Peggy Dow
Peggy Dow | |
|---|---|
 Dow in Modern Screen magazine (1952) | |
| Born | Peggy Josephine Varnadow March 18, 1928 Columbia, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Other names | Peggy V. Helmerich |
| Education | University of Southern Mississippi Northwestern University |
| Occupation | Film actress |
| Years active | 1949–1952 |
| Spouse |
Walter Helmerich III
(m. 1951; died 2012) |
| Children | 5 |
Peggy Dow (born Peggy Josephine Varnadow; March 18, 1928)[1] is an American philanthropist and former actress who had a brief (1949–1952) career in Hollywood at Universal Studios starring in films during the Golden Age Era in the late 1940s and early 1950s. She is perhaps best known for her roles as Nurse Kelly in Harvey (1950) and Judy Greene in Bright Victory (1951).
Early life
[edit]Born in Columbia, Mississippi, at the age of 4 she moved with her family to Covington, Louisiana. She attended high school and junior college at Gulf Park College in Gulfport, Mississippi (now the Gulf Park campus of the University of Southern Mississippi), then finished college at Northwestern University in Illinois, appearing in college plays and receiving her degree from Northwestern's School of Speech in 1948.[1]: 12 [2]
Career
[edit]After brief modeling and radio experience, Dow was spotted by a talent agent and cast in a television show in February 1949. Shortly after that exposure, Universal offered her a seven-year contract. Dow made nine films, most notably as Nurse Kelly in Harvey (1950), starring James Stewart and Josephine Hull,[3] and co-starring with Best Actor Oscar nominee Arthur Kennedy in Bright Victory (1951).[3] After being featured in several crime dramas, Dow had starring roles in two 1951 family films, Reunion in Reno and You Never Can Tell.
Dow retired after three years in the business to marry Walter Helmerich III, an oil driller[1] from Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1951. He became president of his family's business, Helmerich & Payne. They were married for 60 years, until his death in 2012. The couple had five sons.[4] She became an active supporter of libraries and other charities.[5]
The Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award, an award given annually since 1985 to a distinguished author by the Tulsa Library Trust, is named in her honor,[5] as is the drama school at the University of Oklahoma[6] and the auditorium at Northwestern University School of Communication's Annie May Swift Hall.[7]
Filmography
[edit]- Your Show Time (TV anthology series) (1949)
- Undertow (1949)
- Woman in Hiding (1950)
- Shakedown (1950)
- The Sleeping City (1950)
- Harvey (1950)
- Bright Victory (1951)
- You Never Can Tell (1951)
- Reunion in Reno (1951)
- I Want You (1951)
- The Cases of Eddie Drake (TV series) (1952)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Helmerich, Peggy Dow (October 9, 2009). "Peggy V. Helmerich: Hollywood Starlet & Gracious Philanthropist" (PDF) (Interview). Interviewed by Erling, John. Voices of Oklahoma. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
- ^ Sullivan, Emmet (July 5, 2006). "NU Classrooms, Hall To Get Summer Facelift". dailynorthwestern.com. The Daily Northwestern. Archived from the original on March 22, 2025. Retrieved March 22, 2025.: Third from last paragraph.
- ^ a b Logan, Cathy (July 20, 2008) [July 3, 1997]. "Tulsa's Peggy Dow Knew Him When". tulsaworld.com. Oklahoma: Tulsa World. Archived from the original on January 18, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
- ^ "Tulsa Businessman Walter Helmerich III Dead At 88". newson6.com. Griffin Communications. January 10, 2012. Archived from the original on April 8, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
- ^ a b "Peggy Helmerich - Oklahoma Library Legends". okstate.edu. Oklahoma State University Library. September 8, 2006. Archived from the original on January 5, 2009. Retrieved May 23, 2009.
- ^ "OU School of Drama Named to Honor Peggy Dow Helmerich". ou.edu. OU School of Drama. 2011. Archived from the original on February 21, 2019.
- ^ "Northwestern University Campus Maps: Annie May Swift Hall". northwestern.edu. Northwestern University. 2006. Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
External links
[edit]
- Peggy Dow at IMDb
- Voices of Oklahoma interview with Peggy Dow Helmerich. First person interview conducted with Peggy Dow Helmerich. Original audio and transcript archived with Voices of Oklahoma oral history project.
- 1928 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American actresses
- Actresses from Louisiana
- Actresses from Mississippi
- Actresses from Tulsa, Oklahoma
- American film actresses
- American philanthropists
- Northwestern University School of Communication alumni
- People from Columbia, Mississippi
- People from Covington, Louisiana