Madge Blake

Madge Blake (May 31, 1899 – June 19, 1969) was an American character actress best remembered for her role as Aunt Harriet Cooper on ABC's Batman TV series (1966-68).

Early life

Madge Blake's father, Albert Cummings, was a Methodist who discouraged her entry into acting. As such, she stayed out of acting until later in life. During World War II, she and her husband worked in Utah on construction of the detonator for the atomic bomb and performed such jobs as testing equipment destined for the Manhattan Project.^[1]

Though she was five years his senior, she was a niece of actor Milburn Stone. She took advantage of his influence to help her land acting roles. In the middle 1950s, she appeared on Rod Cameron's City Detective crime drama and in Ray Milland's sitcom, Meet Mr. McNutley, renamed in the second season as The Ray Milland Show. Blake also appeared in four episodes of the NBC sitcom It's a Great Life, which aired from 1954-56.

Acting career

In addition to her Batman role, Blake portrayed the baffled Margaret Mondello, mother of Larry Mondello (played by Rusty Stevens) on Leave It to Beaver (1957), gushy gossip columnist Dora Bailey in Singin' in the Rain (1952), and was a model for one of the fairies in Disney's animated version of Sleeping Beauty (1959). Blake appeared as the babysitter, Mrs. Porter, in the pilot of Dennis the Menace (1959). In 1961, she guest starred in the episode "A View of Murder" of the crime drama The Brothers Brannagan.

Blake portrayed the role of Flora McMichael, a romantic interest to Walter Brennan's Grandpa Amos McCoy in ABC's The Real McCoys, a popular situation comedy about a West Virginia mountain family that relocated to southern California. Andy Clyde played Flora's brother, George McMichael. The series ran for six seasons: five on ABC from 1957-62, and a final season on CBS from 1962-63. She also played the role of a pet shop owner in an episode of the "George Burns and Gracie Allen Show."

Prior to her role in Batman, she had a recurring role on The Jack Benny Program as the president of The Jack Benny Fan Club - Pasadena Chapter. She appeared in the pilot episode of The Addams Family (broadcast in the U.S in September 1964) as Miss Comstock, an official from the Addams' children's school. Blake also appeared in a memorable episode of I Love Lucy in 1957 with George Reeves guest-starring as Superman and in an earlier episode as store clerk, Mrs. Mulford (1954).

At one point, the producers of Batman wanted to fire Blake for unknown reasons. Adam West, with whom she had become friends, stood up for her and she kept her job. The next day, he found a freshly baked cake in his dressing room.

Declining health and death

Declining health saw her role as Aunt Harriet reduced, and with the introduction of Batgirl in the third and final season of Batman she only appeared in two episodes that season as a guest role.

She was admitted to a hospital after falling at home and fracturing her ankle. She died at the age of 70 in the hospital from a heart attack, a little more than a year after Batman was cancelled.

Filmography

• Adam's Rib (1949)
• A Life of Her Own (1950)
• Between Midnight and Dawn (1950)
• Finders Keepers (1951)
• The Prowler (1951)
• M (1951)
• No Questions Asked (1951)
• Queen for a Day (1951)
• Rhubarb (1951)
• A Millionaire for Christy (1951)
• An American in Paris (1951)
• Singin' in the Rain (1952)
• Skirts Ahoy! (1952)
• Washington Story (1952)
• Something for the Birds (1952)
• The Iron Mistress (1952)
• It Grows on Trees (1952)
• The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)
• It Happens Every Thursday (1953)
• The Band Wagon (1953)
• Dangerous Crossing (1953)
• The Long, Long Trailer (1954)
• Rhapsody (1954)
• Fireman Save My Child (1954)
• Brigadoon (1954)
• Ricochet Romance (1954)
• Ain't Misbehavin' (1955)
• The Private War of Major Benson (1955)
• It's Always Fair Weather (1955)
• The Tender Trap (1955)
• Glory (1956)
• Please Murder Me (1956)
• The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956)
• Kelly and Me (1957)
• Designing Woman (1957)
• Loving You (1957)
• All Mine to Give (1957)
• The Heart Is a Rebel (1958)
• Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1960)
• Sergeants 3 (1962)
• Looking for Love (1964)
• The Trouble with Angels (1966)
• The Last of the Secret Agents? (1966)
• Batman (1966)
• Follow Me, Boys! (1966)

References

External links

Biography portal

• Madge Blake at the Internet Movie Database
• Madge Blake at Find a Grave
• 1966 Batman TV Heroes - Madge Blake