About
"I'm proud of the fact that I was able to work in all the mediums and raise two kids, and be married to somebody that was working all the time. I hope people remember me as professional, as versatile, and as somebody who loved every minute of it. I hope I gave a lot of joy."
In her two-and-a-half-hour interview, Hazel Shermet (1920-2016) speaks of her stage work, her many radio appearances on The Kate Smith Hour, The Milton Berle Show, and The Fred Allen Show, and her role as "Miss Duffy" on the series Duffy's Tavern. She talks about her work on the late 1940s series, The Morey Amsterdam Show, on which she played "Lady Clippingham" to Morey Amsterdam's "Lord Cloppingham." She describes her role as a stock player when television station WOR went on the air, and tells of hosting her own show, Songs You've Never Heard Before, on which she sang unrecorded songs. She discusses being a regular on Blondie and The New Zoo Revue, and recalls her guest appearances on Mister Ed, The Addams Family, I Dream of Jeannie, and That Girl. Shermet also recounts her long and successful career in commercials (Head and Shoulders, FTD Florist with Merle Olson, Sanka with Dorothy Hamill, and Preem with Phil Silvers). Karen Herman conducted the interview on February 24, 2000 in Los Angeles, CA.
Highlights
Hazel Shermet on playing "Miss Duffy" on the radio show Duffy's Tavern
Hazel Shermet on acting in That Girl
Hazel Shermet on acting in The Addams Family
Hazel Shermet on appearing in a Greyhound Bus and Kleenex commercial
Hazel Shermet on appearing in the feature film "A Star is Born" with Judy Garland
Full Interview
Chapter 1
On her early life and influences; on how she got into acting
On acting in various radio programs; on her first television show; on creating the show Songs You've Never Heard for WOR
Chapter 2
On her show Songs You've Never Heard; on the first time she saw television; on appearing in a production of "The Cradle Will Rock"
On appearing on The Morey Amsterdam Show and The Fred Allen Show
Chapter 3
On playing "Miss Duffy" on the radio version of Duffy's Tavern
On various guest stars she worked with on the radio version of Duffy's Tavern; on moving to Los Angeles, on auditioning for television commercials
Chapter 4
On acting in various commercials; on acting in the series Blondie and the pilot Tom, Dick and Harry
On acting in the series The Detectives, The Danny Thomas Show and Dragnet; in acting on Gimme A Break!, Mister Ed, The Addams Family and That Girl
Chapter 5
On acting in That Girl; on working with various people in her career
On acting in various radio programs; on playing "Henrietta Hippo" on The New Zoo Revue; on career achievements and how she'd like to be remembered
B-Roll of pictures from her career- with the cast of Duffy's Tavern and Gypsy Rose Lee; on the set of Songs You've Never Heard Before; with Jack Albertson; in a Household Finance commercial; on the set of Dragnet with Jack Webb; on the set of The Addams Family with Carolyn Jones and John Astin; with Jack Carson in "A Star is Born"; on the set of a Vicks commercial; with Glynis Johns
Chapter 6
B-roll pictures from her career - on the set of Blondie; with Alan Young on the set of Mister Ed; her family with Mister Ed; on the set of the feature film "Gypsy"; with Jackie Cooper; with Marlo Thomas on the set of That Girl; with John Madden in an Ace Hardware commercial; on the set of The New Zoo Revue
Shows
Addams Family, The
Hazel Shermet on acting in The Addams Family
Danny Thomas Show, The aka Make Room for Daddy
Hazel Shermet on acting in The Danny Thomas Show
December Bride
Hazel Shermet on acting in the radio version of December Bride and The Cara Williams Show
Detectives, The
Hazel Shermet on acting in The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor
Dragnet
Hazel Shermet on acting in Dragnet
Duffy's Tavern
Hazel Shermet on playing "Miss Duffy" on the radio show Duffy's Tavern
Hazel Shermet on appearing in the television version of Duffy's Tavern
Fred Allen Show, The
Hazel Shermet on appearing on The Fred Allen Show
Gimme A Break!
Hazel Shermet on acting in Gimme A Break!
Meet Millie
Hazel Shermet on acting in the radio version of Meet Millie
Mister Ed
Hazel Shermet on acting in Mister Ed
Morey Amsterdam Show, The
Hazel Shermet on appearing on The Morey Amsterdam Show
Hazel Shermet on working with Art Carney on The Morey Amsterdam Show
New Zoo Revue
Hazel Shermet on playing "Henrietta Hippo" on The New Zoo Revue
That Girl
Hazel Shermet on acting in That Girl
Hazel Shermet on acting in That Girl with Marlo Thomas
Topics
Comedy-Variety
Hazel Shermet on appearing on The Morey Amsterdam Show
Hazel Shermet on appearing on The Fred Allen Show
Hazel Shermet on doing Songs You've Never Heard for WOR
TV's Golden Age (1940s & '50s)
Hazel Shermet on appearing on The Morey Amsterdam Show
Hazel Shermet on appearing on The Fred Allen Show
Hazel Shermet on doing Songs You've Never Heard for WOR
Professions
Actress
Hazel Shermet on the audition process for television commercials
Hazel Shermet on her experience acting in commercials
Performers
Hazel Shermet on the audition process for television commercials
Hazel Shermet on her experience acting in commercials
Genres
Children's Programming
Hazel Shermet on playing "Henrietta Hippo" on The New Zoo Revue
Commercials
Hazel Shermet on the audition process for television commercials
People
Fred Allen
Hazel Shermet on appearing on The Fred Allen Show
Morey Amsterdam
Hazel Shermet on appearing on The Morey Amsterdam Show
Milton Berle
Hazel Shermet on working with Milton Berle on radio
Shirley Booth
Hazel Shermet on appearing in a production of "The Cradle Will Rock"
Art Carney
Hazel Shermet on working with Art Carney on The Morey Amsterdam Show
Patty Duke
Hazel Shermet on working with various people in her career
Barbara Eden
Hazel Shermet on working with various people in her career
Judy Garland
Hazel Shermet on appearing in the feature film "A Star is Born" with Judy Garland
Will Geer
Hazel Shermet on appearing in a production of "The Cradle Will Rock"
Arthur Godfrey
Hazel Shermet on working with various people in her career
Larry Hagman
Hazel Shermet on working with various people in her career
Mort Lachman
Hazel Shermet on acting in Gimme A Break!
Norman Lear
Hazel Shermet on working with various people in her career
Jack Lemmon
Hazel Shermet on her friend Jack Lemmon
Suzanne Pleshette
Hazel Shermet on working with various people in her career
Ann Sothern
Hazel Shermet on working with various people in her career
Gale Storm
Hazel Shermet on working with various people in her career
Marlo Thomas
Hazel Shermet on acting in That Girl
Hazel Shermet on acting on That Girl with Marlo Thomas
Vivian Vance
Hazel Shermet on appearing in a production of "The Cradle Will Rock"