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Jena Engstrom

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Jena Engstrom
Jena Engstrom as Betty on the April 19, 1961 episode of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet titled "Selling Rick's Drums"
Born
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1960 - 1964
ParentJean Engstrom

Jena Engstrom (born in Los Angeles, California) is an American former television actress. She appeared in more than three dozen episodes of various television series between 1960 and 1964.

Career

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Jena Engstrom began acting after graduating from high school[1] and first appeared on television in the 1960 episode "Adopted" of the ABC crime drama, The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor. She appeared in 37 television programs[citation needed] before making her final appearance opposite guest star Robert Culp in the 1964 episode, "The Stallion", of NBC's The Virginian.[2] She played a girl who had a crush on Steve Douglas in an October 19, 1961 episode of My Three Sons.

Mother and daughter

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Jena Engstrom is the daughter of actress Jean Engstrom[citation needed] whose television career (1955-1966)[3] overlapped her daughter's and whose career also included movie and regional stage appearances.[3][4] Most on-line databases and this article have listed only two of the three TV shows in which they appeared together.

The first of the two shows listed is the April 1961 episode of the CBS program Rawhide titled "Incident of the Lost Idol" in which they appeared as mother and daughter. They had only one brief scene together as the story was not about their relationship.

The second show listed is the January 1962 episode "To Sell Another Human Being" of ABC's The New Breed, starring Leslie Nielsen,[3] in which mother Jean played a wealthy woman who with her husband (played by Richard Arlen) adopt a baby through an adoption mill. The police get involved when the baby's natural mother, played by daughter Jena, tries to get her baby back.

The third television show in which they appeared together is an unidentified 30-minute religious program presented in 1961 in which they played mother and daughter. In this story a girl (Jena) has trouble relating to her parents until a session with teenagers at a church is recorded and the recording made available to the parents to listen to. Appearing in this show with Jean and Jena Engstrom are Robert Stevenson as Jena's father and Richard Evans as her boyfriend. This film, minus the opening and closing credits, has been posted on-line.[5]

Western series

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Twenty-one of Engstrom's thirty-seven roles were in television westerns. She appeared three times each on Have Gun, Will Travel, and Wagon Train, as well as Rawhide, twice each on Bonanza, Gunsmoke, and Laramie, and once each on The Tall Man, Death Valley Days, Frontier Circus, and Outlaws, as well as her final performance as an actress in The Virginian.

In "The Education of Sarah Jane" episode of Have Gun, Will Travel, Engstrom appeared as Sarah Jane. In the "Milly" episode of Gunsmoke, she played Milly Glover. In the episode "Chester’s Indian", Engstrom plays Callie Dill. In 1962, in one of her three appearances on Rawhide, she had the title role of "The Child-Woman" in an episode. In 1961, she portrayed Laurie Manson in "The Incident of the Lost Idol". She retired from acting in 1964, not long after appearing on Wagon Train and in an episode of Perry Mason in which she plays Vera Janel in "The Case of the Illicit Illusion". Her final television appearance was on The Virginian in an episode broadcast in September 1964, "The Black Stallion".

Illness

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Engstrom left acting in 1964, possibly because of health considerations. In 1963, she was cast in what was to have been a recurring role of Jennie in the series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, starring Kurt Russell,[6] but had to give up the role because of illness and was replaced by Donna Anderson.[7][8]

In June 1964, she was replaced again because of ill health by Davey Davison in the episode "Children of Calamity" of Richard Crenna's CBS drama series, Slattery's People.[9]

Confused credits

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The acting credits of mother Jean and daughter Jena were confused at the time they were active in the business resulting in mixed credits in newspapers and problems with pay checks.[1] For a long time the credits were confused on many Internet databases, and while some errors still exist, many have been corrected.[citation needed]

DVDs

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Several of the television series listed below have been released by their studios on DVDs that are available for sale or for rent.

Television Roles

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Note: "Episode" column: 2.9 indicates Season 2, Episode 9, etc.

AIR DATE[10] SHOW EPISODE EPISODE TITLE CHARACTER NOTES DVD
Nov. 25, 1960 The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor 2.9 "Adopted"[11] Ann Martin 1st of 2 appearances on this show.
Feb. 5, 1961 Shirley Temple Theatre 2.19 "The Fawn"[12] Kathy
Feb. 25, 1961 Have Gun, Will Travel 4.23 "Fatal Flaw" [13] Cassandra Langford 1st of 3 appearances on this show. Yes
Mar. 14, 1961 The Red Skelton Hour 10.17 "Freddy and the Baby"[14] Young Woman (Baby's Mother) Yes
Apr. 19, 1961 The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet 9.30 "Selling Rick's Drums"[15] Betty Hamilton Yes
Apr. 28, 1961 Rawhide 3.24 "Incident of the Lost Idol"[16] Laurie Manson 1st of 3 appearances on this show. Mother Jean Engstrom also appears in this episode. Yes
Jun. 11, 1961 The Asphalt Jungle 1.11 "The Kidnapping" Karen Meriden
Sep. 23, 1961 Have Gun, Will Travel 5.2 "The Education of Sarah Jane"[17] Sarah Jane Darrow 2nd of 3 appearances on this show. Yes
Oct. 1, 1961 Bonanza 3.2 "Springtime"[18] Ann 1st of 2 appearances on this show. Yes
Oct. 12, 1961 My Three Sons 2.3 "The Crush"[19] Mary Beth Jackson Yes
Oct. 14, 1961 The Tall Man 2.6 "An Item for Auction"[20] Mary Susan Naylack Yes
Oct. 23, 1961 Death Valley Days 10.7 "Storm Over Truckee"[21] Maggie Woolf Billed as Jenna Engstrom.
Oct. 30, 1961 The Everglades 1.4 "Primer for Pioneers" [22] Memory Jacks The series is listed as "Everglades!" in the opening credits.
Nov. 1, 1961 Wagon Train 5.6 "The Jenna Douglas Story"[23] Sue Thompson Yes
Nov. 2, 1961 Outlaws 2.5 "The Night Riders"[24] Louise Nichols
Nov. 25, 1961 Gunsmoke 7.9 "Milly"[25] Milly Glover 1st of 2 appearances on this show. Yes
Dec. 26, 1961 Laramie 3.13 "The Lawless Seven" [26] Ginny Hawks 1st of 2 appearances on this show. Yes
Jan. 16, 1962 The New Breed 1.16 "To Sell Another Human Being"[3] Mother Jean Engstrom also appears in this episode.
Mar. 2, 1962 The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor 3.20 "Night Boat" [27] Frances 2nd of 2 appearances on this show.
Mar. 14, 1962 Wagon Train 5.24 "The Amos Billings Story"[28] Loan 2nd of 2 appearances on this show. Yes
Mar. 17, 1962 Have Gun, Will Travel 5.26 "Alice" [29] Maya Ferguson 3rd of 3 appearances on this show. Yes
Mar. 23, 1962 Rawhide 4.24 "The Child-Woman"[30] Posie Mushgrove 2nd of 3 appearances on this show. Yes
Apr. 5, 1962 Frontier Circus 1.20 "Mighty Like Rogues"[31] Betsy Ross Jukes Yes
May 12, 1962 Gunsmoke 7.32 "Chester's Indian" [32] Callie Dill 2nd of 2 appearances on this show. Yes
Oct. 26, 1962 Rawhide 5.5 "Incident of the Four Horsemen"[33] Amy Galt 3rd of 3 appearances on this show. Yes
Nov. 5,1962 Stoney Burke 1.6 "A Matter of Pride"[34] Meryle Hill Yes
Nov. 13, 1962 Laramie 4.7 "The Sunday Shoot"[35] Nancy Tilford 2nd of 2 appearances on this show. Yes
Dec. 2, 1962 Bonanza 4.10 "The Deadly Ones"[36] Molly Reed 2nd of 2 appearances on this show. Yes
Jan. 11, 1963 Route 66 3.16 "You Can't Pick Cotton in Tahiti" [37] Elva Dupree Yes
Feb. 7, 1963 Dr. Kildare 2.18 "Good Luck Charm"[38] Marcia Laverly Yes
Apr. 17, 1963 The Eleventh Hour 1.27 "Try to Keep Alive Until Next Tuesday" Marian Snyder Yes
May 23, 1963 The Doctors and the Nurses 1.30 "Bitter Pill"[39] Jean Wheeler The show was called The Nurses during the first season.
Sep 15, 1963 The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters 1.1 "The Day of Leaving"[40] Jennie Jena Engstrom was replaced after this pilot episode because of illness
Feb. 7, 1964 77 Sunset Strip 6.20 "Queen of the Cats"[41] Marian Armstrong Final episode of this series.77 Sunset Strip
Mar. 30, 1964 Wagon Train 7.20 "The Santiago Quesada Story"[42] Kim Case 3rd of 3 appearances on this show. Yes
Apr. 9, 1964 Perry Mason 7.25 "The Case of the Ilicit Illusion"[43] Vera Janel Yes
Sep. 30, 1964 The Virginian 3.3 "The Black Stallion"[2] Jodie Wingate Episode also called "The Stallion" Yes

References

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  1. ^ a b "The Name's Almost the Same for Jean and Jena Engstrom". San Antonio (Texas) Express and News, Page 10. January 13, 1963. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  2. ^ a b "The Black Stallion" (2010). The Virginian: The Complete Third Season (DVD (Disc 1)). NBC Universal" The Media Group.
  3. ^ a b c d Vernon, Terry (January 16, 1963). "Tele]Vues: Mother-Daughter Team On TV". The Long Beach (California) Independent, Page C-12. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  4. ^ "Stage Actress Stars In Graham Production". The El Paso (Texas) Herald-Post, Section A, Page 3. November 27, 1965. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  5. ^ "F-9483". 1961. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  6. ^ Russell, Fred H. (April 4, 1963). "O'Herlihy Signs For Top Role In Series". The Bridgeport Post, Page 35. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  7. ^ Scheuer, Steven H. (October 18, 1963). "TV Mailbag". The Hammond (Indiana) Times, Page C-4. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  8. ^ "Jena Engstrom Recovers". The San Antonio (Texas) Express and News, Page 5. November 24, 1963. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  9. ^ "Sub for Engstrom". The Los Angeles (California) Times, Page D15. June 19, 1964. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  10. ^ "TV Guide". Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  11. ^ "Adopted" (1960). The Detectives (DVD (Disc 17)). magiclantern1973.
  12. ^ "The Shirley Temple Show: "The Fawn"". Pasadena (California) Independent Star-News: TV Week. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  13. ^ Fatal Flaw (1961) (2010). Have Gun - Will Travel: The Fourth Season: Volume Two (DVD (Disc One)). CBS Television Studios.
  14. ^ "Freddy and the Baby" (1961) (2007). Red Skelton: America's Clown Prince (DVD (Disc 2)). Timeless Media Group.
  15. ^ "Selling Rick's Drums" 1961) (2008). Ozzie and Harriet: Best of Ricky and Dave (DVD (Disc 3)). Shout! Factory LLC.
  16. ^ "Incident of the Lost Idol" (1961) (2008). Rawhide: The Third Season: Volume 2 (DVD (Disc 3)). CBS DVD.
  17. ^ "The Education of Sarah Jane" (1961) (2010). Have Gun - Will Travel: The Fifth Season: Volume One (DVD (Disc One). CBS Television Studios.
  18. ^ "Springtime" (1961) (2012). Bonanza: The Official Third Season: Volume 1 (DVD (Disc 1)). CBS DVD.
  19. ^ "The Crush" (1961) (2010). My Three Sons: The Second Season: Volume One (DVD (Disc 1)). CBS DVD.
  20. ^ "An Item for Auction" (1961) (2007). The Tall Man (DVD (Disc 2)). NBC Universal: Timeless Media Group.
  21. ^ "Episode Detail: Storm Over Truckee - Death Valley Days". TV Guide. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  22. ^ "Primer for Pioneers" (1961). Television Classics Digital Collection: Everglades! (DVD (Disc 4)). A Magic Lantern Production.
  23. ^ "The Jenna Douglas Story" (1961) (2011). Wagon Train: The Complete Season Five (DVD (Disc 2)). NBC Universal: Timeless Media Group.
  24. ^ "The Night Riders" (1961). Outlaws (DVD (Disc 8)). avantgarde101.
  25. ^ "Milly" (1961) (2012). Gunsmoke: The Seventh Season: Volume 1 (DVD (Disc 3)). CBS DVD.
  26. ^ "The Lawless Seven" (1961) (2008). Laramie (DVD (Disc 3)). NBC Universal: Timeless Media Group.
  27. ^ "Night Boat". The Detectives (DVD (Disc 9)). magiclantern1973.
  28. ^ "The Amos Billings Story" (1962) (2011). Wagon Train: The Complete Fifth Season (DVD (Disc 6)). NBC Universal: Timeless Media Group.
  29. ^ "Alice" (1962) (2011). Have Gun - Will Travel: The Fifth Season: Volume Two (DVD (Disc 2)). CBS Television Studios.
  30. ^ "The Child-Woman" (2011). Rawhide: The Fourth Season: Volume 2 (DVD (Disc 3)). CBS DVD.
  31. ^ "Mighty Like Rogues" (1962) (2010). Frontier Circus: The Complete TV Series (DVD (Disc Five)). NBC Universal: Timeless Media Group.
  32. ^ "Chester's Indian" (1962) (2013). Gunsmoke: The Seventh Season: Volume 2 (DVD). CBS DVD.
  33. ^ "Incident of the Four Horsemen" (1962) (2013). Rawhide: The Fifth Season: Volume 1 (DVD (Disc 2)). CBS DVD.
  34. ^ "A Matter of Pride" (1962) (2005). Stoney Burke: Collector's Edition: Vol. 1 (DVD (Disc 2)). Audio Tape, Inc.
  35. ^ "The Sunday Shoot" (1962) (2009). Laramie: The Final Season (DVD (Disc 2)). NBC Universal: Timeless Media Group.
  36. ^ "The Deadly Ones" (1962) (2012). Bonanza: The Official Fourth Season: Volume 1 (DVD (Disc 3)). CBS DVD.
  37. ^ "You Can't Pick Cotton In Tahiti" (1963) (2009). Route 66: Complete Third Season: Volume One (DVD (Disc 4)). Roxbury Entertainment.
  38. ^ "Gloria Swanson with Kildare". Google.News: Sarasota (Florida) Herald Tribune, Page 39. February 7, 1963. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  39. ^ "Mothers-To-Be Warned Abouth Pill Taking". Pittsburgh Press, P 67. May 23, 1963. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  40. ^ "Episode Detail: The Day of Leaving -- The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters". TV Guide. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  41. ^ "Episode Detail: The Queen of Cats -- 77 Sunset Strip". TV Guide. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  42. ^ "The Santiago Quesada Story" (1964) (2008). Wagon Train: The Complete Color Season (DVD (Disc 10)). NBC Universal: Timeless Media Group.
  43. ^ "The Case of the Illicit Illusion" (2012). Perry Mason: Season 7: Volume 2 (DVD (Disc 3)). CBS DVD.
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