JEANNE BATES as Nurse Wills in BEN CASEY a tribute

Description

"Man . . . woman . . . birth . . . death . . . infinity." So began this iconic series which captivated TV viewers from 1961 to 1964, which paved the way for St. Elsewhere and all other hospital dramas yet to come, and so begins this brief clip which pays tribute to Jeanne Bates, the veteran actress who, as Nurse Wills, stood staunchly beside the title character [played by Vince Edwards] of ABCs "Ben Casey" for 153 episodes, defending him in his weekly fights against the medical establishment, under the watchful eye of Dr. Zorba [Sam Jaffee], accompanied by the familiar, throbbing beat of Leigh Harlines theme music. This montage, which includes scenes from one of Jeannes favorite episodes, the two-part "A Cardinal Act of Mercy" [which won acclaimed Broadway and film star Kim Stanley a well-deserved 1961 Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in A Leading Role] was created by her longtime friend, Tony Award-nominated actor, writer, director and producer Walter Willison, as part of a video retrospective, first show at her Memorial Tribute in February, 2008. Ms. Bates was one of the few actors who could boast a career in radio, films, television and the theatre that spanned nearly eight decades. Born May 21, 1918, in Berkeley, she began appearing on radio soap operas in San Francisco while attending San Mateo Junior College, played the lead [and supplied the signature scream] on the mystery series "Whodunit?." She married the program's writer, Lew X <b>...</b>

Keywords

Jeanne Bates, David Lynch, Eraserhead, Mullholland Dr., Eric Von Stroheim, Mask of Dijohn, The Phantom, One Mans Family, Days of Our Lives, Ben Casey, Nurse Wills, General Hospital, Anne Peters, Edith Mills, Kim Stanley, Timmy Everett, Tim Everett, Bettye Ackerman, Sam Jaffee, Vince Edwards, Emmy Award, Walter Willison

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