Honolulu Advertiser; Honolulu HI; 2001-3-17 Honolulu Advertiser, March 17,2001 LOS ANGELES - Ann Sothern the blond beauty who starred as the movies' wisecracking "Maisie" and as the busybody Susie McNamara in the 1950s TV series "Private Secretary" died at her Idaho home yesterday. She was 92. Sothern died late Thursday of heart failure at her home in Ketchum, Idaho, said her spokesman, Mike Kaplan. An accomplished singer as well as comedian, Sothern appeared in MGM musicals such as "Lady Be Good" and "Panama Hattie." She was in a second TV series, "The Ann Sothern Show", as the assistant manager of a plush New York hotel. Sothern's film career spanned six decades and included 64 movies and more that 175 TV episodes. Only in 1988 did she win recognition from the Motion Picture Academy. She was nominated for and Oscar as supporting actress in "The Whales of August," which also starred veterans Bette Davis, Lillian Gosh and Vincent Price. Her first MGM film "Maisie." had been designed for Jean Harlow, who had died in 1937. It starred Sothern as a flip one-time burlesque dancer with a warm heart and a failing for man trouble. The film was a hit and led to nine more "Maisies" between 1939 and 1947. After leaving MGM, she proved herself as a serious actress in Joseph Mankiewicz's "A Letter to Three Wives," Oscar winner for best picture of 1949. In 1952 she launched her television career with "Private Secretary." "Like all the other stars at MGM, I had been living in a glass cage" she said after facing the rigors of TV schedules. "Life was beautiful there, everything was done for us. I had forgotten what real work was. "Private Secretary," in which she played the nosy Susie McNamara, was an immediate success, lasting from 1953 to 1957. The star quit after a dispute with the producer, and in 1958 she began the "Ann Sothern Show," playing an assistant manager of a big-city hotel. She worked at the former RKO studios newly owned by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. She also had one more recurring role in a TV series, a most unusual one: She was the voice of the woman reincarnated as an antique auto in the 1965-6 sitcom "My Mother the Car." She was born Harriette Lake in Valley City, N.D. on Jan.22, 1909. As a youngster she learned piano and trained as a lyric soprano. Harriette was 6 when her father deserted the family, and her mother moved her three daughters to Minneapolis and later Los Angeles. The Washington Post Saturday, March 17, 2001 Page B7 Golden Age Actress Ann Sothern, 92, Dies Singer; Dancer Moved From Musicals to Drama, Earned Oscar Nomination By Martin Weil Washington Post Staff Writer Ann Sothern, 92, the blond, full-lipped actress whose gift for flippant comedy enlivened dozens of movies and two television series during a career that spanned more than 60 years and included an Oscar nomination, died March 15 at her home in Ketchum, Idaho, of apparent heart failure. Researchers in film archives traced Miss Sothern's career back to an appearance as an extra in 1927. After a career that she once said included every entertainment medium but rodeo, Miss Sothern was nominated for the Academy Award for a supporting role in "The Whales of August," a well regarded 1987 movie about age and optimism. In the intervening years, Miss Sothern, who could sing and dance, delighted Broadway audiences in musical comedy and showed ability as a dramatic actress in Hollywood's "A Letter to Three Wives." She brought mirth to America's living rooms in two early sitcoms, "Private Secretary" and "The Ann Sothern Show." By one count, her film roles came to about 70, many made in the 1930s and 1940s, considered by Hollywood's golden age. Miss Sothern, a highly valued performer of the time, once likened those days to "being in a little cocoon. You didn't even have to walk to the set. There was always a limousine." Her title role in 1939s "Maisie" began a series of pictures that were among her best known. They included "Congo Maisie," "Gold Rush Maisie," "Ringside Maisie" and several other scatterbrained comedies, winding up with "Undercover Maisie" in 1947. Her first television series, "Private Secretary," ran from 1953 to 1957, the days of black and white broadcasting. It displayed her wisecracking style. That show was followed by "The Ann Sothern Show," in which she was featured as the assistant manager of a hotel. It ran from 1958 to 1961. Later she appeared as the voice of the car in the TV show "My Mother the Car." Miss Sothern was born Harriette Lake on Jan. 22, 1909, in Valley City, N.D. Her farther deserted the family when she was young and her mother, who had sung in concerts, moved with her first to Minneapolis and then to Los Angeles. Miss Sothern's first credited film appearance was an extra in "Broadway Nights" in 1927. She had uncredited parts in seven other movies in the late 1920s and early 1930s before appearing as a dancer in "Broadway Through a Keyhole" in 1933 and then as Joan Larrabee in 1934's "Kid Millions." She later appeared in such MGM musicals as "Panama Hattie" and "Lady Be Good," in which she gave voice to the Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II song "The Last Time I Saw Paris." It won the 1941 Academy Award for best song. One of the first films that gave full scope to her comedic gifts was "Trade Winds," in which she showed a knack with dialogue written by Dorothy Parker. Her success as Jean Livingstone in that fill was followed the next year by the first of the daffy "Maisie" films. She appeared in her best-know dramatic role as Rita Phipps in "A Letter to Three Wives" in 1949. Joseph Mankiewicz won the Academy Award for best director for it. An accident onstage in 1974 damage Miss Sothern's legs and back and led to years of treatment. She was married to bandleader-actor Roger Pryor from 1936 to 1942 and to actor Robert Sterling from 1943 to 1949. Both marriages ended in divorce. Miss Sothern moved to Ketchum in 1984. The Associate Press reported that her only child, actress Tisha Sterling, lived nearby and was with her when she died. Spfld Union News; Springfield MA; 2001-3-17 Actress Ann Sothern, 92; TV's 'Private Secretary' By BOB THOMAS Associated Press Writer LOS ANGELES - Ann Sothern, the blond beauty who starred as the movies' wisecracking "Maisie" and as the busybody Susie McNamara in the 1950s TV series "Private Secretary," died Thursday at her home in Ketchum, Idaho. An accomplished singer as well as comedian, she appeared in MGM musicals such as "Lady Be Good" and "Panama Hattie." She was in a second TV series, "The Ann Sothern Show," as the assistant manager of a plush New York hotel. Sothern's film career spanned six decades and included 64 movies and more than 175 TV episodes. She was nominated for an Oscar in 1988 as supporting actress in "The Whales of August," which also starred veterans Bette Davis and Vincent Price. Her first Columbia film was the 1934 musical "Let's Fall in Love." She followed with more undemanding roles at Columbia and RKO, where she and another contract player, Lucille Ball, commiserated over their lack of progress. After RKO dropped her, Sothern waited a year until she could find a worthy role. "Trade Winds" in 1939 offered her sophisticated comedy and brought rave reviews and an MGM contract. Her first MGM film, "Maisie," had been designed for Jean Harlow, who had died in 1937. It cast Sothern as a flip one-time burlesque dancer with a warm heart and a failing for man trouble. The film was a hit and led to nine more "Maisies" between 1939 and 1947. MGM also starred her in musicals and comedies such as "Dulcy," "Words and Music," "Three Hearts for Julia," "Thousands Cheer" and "Fast and Furious." In "Lady Be Good" she sang Kern-Hammerstein's "The Last Time I saw Paris," which won the 1941 Academy Award as best song. After leaving MGM, she proved herself as a serious actress in Joseph Mankiewicz's "A Letter to Three Wives," Oscar winner for best picture of 1949. A siege of hepatitis kept her out of acting for a year, then in 1952 she launched her television career with "Private Secretary." The show, in which she played the nosy Susie McNamara, was an immediate success, lasting from 1953 to 1957. The star quit after a dispute with the producer, and in 1958 she began "The Ann Sothern Show," playing an assistant manager of a big-city hotel. She worked at the former RKO studio, newly owned by Ball and Desi Arnaz. The series faded in 1961. Wanting to return to serious roles, she studied drama with Stella Adler and then played a prostitute in "Lady in a Cage," a political busybody in "The Best Man," a blowzy has-been in "Sylvia." Her other films included "Chubasco," "The Killing Mind," "Golden Needles" and "Crazy Mama." She also had one more recurring role in a TV series, a most unusual one: She was the voice of the woman reincarnated as an antique auto in the 1965-66, sitcom "My Mother the Car." She was born Harriette Lake in Valley City, N.D., on Jan. 22, 1909. She was 6 when her father deserted the family, and her mother moved her three daughters to Minneapolis, and later Los Angeles. She made her film debut in Warner Bros.' early talkie, "The Show of Shows" in 1929. After a few small roles, she went to Broadway for the musicals "Smiles," "Everybody Welcome" and "America's Sweet-heart." She was appearing in "Of Thee I Sing" when Columbia Pictures signed her. Columbia boss Harry Cohn decided there were too many Lakes in movies. She became Ann Sothern, taken from her mother's first name and the distinguished actor E.H. Sothern. She was married to band leader-actor Roger Pryor from 1936 to 1942 and to actor Robert Sterling from 1943 to 1949. Both marriages ended in divorce. Sothern moved in 1984 to Ketchum, where she had visited to ski since the 1940s. Her only child, actress Tisha Sterling, had a house nearby and was with her when she died.