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Lurene Tuttle
Actor
Born August 29, 1907 in Pleasant Lake, Indiana, USA
Quite a familiar lady and notorious busybody on 1950s and '60s TV and film, petite, red-headed character actress Lurene Tuttle was born in Pleasant Lake, Indiana and raised on a ranch close to the Arizona border. Her father, O.V. Tuttle, started out as a performer in minstrels, but found a job as a railroad-station agent when times got hard. Her grandfather was a drama teacher who once managed an opera house in Angola, Indiana. As a child, she studied acting in Phoenix and was known for her scene-stealing comedy antics even at that early age. At age 15, the family relocated to Monrovia, California, and it was there that Tuttle began her career. She received dramatic training at the Pasadena Playhouse and appeared in many of their productions, including "The Playboy of the Western World." She subsequently became a troupe member of Murphy's Comedians, a vaudeville company, and then eventually extended her range as a dramatic ingénue in stock shows. Although making it to Broadway somehow slipped through her fingers, Tuttle worked on stage consistently throughout the 1920s and 1930s. Known for her speaking voice and mastery of a wide range of dialects, she found a new avenue in radio during the Depression and became one of that medium's most-recognized voices playing both sweet and sour characters. Dubbed the "First Lady of Radio," her best-remembered role came as Effie, the altruistic "Girl Friday" on "The Adventures of Sam Spade" opposite Howard Duff's cynical-edged gumshoe. Red Skelton also admired her versatility and used her frequently in a variety of parts on his radio show. Film and TV presented itself to her strongly in the 1950s, by this time fitting in comfortably whether a warm and wise wife and mother or brittle matron. Following her film debut in Heaven Only Knows (1947), Tuttle lent able support alongside film's top stars including Cary Grant in Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948) and Room for One More (1952); Marilyn Monroe in Don't Bother to Knock (1952) and Niagara (1953); Joan Crawford in Goodbye, My Fancy (1951); Leslie Caron in The Glass Slipper (1955); and even Liberace when he tried to go legit in Sincerely Yours (1955). It was a rare occasion, however, when she was given a chance to truly shine in a prime supporting role. She could always be counted on to steal a bit of focus with just a sly grin or cynical look as she did playing the brief part of the sheriff's wife in Alfred Hitchcock's horror classic Psycho (1960). One of those rare exceptions when Tuttle actually top-lined a film came with her crazed portrayal of the title character in Ma Barker's Killer Brood (1960). Here Tuttle pulled out all the stops in this admittedly fictional "B" crimer, going totally ballistic as the Ozark matriarch who, along with her boys, sets people on fire, runs over cops, and tommyguns her way into infamy. On the small screen, Tuttle was an amusing regular in a plethora of sitcoms, playing starchy relatives or gossipy townsfolk. Most audiences remember her quite fondly as the matriarch in Life with Father (1953) opposite Leon Ames, and as the crusty senior nurse on the Diahann Carroll series Julia (1968). She and Ames took the play "Life With Father" on the road several times after the series' demise. Off-stage, Tuttle was married to fellow actor and announcer Mel Ruick; their paths initially crossed while both were performing in radio. Their daughter was musical comedy actress Barbara Ruick, best known for playing Carrie Pipperidge in the classic film musical Carousel (1956). The couple eventually divorced, and Tuttle wed again, but the marriage was short-lived. Tragically, her only child, who was married to epic film composer John Williams of "Star Wars" fame, died unexpectedly in 1974. Tuttle was a well-respected drama and diction coach for several decades. She began teaching radio technique in the 1940s and re-trained some prominent actors who were returning from extensive WWII duty. After a lengthy departure in the 1950s due to TV commitments, she returned to to teaching acting almost to the end. Some of her more famous students included Red Skelton, Orson Welles, Milton Berle, Steve Allen, and Jayne Meadows. She lived out the rest of her life in Southern California and succumbed to cancer at age 78. In addition to her famous son-in-law, she was survived by her three grandchildren: Jennifer Gruska, a story editor; Mark Towner Williams, a drummer; and Joseph Williams, a composer and singer.
Imdb
Top titles
Arrow
Arrow
Don't Bother To Knock
The Home Buying Process
Ma Barker's Killer Brood
Psycho
Twilight Zone Season 1
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show
I Love Lucy - Season 1
Andy Griffith Show Season 1
The Mary Tyler Moore Show Season 1
Perry Mason Season 1
Days Of Wine & Roses - Cliff Robertson & Piper Laurie, "Playhouse 90" Original TV Version
Voyagers! Season 1
St. Elsewhere Season 1
Arrow
Arrow
Filmography
Latest
Caret Down
Arrow
Arrow
1985
Amazing Stories, Season 1
1984
Murder, She Wrote Season 1
1983
TESTAMENT
1982
St. Elsewhere Season 1
Voyagers! Season 1
1981
Dynasty, Season 1
Return of the Beverly Hillbillies
1980
For The Love Of It
1979
Hart to Hart Season 2
Dukes of Hazzard Season 1
1978
The Manitou
1977
Walking Tall - The Final Chapter
The Love Boat - Who Killed Maxwell Thorn
1976
Alice Season 1
Charlie's Angels Season 1
1975
The Great Grape Ape Show: The Complete Series
Walking Tall 2
1974
Little House On the Prairie, Season
Dirty Duck
1973
Barnaby Jones - Season 1
Walking Tall
1970
The Partridge Family Season 1
The Mary Tyler Moore Show Season 1
1968
Adam-12 Season 1
1967
Mannix Season 1
1966
The Fortune Cookie
The Ghost and Mr. Chicken
Pistols and Petticoats
1965
The Restless Ones
I Dream of Jeannie Season 1
1964
The Munsters Season 1
My Living Doll
1963
My Favorite Martian - Season 1
Petticoat Junction
Critic's Choice
1962
The Beverly Hillbillies
1960
Andy Griffith Show Season 1
Ma Barker's Killer Brood
Psycho
1959
Dennis The Menace, Season One
Rawhide
Twilight Zone Season 1
Lorne Greene's Holiday Special - A Bonanza Of Christmas Cheer
1958
The Texan: Season 1
1957
The Californians: Season 1
Sweet Smell Of Success
Leave It To Beaver
Tales of Wells Fargo
The Real McCoys
Perry Mason Season 1
1956
The Adventures of Jim Bowie
Days Of Wine & Roses - Cliff Robertson & Piper Laurie, "Playhouse 90" Original TV Version
1955
Sincerely Yours
Gunsmoke aka Marshal Dillon
Miracle On 34th Street - The Classic Christmas Story
The Glass Slipper
Norah Jones - Front Row Center
Love That Bob - Starring Bob Cummings "Grandpa's Christmas Visit"
1953
The Affairs of Dobie Gillis
Never Wave at a WAC
The Danny Thomas Show
Niagara (Colorized)
Give a Girl a Break (1953)
A Child is Born - A Christmas Story Presented By Ronald Reagan
Loretta Young Show
1952
Don't Bother To Knock
A Classic TV Christmas with Bing Crosby and Betty White
Cavalcade of America
Room for One More (1952)
1951
Goodbye, My Fancy
I Love Lucy - Season 1
1950
A Life of Her Own
The Lady Was An Admiral: Classic Romantic Movie
Watch the Birdie (1951)
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show
1948
The Home Buying Process
Homecoming (1948)
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House
1934
Stand Up and Cheer!
Arrow
Arrow
Connections
Mark Volman
Robert Ridgely
Vic Perrin
Genres
