Joan Shawlee (March 5, 1926 – March 22, 1987), nee Joan Fulton (and also credited sometimes under that name, such as in the film noir, Woman On The Run, 1950), was an American film and television actress. She is known for her recurring role in ''

The Dick Van Dyke Show ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' is an American television sitcom created by Carl Reiner that initially aired on CBS from October 3, 1961 to June 1, 1966, with a total of 158 half-hour episodes spanning five seasons. It was produced by Calvada Prod ...

'' and a career-defining turn in Billy Wilder's comedy, ''Some'' ''Like'' ''It'' ''Hot'', playing '''Sweet'' Sue', the abrasive martinet in charge of Marilyn Monroe's all-girl jazz band.

Early years

Shawlee was born in

Forest Hills, New York Forest Hills is a mostly residential neighborhood in the central portion of the borough of Queens in New York City. It is adjacent to Corona to the north, Rego Park and Glendale to the west, Forest Park to the south, Kew Gardens to the southeas ...

to Thomas Cuyler Fulton, an automobile salesman, and Esther L. Ring Fulton, and she moved with her parents and two brothers Theodore Cuyler Fulton Jr and Albert Fulton to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. ...

when she was five years old.

Career

Dancing and modeling

Shawlee studied ballet under Ernest Belcher. At the age of fourteen, she began to work as a

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...

for the John Robert Powers agency in New York, and worked later as a

showgirl A showgirl is a female dancer or performer in a stage entertainment show intended to showcase the performer's physical attributes, typically by way of revealing clothing, toplessness, or nudity. History Showgirls date back to the late 180 ...

on Broadway. Billed as Joyce Ring, she appeared in the musical productions ''

By Jupiter ''By Jupiter'' is a musical with a book by Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers, music by Rodgers, and lyrics by Hart. The musical is based on the play ''The Warrior's Husband'' by Julian F. Thompson, set in the land of the Amazons. ''By Jupiter'' prem ...

'' (1942) and '' A Connecticut Yankee'' (1943).

Film

A tall woman (5'9"), she was known for small parts in

Jack Lemmon John Uhler Lemmon III (February 8, 1925 – June 27, 2001) was an American actor. Considered equally proficient in both dramatic and comic roles, Lemmon was known for his anxious, middle-class everyman screen persona in dramedy pictures, leadi ...

and

Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian-American filmmaker. His career in Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Classic Holly ...

films. She is probably best remembered for her role as bandleader Sweet Sue in ''

Some Like It Hot ''Some Like It Hot'' is a 1959 American crime comedy film directed, produced and co-written by Billy Wilder. It stars Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, with George Raft, Pat O'Brien, Joe E. Brown, Joan Shawlee, Grace Lee Whitne ...

'' (1959) starring

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

, Tony Curtis, and Lemmon. She appeared as Sylvia in ''

The Apartment ''The Apartment'' is a 1960 American romantic comedy-drama film directed and produced by Billy Wilder from a screenplay he co-wrote with I. A. L. Diamond. It stars Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston, Jack Kruschen, Dav ...

'' (1960), and as Amazon Annie in '' Irma la Douce'', both of which starred Lemmon and

Shirley MacLaine Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty, April 24, 1934) is an American actress, author, and former dancer. Known for her portrayals of quirky, strong-willed and eccentric women, MacLaine has received numerous accolades over her seven-dec ...

. She also appeared in Wilder's final film, ''

Buddy Buddy ''Buddy Buddy'' is a 1981 American comedy film based on Francis Veber's play ''Le contrat'' and Édouard Molinaro's film '' L'emmerdeur''. It was the final film directed and written by Billy Wilder. Plot Hitman Trabucco eliminates two witnesses ...

'' (1981).

Television

Shawlee had a recurring role on TV in ''

'' as Fiona "Pickles" Sorrell, wife of writer Maurice "Buddy" Sorrell (

Morey Amsterdam Moritz "Morey" Amsterdam (December 14, 1908 – October 28, 1996) was an American actor, comedian, writer and producer. He played Buddy Sorrell on CBS's ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' from 1961 to 1966. Early life Amsterdam was born in Chicago ...

). She played the lead in ''

The Adventures of Aggie ''The Adventures of Aggie'' is a black-and-white sitcom starring Joan Shawlee that was made by ME Films and broadcast on ITV.Betty Hutton Betty Hutton (born Elizabeth June Thornburg; February 26, 1921 – March 11, 2007) was an American stage, film, and television actress, comedian, dancer, and singer. Early life and education Hutton was born Elizabeth June Thornburg on February 2 ...

's short-lived series ''Goldie''; Margo on the 1976–77 crime drama '' The Feather and Father Gang''; and Tessie on ''

Joe's World ''Joe's World'' is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from December 28, 1979 to July 26, 1980. Premise Joe is a hardworking house painter with a wife and five kids, yet he is deeply unhappy. Cast *Ramon Bieri as Joe Wabash *K Callan as Katie ...

''. She was also a regular on ''

The Abbott and Costello Show ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

''. She played a dead criminal's wife in '' Stories of the Century'' with Jim Davis and a 1957 episode of ''

Maverick Maverick, Maveric or Maverik may refer to: History * Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick Aviation * AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design * General Aviation Design Bure ...

'' titled "Stampede", starring

James Garner James Garner (born James Scott Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, including ''The Great Escape (film), The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy ...

and Efrem Zimbalist Jr., in which she portrayed the exuberant Madame Pompey. Her final acting appearance was in an episode of '' Crazy Like a Fox'' in 1985.

Comedy team

In the early 1960s, Shawlee and actress

Mitzi McCall Mitzi McCall is an American comedian and actress. Life and career Television In the early 1950s, then known as Mitzi Steiner, McCall had the ''Kiddie Castle'' program on KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She received national attention in 1 ...

teamed up as a

night club A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

act. They opened at the Club Robaire in Cleveland. In January 1961, syndicated newspaper columnist

Dorothy Kilgallen Dorothy Mae Kilgallen (July 3, 1913 – November 8, 1965) was an American columnist, journalist, and television game show panelist. After spending two semesters at the College of New Rochelle, she started her career shortly before her 18th birth ...

reported that the team was "causing quite a stir", while drawing attention to -- and exaggerating -- their discrepancy in height: "Joan being six feet, three inches tall and Mitzi four feet, 10 inches short."

Personal life

She was married twice. Her first husband was Walter Shawlee, a printing executive. They had a son, Walter, and divorced in 1956. Her second husband, Eddie Barchet, was a resort hotel manager she met in England and with whom she lived in California. She and Barchet had a daughter, Angela. Shawlee was a Democrat who was supportive of Adlai Stevenson's campaign during the 1952 presidential election. Shawlee was a practicing

Episcopalian Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

Death

Shawlee died of breast cancer, in Hollywood, California, on March 22, 1987, aged 61. 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 ...

and her ashes scattered at sea.

Selected filmography and television

*'' Men in Her Diary'' (1945) - Courtroom Spectator (uncredited) *'' This Love of Ours'' (1945) - Chorus Girl (uncredited) *''

Frontier Gal ''Frontier Gal'' is a 1945 American Western film directed by Charles Lamont and starring Yvonne De Carlo and Rod Cameron. Plot Johnny Hart heads for Red Gulch, looking for the mystery man who murdered his partner. He quickly meets Lorena Dumon ...

'' (1945) - Hostess (uncredited) *''

Because of Him ''Because of Him'' is a 1946 American romantic comedy film directed by Richard Wallace and starring Deanna Durbin, Charles Laughton and Franchot Tone. Plot Kim Walker (Deanna Durbin) is an ambitious waitress who dreams of being on the stage. ...

'' (1946) - Autograph Seeker *''

Idea Girl ''Idea Girl'' is a 1946 American comedy film directed by Will Jason and written by Charles R. Marion and Elwood Ullman. The film stars Jess Barker, Julie Bishop, Alan Mowbray, George Dolenz, Joan Shawlee and Laura Deane Dutton. The film was re ...

'' (1946) - Mabel *''

Tangier Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the capi ...

'' (1946) - Rocco's Blonde *''

House of Horrors ''House of Horrors'' is a 1946 American horror film released by Universal Pictures, starring Rondo Hatton as a madman named "the Creeper". Plot Struggling sculptor Marcel de Lange (Martin Kosleck) is depressed about events in his life, and de ...

'' (1946) - Stella McNally *'' Cuban Pete'' (1946) - Ann *'' The Runaround'' (1946) - Mamie 'Baby' Willis *''

Inside Job An insider threat is a malicious threat to an organization that comes from people within the organization, such as employees, former employees, contractors or business associates, who have inside information concerning the organization's security ...

'' (1946) - Ruth *'' Lover Come Back'' (1946) - Janie *''

White Tie and Tails ''White Tie and Tails'' is a 1946 American comedy drama film directed by Charles Barton and starring Dan Duryea, Ella Raines, William Bendix, and Frank Jenks. The film tagline is "Clothes Don't Make the Man ... a Gentleman!" The film is base ...

'' (1946) - Virgie *''

I'll Be Yours ''I'll Be Yours'' is a 1947 American musical comedy film directed by William A. Seiter and starring Deanna Durbin. Based on the play '' A jó tündér'' by Ferenc Molnár, the film is about a small-town girl who tells a fib to a wealthy business ...

'' (1947) - Blonde *''

The Michigan Kid ''The Michigan Kid'' is a 1947 American Cinecolor Western film directed by Ray Taylor and starring Jon Hall, Victor McLaglen, Rita Johnson, and Andy Devine. It was Hall's first film after getting out of the army and filming began 15 April 19 ...

'' (1947) - Soubrette *''

Song of Scheherazade ''Song of Scheherazade'' is a 1947 American musical film directed by Walter Reisch. It tells the story of an imaginary episode in the life of the Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (Jean-Pierre Aumont), in 1865, when he was a young naval ...

'' (1947) - French Girl (uncredited) *''

Buck Privates Come Home ''Buck Privates Come Home'' is a 1947 American comedy film directed by Charles Barton and starring the team of Abbott and Costello. It was released by Universal-International and is a sequel to their earlier film ''Buck Privates'' (1941). This ...

'' (1947) - Sylvia Hunter *''

The Vigilantes Return ''The Vigilantes Return'' is a 1947 Western film directed by Ray Taylor. Produced by Universal Pictures in Cinecolor, it was shot in Iverson Ranch in Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California. Plot Marshal Johnnie Taggart, posing as an outlaw named ...

'' (1947) - Ben's Girl *'' Woman on the Run'' (1950) - Tipsy Woman at Bar *'' Prehistoric Women'' (1950) - Lotee *''

Two Tickets to Broadway ''Two Tickets to Broadway'' is a 1951 American musical film directed by James V. Kern and filmed on the RKO Forty Acres backlot. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound Recording ( John O. Aalberg). The film was choreographed b ...

'' (1951) - Tall Brunette in Boardinghouse (uncredited) *''

The Marrying Kind ''The Marrying Kind'' is a 1952 comedy-drama film directed by George Cukor, starring Judy Holliday and Aldo Ray. Other cast members include John Alexander, Charles Bronson, Peggy Cass, Barry Curtis, Tom Farrell, Frank Ferguson, Ruth Gordon (w ...

'' (1952) - Tall Party Dancer / Woman at Airport (uncredited) *'' Sound Off'' (1952) - Showgirl (uncredited) *''

Something for the Birds ''Something for the Birds'' is a 1952 film directed by Robert Wise and starring Victor Mature and Patricia Neal. Plot Johnnie Adams, an engraver in Washington, uses some of the invitations his firm makes to crash Washington parties. He gets to ...

'' (1952) - Woman in Subway Station (uncredited) *'' Because of You'' (1952) - Autograph Seeker (uncredited) *'' All Ashore'' (1953) - Hedy *''

Loose in London ''Loose in London'' is a 1953 comedy film starring The Bowery Boys. The film was released on May 24, 1953 by Allied Artists and is the thirtieth film in the series. Plot Sach receives notice that a dying British earl is his long-lost relative. ...

'' (1953) - Tall Girl at Party (uncredited) *''

From Here to Eternity ''From Here to Eternity'' is a 1953 American drama romance war film directed by Fred Zinnemann, and written by Daniel Taradash, based on the 1951 novel of the same name by James Jones. The picture deals with the tribulations of three U.S. A ...

'' (1953) - Sandra (uncredited) *''

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from October 3, 1952, to April 23, 1966, and starred the real-life Nelson family. After a long run on radio, the show was brought to television, where it ...

'' (1953, TV Series) - Marion / The Registrar *'' Pride of the Blue Grass'' (1954) - Mrs. Casey *''

Casanova's Big Night ''Casanova's Big Night'' is a 1954 American comedy film starring Bob Hope and Joan Fontaine, which is a spoof of swashbuckling historical adventure films. It was directed by Norman Z. McLeod. Hope plays a tailor who impersonates Giacomo Casanova ...

'' (1954) - Beatrice D'Brizzi (uncredited) *''

About Mrs. Leslie ''About Mrs. Leslie'' is a 1954 American drama film directed by Daniel Mann and starring Shirley Booth and Robert Ryan. It was nominated for a BAFTA Award in 1955. Plot Vivien Leslie, a Beverly Hills, California rooming house owner, reminisces i ...

'' (1954) - Jill - Nightclub Girl *''

Francis Joins the WACS ''Francis Joins the WACS'' is a 1954 American black-and-white comedy film from Universal-International, produced by Ted Richmond, directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Donald O'Connor, Julie Adams, ZaSu Pitts, Mamie Van Doren and Chill Wills in tw ...

'' (1954) - Sgt. Kipp *'' A Star Is Born'' (1954) - Joan (uncredited) *''

Bowery to Bagdad ''Bowery to Bagdad'' is a 1955 comedy film starring The Bowery Boys. The film was released on January 2, 1955, by Allied Artists and is the thirty-sixth film in the series. Plot Sach buys a magic lamp containing a Genie. A group of gangsters s ...

'' (1955) - Velma 'Cindy Lou' Calhoun *''

Conquest of Space ''Conquest of Space'' is a 1955 American Technicolor science fiction film from Paramount Pictures, produced by George Pal, directed by Byron Haskin, that stars Walter Brooke, Eric Fleming, and Mickey Shaughnessy. The film's storyline concer ...

'' (1955) - Rosie McCann *''Born for Trouble'' (1955) *''

The Adventures of Aggie ''The Adventures of Aggie'' is a black-and-white sitcom starring Joan Shawlee that was made by ME Films and broadcast on ITV.A Farewell to Arms ''A Farewell to Arms'' is a novel by American writer Ernest Hemingway, set during the Italian campaign of World War I. First published in 1929, it is a first-person account of an American, Frederic Henry, serving as a lieutenant () in the a ...

'' (1957) - Blonde Nurse (uncredited) * ''

(1957, Season 1: Episode 9 “Stampede”) * ''

Zorro Zorro ( Spanish for 'fox') is a fictional character created in 1919 by American pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo of Los Angeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed as a dashing masked vigilante w ...

'' (1958, Season 1: Episode 18 "Zorro Fights His Father," Episode 19 "Death Stacks the Deck") - Barmaid Clara *''

'' (1959) - Sweet Sue *''

'' (1960) - Sylvia *''

The Rifleman ''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television program starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The sho ...

'' (1961, TV Series) - Mary Woodson *''

'' (1963, TV Series) - Pickles Sorrell *'' Critic's Choice'' (1963) - Marge Orr *'' Irma la Douce'' (1963) - Amazon Annie *'' Guerillas in Pink Lace'' (1964) - Miss Gloria Maxine *''

The Wild Angels ''The Wild Angels'' is a 1966 American outlaw biker film produced and directed by Roger Corman. Made on location in Southern California, ''The Wild Angels'' was the first film to associate actor Peter Fonda with Harley-Davidson motorcycles an ...

'' (1966) - Momma Monahan *''

The Reluctant Astronaut ''The Reluctant Astronaut'' is a 1967 American comedy film produced and directed by Edward Montagne and starring Don Knotts in a story about a carnival ride operator who is hired as a janitor at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston and is even ...

'' (1967) - Blonde in Bar *'' The St. Valentine's Day Massacre'' (1967) - Edna, Frank's Girlfriend (uncredited) *''

Tony Rome ''Tony Rome'' is a 1967 American neo-noir mystery crime thriller film directed by Gordon Douglas and starring Frank Sinatra in the title role, alongside Jill St. John, Sue Lyon and Gena Rowlands. It was adapted from Marvin H. Albert's novel ' ...

'' (1967) - Fat Candy *'' Live A Little Love A Little'' (1968) - Robbie's Mother *''

One More Train to Rob ''One More Train to Rob'' is a 1971 American comedy western film directed by Andrew McLaglen, starring George Peppard, and featuring Diana Muldaur, John Vernon and France Nuyen. The shooting title for the film was ''Hark''. Plot Set in the O ...

'' (1971) - Big Nellie *'' Willard'' (1971) - Alice *''

Columbo ''Columbo'' () is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originally aired on NBC fr ...

'' (1971, season 1 episode "Suitable for Framing") - Mitilda *''Flash and the Firecat'' (1975) - Rose *'' Farewell, My Lovely'' (1975) - Garrulous Woman in Dance Hall *'' The Feather and Father Gang'' (1976–1977, TV Series) - Margo *''Longshot'' (1981) - Motel Manager *''

'' (1981) - Receptionist *''Kiss My Grits'' (1982) - Wanda *''

City Heat ''City Heat'' is a 1984 American buddy-crime-comedy film starring Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds, written by Blake Edwards, and directed by Richard Benjamin. The film was released in North America in December 1984. The pairing of Eastwood and ...

'' (1984) - Peggy Barker

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shawlee, Joan 1926 births 1987 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from New York City American film actresses American television actresses Deaths from breast cancer Deaths from cancer in California People from Forest Hills, Queens New York (state) Democrats California Democrats American Episcopalians