Peggy Webber
Webber in a 1955 episode of Dragnet
Born (1925-09-15) September 15, 1925
Laredo, Texas, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1937–present
TelevisionDragnet (1952–1955)
The Waltons (1976)
The Smurfs (1983–1984)
Spouse
Dr. Robert Marshall Sinskey
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​
(m. 1951; div. 1967)​
​
​
(m. 1983; died 2003)​
Children3

Peggy Webber (born September 15, 1925)[1] is an American actress and writer who has worked in film, stage, television, and radio.

Early years

The daughter of a wildcat oil driller,[2] Webber was born in Laredo, Texas.[1]

In 1942, she graduated from Tucson High School, where she was active in dramatics.[3] Before she was 3 years old, she was entertaining audiences at intermission times in theaters.[4]

Film

Her screen debut came in the 1946 film Her Adventurous Night. She played Lady Macduff in Orson Welles' adaptation of Macbeth. Her other notable roles include Mrs. Alice Rice in the 1952 film Submarine Command and Miss Dennerly in The Wrong Man, directed by Alfred Hitchcock.[5]

Radio

Webber debuted on radio at age 12 on WOAI (AM) in San Antonio, Texas.[6] Her vocal talents for radio were highlighted in Time magazine's August 5, 1946, issue. The Radio: Vocal Varieties article noted, "In three years, her latex voice has supplied radio with 150 different characters on some 2,500 broadcasts."[7]

Programs on which she was heard included The Dreft Star Playhouse,[6] Dragnet,[8] The Woman in My House,[9]: 358  Pete Kelly's Blues,[9]: 269  Dr. Paul,[9]: 101  The Damon Runyon Theater,[9] and The Man Called X.[3] In 1979, she played many characters on Sears Radio Theater.

She is the founder of California Artists Radio Theatre.[8]

The September 8, 2019, episode of The Big Broadcast highlighted her career and included a recent interview in which she mentioned her current projects.[10]

Television

Webber appeared on a number of television programs. She portrayed Elise Sandor in Kings Row on ABC in 1955–56.[11]

She also played abused sister Flora Stencil in the 1957 episode of Gunsmoke in the episode "Cheap Labor".

Writing, directing, and producing

Webber wrote and directed "some 250 stage plays, radio and television programs."[4] She was writer and producer for Treasures of Literature, an early television program. In her later years, she was responsible for writing, directing, and producing "hundreds of new audio programs."[4]

Recognition

Webber received the 2014 Norman Corwin Award for Excellence in Audio Theatre, "which celebrates a lifetime of achievement in this sonic art."[4] She was the first woman so honored.[4] Her program Treasure of Literature was named "Most Popular Television Program – 1949" by the Television Academy.[12]

Filmography

Films
Year Title Role Note
1946 Her Adventurous Night Miss Howard Uncredited
1946 Little Miss Big Ellen
1948 Macbeth Lady Macduff / The Three
1951 Fighting Coast Guard Head Hostess
1951 Journey Into Light Jane Burrows
1951 Submarine Command Alice Rice
1956 The Wrong Man Alice Dennerly
1958 The Screaming Skull Jenni Whitlock
1958 The Space Children Anne Brewster
1965 The Greatest Story Ever Told Woman praying at temple Uncredited
1987 'Tis the Season to Be Smurfy Elise Voice
Television
Year Title Role Note
1952–1955 Dragnet Peg Ruskin / Virginia Sterling / Leona Perry / Police dispatcher / Roberta Salazar
1955 Public Defender Mrs. Gayley
1955 Medic Stell Ramsey
1955 The Whistler Denise Clark
1955 Big Town Carla Jackson
1955 Matinee Theatre Cathy
1956 Frontier Meg Horn
1956 Damon Runyon Theatre Claire Simpson
1956 Front Row Center Kathy Mullin
1956 Cheyenne Ella McIntyre
1956 Climax! Inez Harley
1956 Chevron Hall of Stars Martha
1956 The Millionaire Mildred Kester
1957 Jane Wymann Presents the Fireside Theatre Mrs. Helding
1957 The Ford Television Theatre Mrs. Wane
1957 Zane Grey Theatre Norah
1957 Gunsmoke Flora Stancil
1957 The Walter Winchell File Mary
1957–1960 M Squad Mary Nichols / Amy Pryor
1958 Panic! Fran Pulaski
1959 Wagon Train Millie Collins
1959 Wanted: Dead or Alive Minnie Lee Blake
1959 Man Without a Gun Kate Hutchins
1959 Trackdown Nora
1960 Law of the Plainsman Hattie Mullen
1960 The Rebel Juanita Flynn
1962 Laramie Martha Grundy
1967 I Spy Sister Agatha
1967–1970 Dragnet 1967 Jean Sawyer / Mrs. Atkins / Alice Philbin / Mrs. Mary Tucker/ Mrs Eunice Rustin /

Marian Stanley / Mrs. Peggy Lassin / Janet Ohrmund
1968 The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Old Lady / Maiden Voice
1969 The Survivors Wife on TV
1969 Marcus Welby, M.D. Mrs. Ross
1971–1972 Night Gallery Old Crone / First Phone Operator
1971–1973 Adam–12 Mrs. Rule / Mary Grant
1976 The Waltons Eva Hadley
1977 Emergency! Helen Phillips
1978 Project U.F.O. Emma Smith / Helen Carson
1981 Bossom Buddies Dr. Fritzly
1982 Quincy M.E. Woman
1983–1984 The Smurfs Elderberry Voice
2005 The Inside Mama Bunch Episode: "Everything Nice"

References

  1. 1 2 Who's Who in the West?. Vol. 3. University of Michigan. 2000. p. 662. ISBN 9780837909301.
  2. ↑ Weaver, Tom (2010). A Sci-Fi Swarm and Horror Horde: Interviews with 62 Filmmakers. McFarland. p. 191. ISBN 9780786458318. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Peggy Webber to Be on Air". Tucson Daily Citizen. Arizona, Tucson. June 13, 1946. p. 5. Retrieved August 2, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Zizza, Sue (October 2014). "Hear now festival honors radio actress: Webber receives Norman Corwin Award for excellence in audio theatre". Radio World. 38 (25). Retrieved 2 August 2016. – via General OneFile (subscription required)
  5. ↑ "Radio theater's Peggy Webber is 90 – and cooler than you". Los Angeles Weekly. 6 May 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
  6. 1 2 DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-2834-2. P. 278.
  7. ↑ "Radio: Vocal Varieties". Time. August 5, 1946. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  8. 1 2 "Peggy Webber". Cartradio.com. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4. Pp. 89-90.
  10. ↑ Interview with Peggy Webber @7:45 pm https://wamu.org/story/19/09/01/the-big-broadcast-september-8-2019/
  11. ↑ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7. P. 567.
  12. ↑ "Awards Search". Television Academy. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
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