Hazel Shermet

Actress


The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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About
About this interview

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.

All views expressed by interviewees are theirs alone and not necessarily those of the Television Academy.

"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."

People Talking About ...
Highlights
Hazel Shermet on playing "Miss Duffy" on the radio show Duffy's Tavern
13:04
Hazel Shermet on acting in That Girl
01:59
Hazel Shermet on acting in The Addams Family
01:28
Hazel Shermet on appearing in a Greyhound Bus and Kleenex commercial 
05:36
Hazel Shermet on appearing in the feature film "A Star is Born" with Judy Garland
01:26
Full Interview

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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

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Hazel Shermet on acting in The Addams Family
01:28

Danny Thomas Show, The aka Make Room for Daddy

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Hazel Shermet on acting in The Danny Thomas Show
01:52

December Bride

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Hazel Shermet on acting in the radio version of December Bride and The Cara Williams Show
02:36

Detectives, The

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Hazel Shermet on acting in The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor
02:55

Dragnet

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Hazel Shermet on acting in Dragnet
00:56

Duffy's Tavern

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Hazel Shermet on playing "Miss Duffy" on the radio show Duffy's Tavern
13:04
Hazel Shermet on appearing in the television version of Duffy's Tavern
04:26

Fred Allen Show, The

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Hazel Shermet on appearing on The Fred Allen Show
02:57

Gimme A Break!

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Hazel Shermet on acting in Gimme A Break!
02:51

Meet Millie

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Hazel Shermet on acting in the radio version of Meet Millie
02:43

Mister Ed

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Hazel Shermet on acting in Mister Ed
01:36

Morey Amsterdam Show, The

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Hazel Shermet on appearing on The Morey Amsterdam Show
04:44
Hazel Shermet on working with Art Carney on The Morey Amsterdam Show
01:58

New Zoo Revue

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Hazel Shermet on playing "Henrietta Hippo" on The New Zoo Revue
05:04

That Girl

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Hazel Shermet on acting in That Girl
01:53
Hazel Shermet on acting in That Girl with Marlo Thomas
01:11
Topics

Comedy-Variety

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Hazel Shermet on appearing on The Morey Amsterdam Show
10:05
Hazel Shermet on appearing on The Fred Allen Show
02:57
Hazel Shermet on doing Songs You've Never Heard for WOR
03:17

TV's Golden Age (1940s & '50s)

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Hazel Shermet on appearing on The Morey Amsterdam Show
10:05
Hazel Shermet on appearing on The Fred Allen Show
02:57
Hazel Shermet on doing Songs You've Never Heard for WOR
03:17
Professions

Actress

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Hazel Shermet on the audition process for television commercials
03:12
Hazel Shermet on her experience acting in commercials
02:30

Performers

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Hazel Shermet on the audition process for television commercials
03:12
Hazel Shermet on her experience acting in commercials
02:30
Genres

Children's Programming

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Hazel Shermet on playing "Henrietta Hippo" on The New Zoo Revue
05:04

Commercials

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Hazel Shermet on the audition process for television commercials
03:12
People

Fred Allen

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Hazel Shermet on appearing on The Fred Allen Show
02:57

Morey Amsterdam

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Hazel Shermet on appearing on The Morey Amsterdam Show
04:44

Milton Berle

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Hazel Shermet on working with Milton Berle on radio
01:01

Shirley Booth

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Hazel Shermet on appearing in a production of "The Cradle Will Rock"
06:33

Art Carney

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Hazel Shermet on working with Art Carney on The Morey Amsterdam Show
01:58

Patty Duke

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Hazel Shermet on working with various people in her career
11:16

Barbara Eden

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Hazel Shermet on working with various people in her career
11:16

Judy Garland

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Hazel Shermet on appearing in the feature film "A Star is Born" with Judy Garland
01:26

Will Geer

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Hazel Shermet on appearing in a production of "The Cradle Will Rock"
06:33

Arthur Godfrey

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Hazel Shermet on working with various people in her career
11:16

Larry Hagman

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Hazel Shermet on working with various people in her career
11:16

Mort Lachman

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Hazel Shermet on acting in Gimme A Break!
02:51

Norman Lear

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Hazel Shermet on working with various people in her career
11:16

Jack Lemmon

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Hazel Shermet on her friend Jack Lemmon
03:23

Suzanne Pleshette

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Hazel Shermet on working with various people in her career
11:16

Ann Sothern

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Hazel Shermet on working with various people in her career
11:16

Gale Storm

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Hazel Shermet on working with various people in her career
11:16

Marlo Thomas

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Hazel Shermet on acting in That Girl
02:51
Hazel Shermet on acting on That Girl with Marlo Thomas
01:11

Vivian Vance

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Hazel Shermet on appearing in a production of "The Cradle Will Rock"
06:33

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