Mary Shipp
Early years
Shipp was born on September 17, 1915, in Los Angeles. She studied ballet as a child,{{cite book |last1=Cox |first1=Jim |title=The Great Radio Sitcoms |date=October 17, 2024 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-9180-3 |page=215 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yZIuEQAAQBAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&lpg=PA215&dq=%22Mary%20Shipp%22%20actress&pg=PA215#v=onepage&q=%22Mary%20Shipp%22%20actress&f=true |access-date=June 2, 2025 |language=en}} and her professional debut came in a stock theater production of The Little Princess when she was 8 years old. Her early education came at Immaculate Heart Convent and Hollywood High School, and she majored in dramatics at Los Angeles City College, where her acting won awards.{{cite magazine |date=July 1945 |page=52 |title=Sweet Young Thing |url=https://archive.org/details/radiomirr00mac/page/n69/mode/1up?view=theater |magazine=Radio Romances |access-date=June 3, 2025 }} Actress Jeanne Eagels was Shipp's aunt.{{cite magazine |date=April 29, 1937 |page=7 |title=Los Angeles |url=https://archive.org/details/radiodailyaprjun01unse/page/n164/mode/1up?view=theater |magazine=Radio Daily |access-date=June 3, 2025 }} Shipp gained early acting experience with the Beverly Hills Community Players.{{cite magazine |last=Wiener |first=Hal |date=November 19, 1932 |page=11 |title=Beverly Hills Community Players Stage Group of One-Act Plays |url=https://archive.org/details/hollywoodfilmogr12holl/page/n504/mode/1up?view=theater |magazine=Hollywood Filmograph |access-date=June 3, 2025 }}
Career
Shipp's radio career began when she portrayed Becky Thatcher on The Adventures of Tom Sawyer soon after she finished college. She portrayed Henry Aldrich's girlfriend, Kathleen, on The Aldrich Family concurrently with playing Milton Berle's wife on his program. She followed those roles by taking the part of Miss Spalding, a teacher of English in a night school class of immigrants,{{cite news |title=Henry's Ex-Girl Friend Is Versatile Actress |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-portsmouth-star-mary-shipp/173872116/ |access-date=June 5, 2025 |work=The Portsmouth Star |date=April 20, 1952 |page=B 10|via = Newspapers.com }} on The Great Gildersleeve.{{cite news |title=On the Air Waves: Who's News in Radio and TV |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/dayton-daily-news/173961152/ |access-date=June 6, 2025 |work=The Dayton Daily News |date=January 30, 1954 |page=17|via = Newspapers.com }} She portrayed Linda on My Best Girls. Other radio programs on which Shipp performed included Cavalcade of America, Silver Theater, My True Story, Manhattan at Midnight,{{cite magazine |date=June 16, 1943 |page=30 |title=From the Production Centres: In New York City ... |magazine=Variety |url=https://archive.org/details/variety150-1943-06/page/n133/mode/1up?view=theater |accessdate=June 3, 2025 }} and Appointment with Life.{{cite magazine |date=June 7, 1944 |page=28 |title=From the Production Centres: In New York City ... |magazine=Variety |url=https://archive.org/details/variety154-1944-06/page/n26/mode/1up?view=theater |accessdate=June 3, 2025 }}
Shipp continued to play Miss Spalding in the television adaptation of Life with Luigi.{{cite news |title=Irma Has A New Roommate |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-evening-sun-mary-shipp/173980950/ |access-date=June 6, 2025 |work=The Evening Sun |agency=Associated Press |date=October 29, 1953 |location=Maryland, Baltimore |page=40 |via=Newspapers.com}} In 1953 she joined the cast of the TV version of My Friend Irma,{{cite news |last1=Mosby |first1=Aline |title=CBS Boss' Wife Turns Up As Star in Major TV Show |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-wichita-beacon-mary-shipp/173960188/ |access-date=June 6, 2025 |work=The Wichita Eagle |agency=United Press |date=September 22, 1953 |page=2|via = Newspapers.com }} portraying Kay Foster, a new roommate for Irma. Other TV programs on which she appeared included You Are There,{{cite magazine |date=May 15, 1955 |page=E |title=Sunday May 22 |url=https://archive.org/details/rossreportstele50ross/page/n14/mode/1up?view=theater |magazine=Ross Reports |access-date=}} Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre,{{cite magazine |date=December 30, 1957 |page=C |title=Friday January 3 |url=https://archive.org/details/rossreportstele73ross/page/n98/mode/1up?view=theater |magazine=Ross Reports |access-date=June 7, 2025 }} The Donna Reed Show,{{cite magazine |date=November 2, 1959 |page=44 C |title=Thursday November 5 |url=https://archive.org/details/rossreportstele85ross/page/n26/mode/1up?view=theater |magazine=Ross Reports |access-date=June 7, 2025 }} Perry Mason,{{cite magazine |date=March 3, 1958 |page=D |title=Saturday March 8 |url=https://archive.org/details/rossreportstele75ross/page/n22/mode/1up?view=theater |magazine=Ross Reports |access-date=June 7, 2025 }} Dangerous Assignment,{{cite magazine |date=October 19, 1952 |page=9 |title=Monday October 20 (Contd) |url=https://archive.org/details/rossreportstele25ross/page/n72/mode/1up?view=theater |magazine=Ross Reports |access-date=June 7, 2025 }} Crown Theatre with Gloria Swanson,{{cite book |last1=Terrace |first1=Vincent |title=Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010, 2d ed. |date=January 10, 2014 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-8641-0 |pages=221-222 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YX_daEhlnbsC&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&lpg=PA221&dq=%22Mary%20Shipp%22%20actress&pg=PA221#v=onepage&q=%22Mary%20Shipp%22%20actress&f=true |access-date=June 7, 2025 |language=en}} and The O. Henry Playhouse.{{cite news |last1=Ames |first1=Walter |title=Lady Luck Riding With Bloomgarden, but Will She Quit? |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/173981671/ |access-date=June 7, 2025 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=June 17, 1957 |page=Part II, page 10|via = Newspapers.com }}
Shipp acted in the 1953 film Jennifer,{{cite magazine |date=November 4, 1953 |page=3633 |title=Jennifer (5407) |url=https://archive.org/details/exhibitornov195351jaye/page/n52/mode/1up?view=theater |magazine=Exhibitor |access-date=June 6, 2025}} and she wrote occasionally, including four scripts that she sold for the Kate Smith Speaks radio program.
Personal life
Shipp married producer Harry Ackerman in Los Angeles on August 16, 1939.{{cite magazine |last=Shipp |first=Mary |date=February 1948 |pages=46-47, 85-89 |title=No Marriage for Him! |url=https://archive.org/details/radi00mac/page/n169/mode/1up?view=theater |magazine=Radio Mirror |access-date=June 3, 2025 }} They had a daughter and a son.{{cite magazine |date=March 1950 |page=25 |title=Mary Shipp |url=https://archive.org/details/radiotelev00macf/page/n262/mode/1up?view=theater |magazine=Radio and Television Mirror |access-date=June 5, 2025 }}She died 8 May 1997 in Los Angeles, CA.
References
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Category:20th-century American actresses
Category:Actresses from Los Angeles
Category:American child actresses
Category:American film actresses