared in a ''Streets of San Francisco'' episode "Winterkill" from season 2 on December 13, 1973


References


External links

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Ruth McDevitt
at the
University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...
'
Actor Studio audio collection
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDevitt, Ruth Actresses from Michigan American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni American film actresses American radio actresses American soap opera actresses American stage actresses American television actresses 20th-century American actresses Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery 1895 births 1976 deaths People from Coldwater, Michigan