Pamela Britton
Encyclopedia
Pamela Britton was an American actress best known for appearing as "Loralee Brown" in the television series My Favorite Martian
(1963–1966). She also starred in the film noir
classic D.O.A.
(1950).
. Her mother was Ethel Waite Owen
(1893–1997), a prominent stage, radio, and early television actress. Her father, Raymond G. Owen, was a doctor who died when the actress was twenty years old. She had two sisters, Virginia, an actress under contract to RKO Radio Pictures and Mary, a social worker.
Pamela attended State Teacher's Normal School and Holy Angels Academy in her hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
, taking leads in her school class plays. By the age of nine she was doing summer stock and Hollywood came calling at ten though her mother rejected the advances, saying she wanted her to be an actress, not a child star. Pamela started making the rounds at fifteen using the name Gloria Jane Owen but found that as soon as people knew who her mother was they expected her to be as accomplished as the respected dramatic actress. She chose the name Pamela from a British book and Britton to emphasise the source.
's understudy and "Gertie" in the Broadway
singer of Oklahoma!. When the show went on tour she took over Holm's role as "Ado Annie". After her New York
agent pushed her credentials to MGM executive Marvin Schneck, he came to see her performance in Chicago
. Disappointed on the first night he returned after cajoling from her agent on the second and signed her immediately.
's girlfriend in Anchors Aweigh
. However afterwards, a forgettable part in a forgettable film, A Letter for Evie
in 1946 disappointed and after three years she went on suspension to play "Meg Brockie" in Brigadoon on Broadway.
She returned to the big screen in Key to the City
(which starred Clark Gable
) in 1950 and then went on to make by far her most significant film appearance in the classic D.O.A.
, also in 1950. She made her third film of the year in the Red Skelton
-starring Watch the Birdie (1951) although it was 19 years after that until she returned to the big screen. During that period, she portrayed the title role of the TV version of the Chic Young newspaper comic strip, Blondie
, for the one season it ran, opposite Arthur Lake
as her husband, "Dagwood Bumstead." (Lake had played the role earlier in numerous movie comedies, opposite Penny Singleton in the role of the title character.)
Britton was married on April 8, 1943, to Capt. Arthur Steel after they met on a blind date in Texas
arranged by Pamela's sister. After the wedding he was posted to Italy on active service and Britton continued working. They had a daughter, Katherine Lee, born on September 8, 1946. After the war Steel worked as an advertising executive and went on to manage the Gene Autry
hotels. Britton worked mainly in West Coast theater while their daughter grew up. Britton reprised her role in Brigadoon in 1954, appeared in Annie Get Your Gun
at the Santa Barbara Bowl
, and then returned to Broadway to replace an ailing Janis Paige
in Guys and Dolls.
. After the series ended, Britton appeared in If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium
and Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came
.
in The Mind with the Dirty Man, Britton began to have headaches. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor
and succumbed within two weeks. She was only 51.
Britton is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
.
My Favorite Martian
My Favorite Martian is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from September 29, 1963 to May 1, 1966 for 107 episodes...
(1963–1966). She also starred in the film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
classic D.O.A.
D.O.A. (1950 film)
D.O.A. , a film noir drama film directed by Rudolph Maté, is considered a classic of the genre. The frantically paced plot revolves around a doomed man's quest to find out who has poisoned him – and why – before he dies.Leo C...
(1950).
Early career
She was born Armilda Jane Owen in MilwaukeeMilwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
. Her mother was Ethel Waite Owen
Ethel Waite Owen
Ethel Waite Owen was an American actress with a lengthy career on stage as well in radio and television. In her early sixties, during the mid-1950s, she had a well-remembered recurring role on television as Mrs...
(1893–1997), a prominent stage, radio, and early television actress. Her father, Raymond G. Owen, was a doctor who died when the actress was twenty years old. She had two sisters, Virginia, an actress under contract to RKO Radio Pictures and Mary, a social worker.
Pamela attended State Teacher's Normal School and Holy Angels Academy in her hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
, taking leads in her school class plays. By the age of nine she was doing summer stock and Hollywood came calling at ten though her mother rejected the advances, saying she wanted her to be an actress, not a child star. Pamela started making the rounds at fifteen using the name Gloria Jane Owen but found that as soon as people knew who her mother was they expected her to be as accomplished as the respected dramatic actress. She chose the name Pamela from a British book and Britton to emphasise the source.
Theatre work
After a stint touring with bandleader Don McGuire, her big break came when she was cast as both Celeste HolmCeleste Holm
Celeste Holm is an American stage, film, and television actress, known for her Academy Award-winning performance in Gentleman's Agreement , as well as for her Oscar-nominated performances in Come to the Stable and All About Eve...
's understudy and "Gertie" in the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
singer of Oklahoma!. When the show went on tour she took over Holm's role as "Ado Annie". After her New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
agent pushed her credentials to MGM executive Marvin Schneck, he came to see her performance in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Disappointed on the first night he returned after cajoling from her agent on the second and signed her immediately.
Hollywood
Her first role in a major production was as Frank SinatraFrank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
's girlfriend in Anchors Aweigh
Anchors Aweigh (film)
Anchors Aweigh is a 1945 American musical comedy film directed by George Sidney in which two sailors go on a four-day shore leave in Hollywood, accompanied by music and song, meet an aspiring young singer and try to help her get an audition at MGM...
. However afterwards, a forgettable part in a forgettable film, A Letter for Evie
A Letter for Evie
-Plot:This film is a Cyrano type love story with a wartime setting. A soldier , answers a letter intended for his more handsome and wolfish buddy .-Cast:* Marsha Hunt - Evie O'Connor* John Carroll - Edgar 'Wolf' Larson...
in 1946 disappointed and after three years she went on suspension to play "Meg Brockie" in Brigadoon on Broadway.
She returned to the big screen in Key to the City
Key to the City (film)
Key to the City is a 1950 romantic comedy film starring Clark Gable and Loretta Young as mayors who meet during a convention in San Francisco and, despite their contrasting personalities and views, fall in love. This was the second time that Gable and Young appeared together in a film, the first...
(which starred Clark Gable
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
) in 1950 and then went on to make by far her most significant film appearance in the classic D.O.A.
D.O.A. (1950 film)
D.O.A. , a film noir drama film directed by Rudolph Maté, is considered a classic of the genre. The frantically paced plot revolves around a doomed man's quest to find out who has poisoned him – and why – before he dies.Leo C...
, also in 1950. She made her third film of the year in the Red Skelton
Red Skelton
Richard Bernard "Red" Skelton was an American comedian who is best known as a top radio and television star from 1937 to 1971. Skelton's show business career began in his teens as a circus clown and went on to vaudeville, Broadway, films, radio, TV, night clubs and casinos, all while pursuing...
-starring Watch the Birdie (1951) although it was 19 years after that until she returned to the big screen. During that period, she portrayed the title role of the TV version of the Chic Young newspaper comic strip, Blondie
Blondie (comic strip)
Blondie is an American comic strip created by cartoonist Chic Young. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, the strip has been published in newspapers since September 8, 1930...
, for the one season it ran, opposite Arthur Lake
Arthur Lake (actor)
Arthur Lake was an American actor known best for bringing Dagwood Bumstead, the bumbling husband of Blondie, to life in film, radio and television.-Early life and career:...
as her husband, "Dagwood Bumstead." (Lake had played the role earlier in numerous movie comedies, opposite Penny Singleton in the role of the title character.)
Britton was married on April 8, 1943, to Capt. Arthur Steel after they met on a blind date in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
arranged by Pamela's sister. After the wedding he was posted to Italy on active service and Britton continued working. They had a daughter, Katherine Lee, born on September 8, 1946. After the war Steel worked as an advertising executive and went on to manage the Gene Autry
Gene Autry
Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
hotels. Britton worked mainly in West Coast theater while their daughter grew up. Britton reprised her role in Brigadoon in 1954, appeared in Annie Get Your Gun
Annie Get Your Gun (musical)
Annie Get Your Gun is a musical with lyrics and music written by Irving Berlin and a book by Herbert Fields and his sister Dorothy Fields. The story is a fictionalized version of the life of Annie Oakley , who was a sharpshooter from Ohio, and her husband, Frank Butler.The 1946 Broadway production...
at the Santa Barbara Bowl
Santa Barbara Bowl
The Santa Barbara Bowl is a 4,562-seat amphitheater, located in Santa Barbara, California.It was carved into the hillside, in 1936, as a WPA project...
, and then returned to Broadway to replace an ailing Janis Paige
Janis Paige
Janis Paige is an American film, musical theatre and television actress. Born Donna Mae Tjaden in Tacoma, Washington, she began singing in public from the age of five in local amateur shows...
in Guys and Dolls.
My Favorite Martian
What is perhaps her signature role began in 1963 and lasted until 1966 as she appeared as nosy landlady Mrs. Loralee Brown in My Favorite MartianMy Favorite Martian
My Favorite Martian is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from September 29, 1963 to May 1, 1966 for 107 episodes...
. After the series ended, Britton appeared in If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium
If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium
If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium is a 1969 romantic comedy film made by Wolper Pictures and released by United Artists. It was directed by Mel Stuart, filmed on location throughout Europe, and features many cameo appearances from various stars....
and Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came
Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came
Suppose They Gave A War and Nobody Came was a 1970 feature film.The plot is a mixture of comic and dramatic elements and concerns the reactions of a number of World War II veterans to the then contemporary US army.Directed by Hy Averback and produced by Fred Engles, the film includes Brian Keith,...
.
Death
In May 1974, while performing on tour with Don KnottsDon 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 Mind with the Dirty Man, Britton began to have headaches. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
and succumbed within two weeks. She was only 51.
Britton is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
Forest Lawn – Hollywood Hills Cemetery is part of the Forest Lawn chain of Southern California cemeteries. It is at 6300 Forest Lawn Drive in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, on the lower north slope at the far east end of the Santa Monica...
.