Mary Frann


Mary Frann was an American stage, film and television actress. Frann is best known for her role as Bob Newhart's wife, Joanna Loudon, on the CBS sitcom Newhart, which aired from 1982 to 1990.

Early years

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Frann was a child model and appeared in commercials for a local television station while she attended Nerinx Hall High School. At the age of 18, she was voted Missouri's "Junior Miss". She went on to win the 1961 national title of America's Junior Miss and earned a college scholarship to study drama at Northwestern University. As America's Junior Miss, she starred in a Jam Handy educational film extolling the etiquette and fun of the high school prom. While attending Northwestern, Frann worked as a weather reporter for the NBC station in St. Louis. After a year, she dropped out of Northwestern and moved to Chicago where she co-hosted a morning show on an ABC affiliate. While working as a host, Frann worked in local theatre productions and began working in television and films. In 1964, Frann made her television debut in an episode of the Kraft Suspense Theatre. That same year, she appeared in the television movie Nightmare in Chicago starring Carroll O'Connor. In 1966, Frann made her film debut in the low budget musical drama Nashville Rebel, starring Waylon Jennings.

Career

After receiving an offer to host another morning show, Frann realized she wanted to pursue a career as an actress rather than a broadcaster. In 1968, she moved to Los Angeles where she stayed with her best friend, actress Joan Van Ark. Shortly after her arrival, Frann won a role on the NBC crime drama series My Friend Tony. After winning the role, Frann's agent told her that he felt she should change her name to something more appealing. Frann adopted the stage name "Jennifer Douglas," a name she picked from the phone book. After My Friend Tony was canceled after one season, Frann returned to using the name "Mary Frann" as her professional name.
For the next five years, Frann continued to work in television and also worked in theatre in Los Angeles and New York. In 1974, she landed the role of Amanda Howard on the daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives. She would remain on the show until 1979. While on the series, Frann also made guest appearances on Quincy, M.E., The Rockford Files, Fantasy Island, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and WKRP in Cincinnati. In 1978, Frann was nearly cast as Sue Ellen Ewing on the CBS prime-time drama Dallas. Producers later decided to cast actress Linda Gray. In 1982, she starred on the short-lived series King's Crossing with Linda Hamilton. That series was canceled after one season due to low ratings. Later that year, she landed her most memorable role as Joanna Loudon, the wife of Vermont inn owner Dick Loudon, in the sitcom Newhart. The series, which aired from October 1982, to September 1990, was a hit with audiences and was nominated for 25 Emmys and five Golden Globes. Shortly after filming the series finale, Frann was cast as "Clementine Duke" in the miniseries Lucky/Chances. The series was based on two of Jackie Collins' novels, Lucky and Chances. The role was a dramatic departure from Frann's work on Newhart and surprised audiences. She later told the Los Angeles Times, "I thought it would be outrageous, flamboyant, glamorous. I wanted to remind people that I was capable of playing many different roles."
During the run of Newhart, Frann continued acting in various projects. In 1985, she co-starred in the TV movie Gidget's Summer Reunion, and in 1988, she appeared in Dance 'til Dawn with Alyssa Milano, Christina Applegate and Kelsey Grammer. Frann also co-hosted the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants of 1986 and 1987, and acted as hostess for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Rose Parade.
Her last acting role came in the series . Due to the sporadic airing of the series, the episode she was in, "The Curse of Hampton Manor," aired two years after her death.

Personal life

Frann was married once, in 1973, to T.J. Escott. They separated in 1982, divorced the following year, and had no children.

Charity work

Frann was active as a volunteer fund-raiser and was involved with charitable works. She was a member of the Celebrity Action Council, a volunteer group of celebrity women who served the women's outreach of the Los Angeles Mission, for seven years. The night before her death, she had attended a meeting at the Mission.

Death

On September 23, 1998, Frann died in her sleep at her home in Beverly Hills, California. Her body was discovered by her
publicist and her longtime partner Jonathan Cookman Jr. An autopsy later determined that she died of a heart attack and also suffered from an undiagnosed scarring of the heart muscle tissue. Her remains are interred in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.

Selected filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1964Kraft Suspense TheatreAnnetteEpisode: "Once Upon a Savage Night"
1968Get SmartStewardessEpisode: "Snoopy Smart vs. the Red Baron"
Credited as Jennifer Douglas
1968That GirlPat CrawfordEpisode: "Ann vs. Secretary"
Credited as Jennifer Douglas
1968-1969The Wild Wild WestDr. Virginia Mays
Princess Lina		2 episodes
Credited as Jennifer Douglas
1969My Friend Tony16 episodes
Credited as Jennifer Douglas
1969BonanzaBarbara ParkerEpisode: "The Running Man"
Credited as Jennifer Douglas
1969LancerDorrieEpisode: "The Kid"
Credited as Jennifer Douglas
1971The Bill Cosby ShowLouiseEpisode: "The Miraculous Martin"
1972The Mary Tyler Moore ShowJoanneEpisode: "Some of My Best Friends Are Rhoda"
1972Hawaii Five-OJean HollandEpisode: "Chain of Events"
1972SearchStephanie BurnsideEpisode: "Operation Iceman"
1973CannonJanice RogersEpisode: "Murder for Murder"
1973-1974Return to Peyton PlaceD. B. BentleyUnknown episodes
1974FirehouseEpisode: "Tide of Terror"
1974The F.B.I.Agent Pat DriscollEpisode: "Confessions of a Madman"
1974Apple's WayClaudine DelacorteEpisode: "The Circus"
1974-1979Days of Our LivesAmanda HowardUnknown episodes
1975The Wide World of MysteryEpisode: "Distant Early Warning"
1975-1978The Rockford FilesValerie Thomas/Maria Heller
Ruth Beetson-White		2 episodes
1976The TVTV ShowMary KayTelevision special
1977The Fantastic JourneyRoxanneEpisode: "Funhouse"
1977Quincy, M.E.Christine HopwoodEpisode: "No Deadly Secret"
1978Fantasy IslandGrace ArnoldEpisode: "Family Reunion/Voodoo"
1978The Incredible HulkKaren WeissEpisode: "Stop the Presses"
1978The Rockford FilesRuth Beetson-WhiteEpisode: "A Fast Count"
1980StoneAdelle LovinsEpisode: "The Man in the Full Toledo"
1980Portrait of an EscortSandyTelevision movie
1981Nero WolfeJanet EatonEpisode: "Wolfe at the Door"
1981WKRP in CincinnatiAvis Dropkin2 episodes
1981DarkroomLinda BeckwithEpisode: "Closed Circuit"
1982King's CrossingNan Hollister10 episodes
1982-1990NewhartJoanna Loudon184 episodes
1984-1985HotelStephanie
Dr. Ellen Graham		2 episodes
1985Gidget's Summer ReunionAnne BedfordTelevision movie
1987The New Mike HammerHarriet "Harry" QuailEpisode: "A Face in the Night"
1987Eight Is Enough: A Family ReunionAbby BradfordTelevision movie
1988Dance 'til DawnNancy JohnsonTelevision movie
1989Single Women, Married MenPat MichaelsTelevision movie
1990I'm Dangerous TonightMarthaTelevision movie
1990CBS Comedy BloopersHostTelevision special
1990Lucky/ChancesClementine DukeMiniseries
1991The HitchhikerVeronicaEpisode: "Secrets"
1994Burke's LawBrittany MooreEpisode: "Who Killed Good Time Charlie?"
1997'Alice WhiteEpisode: "Toy Story"
1998'Lucy CarusoEpisode: "Talked to Death"
2000Bev ConklinEpisode: "The Curse of Hampton Manor"
Aired posthumously