Joan Shawlee (née Fulton;[2] March 5, 1926[3] – March 22, 1987) was an American film and television actress. She is known for her recurring role as Fiona "Pickles" Sorrell in The Dick Van Dyke Show, a career-defining turn in Billy Wilder's comedy Some Like It Hot (1959) playing Sweet Sue, the abrasive martinet in charge of Marilyn Monroe's all-girl jazz band, and as the flamboyant Madame Pompey in the 1957 Maverick episode "Stampede" with James Garner. She was sometimes credited under her birth name.
Joan Shawlee | |
|---|---|
 Shawlee in 1945 | |
| Born | March 5, 1926 Forest Hills, New York, U.S. |
| Died | March 22, 1987 (aged 61) Hollywood, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Remains scattered at sea |
| Other names | Joan Fulton Joyce Ring |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1945–1986 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | |
| Children | Angela Shawlee, Walter Shawlee |
Early years
editShawlee was born in Forest Hills, New York to Theodore Cuyler Fulton, an automobile salesman, and Esther L. (Ring) Fulton,[4] and she moved with her parents and two brothers, Theodore Cuyler Fulton Jr. and Albert Fulton, to Vancouver, British Columbia[5] when she was five years old.[6]
Career
editDancing and modeling
editShawlee studied ballet under Ernest Belcher. At the age of fourteen, she began to work as a model for the John Robert Powers agency in New York, and worked later as a showgirl on Broadway.[6] Billed as Joyce Ring, she appeared in the musical productions By Jupiter (1942) and A Connecticut Yankee (1943).[7]
Film
editA tall woman (5'9"), she was known for small parts in Jack Lemmon and Billy Wilder films. She is probably best remembered for her role as bandleader Sweet Sue in Some Like It Hot (1959) starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Lemmon. She appeared as Sylvia in The Apartment (1960), and as Amazon Annie in Irma la Douce, both of which starred Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine. She also appeared in Wilder's final film, Buddy Buddy (1981).
Television
editShawlee had a recurring role on TV in The Dick Van Dyke Show as Fiona "Pickles" Sorrell,[8] wife of writer Maurice "Buddy" Sorrell (Morey Amsterdam). She played the lead in The Adventures of Aggie (1956–57), which ran for only one season.[9]: 20 She played Lorna Peterson on Betty Hutton's short-lived series[9]: 94 Goldie; Margo on the 1976–77 crime drama The Feather and Father Gang;[9]: 338 and Tessie on Joe's World.[9]: 537–538 She was also a regular on The Abbott and Costello Show.[9] She played a dead criminal's wife in Stories of the Century with Jim Davis and a 1957 episode of Maverick titled "Stampede", starring James Garner and Efrem Zimbalist Jr., in which she portrayed the exuberant Madame Pompey. Her final acting appearance was in an episode of Crazy Like a Fox in 1985.
Comedy team
editIn the early 1960s, Shawlee and actress Mitzi McCall teamed up as a night club act.[6] They opened at the Club Robaire in Cleveland.[10] In January 1961, syndicated newspaper columnist Dorothy Kilgallen reported that the team was "causing quite a stir", while drawing attention to – and exaggerating – their discrepancy in height: "Joan being six feet, three inches tall and Mitzi four feet, 10 inches short."[11]
Personal life
editShawlee and her second husband, Eddie Barchet, had a daughter, Angela.[12][6]
Shawlee was a Democrat who was supportive of Adlai Stevenson's campaign during the 1952 presidential election.[13] Shawlee was a practicing Episcopalian.[14]
Death
editShawlee died of breast cancer, in Hollywood, California, on March 22, 1987, aged 61.[1] She was cremated and her ashes scattered at sea.[15]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | Men in Her Diary | Courtroom Spectator | Uncredited |
| This Love of Ours | Chorus Girl | Uncredited | |
| Frontier Gal | Hostess | Uncredited | |
| 1946 | Because of Him | Autograph Seeker | |
| Idea Girl | Mabel | ||
| Swing High, Swing Sweet | Short | ||
| Tangier | Rocco's Blonde | ||
| House of Horrors | Stella McNally | ||
| The Runaround | Mamie 'Baby' Willis | ||
| Inside Job | Ruth | ||
| Lover Come Back | Janie | ||
| Cuban Pete | Ann | ||
| White Tie and Tails | Virgie | ||
| 1947 | I'll Be Yours | Blonde | |
| The Michigan Kid | Soubrette | ||
| Song of Scheherazade | French Girl | Uncredited | |
| Buck Privates Come Home | Sylvia Hunter | ||
| The Vigilantes Return | Ben's Girl | ||
| 1950 | Woman on the Run | Tipsy Blonde in Bar | |
| Prehistoric Women | Lotee | ||
| 1951 | Two Tickets to Broadway | Tall Brunette in Boardinghouse | Uncredited |
| 1952 | The Marrying Kind | Tall Party Dancer / Woman at Airport (uncredited) | |
| Sound Off | Showgirl | Uncredited | |
| Something for the Birds | Woman in Subway Station | Uncredited | |
| Because of You | Autograph Seeker | Uncredited | |
| 1953 | All Ashore | Hedy | |
| Loose in London | Tall Girl at Party | Uncredited | |
| From Here to Eternity | Sandra | Uncredited | |
| 1954 | Pride of the Blue Grass | Mrs. Casey | |
| Casanova's Big Night | Beatrice D'Brizzi | Uncredited | |
| About Mrs. Leslie | Jill - Nightclub Girl | ||
| Francis Joins the WACS | Sergeant Kipp | ||
| A Star Is Born | Joan | Uncredited | |
| 1955 | Bowery to Bagdad | Velma 'Cindy Lou' Calhoun | |
| Conquest of Space | Rosie McCann | ||
| Born for Trouble | Aggie Anderson | ||
| 1957 | A Farewell to Arms | Blonde Nurse | Uncredited |
| 1959 | Some Like It Hot | Sweet Sue | |
| 1960 | The Apartment | Sylvia | |
| 1963 | Critic's Choice | Marge Orr | |
| Irma la Douce | Amazon Annie | ||
| 1964 | Guerillas in Pink Lace | Miss Gloria Maxine | |
| 1966 | The Wild Angels | Momma Monahan | |
| 1967 | The Reluctant Astronaut | Blonde in Bar | |
| The St. Valentine's Day Massacre | Edna, Frank's Girlfriend | Uncredited | |
| Tony Rome | Fat Candy | ||
| 1968 | Live A Little Love A Little | Robbie's Mother | |
| 1971 | One More Train to Rob | Big Nellie | |
| Willard | Alice | ||
| 1975 | Flash and the Firecat | Rose | |
| Farewell, My Lovely | Garrulous Woman in Dance Hall | ||
| 1981 | Buddy Buddy | Receptionist | |
| Longshot | Motel Manager | ||
| 1982 | Kiss My Grits | Wanda | |
| 1984 | City Heat | Peggy Barker |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952–1953 | My Little Margie | Sandra Fleming | 2 episodes |
| 1953 | The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet | The Registrar / Marion | 2 episodes |
| Your Jeweler's Showcase | Janice | Episode: "Lady's Choice" | |
| General Electric Theater | Angie McGonigle | Season 2 Episode 12: "The Marriage Fix" | |
| The Abbott and Costello Show | Miss Brown / Telephone Operator / Twin Waitresses (uncredited) / Opera-Loving Lady in Park / Marriage License Bureau Clerk / Cash Register Lady / Eyewitness in Courtroom / Receptionist / Girl in Doctor's Office | 8 episodes | |
| 1954 | The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse | Season 1 Episode 17: "Farewell Performance" | |
| Stories of the Century | Sarah Brinkley | Season 1 Episode 21: "The Doolin Gang" | |
| 1956 | Ethel Barrymore Theatre | Season 1 Episode 5: "The Peabody's" | |
| 1956–1957 | The Adventures of Aggie | Aggie | Series regular |
| 1957 | Maverick | Madame Pompey | Season 1 Episode 9: "Stampede" |
| 1958 | Zorro | Barmaid Clara | 2 episodes |
| 1959–1960 | The Betty Hutton Show | Lorna | 11 episodes |
| 1961 | Some Like It Hot | Sweet Sue | TV Movie |
| The Rifleman | Mary Woodson | Season 3 Episode 32: "The Lonesome Bride" | |
| 1963 | The Dick Van Dyke Show | Pickles Sorrell | 3 episodes |
| The New Phil Silvers Show | Dr. Hornsby | Season 1 Episode 1: "Man It's Like Progress" | |
| Glynis | Dance Hall Hostess | Season 1 Episode 2: "Ten Cents a Dance" | |
| 1965 | Hazel | Mrs. Fox | Season 5 Episode 3: "How to Lose 30 Pounds in 30 Minutes" |
| 1967 | Run for Your Life | Landlady | Season 2 Episode 23: "The Assassin" |
| The Red Skelton Show | Ruby - San Fernando's Secretary | Season 17 Episode 13: "Little Old Rainmaker: He" | |
| 1968 | Adam-12 | Mrs. Lorena Getz | Season 1 Episode 3: "Log 11: It's Just a Little Dent, Isn't It?" |
| Something for a Lonely Man | Hooker | TV Movie | |
| The Name of the Game | Mrs. Bronson | Season 1 Episode 14: "Pineapple Rose" | |
| 1970 | Love, American Style | Bernice Franks | Season 1 Episode 21: "segment: Love and the Marriage Counselor" |
| Storefront Lawyers | Aunt Sadie | Season 1 Episode 3: "Murph Collins vs. Tomorrow" | |
| 1971 | Arnie | Myra | Season 2 Episode 3: "Honey, I'm Sorry, But..." |
| Columbo | Mitilda | Season 1 Episode 4: "Suitable for Framing" | |
| Dead Men Tell No Tales | Polly Grant | TV Movie | |
| 1972 | The Rookies | Josie | Season 1 Episode 5: "Covenant with Death" |
| 1974 | The Magician | Trudy Kroll | Season 1 Episode 11: "The Illusion of the Curious Counterfeit: Part I" |
| Mannix | (Annie) Duchess | Season 7 Episode 21: "Mask for a Charade" | |
| Movin' On | Juleen Wallace | Season 1 Episode 2: "Roadblock" | |
| 1974–1976 | Emergency! | Wife / Heather | 2 episodes |
| 1975 | Matt Helm | The Saleslady | Season 1 Episode 0: "Matt Helm" |
| S.W.A.T. | Parlor Owner | Season 1 Episode 11: "Blind Man's Bluff" | |
| Police Story | Emma | Season 3 Episode 6: "Face for a Shadow" | |
| 1976–1977 | The Feather and Father Gang | Margo | Series regular |
| 1977 | The Tony Randall Show | Joanie Biederbeck | Season 1 Episode 13: "Case: The Hooper Affair" |
| Never Con a Killer | Margo | TV Movie | |
| 1978 | Quincy M.E. | Nurse | Season 4 Episode 8: "No Way to Treat a Body" |
| Starsky and Hutch | Mrs. Krupp | Season 4 Episode 12: "Starsky's Brother" | |
| 1979 | Delta House | Verona Margolefsky | Season 1 Episode 5: "The Lady in Weighting" |
| 1980 | The Last Resort | Agnes | Season 1 Episode 13: "Dorm Window" |
| Joe's World | Tessie | 2 episodes | |
| 1981 | Child Bride of Short Creek | Isaac's Mother | TV Movie |
| 1981–1982 | Hart to Hart | Mrs. Goodrich / Marie | 2 episodes |
| 1982 | Archie Bunker's Place | Joanie | Season 4 Episode 1: "Archie's Night Out" |
| 1985 | Highway to Heaven | Woman in Park | Season 1 Episode 20: "The Banker and the Bum" |
| Crazy Like a Fox | Manager | Season 1 Episode 12: "Suitable for Framing" |
References
edit- ^ a b Folkart, Burt A. (March 31, 1987). "Joan Shawlee; Busy Actress in Zany Comedies". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Actress Joan Shawlee Dies of Cancer at 58 [sic]". The Associated Press. March 31, 1987.
Miss Shawlee, who also had acted under the name of Joan Fulton ... changed her professional name after her marriage to businessman Walter Shawlee.
- ^ Joan Shawlee's date of birth, familysearch.org; accessed February 14, 2016.
- ^ "Joan Fulton". My Heritage. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ "Wooster Chapter". Catalog of Beta Theta Pi. J. T. Brown. 1917.
- ^ a b c d "Joan Shawlee Sparkles Like a Spring Tonic". The Boston Globe. April 30, 1961. p. 65. Retrieved September 21, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Joyce Ring". Internet Broadway Database. Archived from the original on September 22, 2018. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
- ^ Heffernan, Harold (November 9, 1950). "12 New Film Beauties Selected For Musical". The Blade. Toledo, Ohio.
- ^ a b c d e Terrace, Vincent (January 10, 2014). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
- ^ "They're Back". Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. October 20, 1960. p. 54. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Kilgallen, Dorothy (January 7, 1961). "The Voice of Broadway". The Mercury. Pottstown, Pennsylvania. p. 4. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Birth record of Angela Barchet
- ^ Motion Picture and Television Magazine. November 1952. page 33. Ideal Publishers.
- ^ Morning News, January 10, 1948, Who Was Who in America (Vol. 2)
- ^ Wilson, Scott (August 19, 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons (3d ed.). McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-2599-7 – via Google Books.
External links
edit- Joan Shawlee at IMDb