Susan Saint James dies at 80

[Spooky Owl!]

 

[Spooky Owl!]

Susan Saint James died of pancreatic cancer. She co-starred in the THE NAME OF THE GAME series in the '60s, and then played Rock Hudson's wife in The NBC Sundays Mystery Movie's McMILLAN & WIFE where the audience adored her (but the producers didn't, killing her character in a plane crash after she asked for a raise -- Saint James later admitted, "I acted like the Queen of Sheba").

She starred with George Hamilton in LOVE AT FIRST BITE (1979) which, unfortunately, had the effect of squelching the box office somewhat of John Badham's DRACULA released only weeks later. And then co-starred with Jane Curtin in the stilted mid-'80s comedy series KATE & ALLIE -- I thought Saint James was too self-conscious to be suited for straight sitcom (and the show had the classic tone-deaf error that Kate looked like an Allie and Allie looked like a Kate --- which is exactly what ruined the Menendez Brothers: Lyle looked like an Erik and Erik looked like a Lyle).

Speaking of plane crashes, Saint James’ 14‑year‑old son, Teddy Ebersol, died in a private plane crash in Colorado on November 28, 2004, when their aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff, killing Teddy and two crew members, while his father Dick Ebersol and brother Charlie survived with serious injuries.

I thought she had a good romantic chemistry with Hudson in McMILLAN & WIFE, supported by the dry sarcasm of Nancy Walker.

Susan was 80 years old.


An '80s interview with David Letterman:

‏‏٢٠٨ ألف‏ مشاهدة‏ · ‏‏٧٫٣ ألف‏ تفاعل‏ | In Loving Memory of Susan Saint James #DavidLetterman #SusanSaintJames | David Letterman

In Loving Memory of Susan Saint James #DavidLetterman #SusanSaintJames

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[Spooky Owl!]

I thought Saint James was too self-conscious to be suited for straight sitcom

I may be being too harsh on her here... I was basing my opinion on her performance in early episodes of KATE & ALLIE (which were pretty rough, and '80s-era stiff) so I gave up quickly on the show.

But I've been catching clips today from later episodes, and Saint James seems much better than I'd remembered. So the series must have improved or at least gotten more into its groove.

The fact that I jumped ship so quickly on KATE & ALLIE is notable, because I'd always liked both Saint James and Jane Curtin.

Never a milquetoast, Curtin today eulogized her former costar by saying: "We lost a decent person today. Susan St. James was a decent person who made Kate and Allie a joy. She juggled a really full life from the Ed Sullivan theater in between working on stage and being the Mom on set. She worked tirelessly for organizations she believed in like the Special Olympics. All the while raising children and going through the horrors of losing a child."

Curtin added, "Susan was my friend and working with her brought such laughter, community and family to the stage at the Ed Sullivan theater. I’ll miss her."