Erin O'Brien (actress)

Erin O'Brien (January 17, 1934 – May 20, 2021) was an American actress and singer, active during the mid-twentieth century and best known as the leading lady of arguably the first made-for-TV movie, Girl on the Run, which also served as the pilot for the television series 77 Sunset Strip written by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., which played briefly in theaters before airing on television on October 10, 1958.[1]

Not to be confused with Erin O'Brien-Moore.
Erin O'Brien
O'Brien in 1959
Born(1934-01-17)January 17, 1934
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedMay 20, 2021(2021-05-20) (aged 87)
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actress, singer
Years active1957–1967
Spouses
  • Jimmy Fitzgerald
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1951; div. 1963)​
  • Kanan A. Awni
    ​
    (m. 1963)​
Children5

Early years

The daughter of a milk delivery man, Vincent O'Brien, and his wife, Betty, she was the oldest of 14 siblings,[2] with seven sisters and six brothers.[3] She was born in Hollywood, grew up in Long Beach, California,[4] and was a graduate of St. Anthony High School.[2]

At the age of 15, O'Brien had a notable encounter singing to Helen Keller, who was staying temporarily at a nunnery in Pasadena, California. One account of that encounter states, "The sister surrounding Keller's bed encouraged a frightened O'Brien to continue [singing]. Finally Keller reached up and held her hand to O'Brien's throat to feel the vibrato. Keller began crying. 'Afterward she kept kissing my hand again and again and again.'"[5]

Career

Shortly after graduating from high school, O'Brien sang with a choir directed by Walter Schumann.[2] Then she appeared for three years on a five-day-a-week television show hosted by Al Jarvis and featuring Betty White. Following that work, O'Brien toured as a singer and eventually became a winner on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts on television, which led to a one-year contract on The Tonight Show.[4][1]

During the late 1950s and 1960s, O'Brien also performed as a supporting character and leading lady in episodes of a variety of television shows, including many popular Western series. Some of those series include Bat Masterson, Sugarfoot, Cheyenne, Maverick, Colt .45, Laramie, Tombstone Territory, and Death Valley Days. She performed as well on The Asphalt Jungle television series and on Perry Mason. Her acting was not limited to the "small screen". She was cast, for example, in the 1967 feature film In Like Flint.[1] Earlier, casting directors considered her as a potential costar for Gene Kelly in Marjorie Morningstar (1958), but she was deemed physically too short, so the role was given to Natalie Wood.[5]

O'Brien was a singer on The Frank Sinatra Show[6]: 363  on CBS-TV (1950-1952), The Eddie Fisher Show on NBC-TV (1957-1959),[6] and the syndicated The Liberace Show (1958-1959).[6]: 598  She entertained troops with Bob Hope, Jayne Mansfield, and Frances Langford in 1957[1] and was the face of advertising campaigns for Schlitz and later, Smirnoff.

According to the Internet Movie Database, O'Brien was a featured solo singer on The Steve Allen Show from 1956 to 1958.[note 1][7] Her films include Onionhead[8] with Andy Griffith (1958) and John Paul Jones with Robert Stack (1959).[1]

In 1958, O'Brien released an album, Songs From the Heart of Erin O'Brien on Coral Records.[8]

Personal life and death

On June 16, 1951, O'Brien married public relations practitioner James Fitzgerald. They had three sons and divorced on January 17, 1963.[9] She had two children by her second husband, Kanan Awni, whom she married twice. She died on May 20, 2021.[1]

Notes
  1. An Associated Press article published on June 14, 1957, says, "Steve Allen put her on four programs."

References
  1. Barnes, Mike (2021-06-08). "Erin O'Brien, Actress in 'Onionhead' and '77 Sunset Strip,' Dies at 87". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
  2. Shearer, Lloyd (February 23, 1958). "until she proved a hit on TV". The San Bernardino County Sun. California, San Bernardino. Parade. p. 81. Retrieved July 1, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  3. "Erin O'Brien". Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen. Archived from the original on 2 July 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
  4. Thomas, Bob (March 30, 1957). "Erin O'Brien Finds Fame In East After Los Angeles Toil". The Times. California, San Mateo. Associated Press. p. 15. Retrieved July 1, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  5. "Seabeck Sale Is a Public Act for a Private Actress". www.kitsapsun.com. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
  6. Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 298. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  7. Boyle, Hal (June 14, 1957). "Pretty Erin O'Brien Got God's Call After Waiting". Denton Record-Chronicle. Texas, Denton. Associated Press. p. 4. Retrieved July 2, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  8. "Erin in Album". The Lincoln Star. Nebraska, Lincoln. 23 March 1958. p. 44. Retrieved July 2, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  9. "Actress' Marriage Dissolved". Independent. California, Long Beach. Associated Press. January 18, 1963. p. 24. Retrieved July 2, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. open access
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