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Emmaline Henry was
primarily a television actress, and principally specialized in comedy,
most notably the role of Amanda Bellows on I Dream of Jeannie.
Born in Philadelphia in 1931, it was her intention to become a singer and by
her teens she was appearing on local radio; with her perky, clean good looks,
she might well have succeeded in either a Doris Day or a Dinah
Shore mode. She went to Hollywood in the early '50s and found her way
into the choruses of various musicals. Producers began noticing,
however, that her comedy skills were superior to her singing. She
toured in shows like Top Banana (and played in the film of that show)
and succeeded Carol Channing in the play Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
She made her television debut on The Red Skelton Show in 1961 and
subsequently did guest spots on various sitcoms, including The
Farmer's Daughter and Petticoat Junction. Her first starring role
was as John Astin's wife in the sitcom I'm Dickens, He's
Fenster, which also starred Marty Ingels, in a series about a
pair of zany carpenters. She also made film appearances in Divorce
American Style, Rosemary's Baby, and The Harrad Summer,
but her most familiar role was as Amanda Bellows, the wife of
perennially suspicious psychiatrist Alfred Bellows, for four seasons
on I Dream of Jeannie. Following that series' cancellation in 1970,
she made appearances on more sitcoms, including the anthology series
Love American Style and in the dramatic mini-series Backstairs at
the White House. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide |
