Marjorie Lord Dies: ‘Make Room For Daddy’ Actress Was 97
Marjorie Lord, best known for playing Kathy “Clancy” Williams opposite Danny Thomas on the 1950s and 60s sitcom Make Room For Daddy and later the revival Make Room For Granddaddy died November 28 from natural causes, the LA Times reported. She was 97.
Born Marjorie Wollenberg in 1918 in San Francisco, she soon moved to New York City when her father’s job transferred him, and her acting career began young as she made her Broadway debut at 16 in The Old Maid. Though she was most successful on television, she considered herself a stage actress first, and continued to act on the stage through the 1970s. In her most extended outing, she replaced Kitty Carlisle — the star of Anniversary Waltz, a comedy staged by Carlisle’s husband Moss Hart — from April 1954 through September 1955.
Early on, she signed as a contract player with RKO in 1935, and later with Universal. Among the films she appeared in through the 1930s and 40s were The Adventures of Smilin’ Jack, High Flyers, Sherlock Holmes in Washington, Escape from Hong Kong, and Chain Gang.
Lord made the jump to television in the 1950s and would join Make Room For Daddy, later renamed The Danny Thomas Show, during the show’s fourth season, in 1957. She played the second wife of Danny Thomas’ character, staying with the show until it was canceled in 1964. She returned along with the rest of the cast for Make Room For Granddaddy, which aired in 1970 and 1971.
She was married three times: to John Archer from 1941–1955, Randolph Hale from 1958–1974, and Harry Volk from 1976 until his death in 2000. Among her survivors is her daughter, Oscar-nominated actress Anne Archer. She also published her memoir, A Dance and a Hug, in 2004.
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