Adelaide Klein (July 8, 1900 – March 18, 1983) was an American actress who performed on radio, television, films, and the stage. She was best known for her dialects as a radio performer. Over the course of her thirty-year career, Klein performed in radio comedies and soap operas, appeared in eight shows on Broadway, four films, and on thirteen television series.

Early life

Klein was born in New York City on July 8, 1900.[1] While she attended Julia Richman High School, she prepared for a career in business but also was exposed to drama. After graduation, she began working as a secretary.[2]

Career

Klein began her radio as a singer in the late 1920s. However, demand for her talents with dialect and as a character actress led her to acting full-time by 1933.[3] She performed in a variety of radio programs, including portraying Hilda, the maid in We, The Abbotts,[4]: 349  Dragon Lady in Terry and the Pirates,[4]: 328  Agatha Meek in Meet Mr. Meek,[4]: 224  and a Russian countess in The House on Q Street.[4] She also was heard in Sometime Before Morning.[5] Klein mastered use of 12 dialects in radio performances.[6]

Klein performed in a USO production of Blithe Spirit during World War II.[2] Broadway shows in which she appeared included Double Dummy (1936), Brooklyn, U.S.A. (1941), Uncle Harry (1942), Collector's Item (1952), The Immoralist (1954), Once Upon a Tailor (1955), Jane Eyre (1958), and Marathon '33 (1963).[7] Her film credits included The Naked City (1948) and The Enforcer (1951).[8] She was signed to play the role of Martha in director Otto Preminger's Where the Sidewalk Ends and scenes were shot in New York City, but the role was ultimately played by another actress.[citation needed]

On television, Klein portrayed the landlady on the situation comedy Two Girls Named Smith (1951).[9]: 25  She also had roles on other TV shows, including The Boris Karloff Mystery Playhouse (1949), Studio One in Hollywood (1949), The Ford Theatre Hour (1950), and The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse (1950).[9]

Blacklist

In the mid-1940s, Klein was active in the American Federation of Radio Artists (AFRA) and served as a delegate for New York at national conferences in 1943 and 1944.[10] Klein was one of 56 delegates for New York at national conferences in 1943 and 1944, where she worked with others, including Donna Keath, Minerva Pious, Ann Shepherd, Selena Royle, and Hester Sondergaard.[10][11]

Along with Keath, Pious, Shepherd, Royle, Sondergaard, Klein was listed in the blacklisting publication, Red Channels: The Report of Communist Influence in Radio and Television in 1950. She continued to perform in theatre, but television roles dried up as a consequence of Klein being labelled a communist.[12]

Personal life

Klein married Louis S. Wettels in Manhattan in the late 1920s. She later married Norman Annenberg. Klein died of a brain tumor on March 18, 1983, at the age of 82.[1]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1948 The Naked City Mrs. Batory
1949 C-Man Minnie Hoffman
1951 The Enforcer Olga Kirshen
1964 The Troublemaker Psychiatrist (final film role)
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1949 Suspense Mrs. Broder Episode: "Collector's Item"
1949 The Big Story Episode: "Frank Shenkel of the Pittsburgh Sun Telegraph"
1949 The Boris Karloff Mystery Playhouse Episode: "Mad Illusion"
1949 Studio One in Hollywood Mrs. Bruhl / Psychotic Woman 2 episodes
1949-1951 The Clock 2 episodes
1950 The Ford Theatre Hour Maw Episode: "The Barker"
1950 The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse Episode: "The End Is Known"
1950 Hands of Mystery 2 episodes
1950 The Web Episode: "Blessed Are the Meek"
1951 Two Girls Named Smith Landlady Episode: "Premier"
1951 Somerset Maugham TV Theatre Episode: "Appearances and Reality"
1951-1952 Lights Out Mrs. Manifold 2 episodes
1958 Decoy Mrs. Kramer Episode: "The Lost Ones"

Broadway

References

  1. ^ a b "Memorial Service Scheduled For Adelaide Klein, Actress". The New York Times. 25 March 1983. Retrieved 2018-09-14.
  2. ^ a b Mara, Margaret (May 6, 1948). "Real Life Mothers Seek Guidance From a Movie 'Mom'". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York, Brooklyn. p. 17. Retrieved May 1, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "What Does the Listener Want In Programs?". Dayton Daily News. Ohio, Dayton. September 10, 1933. p. 13. Retrieved September 9, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ a b c d Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 158. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
  5. ^ Historical Dictionary of American Radio Soap Operas.
  6. ^ "Radio 'mother' described role". Arizona Daily Star. Arizona, Tucson. June 13, 1937. p. 11. Retrieved May 1, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Adelaide Klein". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on May 1, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  8. ^ "Broadway actress in 'The Enforcer'". The Newark Advocate. Ohio, Newark. March 6, 1951. p. 9. Retrieved May 1, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b Hyatt, Wesley (2003). Short-Lived Television Series, 1948–1978: Thirty Years of More Than 1,000 Flops. McFarland. pp. 25–26. ISBN 9780786414208. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  10. ^ a b "The Billboard AFRA Convention Pix". The Billboard: 13. September 9, 1944 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ Frohlich, Shirley (April 17, 1943). "Air Fraternity Gathers Coin from Field Which Once Gave Mikes Cold Shoulder Routine". The Billboard: 1 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ American Business Consultants (1950). Red Channels: The Report of Communist Influence in Radio and Television. Counterattack.
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