Hope Summers could portray a friendly neighbor or companion as she did for Frances Bavier's Aunt Bee character on many episodes of The Andy Griffith Show (1960) or a seemingly amiable Satanist in Rosemary's Baby (1968).
Hope Summers could portray a friendly neighbor or companion as she did for Frances Bavier's Aunt Bee character on many episodes of The Andy Griffith Show (1960) or a seemingly amiable Satanist in Rosemary's Baby (1968).
Born in Mattoon, Illinois, she developed an early interest in the theater. Graduating from Northwestern School of Speech in Evanston, Illinois, she subsequently taught speech and diction there. This, in turn, led to her the head position in the Speech Department at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, teaching students privately on the side as well. In the 1930s Hope began to focus on acting. She found work in community and stock theaters in Illinois and earned some notice for putting on one-woman shows such as "Backstage of Broadway." She made use of her vocal eloquence by building up her resumé on radio, performing in scores of dramatic shows, including "Authors' Playhouse," "First Night," "Ma Perkins", and "Step-Mother".
In 1950 Hope transferred her talents to the new medium of television and earned a regular role on the comedy series Hawkins Falls: A Television Novel (1950). By the age of 50 she was customarily called upon to play slightly older than she was, appearing in a number of minuscule matron roles in such films as Zero Hour! (1957), Hound-Dog Man (1959), Inherit the Wind (1960), Spencer's Mountain (1963), The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966), Charley Varrick (1973) and her last, Foul Play (1978). She never had any major stand-out roles in movies; TV would be a more prolific choice of medium. Her gently stern, old-fashioned looks allowed her to be a part of many small-town settings, including Dennis the Menace (1959) and Petticoat Junction (1963), and in various western locales such as Maverick (1957) and Wagon Train (1957).
She played a rustic regular for many years on The Rifleman (1958). Usually assigned to play teachers, nurses and other helpful, nurturing types, her characters were also known to be inveterate gossips. Hope worked until close to the end of her life, passing away from heart failure in 1979.
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0814064
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q442374
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Filmography (Movies)
Evil Town
Character:Alice Wylie (as Hope Summer)
Release Date:02/06/1987
Smokey and the Good Time Outlaws
Character:Marcie
Release Date:03/11/1978
Foul Play
Character:Ethel
Release Date:14/07/1978
Dr. Shagetz
Character:Alice Wylie
Release Date:01/01/1975
Death Sentence
Character:Emily Boylan
Release Date:02/10/1974
Our Time
Character:Biology Teacher
Release Date:10/04/1974
Indict and Convict
Character:Mrs. Potter
Release Date:06/01/1974
Charley Varrick
Character:Mess Vesta
Release Date:19/09/1973
Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies
Character:Laura
Release Date:31/03/1973
Where Does It Hurt?
Character:Nurse Throttle
Release Date:24/07/1972
Get to Know Your Rabbit
Character:Mrs. Beeman
Release Date:07/06/1972
The Learning Tree
Character:Mrs. Kiner
Release Date:06/08/1969
The Shakiest Gun in the West
Character:Celia
Release Date:10/07/1968
Rosemary's Baby
Character:Mrs. Gilmore
Release Date:12/06/1968
Penelope
Character:Shop Lady (uncredited)
Release Date:10/11/1966
The Ghost & Mr. Chicken
Character:Susanna Blush
Release Date:20/01/1966
The Hallelujah Trail
Character:Mrs. Hasselrad
Release Date:23/06/1965
One Man's Way
Character:Mrs. Elwood Thompson
Release Date:26/02/1964
Spencer's Mountain
Character:Mother Ida
Release Date:16/05/1963
The Couch
Character:Mrs. Quimby
Release Date:21/02/1962
The Children's Hour
Character:Agatha
Release Date:19/12/1961
Claudelle Inglish
Character:Ernestine Peasley (uncredited)
Release Date:20/09/1961
Homicidal
Character:Martha Adrims (Uncredited)
Release Date:26/07/1961
Angel Baby
Character:Woman at Revival Meeting (uncredited)
Release Date:14/05/1961
Parrish
Character:Mary (uncredited)
Release Date:04/05/1961
Inherit the Wind
Character:Mrs. Krebs - Righteous Townswoman
Release Date:07/07/1960
Hound-Dog Man
Character:Jewell Crouch
Release Date:11/11/1959
Edge of Eternity
Character:Motel Attendant
Release Date:02/11/1959
I Want to Live!
Character:Ethel - Policewoman on Bus (uncredited)
Release Date:18/11/1958
Zero Hour!
Character:Older Woman
Release Date:13/11/1957
Son of Man
Character:Miss Johnson
Release Date:01/01/1954
Better Use of Leisure Time
Character:Mrs. Michaels (uncredited)
Release Date:31/12/1950
Television Appearances
Another Day
Character:
Snip
Character:Aunt Polly
Starsky & Hutch
Character:
Welcome Back, Kotter
Character:
Chico and the Man
Character:
Little House on the Prairie
Character:Addie Bjornesen
M*A*S*H
Character:Nurse Meg Cratty
Night Gallery
Character:
Mayberry R.F.D.
Character:Clara Edwards
Mayberry R.F.D.
Character:Clara
Adam-12
Character:Clara Fisher
Hawaii Five-O
Character:Minnie Leona Moroney
The Second Hundred Years
Character:Mrs. Hansen
That Girl
Character:
Love on a Rooftop
Character:
The Pruitts of Southampton
Character:
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Character:
Bewitched
Character:
The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters
Character:Mrs. Rutledge
Glynis
Character:
Petticoat Junction
Character:Mabel Denton
The Beverly Hillbillies
Character:
The Dick Van Dyke Show
Character:
The New Breed
Character:Mrs. McCurtin
Dr. Kildare
Character:Madge
The Andy Griffith Show
Character:Clara Edwards
My Three Sons
Character:
Dennis the Menace
Character:
The Third Man
Character:Irate woman
Law of the Plainsman
Character:Mrs. Dodge
The Rifleman
Character:
The Rifleman
Character:Hattie Denton
Peter Gunn
Character:
Maverick
Character:
The Thin Man
Character:
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Character:Marie Tallendier
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Character:Maid
Gunsmoke
Character:Ellen Cade
Gunsmoke
Character:Della
Gunsmoke
Character:Jen
Letter to Loretta
Character:Nurse O'Brien
General Electric Theater
Character:Elizabeth
Private Secretary
Character:
General Electric Theater
Character:Mrs. Wagner
General Electric Theater
Character:Aunt
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Character:
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Character:Old Lady
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