Maureen Arthur | |
|---|---|
 Publicity Photo of Maureen Arthur | |
| Born | Maureen Louise Arthur (1934-04-15)April 15, 1934 San Jose, California, U.S. |
| Died | June 15, 2022(2022-06-15) (aged 88) |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1957–2022 |
| Spouses | |
Maureen Louise Arthur (April 15, 1934 – June 15, 2022) was an American film, television, and stage actress.
Arthur appeared in numerous movies and television programs from the late 1950s through the early 1990s as well as on Broadway. On television, she appeared inBourbon Street Beat,The Red Skelton Hour,Perry Mason,Branded,I Spy,Get Smart,The Monkees,The Flying Nun,Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.,Love, American Style,The New Dick Van Dyke Show,Night Gallery,Kolchak: The Night Stalker,Sanford and Son,Laverne & Shirley,Alice,Mork & Mindy,Murder, She Wrote,The Red Hand Gang as child-kidnapper Lola, andMatlock.[1]
In 1967, in arguably her most prominent single movie role, she portrayed Hedy La Rue in the film version of the Broadway hitHow to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.[1] In 1969, she co-starred withDon Knotts in the screwball comedyThe Love God?, and withBob Hope,Jackie Gleason andJane Wyman in the romantic comedyHow to Commit Marriage.
In the mid-1960s, she recorded a pop tune on theCarlton record label titled "Don't Make the Angels Cry" and "What Does He Do with Her". Another single titled "Don't Leave Me" was unreleased, though an acetate recording exists. In New York, she studied singing and also studied drama withWynn Handman of theNeighborhood Playhouse. She made frequent appearances onThe Steve Allen Show and onThe Ed Sullivan Show before moving on to play the Rivera Hotel in Las Vegas with the Latin Quarter Review. She traveled to Los Angeles to star in movies, beginning withHot Rod Gang,Thunder Alley andKillers Three.[1]
While in Los Angeles, she auditioned for the national cast ofHow to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and landed the part of Hedy La Rue. She toured across the U.S. for two years and was in the Broadway production for one year before returning to Los Angeles for another audition, this time for the movie. After several more movies, she headed back to Broadway forSomething Different, a play written and directed byCarl Reiner, and starringBob Dishy andLinda Lavin.[2] When that play closed, she returned to Los Angeles to marry producer/creator Aaron Ruben. Her performance as Miss Adelaide in theLos Angeles Civic Light Opera revival ofGuys and Dolls brought her a Drama Critics' Best Performance Award.
In a 2007 book,Glamour Girls of Sixties Hollywood, author Tom Lisanti wrote that in the late 1960s, this “light leading lady with the kewpie doll voice was the popular choice to play kooky gold diggers and dumb bimbos.”[3]
Arthur was married to musicianGeorge William Weidler from 1957 to 1970 when they divorced. She then was married to producerAaron Ruben from October 30, 1971 until his death on January 30, 2010. Arthur died on June 15, 2022, in her home inBeverly Hills, California, at the age of 88 from natural causes after a long battle withAlzheimer's disease.[3]
Arthur performed at the Variety of Iowa Telethons yearly for over 25 years and was a member of the Iowa Chapter of Variety. Her longtime association with Variety earned her the title of "First Lady of Variety Clubs Telethons", and then she earned the official title of International Ambassador. She was a longtime president of Variety, the Children's Charity of Southern California, Tent 25.[4]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Hot Rod Gang | Marley | |
| 1967 | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | Hedy LaRue | |
| 1967 | Thunder Alley | Babe | |
| 1968 | A Man Called Dagger | Joy | Also sang the title song |
| 1968 | The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz | ||
| 1968 | Killers Three | Elvira Sweeney | |
| 1969 | How to Commit Marriage | Lois Grey | |
| 1969 | The Love God? | Evelyn Tremaine | |
| 1971 | The Love Machine | Ethel Evans | |
| 1976 | Harry and Walter Go to New York | Mrs. Hawthorne |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Get Smart | The Contessa | Season 2 Episode 8: "Hoo Done It" |
| 1967 | The Monkees | Ruby | S1:E25, "Alias Micky Dolenz" |
| 1971 | Night Gallery | Angela Casey | Segment "The Dear Departed" |
| 1973 | Sanford and Son | Marilyn O'Neill | Season 3 Episode 2: "Lamont as Othello" |
| 1991 | Empty Nest | Nun | Season 4 Episode 12: "My Nurse Is Back and There's Gonna Be Trouble..." |
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| Other | |