Barbara Cason (November 15, 1928 - June 18, 1990) was an American actress who appeared as the second Nurse to be assigned to look after Mindy, in hospital for tonsillitis, who believes she is Mrs. MacDonald in for brain surgery, and who tries to fight off a Mork determined to rescue Mindy before they accidentally lobotomize her, in Season 2's Mork's Health Hints.
Biography[]
Cason was born (November 15, 1928) in Memphis, Tennessee, the daughter of Helen Louise (Phebus) and Charles Carroll Cason.
She began her career appearing in theatre and on local television in Memphis during the 1950s, where she notably co-founded and ran the Front St. Theatre.
She moved to New York City in 1967, becoming active in theatre there both on and off Broadway through 1973. She most notably starred in the original critically acclaimed production of Noël Coward's Oh, Coward! in 1972–73. She appeared in such cult films as The Honeymoon Killers (1969), Cold Turkey (1971) and Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) as well as the summer replacement variety television series Comedy Tonight. She was also in the movie House of Dark Shadows (1970) as Mrs. Johnson, when Clarice Blackburn couldn't do the role.
Her first marriage was to George Touliatos (22 December 1956 - ?) (divorced) She later married actor Dennis Patrick who like herself was a part of the "Dark Shadows" franchise and who were married during filming of the first Dark Shadows movie House of Dark Shadows (1970) until her death in Los Angeles, California, aged 61, after a heart attack.[1] [2]
Career[]
After making her screen debut in New York in a 1969 episode (Foul!) of New York Television Theatre, In the early 1970s, Cason's career became centered in Los Angeles, appearing mostly within television up until her death. She is probably best known for her roles as Cloris Phebus on Carter Country (1977–1979) and Ruth Shandling on It's Garry Shandling's Show (1986–1990), but she appeared in a huge amount of well known shows of the time. [2]
Filmography[]
| Year | TV Series | Episode(s) | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | New York Television Theatre | Foul! | |
| 1971-1979 | All in the Family | The Election Story
Birth of the Baby: Part 2 Edith Gets Fired |
Claire Packer
Nurse Dorothy Miss Critchen |
| 1972 | The Courtship of Eddie's Father | Time for a Change | Irma Handily |
| 1973-74 | The New Temperatures Rising Show | 13 Episodes | Miss Tillis |
| 1974 | The Waltons | The Spoilers | Susan Hanover |
| 1975 | Chico and the Man | This Hallowed Garage | Commissioner Vickers |
| 1976 | Harry O | Book of Changes | Kate |
| 1976 | Doc | A Quiet Anniversary | Mrs. Wagstaff |
| 1976 | Tabitha | Tabatha/Pilot #1 | Roberta Armistead |
| 1976 | Visions | The War Widow | Kate |
| 1976 | Tony the Pony | Agnes the Witch | Agnes the Witch |
| 1976-1977 | Family | Thursday's Child
Coming and Goings |
Sylvia Maitland |
| 1977 | The Jeffersons | A Case of Black and White | Jean Howard |
| 1977 | Little House on the Prairie | Gold Country | Nellie |
| 1977 | Dog and Cat | A Duck Is a Duck | Miss Shore |
| 1977 | Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman | 6 episodes | Fiona Foley |
| 1977-1979 | Carter Country | 44 episodes | Cloris Phebus |
| 1979 | Mork & Mindy | Mork's Health Hints | Nurse #2 |
| 1980 | Hello, Larry | Yearning | Miss Putman |
| 1981 | The Brady Brides | Living Together | Miss Fritzsinger |
| 1981 | Lou Grant | Double-Cross | Jinx Matheson |
| 1980-1982 | Trapper John, M.D. | 6 episodes | Dottie Pitt |
| 1982 | WKRP in Cincinnati | Dear Liar | Edna Perkins |
| 1982 | The Magical World of Disney | The Adventures of Pollyanna | Mrs. Snow |
| 1982 | Too Close for Comfort | Break Out the Pampers: Part 2 | Nurse |
| 1982 | Madame's Place | Episode #1.9 | Lynn La Vecque |
| 1982 | Cagney & Lacey | Beauty Burglars | Elizabeth Moran |
| 1982 | Quincy M.E. | Next Stop, Nowhere | Susan Garvin |
| 1983 | It Takes Two | Mister Molly Quinn | Judge Joan Markman |
| 1983 | Remington Steele | Red Holt Steele | R.J. Stonewell |
| 1983 | Lottery! | Detroit: The Price of Freedom | |
| 1983 | Whiz Kids | Airwave Anarchy | |
| 1984 | Airwolf | Echoes from the Past | Nurse Simmons |
| 1984 | Dallas | Fools Rush In | Iris Porter |
| 1985 | Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Life of the Party | Mrs. Flannigan |
| 1985 | Hardcastle and McCormick | Angie's Choice | Dolores |
| 1985 | Half Nelson | Uppers and Downers | |
| 1985 | Hollywood Beat | Pilot | Lady Di |
| 1985 | Crazy Like a Fox | Desert Fox | |
| 1986 | Silver Spoons | The Lady Is a Tramp | Bag Lady |
| 1986 | Night Court | Dan's Escort | Rebecca |
| 1986-90 | It's Garry Shandling's Show | 30 Episodes | Ruth Shandling |
| 1987 | It's a Living | Twelve Angry Women | Ms. Berman |
| 1988 | The Law and Harry McGraw | Beware the Ides of May | |
| 1988 | Murder, She Wrote | Benedict Arnold Slipped Here | Emily Goshen |
| 1990 | His & Hers | Forever Mentor | |
| Year | TV Movie | Role | |
| 1974 | It Couldn't Happen to a Nicer Guy | Judge A.J. White | |
| 1975 | Let's Switch! | Greta Bennett | |
| 1975 | Delancey Street: The Crisis Within | Mrs. Sommerville | |
| 1975 | America, You're on | Mildred Moffett | |
| 1978 | With This Ring | Viola Andrews | |
| 1979 | She's Dressed to Kill | Deenie Gooch | |
| 1981 | A Matter of Life and Death | Nurse Barnes | |
| 1982 | Memories Never Die | Rita Jean Tilford McEwan | |
| Year | Film | Role | |
| 1970 | The Honeymoon Killers | Evelyn Long | |
| 1970 | House of Dark Shadows | Mrs. Johnson | |
| 1971 | Cold Turkey | Letitia Hornsby | |
| 1977 | Exorcist II: The Heretic | Mrs. Phalor | |
Mork & Mindy[]
Barbara Cason appeared as the 2nd Nurse Mork encounters when he goes back on the second day to visit Mindy who is in hospital to have her tonsils out. As Mindy was put in a children's ward, due to overcrowding, he returns to the same room, only to find both her and the girl, Susie, she was sharing with gone. When the second Nurse enters, with her arm in a sling, she is alarmed to find a man in the young girls room. Mork tries to explain to her about Mindy, but she has no idea who he's talking about. Mork points out that the cauliflower he brought her is still there. The Nurse admits she wasn't there yesterday, having gone elsewhere to get her arm seen to, showing no confidence in her own place of work to help her. When she asks for Mindy's details and Mork tells her she's 23, the Nurse tells him he's definitely in the wrong place, that this is the children's ward. She then tells him she hopes Mindy's not been mixed up with another patient, as there's a chance she could have the wrong surgery. But that's not likely...again.
Later, unknowingly, the Nurse is attending to a blissfully drugged up Mindy, who is down as Mrs MacDonald. She returns later to find Mork, dressed in surgical gear, underneath Mindy on the bed, in an effort to get her out of the hospital, having found out she's been mistakenly put down for brain surgery. Telling her he was checking Mindy for lumps he pulls her up again, the nurse tells him she's due for surgery in 2 hours. Relieved she hasn't been operated on, he doubles his efforts to get her out of there, telling the nurse her name is McConnell not MacDonald. He's not helped by Mindy herself, who is quite enjoying her high, and being manhandled by Mork. The argument and chaos of them arguing over Mindy brings the arrival of Doctor Roland, the nurse appealing to him, that Mork, who she still thinks is a doctor, is trying to take the patient out. Roland attempts to get him to give up Mindy, but Mork refuses to relinquish her to him. Trying to forcibly take her from him, they force him to the window with her. Alarmed they tell Mork they are up 6 storeys. Mindy happily says she loves stories, before falling out the window, thankfully landing the broad ledge just outside. Utterly unphased by the height, or the people telling her to jump, Mindy happily wanders off around the ledge, as Mork tries to fend off the doctor and nurse, including biting the nurse, until the arrival of the Administrator finally clears up the confusion.
Note: Barbara Cason and her fellow nurse, Shirley Jo Finney, previously appeared together in the medical show New Temperature Rising Show several years earlier. In addition, Barbara appeared in the Pilot for Tabitha (1966), the show for which Pam Dawber had narrowly missed out on the lead role.