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Fay Baker
Fay Baker
Fay Baker
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Fay Baker (born Fay Schwager; January 31, 1917 – December 8, 1987) was an American stage, film and television actress and writer. Using the pen name Beth Holmes she wrote the novel The Whipping Boy. She also published, under her own name, My Darling, Darling Doctors.

Key Information

Early years

[edit]

Baker's father was a surgeon, and her mother was a pharmacist. She attended Smith College.[1]

Career

[edit]

Roles on radio soap operas provided Baker's early professional acting experience.[1] Her Broadway career began in 1938 with a role in Danton's Death. Her final Broadway role was in Wonderful Journey (1946).[2]

Baker remained in Hollywood for nearly two decades, acting in two dozen films, including star billing in The House on Telegraph Hill (1951).[3]

She had a leading role in the 1950 crime drama Double Deal, and later played one of Ethel Barrymore's two daughters trying to seize control of and sell editor Humphrey Bogart's newspaper in the 1952 drama Deadline - U.S.A.

During her California years, she also appeared frequently on television. She is credited with guest parts on 30 different series beginning with Your Show Time in 1949 up to her final performance on Dr. Kildare in 1963. Her roles included comedy sitcoms (Hazel, The Donna Reed Show), drama (Perry Mason), and westerns (Have Gun - Will Travel). In 1958, she made two guest appearances on Perry Mason, playing Marian Newburn in "The Case of the Demure Defendant" and Stephanie Sabin in "The Case of the Perjured Parrot".

Prior to 1963, Baker began writing when a problem with her back prevented her from acting. She began work on a book and sold some nonfiction pieces to magazines, in addition to receiving $50,000 from a producer for one of her stories.[4]

Personal life

[edit]

Baker married writer/producer Arthur Weiss[4] on August 3, 1940, in Manhattan. They had two children, her son Jonathan was born in 1950, before divorcing in 1965. While Weiss remained in California working for Irwin Allen, she returned to New York with her two children and began a new career as an author.[citation needed]

Baker used the pen name "Beth Holmes" to shield her family from being compared with fictional characters in the novel.[citation needed]

Baker was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1972 and described the experience in her memoir, My Darling, Darling Doctors in 1975.[citation needed] She lost her 15-year battle with breast cancer on December 8, 1987, at age 70.[citation needed]

TV appearances

[edit]
TV
TV Show Role Episode Year
Your Show Time The Necklace 1949
Fireside Theatre Dinner for Three 1950
Dangerous Assignment Countess Todesca The Knitting Needle Story 1952
The Doctor The Hiding Place 1952
Cavalcade of America A Romance to Remember 1952
Sky King Lucille Bradley Wings of Justice 1952
Rebound Quiet Sunday 1953
The Millionaire Margaret Browning The Margaret Browning Story 1955
The Loretta Young Show Pat Wadlington Let Columbus Discover You 1955
Damon Runyon Theatre Adele Salisbury Old Em's Kentucky Home 1955
Four Star Playhouse Claire Dumont Man in the Cellar 1954
Nadine The Case of Emily Carmeron 1956
Mr. Adams and Eve Gloria The Proposal 1957
State Trooper Judith Andrews Weep No More O'Grady 1957
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars Sylvia The Girl in the Grass 1957
The Ford Television Theatre Laura Van Cleve Singapore 1957
The Adventures of Jim Bowie Charlotte De Vaux A Fortune for Madame 1957
The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp Marie Burden Bad Woman 1957
San Francisco Beat Elsie Folger The Jealous Mambo Dancer Case 1958
Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Margaret Green Letter Edged in Blackmail 1958
The Court of Last Resort Mrs. Laura Barclay The Stephen Lowell Case 1958
M Squad Helen Greville Day of Terror 1958
Perry Mason Marian Newburn The Case of the Demure Defendant 1958
Stephanie Sabin The Case of the Perjured Parrot 1958
Have Gun - Will Travel Mrs. Grayson Lady on the Stagecoach 1959
The David Niven Show Sarah Winter The Promise 1959
New Comedy Showcase Annie Bradley Maggie (unsold pilot)[5] 1960
The Donna Reed Show Hope Donna Goes to a Reunion 1960
77 Sunset Strip Caroline Kinares Strange Bedfellows 1961
The Ann Sothern Show Mildred Holliday Five Year Itch 1959
Louise The Roman Hatter 1960
Miss Norton Pandora 1961
This Is the Life The Sin of Silence 1961
The Roaring 20's Carlotta La Salle No Exit 1961
Hazel Madeleine Van Dyke Number, Please? 1962
Dr. Kildare Mrs. Tucker A Very Infectious Disease 1963

Filmography

[edit]
Film
Year Title Role Notes
1946 Notorious Ethel
1948 Trapped by Boston Blackie Margie O'Reilly, alias Sandra Doray IMDb
The Gentleman from Nowhere Catherine Ashton
The Saxon Charm Mrs. Noble Uncredited
No Minor Vices Mrs. Felton Uncredited
Family Honeymoon Fran Wilson Uncredited
1949 Manhattan Angel Vi Langdon IMDb
Black Midnight Martha Baxter IMDb
Tell It to the Judge Valerie Hobson
1950 Chain Lightning Mrs. Willis
Father of the Bride Miss Bellamy (Stanley's secretary) Uncredited
Double Deal Lilly Sebastian
1951 The Company She Keeps Tilly Thompson
The House on Telegraph Hill Margaret
Reunion in Reno Miss Pearson IMDb
1952 Deadline - U.S.A. Alice Garrison Courtney
The Star Faith, Margaret's sister
1953 The Blue Gardenia Switchboard Monitor Uncredited
Invaders from Mars Mrs. Wilson Uncredited
1954 Phffft! Radio Actress as 'Nurse Serena' Uncredited
1955 I Died a Thousand Times Woman in Tropico Lobby Uncredited
1956 Don't Knock the Rock Arlene MacLaine
1957 She Devil Evelyn Kendall IMDb
Sorority Girl Mrs. Tanner
1965 The Slender Thread Telephone Supervisor Uncredited, (final film role)

Playlist

[edit]
Plays
Year Play Role Notes
1946 Wonderful Journey Julia Farnsworth Dec 25, 1946 - Jan 1, 1947
1944 Violet Crystal Oct 24, 1944 - Nov 11, 1944
1943 Another Love Story Celia Hale Oct 12, 1943 - Jan 8, 1944
1942 The Sun Field Mildred Deagon Dec 9, 1942 - Dec 12, 1942
1942 Journey to Jerusalem The Greek Woman Oct 5, 1940 - Oct 19, 1940
The Taming of the Shrew Bianca Feb 5, 1940 - Feb 10, 1940
1938 Danton's Death Voice in the Street Nov 2, 1938 - Nov 1938

References

[edit]
[edit]
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Fay Baker

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Fay Baker (January 31, 1917 – December 8, 1987) was an American actress and author best known for her supporting roles in mid-20th-century films and television, as well as her later success as a novelist under the pseudonym Beth Holmes. Born Fanita Baker Schwager in , Baker began her acting career on stage before transitioning to film in the 1940s. Her breakthrough came with a role in Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious (1946), where she played the character Ethel, a household staff member entangled in . She continued in supporting parts throughout the 1950s and 1960s, appearing in films such as (1951) as Margaret, a scheming , and Invaders from Mars (1953) as a concerned parent. On television, she guest-starred in popular series including , The Burns and Allen Show, and . By the mid-1960s, Baker shifted her focus from acting to writing, producing works that drew on personal experiences. Under the pen name Beth Holmes, she published the novel in 1978, which became a Los Angeles Times bestseller and explored themes of family dynamics and emotional abuse. She also authored My Darling, Darling Doctors (1975), a nonfiction account of her experiences battling . Baker was married to producer Arthur Weiss from 1940 until their divorce in 1965, and they had two children, son Jonathan who predeceased her in 1971, and daughter . She passed away from in , at the age of 70.

Early life

Family background

Fay Baker was born Fanita Baker Schwager on January 31, 1917, in , New York. Her father was a , and her mother was a . Raised in the dynamic urban setting of , she grew up surrounded by the city's thriving cultural landscape, which fostered her foundational interests in the . Born Fanita Schwager, her birth name included her father's surname; she adopted "Baker," her mother's maiden name, professionally in 1944 during her Broadway debut. This early environment in a bustling metropolis provided initial opportunities for exposure to theater and radio, shaping her path toward a career on stage. Baker's New York upbringing transitioned into formal education at , where she participated in dramatic productions as early as 1937.

Education

Fay Baker, born Fanita Baker Schwager, enrolled at in , during the mid-1930s, becoming part of the student body by at least 1936. She engaged in extracurricular theater productions, notably portraying the role of Catherine in George Bernard Shaw's farce The Great Catherine during the college's 1937 commencement festivities, demonstrating early aptitude in dramatic performance and accent work. This involvement in 's theater scene, amid a curriculum that emphasized liberal arts including literature and the , provided foundational training that influenced her subsequent pursuit of a professional acting career.

Acting career

Stage and radio

Fay Baker made her Broadway debut in 1938, appearing as "Voice in the Street" in the revival of Georg Büchner's , a dramatic production directed by that ran for 21 performances at the . This minor role marked her entry into professional theater, following her drama studies at , where she honed her performance skills. Roles on radio soap operas provided Baker's early professional acting experience. Throughout the early 1940s, Baker continued in supporting roles on Broadway, often portraying secondary female characters in a mix of comedies and . Notable appearances included in a benefit production of Shakespeare's (1940, 8 performances), the enigmatic Greek Woman in Journey to Jerusalem (1940, 17 performances), and Mildred Deagon in the short-lived The Sun Field (1942, 5 performances). She also took on the role of Celia Hale in Another Love Story (1943–1944, 63 performances), a , and served as an and replacement for Isabella Beecher in the Harriet (1943–1944, 377 performances total). These parts typically involved ensemble support, emphasizing Baker's versatility in live theater amid the era's fluctuating production landscape. Baker's stage work extended into more experimental and intimate productions, such as Crystal in the family drama Violet (1944, 19 performances) and Julia Farnsworth in the comedy Wonderful Journey (1946–1947, 8 performances), her final Broadway credit before shifting focus. The brevity of many runs, influenced by the economic strains of the and disruptions to theater operations, highlighted the challenges of sustaining a stage career in New York during this period. Despite these obstacles, her consistent ensemble contributions built a foundation in voice modulation and character depth, skills transferable to emerging media.

Film roles

Fay Baker made her film debut in Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious (1946), portraying Ethel, the Sebastian household's housekeeper who secretly spies on the protagonist Alicia Huberman (Ingrid Bergman) for her employers. Co-starring Cary Grant as agent Devlin and Claude Rains as the antagonist Alexander Sebastian, the film is a seminal spy thriller noir that received widespread critical acclaim, including an Academy Award nomination for Rains in Best Supporting Actor, though Baker's supporting role drew no individual honors. In (1951), directed by , Baker played Margaret, the stern and antagonistic governess to young Christopher, who resents the new arrival of his stepmother Karin () and contributes to the mounting paranoia in the gothic suspense narrative set in a mansion. The film, a blending psychological tension with inheritance intrigue, featured co-stars as the scheming husband Alan and as supportive attorney Marc, and earned an Academy Award nomination for Art Direction. Baker appeared as Alice Garrison Courtney in Deadline - U.S.A. (1952), a hard-hitting newspaper drama directed by , where she depicted one of the greedy daughters of the widowed publisher Margaret Garrison (Ethel Barrymore), pressuring the sale of the crusading paper The Day amid its editor Ed Hutcheson’s (Humphrey Bogart) fight against mob corruption. This role exemplified her frequent portrayals of sophisticated, often unsympathetic women in noir and drama genres. Throughout the and , Baker contributed to approximately 24 films, primarily in supporting capacities within Hollywood's noir, drama, and occasional productions, such as Invaders from Mars (1953), where she often embodied poised yet antagonistic female characters like scheming socialites or domineering domestics. Her film career peaked in the early with these key roles, though she received no major awards or nominations specific to her performances.

Television roles

Fay Baker began her transition to television in the late , aligning with the medium's rapid expansion following , and continued with guest appearances through the early . This shift sustained her acting career as feature film roles became less frequent after her early Hollywood successes, allowing her to leverage her poised screen presence in shorter-form episodic formats. Over this period, she amassed approximately 30 television credits, primarily in anthology dramas, westerns, and crime series, which provided steady visibility during the of live and early taped TV production. Baker's most notable television contributions included multiple guest spots on the long-running legal drama , where she portrayed enigmatic figures entangled in murder mysteries. In the 1958 episode "The Case of the Demure Defendant," she played Marian Newburn, a nurse implicated in a poisoning case involving , showcasing her ability to convey quiet intensity and moral ambiguity. Later that year, in "The Case of the Perjured Parrot," Baker appeared as Stephanie Sabin, a suspect whose name is eerily repeated by a witness's pet bird, adding to the series' signature twists and highlighting her skill in understated suspense. These roles, drawn from the show's first two seasons, exemplified her frequent casting as sophisticated, potentially duplicitous women in high-stakes narratives. Beyond , Baker appeared in a range of anthology and procedural series, often embodying mysterious or maternal archetypes that broadened her appeal. In the 1955 episode "The Margaret Browning Story" of The Millionaire, she depicted Margaret Browning, a woman whose life transforms after receiving a fortune, blending poise with emotional depth in a tale of sudden wealth's consequences. Her 1961 guest role as Madeleine Van Dyke on the sitcom shifted to a warmer, maternal figure, contrasting her dramatic work and demonstrating versatility in lighter fare. Contributions to anthology programs like (1955, as Pat Wadlington) further underscored her presence in prestige television, where she tackled complex female characters amid the era's evolving industry trends. These appearances enhanced her recognition among audiences tuning into the new medium, bridging her film background with TV's episodic demands until her acting pursuits tapered around 1963.

Writing career

Fictional works

Following a career in that included dramatic roles in film and television, Fay Baker transitioned to writing fiction in the 1970s, adopting the pen name Beth Holmes. Baker's primary fictional work, , was published in 1978 by Richard Marek Publishers. The novel follows Evie Lowell, who is forced to confront the fact that her 12-year-old son is psychotic. His behavior escalates, leading to expulsion from school after endangering a man on a . Evie and Timmy embark on a cross-country journey to find an institution to help with his deteriorating mental state, during which Timmy alternates between lucidity and , including an attempt to seduce his mother. The novel delves into themes of , including emotional and physical , family dysfunction, parental neglect, and the inadequacies of mid-20th-century psychiatric care for troubled youth. It portrays the surreal horrors of untreated mental illness amid privilege, critiquing how insulates families from . No other published fictional works by under Holmes are documented, though her narrative style draws on dramatic tension reminiscent of her performing background. Upon release, achieved commercial success, reaching the Los Angeles Times bestseller list in 1978 and spanning 458 pages in its hardcover edition. Critical reception praised its gripping depiction of emotional intensity and family dysfunction, calling it powerful and comparable to Sybil, with gaudy, surreal elements likely to appeal for . The book remains a notable example of Baker's imaginative storytelling, informed by her observations of human behavior from decades in entertainment.

Non-fiction works

Fay Baker's non-fiction output centers on her 1975 memoir My Darling, Darling Doctors, published by George Braziller and spanning 233 pages. The book recounts her extensive encounters with the medical profession, framed through diary entries, letters to physicians, and personal anecdotes that blend humor with frustration. It details episodes such as complications from leading to a herniated disc, consultations with multiple specialists—including surgeons, chiropractors, and psychiatrists—and the emotional toll on her family life during recovery periods. Baker's writing process for the emerged in the aftermath of significant health challenges following 1963, when persistent physical ailments curtailed her acting pursuits and redirected her energies toward literary expression. Diagnosed with in 1972, she channeled these experiences—along with earlier medical ordeals—into the book as a therapeutic outlet, transforming personal adversity into candid reflections on patient-doctor dynamics. The narrative highlights her interactions with authoritative figures in , echoing influences from her upbringing in a immersed in healthcare, where her father worked as a . Critics praised the memoir's energetic style and witty dialogue, though some noted its occasionally excessive verbosity diluted the intended levity. described it as a lively account of "the mostly medical experiences of actress ( was one), wife, mother," emphasizing its vivid portrayals of eccentric doctors and Baker's resilient voice amid vulnerability. No sequels followed, but the work aligned with Baker's earlier contributions, including articles sold in the that explored similar themes of personal resilience. The book received modest attention upon release, valued for its insider perspective on healthcare from a patient's viewpoint.

Personal life

Marriage and family

Fay Baker married television writer and producer Arthur Weiss on August 3, 1940, in Connecticut. The marriage produced two children: a son, Jonathan Baker Weiss, born on December 9, 1950, in Los Angeles, and a daughter, Amy Ellen Weiss, born on August 6, 1953, in Los Angeles. Her son Jonathan died of a drug overdose in 1972 at the age of 21. Baker and Weiss divorced in 1965 after 25 years of marriage.

Health issues and death

Baker developed severe back issues, including a herniated or compressed disc following , which contributed to the end of her acting career and her subsequent focus on writing as a more sedentary pursuit. Baker was diagnosed with breast cancer around 1972 and endured a 15-year struggle with the disease, undergoing multiple treatments and consultations with various physicians. Her health challenges profoundly shaped her later literary output; in particular, her battle inspired the 1975 memoir My Darling, Darling Doctors, in which she humorously documented her frustrating yet enlightening encounters with the medical establishment, blending personal anecdotes with wry observations on doctors, surgeries, and recovery. Baker died from on December 8, 1987, in , at the age of 70.

References

  1. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0048443/bio/
  2. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0048443/
  3. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/246007874/fay-baker
  4. https://www.nyslittree.org/authors/fay-baker/
  5. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0048443/trivia/
  6. https://en.notrecinema.com/communaute/stars/stars.php3?staridx=73104
  7. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36523887/fay_baker/
  8. https://prabook.com/web/fay.baker/2432605
  9. https://compass.fivecolleges.edu/system/files/2024-10/smith_ca_scw_19370623.pdf
  10. https://www.nytimes.com/1936/03/01/archives/leap-year-dances-are-held-at-smith-suppers-also-served-in-the.html
  11. https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/dantons-death-11592
  12. https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/fay-baker-79514
  13. https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/wonderful-journey-1497
  14. https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/85282/notorious
  15. https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/78585/the-house-on-telegraph-hill
  16. https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/72550/deadline-usa
  17. https://www.themoviedb.org/person/98160-fay-baker
  18. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/fay_baker
  19. https://watch.plex.tv/person/fay-baker
  20. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0673239/
  21. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0673353/
  22. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0648463/
  23. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/a/beth-holmes/the-whipping-boy-2/
  24. https://books.google.com/books/about/My_Darling_Darling_Doctors.html?id=pN_Gc4msvskC
  25. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/a/fay-baker/my-darling-darling-doctors/
  26. https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/K6HC-YCF/arthur-weiss-1912-1980
  27. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0918918/
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