Hillary Brooke
Encyclopedia
Hillary Brooke was an American film actress best known for her work in Abbott and Costello
and Sherlock Holmes
films. She also played Lou Costello's love interest in the first season of The Abbott and Costello Show
.
(1949) and Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd
(1952) with the comedy team, and was a regular on The Abbott and Costello Show
. She also co-starred in three Sherlock Holmes
movies with Basil Rathbone
and Nigel Bruce
, including The Woman in Green
(1945).
Her other film credits include Jane Eyre (1943), The Enchanted Cottage
(1945), Lucky Losers
(1950) with The Bowery Boys
, the Alfred Hitchcock
thriller The Man Who Knew Too Much
(1956), the 3-D film
The Maze
(1953), and the sci-fi B-movie
classic Invaders from Mars
(1953).
In The Abbott and Costello Show
, which was broadcast in the early 1950s but syndicated for decades afterwards, Brooke played the role of a straitlaced, classy fellow tenant of the rooming house where the two main characters lived. She was treated with deference by the duo and was not a target of pranks and slapstick. As the love interest of Lou Costello, she always addressed him as "Louis". Like the other main characters, her character's name in the show was her real name.
On September 28, 1957, she played Doris Cole in the second episode of the Perry Mason
TV show, titled "The Case of the Sleepwalker's Niece". Brooke also played Angela Randall in an infamous episode of I Love Lucy
, entitled "The Fox Hunt", which aired February 6, 1956.
She was also a regular on the 1952–1955 TV series My Little Margie
.
, from 1960 until his death on September 24, 1988. She had one child, a son Donald Klune, as well as a stepdaughter, Carol Klune.
Brooke was also married to Jack Voglin.
. She was survived by her son, her step-daughter, a brother Arthur Peterson; various grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
For her contribution to the television industry, Hillary Brooke has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 6307 Hollywood Boulevard
.
Abbott and Costello
William "Bud" Abbott and Lou Costello performed together as Abbott and Costello, an American comedy duo whose work on stage, radio, film and television made them the most popular comedy team during the 1940s and 1950s...
and Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
films. She also played Lou Costello's love interest in the first season of The Abbott and Costello Show
The Abbott and Costello Show
The Abbott and Costello Show is an American television sitcom starring the popular comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello that premiered in syndication in the fall of 1952 and ran until May 1954....
.
Career
A former model, the 5'6" blonde was born Beatrice Sofia Mathilda Peterson in Astoria, New York but in films spoke with a cultured accent. Brooke developed this early in her career to separate herself from other sexy blonde actresses. She appeared in Africa ScreamsAfrica Screams
Africa Screams is a 1949 comedy film starring Abbott and Costello and directed by Charles Barton.-Plot:Diana Emerson is in the book department of Klopper's Department store looking for a copy of the book Dark Safari, written by the famed explorer Cuddleford...
(1949) and Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd
Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd
Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd is a 1952 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, along with Charles Laughton, who reprised his role as the infamous pirate from the 1945 film Captain Kidd.-Plot:...
(1952) with the comedy team, and was a regular on The Abbott and Costello Show
The Abbott and Costello Show
The Abbott and Costello Show is an American television sitcom starring the popular comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello that premiered in syndication in the fall of 1952 and ran until May 1954....
. She also co-starred in three Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
movies with Basil Rathbone
Basil Rathbone
Sir Basil Rathbone, KBE, MC, Kt was an English actor. He rose to prominence in England as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in over 70 films, primarily costume dramas, swashbucklers, and, occasionally, horror films...
and Nigel Bruce
Nigel Bruce
William Nigel Ernle Bruce , best known as Nigel Bruce, was a British character actor on stage and screen. He was best known for his portrayal of Doctor Watson in a series of films and in the radio series The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes...
, including The Woman in Green
The Woman in Green
The Woman in Green is a 1945 Sherlock Holmes film starring Basil Rathbone as Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson, with Hillary Brooke as the woman of the title and Henry Daniell as Professor Moriarty. It is mostly an original story, but scenes from Arthur Conan Doyle's The Final Problem and The...
(1945).
Her other film credits include Jane Eyre (1943), The Enchanted Cottage
The Enchanted Cottage (1945 film)
The Enchanted Cottage is a 1945 romantic film fantasy starring Robert Young, Dorothy McGuire, and Mildred Natwick. It was based on a play by Arthur Wing Pinero...
(1945), Lucky Losers
Lucky Losers
Lucky Losers is a 1950 comedy film starring The Bowery Boys. The film was released on May 14, 1950 by Monogram Pictures and is the eighteenth film in the series. It had the working title of High Stakes.-Synopsis:...
(1950) with The Bowery Boys
The Bowery Boys
The Bowery Boys were fictional New York City characters who were the subject of feature films released by Monogram Pictures from 1946 through 1958....
, the 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...
thriller The Man Who Knew Too Much
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 film)
The Man Who Knew Too Much is a suspense film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring James Stewart and Doris Day. The film is a remake in widescreen VistaVision and Technicolor of Hitchcock's 1934 film of the same name....
(1956), the 3-D film
3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
The Maze
The Maze (1953 film)
The Maze is a 1953, atmospheric science fiction, horror film in 3-D starring Richard Carlson and actress Hillary Brooke. Directed by William Cameron Menzies, it was distributed by Allied Artists Pictures. This was to be the second 3-D film designed and directed by William Cameron Menzies. Menzies,...
(1953), and the sci-fi B-movie
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
classic 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...
(1953).
In The Abbott and Costello Show
The Abbott and Costello Show
The Abbott and Costello Show is an American television sitcom starring the popular comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello that premiered in syndication in the fall of 1952 and ran until May 1954....
, which was broadcast in the early 1950s but syndicated for decades afterwards, Brooke played the role of a straitlaced, classy fellow tenant of the rooming house where the two main characters lived. She was treated with deference by the duo and was not a target of pranks and slapstick. As the love interest of Lou Costello, she always addressed him as "Louis". Like the other main characters, her character's name in the show was her real name.
On September 28, 1957, she played Doris Cole in the second episode of the Perry Mason
Perry Mason (TV series)
Perry Mason is an American legal drama produced by Paisano Productions that ran from September 1957 to May 1966 on CBS. The title character, portrayed by Raymond Burr, is a fictional Los Angeles defense attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner...
TV show, titled "The Case of the Sleepwalker's Niece". Brooke also played Angela Randall in an infamous episode of I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
, entitled "The Fox Hunt", which aired February 6, 1956.
She was also a regular on the 1952–1955 TV series My Little Margie
My Little Margie
My Little Margie is an American situation comedy that alternated between CBS and NBC from 1952 to 1955. The series was created by Frank Fox and produced in Los Angeles, California at Hal Roach Studios by Hal Roach, Jr. and Roland D...
.
Marriages/Personal life
Hillary Brooke was married to Raymond A. Klune, an executive at MGMMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
, from 1960 until his death on September 24, 1988. She had one child, a son Donald Klune, as well as a stepdaughter, Carol Klune.
Brooke was also married to Jack Voglin.
Death
On May 25, 1999, Brooke died from undisclosed causes at a hospital in Fallbrook, CaliforniaFallbrook, California
Fallbrook is an unincorporated community in northern San Diego County, California. The Fallbrook census-designated place population was 30,534 at the 2010 census, up from 29,100 at the 2000 census....
. She was survived by her son, her step-daughter, a brother Arthur Peterson; various grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
For her contribution to the television industry, Hillary Brooke has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 6307 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood Boulevard
-Revitalization:In recent years successful efforts have been made at cleaning up Hollywood Blvd., as the street had gained a reputation for crime and seediness. Central to these efforts was the construction of the Hollywood and Highland shopping center and adjacent Kodak Theatre in 2001...
.
Partial filmography
- Counter-EspionageCounter-Espionage-Cast:* Warren William as Michael Lanyard* Eric Blore as Jamison* Hillary Brooke as Pamela Hart* Thurston Hall as Insp. Crane* Fred Kelsey as Detective Wesley Dickens* Forrest Tucker as Anton Schugg* Matthew Boulton as Inspector J...
(1942) - Jane EyreJane Eyre (1944 film)Jane Eyre is a classic film adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel of the same name, made by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by William Goetz, Kenneth Macgowan, and Orson Welles . The screenplay was by John Houseman, Aldous Huxley, Henry Koster, and Robert...
(1944) - Ministry of FearMinistry of FearMinistry of Fear is a 1944 film noir directed by Fritz Lang. Based on a novel by Graham Greene, the film tells the story of a man just released from a mental asylum who finds himself caught up in an international spy ring in London during the Blitz, pursued by foreign agents and incriminated for...
(1944) - The Enchanted CottageThe Enchanted Cottage (1945 film)The Enchanted Cottage is a 1945 romantic film fantasy starring Robert Young, Dorothy McGuire, and Mildred Natwick. It was based on a play by Arthur Wing Pinero...
(1945) - The Woman in GreenThe Woman in GreenThe Woman in Green is a 1945 Sherlock Holmes film starring Basil Rathbone as Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson, with Hillary Brooke as the woman of the title and Henry Daniell as Professor Moriarty. It is mostly an original story, but scenes from Arthur Conan Doyle's The Final Problem and The...
(1945) - The Strange WomanThe Strange WomanThe Strange Woman is an American film directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, starring Hedy Lamarr, and released by United Artists. The film is now in the public domain.- Cast :*Hedy Lamarr as Jenny Hager*George Sanders as John Evered...
(1946) - Africa ScreamsAfrica ScreamsAfrica Screams is a 1949 comedy film starring Abbott and Costello and directed by Charles Barton.-Plot:Diana Emerson is in the book department of Klopper's Department store looking for a copy of the book Dark Safari, written by the famed explorer Cuddleford...
(1949) - Lucky LosersLucky LosersLucky Losers is a 1950 comedy film starring The Bowery Boys. The film was released on May 14, 1950 by Monogram Pictures and is the eighteenth film in the series. It had the working title of High Stakes.-Synopsis:...
(1950) - The Admiral Was a LadyThe Admiral Was a Lady- Plot summary :After an odd prologue through American history, the film begins in 1945 where the events in the film concern recently discharged veterans of World War II...
(1950) - Lost ContinentLost Continent (1951 film)The Lost Continent is an American science fiction film, starring Cesar Romero and Hillary Brooke directed by Sam Newfield and produced by his brother Sigmund Neufeld. This low budget independent film was shot in eleven days. The footage on the plateau where the dinosaurs lived was printed with...
(1951) - Abbott and Costello Meet Captain KiddAbbott and Costello Meet Captain KiddAbbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd is a 1952 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, along with Charles Laughton, who reprised his role as the infamous pirate from the 1945 film Captain Kidd.-Plot:...
(1952) - Invaders from MarsInvaders 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...
(1953) - The MazeThe Maze (1953 film)The Maze is a 1953, atmospheric science fiction, horror film in 3-D starring Richard Carlson and actress Hillary Brooke. Directed by William Cameron Menzies, it was distributed by Allied Artists Pictures. This was to be the second 3-D film designed and directed by William Cameron Menzies. Menzies,...
(1953) - The House Across the Lake (aka Heat Wave)The House Across the Lake (1954 film)The House Across the Lake is a 1954 British film released in the U.S. as Heat Wave. The film noir drama stars Alex Nicol and Hillary Brooke.- Plot :...
(1954) - The Man Who Knew Too MuchThe Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 film)The Man Who Knew Too Much is a suspense film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring James Stewart and Doris Day. The film is a remake in widescreen VistaVision and Technicolor of Hitchcock's 1934 film of the same name....
(1956)