Mary Katherine Linaker (July 19, 1913 – April 18, 2008) was an American actress and screenwriter who appeared in many B movies during the 1930s and 1940s, most notably Kitty Foyle (1940). Linaker used her married name, Kate Phillips,[2] as a screenwriter, notably for the cult film The Blob (1958). She is credited with coining the name "The Blob" for the movie, which was originally titled The Molten Meteor.[1]
Kay Linaker | |
|---|---|
 Linaker in the 1930s | |
| Born | Mary Katherine Linaker July 19, 1913 Pine Bluff, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Died | April 18, 2008 (aged 94) Keene, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Other names | Kate Phillips Kay Linaker-Phillips |
| Occupations | Actress screenwriter |
| Years active | 1936–1945 |
| Spouse |
Howard Phillips
(m. 1945; died 1985) |
| Children | 2[1] |
Biography
editLinaker was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas and graduated from a private school in Connecticut and from New York University. She went on to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.[3]
Linaker acted in supporting roles on Broadway before signing a film contract with Warner Bros.[1] She was signed by the studio after a talent scout saw her in Jackson White at the Providencetown Theater.[4] Her Broadway credits included Every Man for Himself (1940), and Yesterday's Orchids (1934).[5]
In 1935, she briefly changed her name to Lynn Acker "for screen purposes",[6] but she soon dropped that name.[7] Most of her film work had her in limited roles, with one of her notable leading parts coming in The Girl from Mandalay (1936).[2] Her screen debut was in The Murder of Dr. Harrigan (1936).[8]
Linaker wrote for the Voice of America during World War II in addition to working for the Red Cross.[2]
She later taught in the film studies department at Keene State College in New Hampshire from 1980 to 2006.[9]
From the 1960s to her death, Linaker dedicated much of her time to education. She went on to teach acting and screenwriting at Hampshire Country School in Rindge, New Hampshire.[10]
Personal life
editLinaker – on June 9, 1953, in Bedford, New York – married Howard Baron Phillips (1909–1985), who initially was a baritone and writer but later worked as an executive with NBC television.[11] In December 1936, for about a year, Phillips sang with Ray Noble under the pseudonym Howard Barrie.
Death
editOn April 18, 2008, Linaker died in Keene, New Hampshire.[2]
Partial filmography
edit- The Murder of Dr. Harrigan (1936) - Sally Keating
- Road Gang (1936) - Barbara Winston
- The Girl from Mandalay (1936) - Jeanie Barton
- Easy Money (1936) - Carol Carter
- Crack-Up (1936) - Mrs. Fleming
- The Outer Gate (1937) - Lois Borden
- Black Aces (1937) - Sandy McKenzie
- Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo (1937) - Joan Karnoff
- Personal Secretary (1938) - Flo Sampson
- The Last Warning (1938) - Carla Rodriguez
- I Am a Criminal (1938) - Linda La Rue
- Trade Winds (1938) - Grace (uncredited)
- Young Mr. Lincoln (1939) - Mrs. Edwards (uncredited)
- Charlie Chan in Reno (1939) - Mrs. Russell
- Man About Town (1939) - Receptionist (uncredited)
- Hotel for Women (1939) - Jane (uncredited)
- Girl from Rio (1939) - Vicki
- Charlie Chan at Treasure Island (1939) - Egyptian Princess Ectoplasm (uncredited)
- Drums Along the Mohawk (1939) - Mrs. Demooth
- Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence (1939) - Nurse
- Hidden Enemy (1940) - Sonia Manning
- Green Hell (1940) - Woman in Cafe (uncredited)
- Free, Blonde and 21 (1940) - Mrs. John Crane
- Buck Benny Rides Again (1940) - Brenda Tracy
- Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise (1940) - Mrs. Pendleton
- Sandy Is a Lady (1940) - Mrs. Porter, Writer's Wife
- Mystery Sea Raider (1940) - Flossie La Mare
- Kitty Foyle (1940) - Veronica Strafford
- The Invisible Woman (1940) - Showroom Buyer (uncredited)
- They Dare Not Love (1941) - Barbara Murdock
- Blood and Sand (1941) - Guest of Doña Sol (uncredited)
- Charlie Chan in Rio (1941) - Helen Ashby
- Private Nurse (1941) - Helene
- Married Bachelor (1941) - Minor Role (uncredited)
- Moon Over Her Shoulder (1941) - Radio Hostess (uncredited)
- Cadet Girl (1941) - Minor Role (scenes deleted)
- Glamour Boy (1941) - Mrs. Emily Colder
- Remember the Day (1941) - Society Reporter (uncredited)
- A Close Call for Ellery Queen (1942) - Margo Rogers
- The Night Before the Divorce (1942) - Hedda Smythe
- Men of Texas (1942) - Mrs. Sarah Olsen
- Orchestra Wives (1942) - Margie (uncredited)
- War Dogs (1942) - Joan Allen
- Pittsburgh (1942) - Secretary (uncredited)
- Happy Go Lucky (1943) - Suzanne (uncredited)
- Cinderella Swings It (1943) - Madame Dolores
- Two Weeks to Live (1943) - Mrs. Madge Carmen
- The More the Merrier (1943) - Miss Allen (uncredited)
- Let's Face It (1943) - Canteen Hostess (uncredited)
- Wintertime (1943) - Wife (uncredited)
- Lady in the Dark (1944) - Liza's Mother
- Men on Her Mind (1944) - Eloise Palmer
- It Happened Tomorrow (1944) - Anniversary Party Attendee (uncredited)
- Laura (1944) - Woman (uncredited)
- Here Come the Waves (1944) - Pretty Woman (uncredited)
- Bring On the Girls (1945) - Commander's Wife (uncredited) (final film role)
References
edit- 1 2 3 Dennis Hevesi (April 27, 2008). "Kate Phillips, Actress Who Christened 'The Blob', Is Dead at 94". Obituaries. New York Times. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 Hevesi, Dennis (April 28, 2008). "Kate Phillips, 94, actress who co-wrote 'The Blob'". Philadelphia Daily News. Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. New York Times News Service. p. 10. Retrieved October 29, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Weaver, Tom (2003). Eye on Science Fiction: 20 Interviews with Classic SF and Horror Filmmakers. McFarland. p. 215. ISBN 9780786430284. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
- ↑ "'Find' Discovered in Famous Theater". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. July 3, 1935. p. 23. Retrieved October 29, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Kay Linaker". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on October 30, 2018. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ↑ "Player Changes Name". Motion Picture Herald. August 3, 1935. p. 67. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
- ↑ "A 'Little' from Hollywood 'Lots'". The Film Daily. August 8, 1935. p. 10. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
- ↑ "Broadway Actress In Film". The Morning News. Delaware, Wilmington. August 2, 1935. p. 20. Retrieved October 29, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Michael G. Fitzgerald (May 22, 2014). "Kate Phillips (1913–2008)". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
- ↑ "PB native Phillips had long movie career". Arkansas Online. October 30, 2023. Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
- ↑ "Phillips". Philadelphia Daily News. Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. April 28, 2008. p. 24. Retrieved October 29, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Rust, Brian Arthur Lovell (1922–2011) (1975). The American Dance Band Discography, 1917–1942. Arlington House – via Google Books (University of Michigan Library)
.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) LCCN 75-33689; ISBN 978-0-8700-0248-9, 0-8700-0248-1; OCLC 1818389 (all editions).- "Ray Noble" "HP" (Harry Phillips, vocalist). Vol. 2. p. 1311.
Further reading
edit- Weaver, Tom (2003). "Kay Linaker". Eye on Science Fiction: 20 Interviews with Classic SF and Horror Filmmakers. McFarland. pp. 215–233. ISBN 978-0-7864-3028-4.
- Magers, Boyd; Fitzgerald, Michael G. (2004). "Kay Linaker". Westerns Women: Interviews with 50 Leading Ladies of Movie and Television Westerns from the 1930s to the 1960s. McFarland. pp. 140–143. ISBN 978-0-7864-2028-5.
External links
edit- Kay Linaker at IMDb
- Kay Linaker at the Internet Broadway Database