Peggie Castle (December 22, 1927 – August 11, 1973) was an American actress who specialized in playing the "other woman" in B-movies. Castle was Miss Cheesecake in 1949.

Early life

Castle was born as Peggy Thomas Blair in Appalachia, Wise County, Virginia. She changed her last name "because there was another actress named Blair at the first studio in which she worked." Her father, Doyle H. Blair, was at one point "an industrial relations director for a large corporation" and later business manager for

Donald O'Connor Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor (August 28, 1925 – September 27, 2003) was an American dancer, singer and actor. He came to fame in a series of films in which he co-starred with Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan, and Francis the Talking Mule. His b ...

and studio manager for Goldwyn Studios. Her mother was Elizabeth Blair. She took lessons in drama when she was 8 years old. Castle graduated from

Hollywood High School Hollywood High School is a four-year public secondary school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, located at the intersection of North Highland Avenue and West Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California. Histo ...

and attended

Mills College Mills College at Northeastern University is a private college in Oakland, California and part of Northeastern University's global university system. Mills College was founded as the Young Ladies Seminary in 1852 in Benicia, California; it w ...

for two years.

Career

Radio

Castle's first work as an actress came in the soap opera '' Today's Children''. Then, a spot on ''

Lux Radio Theatre ''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 1947 brought her a screen test offer from

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

Film

Castle was discovered by a talent scout while eating in a restaurant in

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. ...

. She was signed to a seven-year contract with Universal-International and made her film debut in the 1947 film ''When a Girl's Beautiful''. In 1949, she was named "Miss

Cheesecake Cheesecake is a sweet dessert consisting of one or more layers. The main, and thickest, layer consists of a mixture of a soft, fresh cheese (typically cottage cheese, cream cheese or ricotta), eggs, and sugar. If there is a bottom layer, i ...

" by the Southern California Restaurant Association. Later that year, the Junior Chamber of Commerce named Castle "Miss Three Alarm". She later appeared in the films ''

Mr. Belvedere Goes to College ''Mr. Belvedere Goes to College'' is a 1949 American comedy film directed by Elliott Nugent. The screenplay written by Mary Loos, Mary C. McCall, Jr., and Richard Sale was based on characters created by Gwen Davenport. It follows on from '' Sittin ...

'' (1949), '' Payment on Demand'' (1951), '' The Prince Who Was a Thief'' (1951) '' Invasion, U.S.A.'' (1952), ''

99 River Street ''99 River Street'' is a 1953 film noir directed by Phil Karlson and starring John Payne and Evelyn Keyes. It also features Brad Dexter, Frank Faylen, and Peggie Castle. The screenplay is by Robert Smith, based on a short story by George Zucker ...

'' (1953), '' Beginning of the End'' (1957), and '' Arrivederci Roma'' (1957). She often starred in Westerns, appearing in nearly a dozen between '' Wagons West'' (1952) and ''

Hell's Crossroads ''Hell's Crossroads'' is a 1957 American Western film directed by Franklin Adreon and starring Stephen McNally, Peggie Castle, and Robert Vaughn. The film's sets were designed by the art director Frank Arrigo. Plot The events leading up to the ...

'' (1957).

Television

In the 1950s, Castle moved into television. She appeared in multiple guest roles on '' Fireside Theater'', ''

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enr ...

'', ''

77 Sunset Strip ''77 Sunset Strip'' is an American television private detective drama series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Roger Smith, Richard Long (from 1960 to 1961) and Edd Byrnes (billed as Edward Byrnes). Each episode was o ...

'', and '' The Restless Gun''. In 1957, she appeared as Amy Gordon on ''Cheyenne'' in the episode titled "The Spanish Grant". In 1957, she played defendant Sally Fenner in the ''

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 c ...

'' episode, "The Case of the Negligent Nymph". Also in 1957, she was a primary star on ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central chara ...

'', playing a forlorn Nita Tucker in the episode "Chester's Murder". From 1959 to 1962, she co-starred in the television Western series '' Lawman'' — her first continuing series. Her role as saloon owner Lily MerrillMcNeil, Alex (1996). ''Total Television''. Penguin Books USA, Inc. . P. 472. brought out a new dimension of Castle's talent. She stated, "For the first time in my life, I'm a singer — that's the producer's opinion, not mine." Her final onscreen role was a guest appearance in a 1966 episode of '' The Virginian''.

Stage

In 1958, Castle acted with Jesse White in a production of ''A Hole in the Head'' at the Civic Playhouse in Los Angeles.

Personal appearances

In 1960, Castle and Peter Brown (who also was a regular in ''Lawman'') traveled to rodeos, performing as a song-and-dance team. Castle stressed, "We're very careful not to sing any romantic songs," treating the act more like a brother-sister team. The duo's stops included St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Albuquerque.

Awards

* 1960

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...

. 6230

Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It begins in the east at Sunset Boulevard in the Los Feliz district and proceeds to the west as a major thoroughfare through Little Armenia and Thai Town, Hollywoo ...

. Dedicated February 8, 1960.

Personal life

Castle was married four times. She married Revis T. Call, a second lieutenant in the Army, on August 19, 1945, in Los Angeles. Following that marriage, she began using Peggy Call as her professional name. They divorced in 1950. She married Universal publicist Robert H. Raines on January 4, 1951. They divorced April 29, 1954. On July 24, 1955, Castle married William McGarry, producer and director. They had a daughter, Erin McGarry. Castle divorced McGarry in 1969. In 1971, Castle married Arthur Morganstern, her fourth husband. They remained married until Morganstern's death in April 1973.

Death

Castle was an alcoholic. On August 11, 1973, her third husband, William McGarry, found her body on the couch of her Hollywood apartment. Her death was later determined to be caused by

cirrhosis Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, and end-stage liver disease, is the impaired liver function caused by the formation of scar tissue known as fibrosis due to damage caused by liver disease. Damage causes tissue rep ...

Filmography

This is a partial list of films. John Russell Peggy Castle Lawman 1959

Films

Television

References

External links

* * *
The Girl They Loved to Kill
{{DEFAULTSORT:Castle, Peggie 1927 births 1973 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Hollywood, Los Angeles Actresses from Virginia Alcohol-related deaths in California American film actresses American radio actresses American television actresses Deaths from cirrhosis People from Appalachia, Virginia People from Hollywood, Los Angeles Western (genre) film actresses Warner Bros. contract players Western (genre) television actors