The Randy Stuart Centennial

Born 100 years ago today, actress Randy Stuart (Elizabeth “Betty Jane” Shaubell, 1924-1996).

Stuart started out with her parents in a small time vaudeville act that toured the South and Midwest, with a home base in Kansas (she was born in Iola). The Shaubells played vaudeville, tent shows, and even provided musical accompaniment for silent movies. Betty Jane joined the act when she was three. When she was older, the family settled in Compton, where she attended high school and junior college. Her first professional work on her own account was on radio, as a regular on The Jack Carson Show (1942).

Stuart’s decade long career on the big screen began in 1947. Almost all of her 15 movie roles were bit parts, but you can see her in such major films as The Fan (1949), I Was a Male War Bride (1949), Whirlpool (1949), Dancing in the Dark (1949), Stella (1950), All About Eve (1950), and I Can Get It for You Wholesale (1951).

Things changed when she got a co-lead in a TV series, Biff Baker, USA (1952-53), opposite Alan Hale, Jr, now best known as the Skipper from Gilligan’s Island. They played a pair of married spies! Stuart began doing much more television work at this point, appearing in lots of live TV dramas as well as entertainment programs like The Red Skelton Hour, and The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. Then came what is her best known role today:

That’s right! She’s the wife in The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)! Happy Halloween!

Stuart was also the female lead in her next film, the western The Man from God’s Country (1958) starring George Montgomery. That same year she appeared on Montgomery’s TV show Cimarron City.

This led to a regular role on one season of The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (1959-60). On the show she played real life lady entrepreneur Nellie Cashman, an actual historical character, and the love interest to Hugh O’Brian’s Wyatt Earp.

For a time Stuart also appeared regularly on such shows as Cheyenne,Bonanza, One Step Beyond, The Roaring 20s, and several others. She briefly had a recurring role as Harry Morgan’s wife on Dragnet ’67. After that there were just two additional credits in the mid-70s, on episodes of Marcus Welby MD and Police Woman.

For more about vaudeville, where Randy Stuart got her startconsult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, and please stay tuned for my upcomingElectric Vaudeville: A Century of Radio and TV Variety.