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Helen Kleeb

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Helen Kleeb
Kleeb in Kansas City Confidential (1952)
Born(1907-01-06)January 6, 1907
South Bend, Washington[1]
DiedDecember 28, 2003(2003-12-28) (aged 96)
Los Angeles, California[2]
Resting placeHoly Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California
OccupationActress
Years active1952–1997
Spouse(s)
John Gerald Prendergast
​
​
(m. 1937⁠–⁠1950)​
(his death)
Elmer Garrison
​
(m. 1959⁠–⁠2003)​
(her death)
Children1

Helen Kleeb (January 6, 1907 – December 28, 2003)[3] was an American film and television actress. In a career covering nearly 50 years, she may be best known for her role from 1972 to 1981 as Miss Mamie Baldwin on the family drama The Waltons.[4][5][6]

Early life and career

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Kleeb began acting on stage in Portland, Oregon, late in the 1920s, where she attended the Ellison-White Conservatory of Music.[7] She also gained her first radio experience in Portland.[3]

From 1949 to 1951, she performed voices for the radio program Candy Matson. In 1956–1957, Kleeb guest-starred on Hey, Jeannie!, starring Jeannie Carson. In the 1960–1961 television season, Kleeb appeared as Miss Claridge, a legal secretary, on the sitcom Harrigan and Son.

She appeared in episodes of Dennis the Menace, I Love Lucy, Pete and Gladys, Hennesey, Death Valley Days, Get Smart, The Andy Griffith Show, Green Acres, Bewitched, Gunsmoke (as “Mrs. Randolph” in S1E38’s “Unknown Grave” - 1956), Little House: A New Beginning, Highway to Heaven, Room 222, and The Golden Girls as well as in small film roles in The Manchurian Candidate, and Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte. She also appeared in a number of episodes of The Waltons, as well as Dragnet, starring Jack Webb, during the 1950s. Kleeb also appeared on many radio drama shows, some now playing on XM Satellite Radio.

Personal life

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Kleeb's first marriage and the birth of a son, Tom Pendergast, caused a hiatus in her career. After her first husband's death in 1950, she taught drama at a college before she returned to acting.[8] She is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City.[9]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1952 Kansas City Confidential Mrs. Crane Uncredited
1953 99 River Street Miss Henderson Uncredited
Half a Hero Desk Nurse Uncredited
1954 Witness to Murder Nurse in Mental Ward Uncredited
Magnificent Obsession Mrs. Eden
1955 There's Always Tomorrow Miss Walker
The Desperate Hours Miss Wells Uncredited
1956 A Day of Fury Mrs. McLean
Friendly Persuasion Old Lady Uncredited
1957 Hot Summer Night Scrub Woman Uncredited
The Invisible Boy Miss Vandergrift Uncredited
1958 High School Confidential Miss Dodge Uncredited
Summer Love Bit Role Uncredited
I Want to Live! Prison Matron Uncredited
1959 Curse of the Undead Dora
The Gazebo Miss Spence Uncredited
1960 Cage of Evil Mrs. Melton, Cherry's Motel
1961 The Young Savages Mrs. Patton Uncredited
Ada Mrs. Smith Uncredited
1962 The Manchurian Candidate Mrs. Henry Whittaker - Chairlady Uncredited
40 Pounds of Trouble Child Welfare Worker Uncredited
1963 Toys in the Attic Warkins' Secretary Uncredited
1964 Seven Days in May Esther Townsend
Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte Town Gossip
Sex and the Single Girl Hilda
1965 The Hallelujah Trail Henrietta
1965 Get Smart Frieda Season 1, episode 4: Our Man in Toyland
1966 Munster, Go Home! Emily Uncredited
The Fortune Cookie The Lawyers' Receptionist
1967 Eight on the Lam Bit Role Uncredited
Fitzwilly Mrs. Mortimer
1968 The Party Secretary
Blue Elizabeth Parker
1968 The Virginian (TV series) Mrs. Mauder saison 7 episode 13 (Big Tiny)
1969-1971 Room 222 Mrs. Tandy recurring character
1970 Halls of Anger Rita Monahan
1971 Star Spangled Girl YWCA Receptionist
1972-1981 The Waltons Mamie Baldwin recurring character
1982 The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas Dora
1985 Who's the Boss? Mrs. Randolf Season 1, episode 16: Angela’s Ex part 2
1988 The Golden Girls Elizabeth Ann Hollingsworth Season 3, episode 25: Mother's Day
1997 A Walton Easter Miss Mamie Baldwin TV movie

References

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  1. ^ "LIVES OF NOTE: [2 Edition]". Dominion Post (New Zealand). January 15, 2004. p. B9. ProQuest 337939993. Kleeb's many feature-film appearances included parts in The Manchurian Candidate (alongside Frank Sinatra, 1962) and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (starring Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton, 1982). -- B South Bend, Washington January 6, 1907; d December 28, 2003
  2. ^ Hayward, Anthony (January 12, 2004). "Obituary: Helen Kleeb ; Eccentric Miss Mamie in `The Waltons': [FOREIGN Edition]". The Independent. p. 18. ProQuest 10641041. Helen Kleeb, actress: born South Bend, Washington 6 January 1907; married first 1937 John Prendergast (died 1950; one son), secondly Elmer Garrison (died 2004); died Los Angeles 28 December 2003.
  3. ^ a b Lentz, Harris M. III (2008). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2003: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. McFarland. ISBN 9780786452088. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  4. ^ "Helen Kleeb". BFI. Archived from the original on July 20, 2012.
  5. ^ "Helen Kleeb movies, photos, movie reviews, filmography, and biography - AllMovie". AllMovie.
  6. ^ "The Waltons: The Baldwin Sisters". the-waltons.com. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  7. ^ Johnson, Jimmy (August 18, 1977). "Two Sisters Have 'The Recipe'". The Burlington Free Press. Burlington, Vermont. Gannett News Service. p. 27 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Smith, Carol (November 11, 1973). "Actress Helen Kleep Happy Over Success Of 'Waltons'". Longview News-Journal. p. 9E. Retrieved December 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 25047-25048). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.
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