Olive Deering (nee Corn; October 11, 1918 – March 22, 1986) was an American actress of film, television, and stage, active from the late 1940s to the mid-1960s. She was a life member of The Actors Studio,[1] as was her elder brother, Alfred Ryder.

Olive Deering
Olive Deering in 1943
Born
Olive Corn

(1918-10-11)October 11, 1918
New York City, U.S.
DiedMarch 22, 1986(1986-03-22) (aged 67)
New York City, U.S.
Burial placeKensico Cemetery
OccupationActress
Years active1936–1973
Spouse
(m. 1947; div. 1952)
RelativesAlfred Ryder (brother)

Early life edit

Deering was the daughter of Zelda "Sadie" (née Baruchin)[2] and Max Corn,[3][2] a dentist. [4] Her brother was actor Alfred Ryder. She began attending the Professional Children's School when she was age 11.[5]

Career edit

Stage edit

Her first stage role was a walk-on bit in Girls in Uniform (1933). She appeared onstage in Moss Hart's Winged Victory, Richard II (starring Maurice Evans) and Counsellor-at-Law (starring Paul Muni). She received kudos for her performance in the Los Angeles production of Tennessee Williams's Suddenly Last Summer. Other stage appearances included No for an Answer, Ceremony of Innocence, Marathon '33, The Young Elizabeth, They Walk Alone, and Garden District.[6]

In 1940, siblings Deering and Ryder co-starred in Medicine Show on Broadway.[7] In 1980, Deering and Ryder appeared in The Harold Clurman Theater's production of Tennessee Williams' The Two-Character Play. Although Williams maintained an apartment across the street in the Manhattan Plaza, he did not attend a performance. Deering received good notices for the play.[citation needed]

Film edit

 
as Miriam, with Edward G. Robinson and Charlton Heston, in The Ten Commandments (1956)

The films she appeared in included Shock Treatment and Caged. In 1948, director Cecil B. DeMille cast her as Miriam, the Danite girl who loves Samson, in his film Samson and Delilah. In his autobiography, DeMille wrote that Deering was "one whose talent and dedication to her art should carry her very far in the theater, whether on screen or stage."[8] DeMille cast her again as the biblical Miriam, sister of Moses, in The Ten Commandments (1956).[9]

Radio edit

Deering also appeared on many radio programs, which included Lone Journey,[10] True Story and Against the Storm, playing in more than 200 television programs, including Desdemona on the Philco Summer Playhouse production of Othello.

Television edit

Deering's early television appearances included co-starring in "The Unconquered", an episode of Somerset Maugham TV Theatre, on November 19, 1950,[11] and appearing in an episode of Suspense on June 12, 1951.[12] Others included the role of murderess Rebecca Gentrie in the 1958 Perry Mason episode, "The Case of the Empty Tin". On June 6, 1962, she starred in "Journey to Oblivion", an episode of Armstrong Circle Theatre.[13]

She had a supporting role in the Sci Fi series Outer Limits in the episode "The Zanti Misfits", which aired on December 30, 1963. One of her later television appearances was in an episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, titled "One of the Family" (original air date February 8, 1965).[14]

Personal life and death edit

Deering married film director Leo Penn on February 19, 1947 in Los Angeles, California;[15] they later divorced.[citation needed]

A Democrat, she supported the campaign of Adlai Stevenson during the 1952 presidential election.[16]

She died of cancer at the age of 67, and was interred in Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York. She had no children and was survived by her brother Alfred Ryder.[citation needed]

Film appearances edit

Year Title Role Notes
1948 Gentleman's Agreement First Woman uncredited
1949 Air Hostess Helen Field
1949 Samson and Delilah Miriam
1950 Caged June Roberts - Inmate
1956 The Ten Commandments Miriam
1964 Shock Treatment Mrs. Mellon
1973 Howzer Mary Carver

Radio appearances edit

Year Program Episode
1951 Grand Central Station God's Own Mountain[17]
1953 Marcia Akers Marcia Akers[18]
1956 City Hospital [19]

Television appearances edit

Year Program Episode Role
1950 Television Theater Portrait in Smoke[20]
1951 Tales of Tomorrow The Search for the Flying Saucer[21]
1955 Studio One Summer Theater The Pit[22]
1956 Markham with Ray Milland "The Searing Flame" episode[citation needed]
1958 Shirley Temple's Storybook The Wild Swant[23]
1958 Climax! Deadly Tattoo[24]
1959 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Season 4 Episode 25: "The Kind Waitress"[25] Thelma Tompkins
1959 Johnny Staccato The Wild Reed[26]
1959 One Step Beyond The Burning Girl
1960 Armstrong Circle Theatre The Numbers Racket[27]
1963 The Outer Limits The Zanti Misfits[28]
1965 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour Season 3 Episode 16: "One of the Family" Christine Callendar

References edit

  1. ^ Garfield, David (1980). "Appendix: Life Members of The Actors Studio as of January 1980". A Player's Place: The Story of The Actors Studio. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. p. 278. ISBN 0-02-542650-8.
  2. ^ a b "Max Corn mentioned in the record of Max Corn and Sadie Baruchin". FamilySearch. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  3. ^ "FamilySearch.org". ancestors.familysearch.org.
  4. ^ Krampner, Jon (2006). Female Brando: The Legend of Kim Stanley. Back Stage Books. p. 103. ISBN 0823088472. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  5. ^ Heimer, Mel (March 23, 1950). "My New York". Marysville Journal-Tribune. The Marysville Tribune. p. 12. Retrieved May 11, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
  6. ^ "OLIVE DEERING". The New York Times. March 27, 1986. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  7. ^ "Brother and Sister In 'Medicine Show'". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. April 7, 1940. p. 51. Retrieved May 11, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
  8. ^ DeMille, Cecil B. (1959). The Autobiography of Cecil B. DeMille. Prentice Hall. p. 400. ISBN 0-82-405757-0.
  9. ^ Orrison, Katherine (1999). Written in Stone: Making Cecil B. DeMille's Epic The Ten Commandments. Vestal Press. p. 51. ISBN 1-46-173481-9.
  10. ^ Sies, Luther F. (2014). Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition, Volume 1. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-5149-4. P. 186.
  11. ^ "Television Highlights of the Week". The Boston Globe. November 19, 1950. p. 20-A. Retrieved May 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Video Highlights". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. June 12, 1951. p. 13. Retrieved May 11, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
  13. ^ "Alcoholic's Story To Be Theme of Circle Theatre". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. The Corpus Christi Caller-Times. June 3, 1962. p. 65. Retrieved May 11, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
  14. ^ "OLIVE DEERING". The New York Times. March 27, 1986.
  15. ^ "Olive Deering mentioned in the record of Leo Z Penn and Olive Deering". FamilySearch. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  16. ^ Motion Picture and Television Magazine, November 1952, page 33, Ideal Publishers
  17. ^ Kuhns, Kay C. (July 5, 1951). "MBS Spotlight Focuses On Major Sports Events". The Kokomo Tribune. The Kokomo Tribune. p. 41. Retrieved May 12, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
  18. ^ "Dial Chatter". The la Crosse Tribune. The La Crosse Tribune. November 11, 1953. p. 20. Retrieved May 12, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
  19. ^ Russell, Fred H. (November 27, 1956). "'City Hospital' Back on Radio Saturday". The Bridgeport Post. The Bridgeport Post. p. 28. Retrieved May 12, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
  20. ^ "(TV listing)". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. October 22, 1950. p. 17. Retrieved May 12, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
  21. ^ "The Search for the Flying Saucer". IMDb. November 9, 1951.
  22. ^ "Picture Lines". Daily Independent Journal. Daily Independent Journal. September 12, 1955. p. 12. Retrieved May 12, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
  23. ^ "TV Scout". El Paso Herald-Post. El Paso Herald-Post. September 12, 1958. p. 8. Retrieved May 12, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
  24. ^ "(TV listing)". Independent. Independent. May 1, 1958. p. 24. Retrieved May 12, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
  25. ^ "East Is East but West Is Bullets Plus Badmen". The Salt Lake Tribune. The Salt Lake City Tribune. March 28, 1959. p. 11. Retrieved May 12, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
  26. ^ "Johnny Staccato: The Wild Reed Full Episode". TV Guide. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  27. ^ "TV Viewing Highlights". Lake Charles American-Press. Lake Charles American-Press. April 13, 1960. p. 9. Retrieved May 12, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
  28. ^ "The Zanti Misfits". TV Guide. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 12, 2017.

External links edit