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Mary Frann
built 231 days ago
Mary Frann portrayed Loudon's wife, Joanna, who ... ran the inn, which was named The Stratford Inn. The show also featured Tom Poston as somewhat dim handyman George Utley, Peter Scolari as Loudon's hyperactive and manipulative television producer Michael Harris, and Julia Duffy as hotel maid Stephanie Vanderkellen, who is a spoiled rich girl cut off by her parents and who grudgingly, and often incompetently, works as a maid. She is also Harris' girlfriend, later wife, the attraction mainly being that they're both exceptionally shallow and superficial.
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Raised as Mary Frances Luecke in St Louis, Missouri, television actress Mary Frann was best known for her portrayal of Joanna Loudon on the popular CBS sitcom "Newhart" (1982-90). The aspiring actress began her career on local television commercials, and was crowned Miss Missouri in America's Junior Miss pageant. After two years studying at Northwestern University with the help of her Junior Miss scholarship, Frann abandoned plans to pursue her education at Yale Drama School and sought to begin her career, taking a job as a weather reporter on KSDA-TV in her hometown. She later moved to Chicago to host a morning show on the city's ABC affiliate. While in Chicago, the actress began her stage work, and in 1968 made the move to Los Angeles. The following year she made her television debut as a guest star on NBC's "My Friend Tony", kicking off a prolific small screen career.
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Mary Frann, an actress best known for playing the wife of comedian Bob Newhart in his second successful CBS series, "Newhart," died on Wednesday at her home in Los Angeles. She was 55.
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In 1964, Frann made her television debut in an episode of the Kraft Suspense Theatre. That same year, she appeared in the television movie Nightmare in Chicago with Carroll O'Connor. In 1966, Frann made her film debut in Nashville Rebel with Waylon Jennings and Loretta Lynn. The movie was a commercial failure. Frann would go on to appear in only one more film, 1976's Woman in the Rain, concentrating on television guest spots and roles in television movies.[1]
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Through a minor car accident, Mary befriends a young woman, Joanne. Rhoda becomes jealous when Mary spends more time with Joanne - but Mary quickly ends the new friendship when she discovers Joanne is anti-Semitic and disapproves of Rhoda
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Mary and Rhoda go for dinner at a Mexican restaurant and decide they'd like to visit Mexico. The waiter arranges their accomodations, and gives them a "gift package" to deliver once they get there. Mary suspects that the contents might be illegal.
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Mary Frann