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American actress (1927–1973) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Peggy Thomas Blair (December 22, 1927 – August 11, 1973), known professionally as Peggie Castle, was an American actress who specialized in playing the "other woman" in B-movies. She was Miss Cheesecake in 1949.
Peggie Castle | |
|---|---|
Peggie Castle from Invasion, U.S.A. trailer | |
| Born | Peggy Thomas Blair December 22, 1927 Appalachia, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | August 11, 1973 (aged 45) |
| Other names | Peggy Castle Peggie Call |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Known for | Miss Cheesecake |
| Spouses | Revis T. Call
(m. 1945; div. 1950)Robert H. Rains
(m. 1951; div. 1954)William McGarry
(m. 1955; div. 1969)Arthur Morganstern (m. 1971) |
| Children | 1[1] |
Castle was born in Appalachia, Wise County, Virginia.[2] She changed her last name "because there was another actress named Blair at the first studio in which she worked."[3] Her father, Doyle H. Blair,[3] was at one point "an industrial relations director for a large corporation"[4] and later business manager for Donald O'Connor[3] and studio manager for Goldwyn Studios.[5] Her mother was Elizabeth Blair.[5] She took lessons in drama when she was 8 years old.[3]
Castle graduated from Hollywood High School[5] and attended Mills College[6] for two years.[7]
Castle's first work as an actress came in the soap opera Today's Children. A spot on Lux Radio Theatre in 1947 brought her a screen-test offer from 20th Century Fox.[7]
Castle was discovered by a talent scout at a restaurant in Beverly Hills and signed to a seven-year contract with Universal-International. She made her film debut in the 1947 film When a Girl's Beautiful. In 1949, she was named "Miss Cheesecake" by the Southern California Restaurant Association; and later that year, the Junior Chamber of Commerce named her "Miss Three Alarm".[8][9] She appeared in the films Mr. Belvedere Goes to College (1949),[5] Payment on Demand (1951), The Prince Who Was a Thief (1951) Invasion, U.S.A. (1952), Cow Country (1953), 99 River Street (1953), Beginning of the End (1957), and Arrivederci Roma (1957). She often starred in Westerns, appearing in nearly a dozen between Wagons West (1952) and Hell's Crossroads (1957).
In the 1950s, Castle moved into television, with multiple guest roles on Fireside Theater, Cheyenne, 77 Sunset Strip, and The Restless Gun. In 1957, she appeared as Amy Gordon on Cheyenne in the episode titled "The Spanish Grant". In 1957, she played defendant Sally Fenner in the Perry Mason episode, "The Case of the Negligent Nymph". Also in 1957, she was a primary star on Gunsmoke, as forlorn Nita Tucker in the episode "Chester's Murder".
From 1959 to 1962, she co-starred in the television Western series Lawman, her first continuing series.[3] Her role as saloon owner Lily Merrill[10] brought out a new dimension of Castle's talent. She said, "For the first time in my life, I'm a singer—that's the producer's opinion, not mine."[3]
Her final onscreen role was a guest appearance in a 1966 episode of The Virginian.
In 1958, Castle appeared with Jesse White in a production of A Hole in the Head at the Civic Playhouse in Los Angeles.[2]: 14
In 1960, Castle and Peter Brown (who also was a regular in Lawman) traveled to rodeos, performing as a song-and-dance team. Castle stressed, "We're very careful not to sing any romantic songs," treating the act more like a brother-sister team.[11] The duo's stops included St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Albuquerque.[11]
On February 8, 1960, Castle received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6230 Hollywood Boulevard.[9][12]
Castle was married four times. She married Revis T. Call, a second lieutenant in the Army, on August 19, 1945, in Los Angeles.[2] Following that marriage, she began using Peggy Call as her professional name.[2]: 8 They divorced in 1950.[8] She married Universal publicist Robert H. Raines on January 4, 1951. They divorced April 29, 1954.[13]
On July 24, 1955, Castle married producer/director, William McGarry. They had a daughter, Erin McGarry. Castle divorced McGarry in 1969.[14]
In 1971, Castle married Arthur Morganstern. They remained married until her death in April 1973.[15]
Castle was addicted to alcohol.[16] On August 11, 1973, her third husband, William McGarry, found her body on the couch of her Hollywood apartment. Her death was later determined to be caused by cirrhosis.[17]
This is a partial list of films.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | When a Girl's Beautiful | "Koko" Glayde | Credited as Peggy Call | |
| 1950 | Buccaneer's Girl | Cleo | ||
| 1951 | The Prince Who Was a Thief | Princess Yasmin | ||
| 1951 | Payment on Demand | Diana Ramsey | ||
| 1951 | Air Cadet | Pat | ||
| 1951 | The Golden Horde | Lailee | ||
| 1952 | Invasion, U.S.A. | Carla Sanford | ||
| 1952 | Wagons West | Ann Wilkins | ||
| 1953 | I, the Jury | Charlotte Manning | Shown in 3-D[4] | |
| 1953 | 99 River Street | Pauline Driscoll | ||
| 1953 | Cow Country | Melba Sykes | ||
| 1954 | The Yellow Tomahawk | Katherine | ||
| 1954 | The White Orchid | Kathryn Williams | ||
| 1954 | Overland Pacific | Ann Dennison | ||
| 1954 | The Long Wait | Venus | ||
| 1954 | Jesse James' Women | Waco Gans | ||
| 1955 | Finger Man | Gladys Baker | ||
| 1955 | Two-Gun Lady | Karen Marshall | ||
| 1955 | Tall Man Riding | Reva | ||
| 1955 | Target Zero | Ann Galloway | Korean War UN worker | |
| 1956 | Miracle in the Rain | Millie Kranz | ||
| 1956 | Quincannon, Frontier Scout | Lesley Selander | ||
| 1957 | Beginning of the End | Audrey Aimes | ||
| 1957 | The Counterfeit Plan | Carole Bernard | ||
| 1957 | Back from the Dead | Mandy Anthony | Horror Film | |
| 1958 | Arrivederci Roma | Carol Ralston | ||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952–1954 | Fireside Theater | Various roles | 3 episodes |
| 1956 | Our Miss Brooks | Uncredited (played Frankie) | Episode: “Connie and Frankie” |
| 1956 | The Millionaire | Candy Caldwell | Episode: "The Candy Caldwell Story" |
| 1956 | Four Star Playhouse | Molly Barry | Episode: "Success Story" |
| 1956 | Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre | Jenny | Episode: "A Quiet Sunday in San Ardo" |
| 1956 | Cheyenne | Mississippi | Episode: "Fury at Rio Hondo" |
| 1957 | Conflict | Lila Prescott | Episode: "The Money" |
| 1957 | Gunsmoke | Nita Tucker | Episode: "Chester's Murder" |
| 1957 | Perry Mason | Sally Fenner | Episode: "The Case of the Negligent Nymph" |
| 1958 | The Restless Gun | Amity Hobbs | Episode "Hornitas Town" |
| 1958 | The Texan | Charlotta Rivera | Episode: "The First Notch" |
| 1958 | 77 Sunset Strip | Valerie Stacey | Episode: "The Well-Selected Frame" |
| 1959 | Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer | Joan Barry | Episode: "The Big Drop" |
| 1959 | The Restless Gun | Episode: "Lady by Law" | |
| 1959 | Markham | Ann Jennings | Episode: "Deadline Date" |
| 1959–1962 | Lawman | Lily Merrill | 105 episodes |
| 1966 | The Virginian | Melissa | Episode: "Morgan Starr" |
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