Ruth_McDevitt

Ruth McDevitt

Ruth McDevitt

American actress

Ruth Thane McDevitt (née Shoecraft; September 13, 1895 – May 27, 1976)[1] was an American film, stage, radio, and television actress.

Quick Facts Born, Died ...

Career

The daughter of John Barnabas Shoecraft and Elizabeth Imber Shoecraft,[2] McDevitt was born in Coldwater, Michigan, but grew up in Ohio.[3] After attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, she married Patrick McDevitt on December 10, 1928,[2] and decided to devote her time to her marriage. After her husband's death in 1934, she returned to acting. She made her debut on Broadway in 1940, and succeeded her friend Josephine Hull in Arsenic and Old Lace, Harvey, and The Solid Gold Cadillac.[4]

McDevitt also acted on radio, portraying the title character's mother in Keeping up with Rosemary[5] and Jane in This Life Is Mine.[5]: 333 

On television, McDevitt portrayed Bessie Thatcher in the DuMont drama A Woman to Remember (1949).[6]: 1189  She played Mom Peepers in the 1950s sitcom Mister Peepers[6]: 702-703  and Grandma Hanks on CBS's Pistols 'n' Petticoats.[6]: 837  She was a regular on The Everly Brothers Show[6] and the NBC soap Bright Promise from September 1969 to June 1970. McDevitt also had a regular role as Emily Cowles on Kolchak: the Night Stalker, starring Darren McGavin.[6]: 572 

McDevitt guest starred in such series as Suspense, Cosmopolitan Theatre, Decoy, The United States Steel Hour, Westinghouse Studio One, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (2 episodes), The Andy Griffith Show (2 episodes), The Debbie Reynolds Show, The Ghost & Mrs. Muir, Mayberry R.F.D., I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched (3 episodes), The Courtship of Eddie's Father, Love, American Style, That Girl, Nanny and the Professor, Room 222, Mannix (2 episodes), Here's Lucy, Gunsmoke, Marcus Welby, M.D., Phyllis, Little House on the Prairie, The Streets of San Francisco, Naked City, and All in the Family (on which she had a recurring role during 1974 and 1975).

Her film debut was in The Guy Who Came Back (1951), followed by memorable roles in The Parent Trap (as camp counselor Miss Inch), Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (as Mrs. MacGruder, the pet store saleslady), Boys' Night Out, Dear Heart, The Shakiest Gun in the West, Angel in My Pocket, The Love God?, Change of Habit, The War Between Men and Women, and Mixed Company.

Death

McDevitt died, aged 80, in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California and is interred in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery.[citation needed]

Filmography

More information Film, Year ...
More information Television, Year ...

She also appeared in a Streets of San Francisco episode "Winterkill" from season 2 on December 13, 1973

References

  1. [1]
    Ellenberger, Allan R. (2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. p. 218. ISBN 978-0-7864-0983-9. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  2. [2]
    Downs, Winfield Scott (1934). Encyclopedia of American Biography: New Series. American Historical Society. p. 196. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  3. [3]
    Bennett, Jean (May 27, 1965). "Ruth McDevitt Loves Success". The Record. New Jersey, Hackensack. p. 21. Retrieved July 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. [4]
    Cox, Stephen; Marhanka, Kevin (2008). The Incredible Mr. Don Knotts. Cumberland House. p. 107. ISBN 9781581826586.
  5. [5]
    Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 189. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
  6. [6]
    Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 313. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
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