Bel Geddes, Barbara
The Oxford Companion to American Theatre
|
2004
|
|
© The Oxford Companion to American Theatre 2004, originally published by Oxford University Press 2004. (Hide copyright information)
Copyright
Bel Geddes, Barbara (1922–2005), actress. She was born in New York, the daughter of scenic designer Norman
Bel Geddes, and made her debut as a walk‐on in summer stock in 1940. The next year she came to Broadway as Dottie Coburn, a fledgling actress, in
Out of the Frying Pan, then toured for the USO as the over‐imaginative Judy in
Junior Miss. After appearing in several failures, Bel Geddes began to earn attention as Cynthia Brown, the daughter who encourages her father to have an affair, in
Little Darling (1942), followed by her coed‐turned‐detective Alice, in
Nine Girls (1943) and Wilhelmina in
Mrs. January and Mr. X (1944). She first won important recognition as Genevra Langdon, the sympathetic younger daughter, in
Deep Are the Roots (1945), then scored a major success as the naive actress Patty O'Neill in
The Moon Is Blue (1951). Turning again to more serious roles, she portrayed the suicidal Rose Pemberton in
The Living Room (1954) and Maggie, the unloved wife, in
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955). Bel Geddes shone as the American chorine Mary in
The Sleeping Prince (1956) and the lonely Katherine Johnson in
Silent Night, Lonely Night (1959), but her biggest hit came as the contrary heroine of
Mary, Mary (1961). Her final roles were the bored housewife‐turned‐prostitute in
Everything in the Garden (1967) and the loyal wife Katy Cooper in
Finishing Touches (1973) before concentrating on television. A strapping blonde, Bel Geddes's performance in
Deep Are the Roots was praised by Lewis Nichols in the
Times as having “grace and tenderness and an honesty which breathes life into the part,” while Brooks
Atkinson later wrote in the same paper that her acting in
Mary, Mary had “an agreeably light touch; her quirk of pausing for quick intakes of breath in the midst of phrases, whether a habit or not, seems felicitous.”
Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.
|
TORONTO (3) AT OAKLAND (2) - EVENT LOG
News Wire article from: United Press International; 4/25/2000; 700+ words
; ...United Press International 04-25-2000 TORONTO (3) AT OAKLAND (2) - EVENT LOG...TORONTO (3) AT OAKLAND (2) - EVENT LOG...Toronto Starting Lineups -- Jose Cruz Jr CF...
|
|
TORONTO (4) AT TEXAS (0) - EVENT LOG
News Wire article from: United Press International; 4/8/2000; 700+ words
; ...United Press International 04-08-2000 TORONTO (4) AT TEXAS (0) - EVENT LOG...TORONTO (4) AT TEXAS (0) - EVENT LOG...Toronto Starting Lineups -- Shannon Stewart LF...
|
|
TORONTO (4) AT OAKLAND (2) - EVENT LOG
News Wire article from: United Press International; 4/27/2000; 700+ words
; ...United Press International 04-27-2000 TORONTO (4) AT OAKLAND (2) - EVENT LOG...TORONTO (4) AT OAKLAND (2) - EVENT LOG...Toronto Starting Lineups -- Jose Cruz Jr CF...
|
|
Toronto woos international shoppers with holiday campaigns in UK and Mexico.
PR Newswire; 9/25/2007; 700+ words
; TORONTO, Sept. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Tourism Toronto announced today two major international awareness campaigns designed to elevate Toronto's position as a cosmopolitan, stylish destination for...
|
|
Toronto has strong transportation infrastructure.(Market Study: Toronto)
Magazine article from: Chain Drug Review; 6/17/1996; 700+ words
; TORONTO - Toronto's network of expressways resembles that of other major North American...ago. At that time the provincial government denied permission to the Toronto Metropolitan Regional Municipality to complete a major expressway cutting...
|
|
Metropolitan Toronto fact sheet. (NEWS ADVISORY)
PR Newswire; 10/4/1989; 700+ words
; ...ADVISORY -- TO TRAVEL EDITOR: METROPOLITAN TORONTO FACT SHEET The following was prepared by the Metropolitan Toronto Convention & Visitors Association...lives within a 100-mile radius of Toronto. It's the 9th-largest urban center...
|
|
Toronto Region tourism growth led by overseas and Canadian visitors.
PR Newswire; 5/3/2007; 700+ words
; Tourism Toronto to leverage strong summer event line-up in marketing the region to travellers TORONTO, May 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Tourism across the Toronto region was bolstered in 2006 by record visitor numbers...
|
|
Toronto Star Readership Rises in Latest Survey; New NADbank results show Star increases print and online dominance in Greater Toronto Area.
News Wire article from: Marketwire Canada; 9/23/2009; 700+ words
; TORONTO, ONTARIO, Sep 23, 2009 (Marketwire via COMTEX) -- The Toronto Star has increased its dominance as the most-read newspaper and newspaper website in the Greater Toronto Area, according to the latest newspaper readership...
|
|
Toronto: A historical leader in transportation innovations
Magazine article from: Institute of Transportation Engineers. ITE Journal; 4/1/1998; ; 700+ words
; TORONTO IS THE SITE OF THE 68TH ITE ANNUAL MEETING...WORKS." Over the past 150 years, as Toronto has grown into the financial and industrial...airports and bicycle facilities. The Toronto section of ITE has members involved in...
|
|
Toronto set to welcome visitors for another magical holiday season.
PR Newswire; 11/9/2007; 700+ words
; ...packages from $89(x) per night TORONTO, Nov. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- This...the magic of the holidays begins in Toronto with Canada's widest range of shopping...theatre, winter festivals and classic Toronto holiday moments. "The holiday experience...
|
|
Toronto
Encyclopedia entry from: Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of World Cities
Toronto Toronto, Ontario, Canada, North America Founded: 1720; Incorporated: 1834...beginning with M5 1. Located on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario, Toronto is a city that has undergone a major transformation in the second half...
|
|
The Toronto-Dominion Bank
Book article from: International Directory of Company Histories
The Toronto-Dominion Bank Post Office Box 1 King Street West and Bay Street Toronto, Ontario M5K 1A2 Canada (416) 982-8222 Public...billion (US$48.7 billion) Stock Index: Toronto Winnipeg Montreal Tokyo Vancouver London Alberta...
|
|
Toronto Blessing
Book article from: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
Toronto Blessing. The term was first coined by...Jan. 1994 a small charismatic church in Toronto, of the Vineyard denomination (the...have become synonymous with ‘Toronto’: they include falling or resting...
|
|
University of Toronto
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
University of Toronto at Toronto, Ont., Canada; nondenominational; provincially supported...achieved university status in 1849 and is governed under the Univ. of Toronto Act (1971). The largest university in Canada, it administers...
|
|
Toronto blessing
Book article from: The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
Toronto blessing a manifestation of religious ecstasy, typically involving mass fainting, with speaking in tongues, laughter, or weeping, associated with a charismatic revival among evangelical Christians which originated in a fellowship meeting at Toronto airport chapel in 1994.
|