HELEN KLEEB, PORTLAND RADIO ACTRESS - LATER ON TVS THE WALTONS Today January 6, 1907 Helen F. Kleeb was born in South Bend, Washington to Ethel M. & Arthur William Kleeb. Her father was the mill superintendent of the Kleeb Lumber Co. By 1920 the Kleeb family was living in Grays Harbor, Wash. On November 14, 1920 it was announced Helen was chosen as Freshmen Secretary of Aberdeen High School. By 1923 the family had moved to Silverton, Oregon. In 1924 Helen graduated from Silverton High School. In 1925 she moved to Portland and began attending the Ellison-White Conservatory of Music, in The Broadway Building, which had the Doris Smith Stagescraft dept. & Elizabeth Woodbury, Speech Art, which she was most interested. In 1926 she began appearing in Benson Polytechnic class plays and did skits for groups such as the Sunnyside Theater for the Parent-Teacher Assoc. such as dramatic readings, comedy, etc. Many of these done with Ruth Archer. By 1928 Helen was living at: 324 N.E. 10th St. In May 1928 Helen landed her first big leading role in the Rose Festival Pageant Where Rolls The Oregon. She played a beautiful Indian Maiden at Multnomah Civic Stadium. His landed her choice roles in plays like Merton of The Movies and the burlesque Chestnuts off The Community Chest. She had also played several roles with The Henry Duffy Players. In November 1928 the Duffy Players took Helen to Seattle for what was said to be two weeks of plays but she continued with the players to San Francisco and in January 1929 signed a contract to appear with The Duffy Players for the rest of the year in San Francisco, in the leading role of the play Her Night Out. Then to Los Angeles with the play Marys Other Husband. Helen leads a cast of all-round ability with a deliciously droll characterization as the hard-boiled maid. In December 1929 Helen was back in Seattle with the Duffy Players and then back to Portland by April 1930 with the players. In 1931 she was back in California with Morgan Wallace in The Hollywood Play House. In November 1932 Helen was back in Portland at the Taylor Street Theater in Street Scene. Acting jobs were getting scarce as the Depression set in. She then switched from the stage to radio. On December 14, 1932 Helen Kleeb became a regular cast member of the popular KGW Radio series The Homicide Squad with Captain Niles of Portland Police. She continued with the Taylor Street Players as well. 1933 ad Helen Kleeb in Meet The Wife. 25c Matinee, all seats reserved. In 1934 Helen joined the cast of KEXs Covered Wagon Days where she played the part of Daphne May. The program was a large production, even by network standards of the time, sponsored by Gevurtz Furniture Co. Covered Wagon Days is the story of the conquest of the unclaimed west of the 1850s. The caravan makes its weary way over the plains and hills following a trail that leads straight to the promised land, the Willamette Valley. Chronicled are the pioneers troubles, hardships, heartaches and joys. The program had been an instant hit with listeners right from the start, lasting nine seasons. It was the longest running radio serial in the Pacific Northwest. In March 1935 Helen left for San Francisco for the play The Partys Over. In January 1936 she was back in Portland at Civic Theater for the production of The Mad Hopes. In July 1936 Helen, back in San Francisco, finally broke through as an NBC Pacific Red Network actress, heard regularly on The Winning West and in August 1936 on Death Valley Days. On November 27, 1937 Helen F. Kleeb (30) married 34 year old John Gerald Prendergast in San Francisco. By 1940 they were living at 1890 27th Ave. She continued working in radio until his death on August 17, 1950. Helen then moved to Los Angeles where she began a film and television career. This was just the beginning. Helen. Television acting would become her place in history, appearing in countless programs like: I Love Lucy, Dennis the Menace, The Twilight Zone, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Mister Ed, The Munsters, Get Smart, Dragnet, Adam 12, Little House On The Prairie, Highway To Heaven & Whos The Boss? and many more. In 1958 Helen used her voice talent on a new record album. Stan Freberg, a voice artist known for his outrageous parodies was commissioned by the Oregon Centennial Committee for 1959 to write and produce a three-act musical play. Blitz-Weinhard Brewery Co. sponsored the play Oregon! Oregon! It was recorded by Capitol Records during several night-time sessions in December 1958, and released as a limited edition LP record for sale as an audio souvenir during the centennial year. Freberg cast Helen for the lead role as the Witch, who wanted to put Oregon “back in the bottle” unless the citizens of the State could guess her name. On April 18, 1959 Helen F. Kleeb married Elmer Garrison. In 1961 Freberg cast Helen again in his historical parody The History of the United States of America where Helen portrayed famous flag maker Betsy Ross. In the Freberg history version, George Washington was aghast to discover that his proposed polka-dot flag design was replaced by Betsy’s stars and stripes. Her reply was the tune “Everybody Wants To Be An Art Director.” On September 14, 1972 The Waltons CBS Television series debuted and on October 12, 1972 TV viewers were introduced to Helens most remembered recurring role. Miss Mamie Baldwin, one of two elderly spinster daughters of a long-deceased gentleman bootlegger. Miss Mamie and Miss Emily naively carried on the tradition of “Papa’s Recipe” long after the originator had passed. He had taught the recipe to his daughters, which he framed as a cure-all medical service to the community. Helen played this role for 9 seasons, ending in 1981. On December 28, 2003 Helen Kleeb Garrison died at age 96 in Los Angeles. Helens resting place is at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. References: The Oregonian, Statesman Journal, Wikipedia. Photo: Helen Kleeb as Miss Mamie Baldwin from The Waltons television series.
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 09:09:26 +0000
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