Sarah Selby

Selby was a character actress who played minor roles for the most part – usually a town gossip, maiden aunt, or teacher. Beginning her career as a radio actress, she made her screen debut voicing one of the elephants in Disney's Dumbo (1941). She was best known for her recurring role as Ma Smalley, the owner of a boarding house on TV's Gunsmoke (1955).[1] She had recurring roles on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, initially as Gracie's friend Mamie Kelly, and then a recurring role as Lucille Vanderlip the society hostess wife of banker Chester Vanderlip. In 1964, she appeared with Jackie Cooper in an episode of the Twilight Zone (S5E32 - “Caesar & Me”).

She starred in numerous films from 1941 to 1978. In her first role, she voiced[2] the elephant Prissy in the movie Dumbo.[3] Selby was an actress, known for Tower of London (1962), Beyond the Forest (1949) and a recurring role as Aunt Gertrude in The Mickey Mouse Club television series The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure (1956). Among her radio program appearances, she played various roles on 1947 Escape drama anthology series, and was a regular cast member as Grace in the 1948-50 Junior Miss radio sitcom.[4]

Selby was married to Holger Yngvar Harthern-Jakobsen, and to Stanley Robert Wuliger. She died from cancer at the age of 74, on Monday, January 7, 1980, in Los Angeles California.[5]

1943

• The Seventh Victim - Min Gottschalk [6]

1944

• San Diego, I Love You - Mrs. Lovelace [7]
• The Curse of the Cat People - Miss Plunkett [8]

1945

• The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry - Alice [9]
• Earl Carroll Vanities - Mrs. Thayer [10]
• The Beautiful Cheat - Athena [Haven] [11]
• Wonder Man - Woman in library [12]
• The Naughty Nineties - Mrs. Hawkins [13]

1946

• One Exciting Week - Committee Woman [14]
• Ideal Girl - Esmeralda [15]
• Little Iodine - Mrs. Bigdome [16]

1947

• Swell Guy - Lorraine [17]
• Stork Bites Man - Mrs. Greene [18]
• The Fabulous Texan - Unknown [19]
• That's My Man - Unknown [20]

1948

• A Double Life - Anna [21]
• Trapped by Boston Blackie - Mrs. Carter [22]
• Train to Alcatraz - Widow's friend [23]

1949

• Beyond the Forest - Mildred Sorren [24]
• Prison Warden - Vivian Markham [25]
• Side Street - Nurse Williams [26]

1950

• Perfect Strangers - Mrs. Wilson [27]

1951

• Jim Thorpe – All-American - Miss Benton [28]

1952

• The Sniper - (unknown character role) [29]
• The Iron Mistress - Mrs. Bowie [30]

1953

• Battle Circus - Capt. Dobbs [31]
• Mister Scoutmaster - Mrs. Weber [32]
• The System - Liz Allen [33]

1954

• Men of the Fighting Lady - Mrs. Syzmanski [34]

1955

• Good Morning, Miss Dove - Teacher [35]
• Battle Cry - Mrs. Forrester [36]
• The McConnell Story - Mom Brown [37]

1957

• An Affair to Remember - Miss Lane [38]
• Short Cut to Hell - Adam's secretary [39]
• Gunfire at Indian Gap - Bessie Moran [40]
• Stopover Tokyo - Wife of High Commissioner [41]
• No Time to Be Young - Helen Root [42]

1962

• Moon Pilot - Mrs. Celia Talbot [43]
• Tower of London - The Queen [44]

1964

• Taggart - Maude Taggart [45]

1967

• Don't Make Waves - Ethyl [46]

1973

• The World's Greatest Athlete - Woman in jeep who points out cheetah [47]

• Dunning, John (1998). On the Air : The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. New York : Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3.

• Sarah Selby at AllMovie
• Sarah Selby at the American Film Institute Catalog
• Sarah Selby at IMDb
• Sarah Selby at the TCM Movie Database
• Sarah Selby at UCLA Film & Television Archive catalog