# Merry Anders

Merry Anders (born Mary Helen Anderson; May 22, 1934 – October 28, 2012) was an American actress who appeared in a number of television programs and films from the 1950s until her retirement from the screen in 1972.

## Early life

Anders was born in Chicago in 1934, the only child of Charles, a contractor, and Helen Anderson. Anders was of German, Irish and Swedish descent. In 1949, Anders and her mother visited Los Angeles for two weeks. They decided to remain in Los Angeles permanently while Charles Anderson remained in Chicago. While she was a student at John Burroughs Middle School, Anders met former actress Rita Leroy who encouraged her to begin a modeling career. While working as a junior model, Anders began studying acting at the Ben Bard Playhouse. It was there that a talent scout from 20th Century Fox spotted her and signed her to a film contract in 1951.

## Career

Anders made her film debut in the 1951 musical Golden Girl. For the next two years, she appeared in small and supporting roles in several 20th Century Fox films. In 1954, Fox dropped her. Later that year, Anders joined the cast of The Stu Erwin Show. She remained with the series until its cancellation in 1955. Anders was then cast in the CBS sitcom It's Always Jan, starring Janis Paige. That series was canceled after one season.
Shortly after the birth of her daughter in 1956, Anders took over the role of "Rita Marlowe" (popularized by Jayne Mansfield) in the West Coast touring production of the Broadway hit Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?. In 1957, Anders had a much-publicized leading role in Paramount Pictures film Hear Me Good, opposite Hal March. She starred in four low-budget films that same year, The Dalton Girls, Calypso Heat Wave, The Night Runner and Escape from San Quentin.
Also in 1957, Anders landed the role of Mike McCall in the NTA Film Network and syndicated sitcom How to Marry a Millionaire. The series was based on the hit 1953 film of the same name (in which Anders appeared in a bit role) starring Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe, and Lauren Bacall. Anders co-starred in the series with Barbara Eden and Lori Nelson. The first season of How to Marry a Millionaire was fairly successful and it was renewed for a second, abbreviated season. It was cancelled in 1959.
During the early to mid 1960s, Anders continued her career with mainly supporting film roles and guest spots on television. In 1960, she appeared in the horror film The Hypnotic Eye followed by a role in the Western Young Jesse James. Anders went on to land guest roles on Surfside 6, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Hawaiian Eye, Death Valley Days, 77 Sunset Strip, and Perry Mason. In 1962 Anders appeared as Ruth Graham/Fay Pierce on Cheyenne in the episode titled "The Long Rope." She also appeared on The Addams Family as a cosmetics salesperson ("Fester's Punctured Romance").
In 1962, Anders was cast in the first English-language live action film adaptation of the 18th century French fairy tale Beauty and the Beast. She was one of the scientists who travelled through time in The Time Travelers, a 1964 American science fiction film directed by Ib Melchior.
In 1965, she appeared opposite Elvis Presley in the musical comedy Tickle Me. The following year, she appeared in the recurring role of "Alice" in the teen soap opera Never Too Young. Later that year, Anders had a supporting role in the B movie Women of the Prehistoric Planet.
From 1967 to 1968, she appeared in seven episodes of Jack Webb's Dragnet series on NBC, in which she played policewoman Dorothy Miller. She appeared in a recurring role on Lassie.
By the late 1960s, Anders' acting career had begun to wane. In 1968, she appeared as uncredited "glorified extra" in the film Airport (1970). To supplement her income between acting jobs, Anders took a job as a receptionist at Litton Industries. Her final acting role was a guest spot in the two-part Gunsmoke episode "Waste", which aired late September and early October 1971.
Anders retired from acting in 1972 in order to "live a normal life." She eventually became a customer relations coordinator at Litton Industries, where she remained until her retirement in 1994.

## Personal life and death

On March 25, 1955, Anders married producer John Stephens. They separated on July 12, 1955. Two weeks later, she discovered she was pregnant with the couple's first child. Their daughter, Tina Beth Paige Anders, was born in March 1956. Anders and Stephens were divorced in June 1956. In 1986, Anders married engineer Richard Benedict; the couple remained married until his death in 1999.
On October 28, 2012, Anders died in Encino, California, aged 78, from undisclosed causes.

## Filmography

Film :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1951 | Golden Girl | Chorine | Uncredited |
| 1952 | Belles on Their Toes | Student / Graduate | Uncredited |
| 1952 | Wait till the Sun Shines, Nellie | Adeline Halper / Adeline Burdge | Uncredited |
| 1952 | Les Misérables | Cicely | Uncredited |
| 1953 | Titanic | College Girl | Uncredited |
| 1953 | The Farmer Takes a Wife | Hannah | |
| 1953 | How to Marry a Millionaire | Model | Uncredited |
| 1954 | Three Coins in the Fountain | Girl | Uncredited |
| 1954 | Princess of the Nile | Handmaiden | |
| 1954 | Phffft! | Marsha | Uncredited |
| 1955 | All That Heaven Allows | Mary Ann | |
| 1957 | The Night Runner | Amy Hansen | |
| 1957 | Desk Set | Cathy | |
| 1957 | Calypso Heat Wave | Marti Collins | |
| 1957 | No Time to Be Young | Gloria Stuben | |
| 1957 | Escape from San Quentin | Robbie | |
| 1957 | Death in Small Doses | Amy "Miss Diesel of 1958" Phillips | |
| 1957 | Hear Me Good | Ruth Collins | |
| 1957 | The Dalton Girls | Holly Dalton | |
| 1958 | Violent Road | Carrie, The Girl in the Convertible | |
| 1960 | The Hypnotic Eye | Dodie Wilson | |
| 1960 | Five Bold Women | Missouri Lady Ellen Downs | |
| 1960 | Young Jesse James | Belle Starr | |
| 1960 | The Walking Target | Susan Mallory | |
| 1960 | Spring Affair | Dorothy | |
| 1961 | The Police Dog Story | Terry Dayton | |
| 1961 | The Gambler Wore a Gun | Sharon Donovan | |
| 1961 | When the Clock Strikes | Ellie | |
| 1961 | 20,000 Eyes | Karen Walker | |
| 1961 | Secret of Deep Harbor | Janey Fowler | |
| 1962 | Patty | Mary | Alternative titles: The Shame of Patty Smith Doctor Please Help Me Gang Rape |
| 1962 | Beauty and the Beast | Sybil | |
| 1962 | Air Patrol | Mona Whitney | |
| 1963 | FBI Code 98 | Grace McLean | |
| 1963 | House of the Damned | Nancy Campbell | |
| 1963 | Police Nurse | Joan Olson | |
| 1964 | A Tiger Walks | Betty Collins | |
| 1964 | The Quick Gun | Helen Reed | |
| 1964 | The Time Travelers | Carol White | |
| 1964 | Young Fury | Alice | |
| 1964 | Raiders from Beneath the Sea | Dottie Harper | |
| 1965 | Tickle Me | Estelle Penfield | |
| 1966 | Women of the Prehistoric Planet | Lieutenant Karen Lamont | |
| 1970 | Airport | Mrs. Burt Ball, Passenger | Uncredited |
| 1971 | Will to Die | Laura Dean | Alternative titles: Legacy of Blood Blood Legacy |
Television :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1954 | The Public Defender | Agnes Fay | Season 1 Episode 26: "The Last Appeal" |
| 1954 | The Ford Television Theatre | Phoebe Dinsmore | Season 2 Episode 37: "The Mason-Dixon Line" |
| 1954 | The Ford Television Theatre | Marlene | Season 3 Episode 12: "Slide, Darling, Slide" |
| 1954–1955 | The Stu Erwin Show | Joyce Erwin | 26 episodes |
| 1955 | TV Reader's Digest | Sally | Season 1 Episode 14: "Honeymoon in Mexico" |
| 1955 | The Loretta Young Show | Angela | Season 2 Episode 32: "He Always Comes Home" |
| 1955 | It's Always Jan | Val Marlowe | Season 1 Episode 1: "The Four of Us" |
| 1955 | It's Always Jan | Val Marlowe | Season 1 Episode 2: "Child Actress" |
| 1955 | It's Always Jan | Val Marlowe | Season 1 Episode 6: "Playboy" |
| 1955 | It's Always Jan | Val Marlowe | Season 1 Episode 7: "Stanley's Trip" |
| 1955 | It's Always Jan | Val Marlowe | Season 1 Episode 8: "Special Material" |
| 1956 | It's Always Jan | Val Marlowe | Season 1 Episode 15: "Housekeeper" |
| 1956 | The Millionaire | Helen Forrester | Season 3 Episode 11: "The Jay Powers Story" |
| 1957 | Broken Arrow | Amy Breece | Season 2 Episode 11: "Smoke Signal" |
| 1957 | Sugarfoot | Katie Brannigan | Season 1 Episode 1: "Brannigan's Boots" |
| 1957 | Cheyenne | Sherry Raven | Season 2 Episode 14: "Big Ghost Basin" |
| 1957–1959 | How to Marry a Millionaire | Mike McCall | 52 episodes |
| 1958 | Decision | Lucy Hamilton | Season 1 Episode 13: "Man on a Raft" |
| 1958 | 77 Sunset Strip | Marcia Frome | Season 1 Episode 7: "All Our Yesterdays" |
| 1959 | Sugarfoot | Sally Ormand | Season 3 Episode 6: "Outlaw Island" |
| 1959 | State Trooper | Mrs. Wallace | Season 3 Episode 7: "The Case of the Barefoot Girl" |
| 1959 | Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer | Harriet Britton | Season 2 Episode 16: "Swing Low, Sweet Harriet" |
| 1959 | Tales of Wells Fargo | Laurie Hammer | Season 3 Episode 33: "The Tall Texan" |
| 1959 | The Ann Sothern Show | Myrna | Season 2 Episode 2: "Katy and the Cowboy" |
| 1959 | Richard Diamond, Private Detective | Claudia Reed | Season 3 Episode 21: "Bookie" |
| 1959 | The Real McCoys | Miss McLean | Season 3 Episode 20: "The Lawsuit" |
| 1960 | Cheyenne | Ruth Graham / Fay Pierce | Season 5 Episode 1: "The Long Rope" |
| 1960 | Bonanza | Virginia Keith | Season 1 Episode 29: "Bitter Water" |
| 1960 | Bronco | Francy Owens | Season 2 Episode 19: "Winter Kill" |
| 1960 | The Case of the Dangerous Robin | Annette Du Blanc | Season 1 Episode 3: "On Consignment" |
| 1960 | Maverick | Penelope Greeley | Season 3 Episode 21: "The People's Friend" |
| 1960 | Maverick | Maggie Bradford | Season 4 Episode 3: "The Town That Wasn't There" |
| 1960 | Maverick | Marybelle McCall | Season 4 Episode 15: "Destination Devil's Flat" |
| 1960 | Hawaiian Eye | Lisa Barton | Season 1 Episode 19: "Hong Kong Passage" |
| 1961 | Hawaiian Eye | Kitty Todd | Season 2 Episode 29: "Don't Kiss Me Goodbye" |
| 1961 | Hawaiian Eye | Maxine Wheaton | Season 3 Episode 6: "Pill in the Box" |
| 1961 | 77 Sunset Strip | Lorrie Lambers | Season 3 Episode 24: "Face in the Window" |
| 1961 | 77 Sunset Strip | | Season 3 Episode 25: "Tiger by the Tail" |
| 1961 | 77 Sunset Strip | Lally Embry | Season 4 Episode 5: "The Lady Has the Answers" |
| 1961 | Maverick | Cissie Anderson | Season 5 Episode 4: "Three Queens Full" |
| 1961 | The Loretta Young Show | Lenore Cooper | Season 8 Episode 14: "Enter at Your Own Risk" |
| 1961 | Bronco | Lucy Follett | Season 3 Episode 4: "Ordeal at Dead Tree" |
| 1961 | Surfside 6 | Chris Karns | Season 1 Episode 17: "Yesterday's Hero" |
| 1961 | The Case of the Dangerous Robin | | Season 1 Episode 24: "The Deadly Impersonation" |
| 1961 | Bringing Up Buddy | Diane Mitchell | Season 1 Episode 25: "Buddy and the Amazon" |
| 1961 | Michael Shayne | Ginger Dennis | Season 1 Episode 32: "Dead Air" |
| 1961 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Lena | Season 7 Episode 3: "Maria" |
| 1961 | The New Bob Cummings Show | | Season 1 Episode 4: "The Ox-Tail Incident" |
| 1961 | Ichabod and Me | Leona 'Red' Smith | Season 1 Episode 12: "Benjie's Spots" |
| 1961 | Ichabod and Me | Leona | Season 1 Episode 14: "Bob's Redhead" |
| 1961 | Perry Mason | Adele Bentley | Season 4 Episode 19: "The Case of the Blind Man's Bluff" |
| 1962 | Perry Mason | Sadie Hepner | Season 5 Episode 19: "The Case of the Glamorous Ghost" |
| 1962 | 77 Sunset Strip | Mary O'Neil | Season 5 Episode 11: "The Odds on Odette" |
| 1962 | Hawaiian Eye | Gloria Burns | Season 3 Episode 38: "Koko Kate" |
| 1962 | Straightaway | Barbara | Season 1 Episode 20: "Tiger by the Tail" |
| 1963 | The Jack Benny Program | Kidnapper aka Florence Nightingale | Season 13 Episode 24: "Jack Is Kidnapped" |
| 1963 | The Joey Bishop Show | Leslie Medford Wallingford | Season 2 Episode 19: "Freddie Goes Highbrow" |
| 1964 | The Joey Bishop Show | Barbara | Season 3 Episode 13: "Jack Carter Helps Joey Propose" |
| 1964 | Perry Mason | Joyce Carlton | Season 7 Episode 22: "The Case of the Garrulous Go-Between" |
| 1964 | Arrest and Trial | Joyce | Season 1 Episode 15: "Funny Man with a Monkey" |
| 1964 | Arrest and Trial | Joyce | Season 1 Episode 21: "The Best There Is" |
| 1964 | The Virginian | Donna Durrell | Season 2 Episode 30: "A Man Called Kane" |
| 1964 | The Addams Family | Miss Carver | Season 1 Episode 3: "Fester's Punctured Romance" |
| 1966 | Get Smart | Joanna Sloan | Season 1 Episode 20: "All in the Mind" |
| 1966 | Never Too Young | Alice | 93 episodes |
| 1967 | Lassie | Carol Dawson | Season 14 Episode 3: "Cry of the Wild" |
| 1967 | Lassie | Carol Dawson | Season 14 Episode 4: "The Guardian" |
| 1967 | Lassie | Carol Dawson | Season 14 Episode 4: "Starfire" |
| 1967 | Dragnet | Policewoman Dorothy Miller | Season 1 Episode 7: "The Hammer" |
| 1967 | Dragnet | Policewoman Dorothy Miller | Season 1 Episode 8: "The Candy Store Robberies" |
| 1967 | Dragnet | Policewoman Dorothy Miller | Season 1 Episode 9: "The Fur Job" |
| 1967 | Dragnet | Policewoman Dorothy Miller | Season 2 Episode 8: "The Big High" |
| 1967 | Dragnet | Policewoman Dorothy Miller | Season 2 Episode 11: "The Big Dog" |
| 1968 | Dragnet | Policewoman Dorothy Miller | Season 2 Episode 21: "The Big Clan" |
| 1968 | Dragnet | Policewoman Dorothy Miller | Season 3 Episode 2: "Juvenile: DR-05" |
| 1968 | Lassie | Ann | Season 15 Episode 2: "Burst of Freedom" |
| 1971 | Gunsmoke | Shirley | Season 17 Episode 3: "Waste: Part 1" |
| 1971 | Gunsmoke | Shirley | Season 17 Episode 4: "Waste: Part 2" (final appearance) |