Joan Freeman
Encyclopedia
Joan Freeman is an American actress.
Freeman was a child actor
, having appeared in her first film in 1949 at the age of seven. In 1961-1962, she was a regular cast member, the young waitress Elma Gahrigner, in the ABC
TV series Bus Stop
with co-stars Marilyn Maxwell
and Buddy Ebsen
.
In this early segment of her career Miss Freeman played the part of Marilyn Hayes in the doom and gloom classic film of 1962 called Panic in Year Zero!
alongside veteran film stars Ray Milland
, Jean Hagen
, and singer teenage heart-throb Frankie Avalon
. Avalon and she were rumored to have been an item during filming but that was never confirmed or denied.
Freeman appeared as tourist guide Amelia Carter in The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze
. However, she is best known for her roles in two musical film
s. In 1964 she was the love interest of Elvis Presley
in Roustabout and in 1967 with Roy Orbison
in The Fastest Guitar Alive
. Also in 1967, she appeared as the love interest opposite Don Knotts
in the Cold War
space-race comedy The Reluctant Astronaut
.
In 1977, she costarred as Barbara Robinson in the 13-episode CBS series Code R
about the emergency
services, fire, police, and ocean rescue, in the California Channel Islands. Tom Simcox
played her husband, police chief Walt Robinson. Other co-stars were James Houghton and Martin Kove
. The program was seen as an imitation of NBC
's long-running Emergency!
.
Freeman also made a number of guest appearances on different television shows from the 1950s through the 1980s. She appeared on the popular series The Virginian
four times. Her last motion picture performance came as "Mrs. Jarvis" in the 1984 horror film
, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
.
Freeman was a child actor
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
, having appeared in her first film in 1949 at the age of seven. In 1961-1962, she was a regular cast member, the young waitress Elma Gahrigner, in the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
TV series Bus Stop
Bus Stop (TV series)
Bus Stop is a 26-episode drama which aired on ABC from October 1, 1961, until March 25, 1962, starring Marilyn Maxwell as Grace Sherwood, the owner of a bus station and diner in the fictitious town of Sunrise in the Colorado Rockies...
with co-stars Marilyn Maxwell
Marilyn Maxwell
Marilyn Maxwell , born Marvel Marilyn Maxwell, was an American actress and entertainer.Noted for her blonde hair and sexually alluring persona, she appeared in several films and radio programs, and entertained the troops during World War II and the Korean War on USO tours with Bob Hope.-Career:She...
and Buddy Ebsen
Buddy Ebsen
Buddy Ebsen was an American character actor and dancer. A performer for seven decades, he had starring roles as Jed Clampett in the long-running television series The Beverly Hillbillies and as the title character in the 1970s detective series Barnaby Jones, and played Barnaby Jones in the movie...
.
In this early segment of her career Miss Freeman played the part of Marilyn Hayes in the doom and gloom classic film of 1962 called Panic in Year Zero!
Panic in Year Zero!
Panic in Year Zero! , sometimes known as End of the World, is a science fiction film directed by and starring Ray Milland. The original music score was composed by Les Baxter...
alongside veteran film stars Ray Milland
Ray Milland
Ray Milland was a Welsh actor and director. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985, and he is best remembered for his Academy Award–winning portrayal of an alcoholic writer in The Lost Weekend , a sophisticated leading man opposite a corrupt John Wayne in Reap the Wild Wind , the murder-plotting...
, Jean Hagen
Jean Hagen
-Early life:Hagen was born as Jean Shirley Verhagen in Chicago, Illinois, to Christian Verhagen , a Dutch immigrant, and his Chicago-born wife, Marie. The family moved to Elkhart, Indiana when she was 12 and she subsequently graduated from Elkhart High School...
, and singer teenage heart-throb Frankie Avalon
Frankie Avalon
Frankie Avalon is an American actor, singer, playwright, and former teen idol.-Career:By the time he was 12, Avalon was on U.S. television playing his trumpet. As a teenager he played with Bobby Rydell in Rocco and the Saints...
. Avalon and she were rumored to have been an item during filming but that was never confirmed or denied.
Freeman appeared as tourist guide Amelia Carter in The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze
The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze
The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze is the fifth feature film made by the Three Stooges after their 1959 resurgence in popularity. By this time, the trio consisted of Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Joe DeRita...
. However, she is best known for her roles in two musical film
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
s. In 1964 she was the love interest of Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
in Roustabout and in 1967 with Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
in The Fastest Guitar Alive
The Fastest Guitar Alive
The Fastest Guitar Alive is the soundtrack title for the 33 record album from MGM Records released in June 1967.-Track listing:All songs written by Roy Orbison and Bill DeesSide one# "Whirlwind"# "Medicine Man, Medicine Man"# "River"...
. Also in 1967, she appeared as the love interest opposite Don Knotts
Don Knotts
Jesse Donald "Don" Knotts was an American comedic actor best known for his portrayal of Barney Fife on the 1960s television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, a role which earned him five Emmy Awards...
in the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
space-race comedy The Reluctant Astronaut
The Reluctant Astronaut
The Reluctant Astronaut is a Universal Pictures feature film starring Don Knotts in a story about a kiddie-ride operator who is hired as a janitor at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston and is eventually sent into space. The film was produced and directed by Edward J...
.
In 1977, she costarred as Barbara Robinson in the 13-episode CBS series Code R
Code R (TV series)
Code R is an American action-adventure television series that aired on CBS from January 21 to June 10, 1977. It focuses on the emergency services of the California Channel Islands. The series stars James Houghton, Martin Kove and Tom Simcox and ran for a single season of thirteen episodes.Simcox...
about the emergency
Emergency
An emergency is a situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property or environment. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening of the situation, although in some situations, mitigation may not be possible and agencies may only be able to offer palliative...
services, fire, police, and ocean rescue, in the California Channel Islands. Tom Simcox
Tom Simcox
Thomas William Simcox, known as Tom Simcox is a former actor who resides in the unincorporated community of Leona Valley west of Palmdale in Los Angeles County, California....
played her husband, police chief Walt Robinson. Other co-stars were James Houghton and Martin Kove
Martin Kove
Martin Kove is an American actor who has appeared in feature films and television series.-Film appearances:His best-known roles may have been on the 1980s hit CBS television series Cagney & Lacey as Detective Victor Isbecki and in the 1984 hit film The Karate Kid as Cobra Kai Sensei John Kreese...
. The program was seen as an imitation of NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's long-running Emergency!
Emergency!
Emergency! is an American television series that combines the medical drama and action-adventure genres. It was produced by Mark VII Limited and distributed by Universal Studios...
.
Freeman also made a number of guest appearances on different television shows from the 1950s through the 1980s. She appeared on the popular series The Virginian
The Virginian (TV series)
The Virginian is an American Western television series starring James Drury and Doug McClure, which aired on NBC from 1962 to 1971 for a total of 249 episodes. Filmed in color, The Virginian became television's first 90-minute western series...
four times. Her last motion picture performance came as "Mrs. Jarvis" in the 1984 horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter is a 1984 slasher film. It is the fourth film in the Friday the 13th film series. Though it was billed as "The Final Chapter," there have been many further sequels in the franchise. The popularity and financial success of the film, which grossed over $32 million,...
.