Fay Baker was an American stage, film and television actress, and a successful author under the pen name Beth Holmes. Her novel, The Whipping Boy, made the Los Angeles Times bestseller list in 1978. Baker also published, under her own name, an account of her experiences battling breast cancer, entitled My Darling, Darling Doctors.

Life and career

Fay Schwager's career began in New York with roles on Broadway in the early 1940s. Changing her surname to "Baker" at some point , she began her career on stage in 1944 in Another Love Story at New York's Fulton Theatre. She was "discovered" by Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock

Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...

 in 1946 and given the role of Ethel in Notorious. While the part was minor, she told her daughter that Hitchcock made her stay on the set for the entire film shoot. The director felt that since he was paying her salary, she should be standing by at all times. She claimed she had had a larger role in Notorious, but most of her work ended up on the cutting room floor.

Baker remained in Hollywood for nearly two decades, acting in two dozen films with star billing in The House on Telegraph Hill

The House on Telegraph Hill

The House on Telegraph Hill is a film noir starring Richard Basehart, Valentina Cortese, and William Lundigan, directed by Robert Wise, and released by Twentieth Century Fox. Parts of the film were filmed on location in the Telegraph Hill area of San Francisco...

(1950). During her California years, she also appeared frequently on TV. She is credited with guest parts on 30 different series beginning with Your Show Time

Your Show Time

Your Show Time is an American anthology drama series that debuted as a midseason replacement on NBC in January 1949. Hosted and narrated by Arthur Shields, the series ran until July 1949. Made by Grant Productions at Hal Roach Studios, it was American television's first dramatic series to be shot...

in 1949 up to her final performance on Dr. Kildare

Dr. Kildare

Dr. James Kildare is a fictional character, the primary character in a series of American theatrical films in the late 1930s and early 1940s, an early 1950s radio series, a 1960s television series of the same name and a comic book based on the TV show, and a short-lived 1970s television series...

in 1963. Her roles included comedy sitcoms (Hazel

Hazel

The hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...

, The Donna Reed Show

The Donna Reed Show

The Donna Reed Show is an American sitcom starring Donna Reed as the upper middle class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz appears as her pediatrician husband Alex, and Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage children Mary and Jeff. The show originally aired on ABC at 10 pm from September...

), drama (Perry Mason

Perry Mason

Perry Mason is a fictional character, a defense attorney who was the main character in works of detective fiction authored by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason was featured in more than 80 novels and short stories, most of which had a plot involving his client's murder trial...

), and westerns (Have Gun - Will Travel).

Family

Fay Baker married writer/producer Arthur Weiss

Arthur Weiss

Arthur Weiss was an American script writer for two decades on action/adventure TV shows like Mission: Impossible, Mannix, The Fugitive, Super Friends, The Time Tunnel and Sea Hunt. His most famous creation was the script for the movie Flipper in 1963, which became a TV series and was remade as a...

 on August 3, 1940, in New York City. They had two children before divorcing in 1965. While Weiss remained in California working for Irwin Allen

Irwin Allen

Irwin Allen was a television and film director and producer nicknamed "The Master of Disaster" for his work in the disaster film genre. He was also notable for creating a number of television series.- Biography :...

, she returned to New York City with her two children and began a new career as an author.

She was diagnosed with breast cancer

Breast cancer

Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...

 which she described humorously in her first published book, My Darling, Darling Doctors, in 1975. After her son, Jonathan (1950–1971) died from a drug overdose, she began to study how parents enable bad behavior in children and was inspired to write her most successful novel, The Whipping Boy (1978),
about "emotional abuse" of children. Baker used the pen name Beth Holmes to shield her family from being compared with fictional characters in the novel.

TV appearances

TV
TV Show	Role	Episode	Year
Dr. Kildare Dr. Kildare Dr. James Kildare is a fictional character, the primary character in a series of American theatrical films in the late 1930s and early 1940s, an early 1950s radio series, a 1960s television series of the same name and a comic book based on the TV show, and a short-lived 1970s television series...	Mrs. Tucker	A Very Infectious Disease	1963
Hazel Hazel The hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...	Madeleine Van Dyke	Number, Please?	1962
The Roaring 20's	Carlotta La Salle	No Exit	1961
This Is the Life This is the Life (TV series) This Is the Life is an American Christian television dramatic series. This anthology series aired in syndication from the 1950s through 1980s. The series was originally produced by the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, and distributed by the International Lutheran Laymen's League.-Format:This Is...		The Sin of Silence	1961
The Ann Sothern Show The Ann Sothern Show The Ann Sothern Show is an American sitcom starring Ann Sothern that aired on CBS for 93 episodes. The series began on October 6, 1958, and ended on September 25, 1961. The Ann Sothern Show was Sothern's second sitcom for CBS...	Miss Norton	Pandora	1961
	Louise	The Roman Hatter	1960
	Mildred Holliday	Five Year Itch	1959
77 Sunset Strip 77 Sunset Strip 77 Sunset Strip is an hour-length American television private detective series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Roger Smith, and Edd Byrnes....	Caroline Kinares	Strange Bedfellows	1961
The Donna Reed Show The Donna Reed Show The Donna Reed Show is an American sitcom starring Donna Reed as the upper middle class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz appears as her pediatrician husband Alex, and Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage children Mary and Jeff. The show originally aired on ABC at 10 pm from September...	Hope	Donna Goes to a Reunion	1960
Maggie	Annie Bradley		1960
The David Niven Show David Niven James David Graham Niven , known as David Niven, was a British actor and novelist, best known for his roles as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and Sir Charles Lytton, a.k.a. "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther...	Sarah Winter	The Promise	1959
Have Gun - Will Travel	Mrs. Grayson	Lady on the Stagecoach	1959
Perry Mason Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, a defense attorney who was the main character in works of detective fiction authored by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason was featured in more than 80 novels and short stories, most of which had a plot involving his client's murder trial...	Stephanie Sabin	The Case of the Perjured Parrot	1958
	Marian Newburn	The Case of the Demure Defendant	1958
M Squad M Squad M Squad is an American police drama television series that ran from 1957 to 1960 on NBC. Its format would later inspire the creation of spoof TV show Police Squad! Its sponsor was the Pall Mall cigarette brand; Lee Marvin, the program's star, appeared in its commercials during the...	Helen Greville	Day of Terror	1958
The Court of Last Resort The Court of Last Resort The Court of Last Resort is an American television drama series which aired on the NBC from 1957 through 1958. It was co-produced by Erle Stanley Gardner's Paisano Productions, which also brought forth the long-running hit television program, Perry Mason on CBS.Its approach to dealing with...	Mrs. Laura Barclay	The Stephen Lowell Case	1958
Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer is the title used for two syndicated television series that followed the adventures of fictional private detective Mike Hammer...	Margaret Green	Letter Edged in Blackmail	1958
San Francisco Beat	Elsie Folger	The Jealous Mambo Dancer Case	1958
The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp is a Western television series loosely based on the adventures of frontier marshal Wyatt Earp. The half-hour black and white series ran on ABC-TV from 1955 to 1961 and featured Hugh O'Brian as Earp. An off-camera barbershop quartet sang the theme song and hummed...	Marie Burden	Bad Woman	1957
The Adventures of Jim Bowie The Adventures of Jim Bowie In September of 1956 a TV series named "The Adventures of Jim Bowie" was aired on ABC. The show was only on the air for two years from 1956 to 1958. The series' music was unique in that is was primarily vocal, provided by Ken Darby and The King's Men .-Synopsis:The series stars Scott Forbes as the...	Charlotte De Vaux	A Fortune for Madame	1957
The Ford Television Theatre	Laura Van Cleve	Singapore	1957
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars Schlitz Playhouse of Stars Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, is a weekly CBS anthology television series, was telecast on Friday nights from 1951 until 1959. Offering both comedies and drama, the series was sponsored by Schlitz beer...	Sylvia	The Girl in the Grass	1957
State Trooper	Judith Andrews	Weep No More O'Grady	1957
Four Star Playhouse Four Star Playhouse Four Star Playhouse is an American television anthology series that ran from 1952 to 1956, sponsored in its first bi-weekly season by The Singer Company; Bristol-Myers became an alternate sponsor when it became a weekly series in the fall of 1953...	Nadine	The Case of Emily Carmeron	1956
	Claire Dumont	Man in the Cellar	1954
Damon Runyon Theatre Damon Runyon Alfred Damon Runyon was an American newspaperman and writer.He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Prohibition era. To New Yorkers of his generation, a "Damon Runyon character" evoked a distinctive social type from the...	Adele Salisbury	Old Em's Kentucky Home	1955
The Loretta Young Show	Pat Wadlington	Let Columbus Discover You	1955
The Millionaire	Margaret Browning	The Margaret Browning Story	1955
Rebound		Quiet Sunday	1953
Sky King Sky King Sky King is a 1940s and 1950s American radio and television adventure series. The title character is Arizona rancher and aircraft pilot Schuyler "Sky" King...	Lucille Bradley	Wings of Justice	1952
Cavalcade of America Cavalcade of America Cavalcade of America is an anthology drama series that was sponsored by the DuPont Company, although it occasionally presented a musical, such as an adaptation of Show Boat, and condensed biographies of popular composers. It was initially broadcast on radio from 1935 to 1953, and later on...		A Romance to Remember	1952
The Doctor The Doctor (1952 TV series) The Doctor is a half-hour medical anthology series that aired Sunday evenings on the NBC television network from 1952-1953. Hosted by Warner Anderson, the program revolved around emotional problems stemming from medical cases rather than the medical case itself. The show is notable for having Rod...		The Hiding Place	1952
Dangerous Assignment	Countess Todesca	The Knitting Needle Story	1952
Fireside Theatre		Dinner for Three	1950
Your Show Time Your Show Time Your Show Time is an American anthology drama series that debuted as a midseason replacement on NBC in January 1949. Hosted and narrated by Arthur Shields, the series ran until July 1949. Made by Grant Productions at Hal Roach Studios, it was American television's first dramatic series to be shot...		The Necklace	1949

Filmography

Film
Year	Film	Role	Notes
1957	Sorority House	Mrs. Tanner
	She Devil	Evelyn Kendall
1956	Don't Knock the Rock Don't Knock the Rock Don't Knock the Rock is a 1957 rock and roll film starring Alan Dale as a rock star who returns to his hometown to rest up for the summer only to find that rock and roll has been banned there by disapproving adults...	Arlene MacLaine
1955	I Died a Thousand Times I Died a Thousand Times I Died a Thousand Times is a color film noir directed by Stuart Heisler. The drama features Jack Palance as paroled bank robber Roy Earle, with Shelley Winters, Lee Marvin, Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez, and Lon Chaney, Jr....	Woman in Tropico Lobby (uncredited)
1954	Phffft! Phffft! Phffft! is a 1954 black and white romantic comedy starring Judy Holliday, Jack Lemmon, Jack Carson and featuring Kim Novak, in a small but notable role...	Radio Actress as 'Nurse Serena' (uncredited)
1953	Invaders from Mars Invaders from Mars (1953 film) Invaders From Mars is a science fiction film directed by William Cameron Menzies, taken from a scenario by Richard Blake, and based on a story treatment by John Tucker Battle who was inspired by a dream recounted by his wife. It was produced independently by Edward L. Alperson Jr. and starred...	Mrs. Wilson (uncredited)
	The Blue Gardenia	Switchboard Monitor (uncredited)
1952	The Star	Margaret's sister
	Deadline - U.S.A. Deadline - U.S.A. Deadline – U.S.A. is a 1952 crime film starring Humphrey Bogart, Ethel Barrymore and Kim Hunter. A crusading newspaper editor fights a gangster. The newspaper used as background on the film, called The Day is loosely based upon the old New York City newspaper The Sun, which closed in 1950. The...	Alice Garrison Courtney
1951	Reunion in Reno	Miss Pearson
	The House on Telegraph Hill The House on Telegraph Hill The House on Telegraph Hill is a film noir starring Richard Basehart, Valentina Cortese, and William Lundigan, directed by Robert Wise, and released by Twentieth Century Fox. Parts of the film were filmed on location in the Telegraph Hill area of San Francisco...	Margaret
	The Company She Keeps	Tilly Thompson
1950	Double Deal Double Deal -Cast:*Monte Hawley as Jim McCoy*Jeni Le Gon as Nita*Edward Thompson as Dude Markey*Florence O'Brien as Sally*Freddie Jackson as Tommy McCoy*Buck Woods*Maceo Bruce Scheffield as Murray Howard*Charles Hawkins*Jack Clisby*Tom Southern*Vernon McCalla...	Lilly Sebastian
	Father of the Bride Father of the Bride (1950 film) Father of the Bride is a 1950 American comedy film about a man trying to cope with preparations for his daughter's upcoming wedding. The movie stars Spencer Tracy in the titular role, Joan Bennett, Elizabeth Taylor, Don Taylor, Billie Burke, and Leo G. Carroll. It was adapted by Frances Goodrich...	Miss Bellamy (Stanley's secretary) (uncredited)
	Chain Lightning Chain Lightning (film) Chain Lightning is a 1950 American aviation film based on the story "These Many Years" by black-listed writer Lester Cole ; the screenplay was written by Liam O'Brien and Vincent B. Evans. During World War II, Evans had been the bombardier on the B-17 Flying Fortress Memphis Belle...	Mrs. Willis
1949	Tell It to the Judge Tell It to the Judge Tell It to the Judge is a 1949 romantic comedy film starring Rosalind Russell as a divorcee who tries to get her ex-husband, played by Robert Cummings, back.-Cast:*Rosalind Russell as Marsha Meredith*Robert Cummings as Peter B...	Valerie Hobson
	Black Midnight	Martha Baxter
	Manhattan Angel	Vi Langdon
	Family Honeymoon Family Honeymoon Family Honeymoon is a 1949 domestic comedy film made by Universal International Pictures, directed by Claude Binyon, and written by Dane Lussier, based on novel by Homer Croy...	Fran Wilson (uncredited)
1948	No Minor Vices No Minor Vices No Minor Vices is a 1948 American black-and-white comedy film written by Arnold Manoff and directed by Lewis Milestone with Robert Aldrich as 1st assistant director...	Mrs. Felton
	The Saxon Charm The Saxon Charm The Saxon Charm is a 1948 drama film made by Universal International Pictures. It was written and directed by Claude Binyon and produced by Joseph Sistrom, based on a novel by Frederic Wakeman. The music score was by Walter Scharf and the cinematography was by Milton R...	Mrs. Noble (uncredited)
	The Gentleman from Nowhere	Catherine Ashton
	Trapped by Boston Blackie	Margie O'Reilly, alias Sandra Doray
1946	Notorious	Ethel

Playlist

Plays
Year	Play	Role	Notes
1946	Wonderful Journey	Julia Farnsworth	Dec 25, 1946 - Jan 1, 1947
1944	Violet	Crystal	Oct 24, 1944 - Nov 11, 1944
1943	Another Love Story	Celia Hale	Oct 12, 1943 - Jan 8, 1944
1942	The Sun Field	Mildred Deagon	Dec 9, 1942 - Dec 12, 1942
1942	Journey to Jerusalem Journey to Jerusalem Journey to Jerusalem is a 1940 play by Maxwell Anderson about a trip made to Jerusalem by the Holy Family when Christ was twelve years old.In the play, Anderson parallels ancient Biblical events with the rise of Adolf Hitler, embodied in the play by Herod Antipas. Jesus slowly realizes from a...	The Greek Woman	Oct 5, 1940 - Oct 19, 1940
	The Taming of the Shrew The Taming of the Shrew The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1591.The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken tinker named Sly into believing he is actually a nobleman himself...	Bianca	Feb 5, 1940 - Feb 10, 1940
1938	Danton's Death Danton's Death Danton's Death was the first play written by Georg Büchner, set during the French Revolution.-History:Georg Büchner wrote his works in the period between Romanticism and Realism in the so-called Vormärz era in German history and literature...	Voice in the Street	Nov 2, 1938 - Nov 1938