Georgia Ellis (March 12, 1917 – March 30, 1988) was an American actress who is best known for her recurring role of Kitty in the Western radio drama Gunsmoke.[1]

Georgia Ellis
Born
Georgia Blanche Hawkins

(1917-03-12)March 12, 1917
DiedMarch 30, 1988(1988-03-30) (aged 71)
OccupationRadio actress
Years active1940–1960

Career

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Ellis also used the name Georgia Hawkins,[2] making her film debut under that name in The Light of Western Stars (1940). A news story at that time referred to her and another actress as "discoveries of Victor Jory."[3]

Ellis appeared in the films Dragnet (1954),[4] Penny Serenade (1940), Doomed Caravan (1941), and Light of the Western Stars (1940).[5]

In addition to her work on Gunsmoke, Ellis was a member of the cast of Rogers of the Gazette.[6] She also appeared on CBS Radio Workshop.[7]

Ellis played a number of small roles on the Dragnet TV series in the 1950s.

Personal life

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She was the daughter of John R. Hawkins and Blanche E. Sparling.

She married fellow actor Thomas M. Skinner on August 31, 1941, in Yuma, Arizona. In 1948, she married Antony Ellis, a writer, producer, and director or radio and television shows; they met while appearing at the Pasadena Playhouse. She played Miss Kitty on Gunsmoke.[8][9][10][11][12] They had a son, Jonathan.[13]

She married Karl E. Puttfarken in Los Angeles on June 30, 1961. The bride's name on the marriage record is listed as Georgia B. Hawkins.

References

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  1. ^ Happy Birthday, Georgia Ellis!. Radio Spirits. Retrieved 1 Nov 2024.
  2. ^ "Gunsmoke: Radio's Last Great Dramatic Series". www3.northern.edu. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  3. ^ "Star's Discoveries Featured in Movie". Oakland Tribune. California, Oakland. Oakland Tribune. December 26, 1939. p. 10. Retrieved January 19, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ Corby, Jane (August 21, 1954). "TV's Sergeant Friday Bows On Victoria's Big Screen". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 4. Retrieved March 24, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
  5. ^ Our Miss Kitty, examiner.com, Jeff Kallman, November 4, 2011
  6. ^ "Rogers of the Gazette" (PDF). Broadcasting. September 7, 1953. p. 16. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  7. ^ "Legend of Jimmy Blue Eyes" (PDF). Broadcasting. April 2, 1956. p. 12. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  8. ^ Tranberg, Charles. William Conrad: A Life & Career. BearManor Media.
  9. ^ Palmer, Zuma (1955-07-12). "One more vacation comes to an end". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. p. 24. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  10. ^ Shreve, Ivan G. (March 1, 2016). "Happy Birthday, Antony Ellis!". Radio Spirits. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  11. ^ Palmer, Zuma (1953-09-02). "Radio more than ever gratifying to writer-director". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. p. 9. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  12. ^ Palmer, Zuma (1953-09-03). "Requirements for good acting defined by writer, director Ellis". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  13. ^ "Radio Review: From the Production Centres". Variety. July 20, 1955. 199, 7. Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive. Pg. 30. Via Proquest.
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