Catherine McLeod

Acting

Catherine McLeod

Born 1921-07-02 · Santa Monica, California, USA

Catherine McLeod (July 2, 1921 – May 11, 1997) was an American actress who made over sixty television and movie appearances between 1944 and 1976. She memorably portrayed the one woman whom James Garner's character Bret Maverick wanted to marry on the 1957 television series Maverick, in the episode "Rage for Vengeance," and appeared in literally dozens of other series including The Millionaire, Meet McGraw, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, 77 Sunset Strip, Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, Bronco, Perry Mason, Colt .45, Lawman, Bonanza, Hawaiian Eye, Have Gun - Will Travel, The Outer Limits, The Virginian, and the Ten Thousand Horses Singing episode of Studio One opposite James Dean and John Forsythe. Movies included Frank Borzage's I've Always Loved You (1946), Courage of Lassie (1946), The Fabulous Texan (1947), That's My Man (1947), Old Los Angeles (1948), My Wife's Best Friend (1952), A Blueprint for Murder (1953), William Witney's The Outcast (1954), Ride the Wild Surf (1964), and Lipstick (1976). McLeod's greatest impact upon American consciousness by far, however, was as purveyor of one of the most ubiquitous catchphrases of its era when she portrayed the woman in the 1963 headache remedy television commercial who plaintively but irritably said, "Mother, please! I'd rather do it myself!" The announcer's voiceover would then intone, "Sure you have a headache... tense, irritable.... but don't take it out on her." Description above from the Wikipedia article Catherine McLeod, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Acting credits

The Harvey Girls poster
6.6

On a train trip out west to become a mail-order bride, Susan Bradley meets a cheery crew of young women traveling out to open a "Harvey House" restaurant at a remote whistle-stop.

The Harvey Girls

1946

A Blueprint for Murder poster
6.2

Whitney Cameron is in a quandary: he's attracted to his beautiful sister-in-law, Lynn, but also harbors serious suspicions about her. Her husband, Cameron's brother, died under mysterious circumstances, and now that the death of her stepchild, Polly, has been attributed to poisoning, he suspects that Lynn is after his late brother's estate, and killing everyone in her way.

A Blueprint for Murder

1953

That's My Man poster
6.7

A poor young man is finally able to achieve his dream of running a horse at the track, but when he starts becoming successful, he begins to lose sight of what mattered to him before.

That's My Man

1947

Sword of Venus poster
6.0

An enemy of the Count of Monte Cristo frames his son for a murder in order to exact revenge and steal the family fortune.

Sword of Venus

1953

Courage of Lassie poster
5.9

Bill's separated from his litter, making friends with the wild creatures until he's found and adopted by young Kathie. An accident separates him from her, and he's drafted into K-9 duty in the trenches until battle fatigue takes its toll and he turns vicious. And even though he finds his way back home, he may be condemned as a killer.

Courage of Lassie

1946

Lipstick poster
5.4

A top fashion model seeks justice after getting sexually assaulted by her teenage sister's obsessive music teacher.

Lipstick

1976

Forever Yours poster
7.0

A young woman who has been stricken with infantile paralysis gives up hope and is trying to "will herself" to die. A doctor who has been conducting experiments with patients with paralyzed nerves is convinced he can cure her.

Forever Yours

1945

Ride the Wild Surf poster
5.2

A group of friends go to Hawaii during the height of surfing season, to compete with other surf bums and find girlfriends along the way.

Ride the Wild Surf

1964

Tammy Tell Me True poster
6.3

Tammy leaves the river in Mississippi to attend college, developing a relationship with Tom Freeman (John Gavin). Sandra Dee replaces Debbie Reynolds in this and the third Tammy movie. This film introduces both a new theme song, "Tammy Tell Me True", and the character of Mrs. Annie Call, played by veteran Beulah Bondi. Mrs. Call ultimately moves in with Tammy at the Ellen B. and would be the catalyst for the events in the following film, "Tammy and The Doctor".

Tammy Tell Me True

1961

The Outcast poster
6.7

Thanks to the chicanery of his crooked uncle Major Cosgrave, Jet has been cheated out of his father's property and branded a pariah. He spends the rest of the film trying to regain his birthright and clear his name. The two women in Jet's life are Judy Polsen, who chases him for so long that he finally catches her, and Alice Austin, Major Cosgrave's fianee.

The Outcast

1954

Old Los Angeles poster
6.0

Also known as California Outpost, Old Los Angeles stars Bill Elliot in one of his expanded-budget Republic "specials." The film is set during the early statehood days of California, with Elliot keeping the peace and warding off plunderers and marauders. As always, Elliot is a "peaceable man"--until he beats the tar out of those who rile him. The problem with Elliot's more expensive Republic vehicles is that action invariably took a back seat to plot, romance, costumes and decor. Within a year of Old Los Angeles, Elliot started a more austere, less prettified and far superior western series.

Old Los Angeles

1948

My Wife's Best Friend poster
6.0

When a man confesses to his wife that he has been unfaithful, she imagines all the different ways that historical figures such as Cleopatra and Joan of Arc might handle the situation.

My Wife's Best Friend

1952

I've Always Loved You poster
6.5

A beautiful young concert pianist is torn between her attraction to her arrogant but brilliant maestro and her love for a farm boy she left back home.

I've Always Loved You

1946

The Republic Pictures Story poster
NR

A history of Republic Pictures studios, featuring hundreds of clips plus on-camera interviews with stars, director, stuntman, etc.

The Republic Pictures Story

1991

10,000 Horses Singing poster
NR

James Dean and John Forsythe star in this story of a wealthy orphan who meets a shy airline owner aboard a plane and later discovers that a corpse has been stowed there.

10,000 Horses Singing

1952

The Fabulous Texan poster
6.5

A couple of Confederate soldiers, returning home from the Civil War, find Texas transformed into an armed camp with a quasi-dictator gathering up land and power as fast as he can. The two former Rebels take on this despot each in his own way.

The Fabulous Texan

1947

So Young, So Bad poster
5.2

Idealistic and naive Dr. Jason arrives at a school for delinquent girls and immediately begins to try to make a difference in the lives of some of the inmates. Oblivious to the sadistic treatment of the girls by the matrons, it takes a rebellious girl named Loretta to open his eyes. Assisted by a female staff member, Jason finally gets proof of the abuse and threatens the head of the school with exposure unless he is given full rein to run things.

So Young, So Bad

1950

The Sergeant Was a Lady poster
7.0

Service comedy illustrating U.S. Army corporal's brief encounter with WAC unit.

The Sergeant Was a Lady

1961

Return to Warbow poster
5.9

Three escaped prisoners return to the site of a robbery to find the stolen money that was never recovered. Western.

Return to Warbow

1958

No artwork available
NR

Based on the long-running comic strip, this pilot for a proposed daily 15 minute television serial tells the story of heroine Juliet Jones and her family: loving father Howard and immature sister Eve.

The Heart of Juliet Jones

1954