Kathleen Crowley

Kathleen Crowley (born Betty Jane Crowley, December 26, 1929 – April 23, 2017)[1] was an American actress who starred in a number of TV shows and films throughout the 1950s and 1960s, ending her career in 1970 at age 40.

Kathleen Crowley
Crowley as "Kiz" in Maverick (1960)
Born
Betty Jane Crowley

(1929-12-26)December 26, 1929[1]
Green Bank, Washington Township, Burlington County, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedApril 23, 2017(2017-04-23) (aged 87)
Green Bank, Washington Township, Burlington County, New Jersey, U.S.
Resting placeGreen Bank Methodist Cemetery, Green Bank, New Jersey
Other namesKathleen Rubsam (married name)
OccupationActress, beauty pageant winner
Years active1951–1970
Spouse(s)John Rubsam (1969-2017 [Her death]) (1 child)
Children1
Kathleen Crowley (1958)
With Roger Moore in Maverick

Biography

Early life

Born on December 26, 1929, in the Green Bank section of Washington Township, Burlington County, New Jersey, Crowley graduated from Egg Harbor City High School in 1946. On August 7, 1949, the 19-year-old Crowley won the title of Miss New Jersey at a contest held at Asbury Park.[2][3] As the winner, she entered the Miss America pageant held in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on September 10, 1949, and finished in seventh place.[4] At the time she was working as a bookkeeper.[5]

Acting career

Crowley attended New York's American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1950 on a scholarship won at the Miss America pageant, and undertook some live TV work there.[6][7]

In February 1951, she appeared with Conrad Nagel in A Star is Born on Robert Montgomery Presents. Crowley made 81 television appearances and was cast in 20 movies between 1951 and 1970. One of her last movie roles was in Downhill Racer with Robert Redford. She made three guest appearances on Perry Mason, including the role of defendant and title character Marylin Clark in the 1958 episode, "The Case of the Lonely Heiress." She was in the 1963 episode of Perry Mason's "The Case of the Drowsy Mosquito" as Mrs. Bradisson.

She also appeared in seven episodes of the popular Warner Bros TV Series 77 Sunset Strip (1958-1964) beginning with that series’ initial format establishing first regular production episode * S1EP2 (1958) “Lovely Lady Pity Me”

  • S3EP23 (1960) "Strange Bedfellows" she appeared as Martizza Vedar pulling off a credible Zsa Zsa Gabor knockoff character.

and

  • S4EP02 (09/29/1961) "The Desert Spa Caper" portrayed alcoholic actress, Claire Dickens

Many of her films were low-budget science fiction and horror movies, but she appeared in a wide range of narrative television series produced in the late 1950s and 1960s, including Crossroads, Yancy Derringer with Jock Mahoney, Bourbon Street Beat with Andrew Duggan, Surfside 6 with Troy Donahue, Hawaiian Eye with Connie Stevens, 77 Sunset Strip with Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Bat Masterson with Gene Barry, anthology series The Americans, Bonanza, Colt .45, Bronco with Ty Hardin, Branded with Chuck Connors, Redigo, My Three Sons with Fred MacMurray, The Donna Reed Show, Checkmate with Sebastian Cabot, Route 66, Thriller with Boris Karloff, Batman with Adam West, Disneyland, Family Affair with Brian Keith, Rawhide with Clint Eastwood, The Virginian with Doug McClure, The High Chaparral, The Restless Gun with John Payne, Tales of Wells Fargo with Dale Robertson, The Lone Ranger, and The Adventures of Champion. In 1960 Crowley appeared as Laurie Allen on the TV western Laramie in the episode titled "Street of Hate."

Crowley is best remembered for appearing in eight episodes, a series record for leading ladies, as a variety of seductive sirens on the ABC/Warner Brothers series Maverick (1957-1962), opposite James Garner, Jack Kelly, and Roger Moore.[8] She was the only actress in the series that Garner admiringly singled out to laud her acting ability at length in his autobiography The Garner Files half a century later.

Private life

Crowley married John Rubsam in Los Angeles on September 27, 1969, and gave birth to her only child, a son named Matthew, the following year.[9][10]

Death

She died on April 23, 2017, at her home in her native Green Bank, New Jersey. She was survived by her husband, son and a granddaughter.[11][12]

Selected filmography

References
  1. "Kathleen Crowley profile". Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  2. "Miss America Named Tonight". Traverse City Record-Eagle. Michigan, Traverse City. September 10, 1949. p. 10. Retrieved April 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Miss New Jersey Chosen". The Kingston Daily Freeman. August 8, 1949. Retrieved April 27, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Our Jersey Neighbour". The Bristol Daily Courier. September 11, 1958. Retrieved April 27, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Lane, Lydia (February 6, 1956). "Kathleen Crowley is Careful about Diet". The Paris News. Retrieved April 27, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Weaver, Tom (2004). It Came from Horrorwood: Interviews with Moviemakers in the SF and Horror Tradition. McFarland. p. 88. ISBN 9780786482160. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  7. Thomas, Bob (October 12, 1952). "Starlet Kathleen Crowley is Grease Monkey for Fun". The Sedalia Democrat. Retrieved April 27, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Maverick Poses as Girl's Husband During Journey Through Bad Lands". The Daily Herald. November 18, 1957. Retrieved April 27, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. http://www.missnews.com.br/historia/kathleen-crowley
  10. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/kathleen-crowley-dead-curse-undead-star-was-87-997553
  11. Kathleen Crowley obituary, wimbergfuneralhome.com, April 25, 2017; retrieved April 25, 2017.
  12. Kent, Spencer (April 27, 2017). "Former Miss New Jersey, longtime Hollywood actress dies at 87". NJ.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
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