Claudia Morgan

Claudia Louise Morgan (June 12, 1911 – September 17, 1974)[1] was an American film, television, and radio actress. She was best known for debuting the role of Vera Claythorne in the first Broadway production of Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians and for her portrayal of Nora Charles on the 1940s radio series, The Adventures of the Thin Man.

Claudia Morgan
Born
Claudia Louise Morgan

(1911-06-12)June 12, 1911
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
DiedSeptember 17, 1974(1974-09-17) (aged 63)
Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1932–64
Spouse(s)Talbott Cummings (1931-1932; union dissolved)
Robert Shippee (1934-19??)
Charles Hornburg Jr. (May 14, 1937-1938; divorced)
Phil Ormsby (August 2, 1938-19??)
W. Kennneth Loane (19??-1974; her death)
Parent(s)Ralph Morgan and Grace Arnold

Early years

Morgan was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1911 to actors Ralph Morgan and Grace Arnold. Actor Frank Morgan was her uncle. She attended Ely Court School in Greenwich, Connecticut.[2]

Stage

A member of the cast of more than 30 Broadway plays, Morgan starred in The Man Who Came to Dinner and Ten Little Indians.[3] She eventually was fired from her role in Ten Little Indians because her work in The Adventures of the Thin Man on radio caused a delay in the stage production every Friday night.[4] She also appeared in The Apple Cart,[5] and The Sun Field.[6]

Film/Television

Morgan's first film role was in 1932, and her last was in 1964 (The World of Henry Orient). She appeared on Kraft Television Theatre[7] and Robert Montgomery Presents.[8]

Radio

Morgan was known for playing Nora Charles in The Adventures of the Thin Man.[3] She was married to radio announcer and actor Ernest Chappell, and performed with him on the late 1940s radio program, Quiet Please.[9] In 1941, she joined the cast of The O'Neills, in the role of Laura Penway.[10] She was also a regular on Ford Theatre, David Harum, Joyce Jordan, M.D., Lone Journey,[11] We Love and Learn,[12] and The Right to Happiness.[13]

Personal life

Morgan was married five times; all of the unions were childless. In 1931, she married Talbott Cummings.[2] They had been married only about a year when she sought a divorce.[14] She wed aviator Robert Shippee on July 22, 1934; that marriage also ended in divorce.[15][16] She married Charles H. Horburg Jr. on May 14, 1937; the couple divorced in 1938. She married Phil Ormsby, an actor and architect, on August 2, 1938.[17] She was survived by her fifth husband, Kenneth Loane.

Death

Morgan died in New York City on September 17, 1974,[3] aged 63, from undisclosed causes. She was survived by her mother, who died in 1979.[18]

Radio appearances
YearProgramEpisode/source
1952Grand Central StationEverything I Longed For[19]
1953Grand Central StationCount Your Chickens[20]
1953Grand Central StationThe Sly Professor[21]
1955 The Adventures of the Abbotts Series

References
  1. "Claudia Morgan". Playbill Vault. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  2. "Cummings-Morgan". The Indianapolis News. October 21, 1931. p. 10. Retrieved July 26, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Deaths in News: Claudia Morgan". The Progress. September 18, 1974. p. 15.
  4. Cox, Jim (2010). Radio Crime Fighters: More Than 300 Programs from the Golden Age. McFarland & Company. p. 36. ISBN 9780786443246. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  5. Gaver, Jack (June 24, 1956). "Up and Down Broadway". The Terre Haute Tribune. p. 4. Retrieved July 26, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Burr, Eugene (December 19, 1942). "New Plays on Broadway: The Sun Field". Billboard. p. 11. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  7. Buhrman, Margaret (June 29, 1955). "TV-Radio Highlights". The Kokomo Tribune. p. 43. Retrieved July 26, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Tops, T.V. (August 23, 1954). "To Be Seen and Heard". The San Bernardino County Sun. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Quiet, Please - Episode". Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  10. "Joins "O'Neills"". Harrisburg Telegraph. December 6, 1941. p. 28. Retrieved July 26, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. Dunning, John. (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press; ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3, pp. 193, 257, 376, 404.
  12. "(KTUC advertisement)". Tucson Daily Citizen. September 28, 1943. p. 8. Retrieved July 27, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "(photo caption)". Greenfield Daily Reporter. August 3, 1945. p. 2. Retrieved July 27, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Just a Year". The Southeast Missourian. November 28, 1932. p. 3. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  15. "Actress to Wed". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. July 22, 1934. p. 16. Retrieved July 27, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. "Actress Weds Aviator". The Evening Sun. July 27, 1934. p. 7. Retrieved July 27, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. "(photo caption)". The Pittsburgh Press. December 16, 1938. p. 38. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  18. "Grace Arnold". Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  19. "(radio listing)". The Decatur Daily Review. June 8, 1952. p. 44. Retrieved July 27, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. "(radio listing)". The Decatur Daily Review. July 19, 1953. p. 44. Retrieved July 27, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. "(radio listing)". The Decatur Daily Review. March 8, 1953. p. 46. Retrieved July 27, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
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