Pamela Duncan (actress)

Pamela Duncan (December 28, 1924 – November 11, 2005) was an American B-movie actress who notably starred in two 1957 cult films for Roger Corman: Attack of the Crab Monsters and The Undead. She later appeared in the 2000 Academy Award-nominated documentary, Curtain Call, that focused on the lives and careers of the residents of the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, New Jersey.

Pamela Duncan
Duncan in an episode of Lock-Up (1960)
Born(1924-12-28)December 28, 1924
DiedNovember 11, 2005(2005-11-11) (aged 80)
OccupationActress
Years active1951–1964

Biography

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A native of Brooklyn, New York, Duncan won several local beauty pageants as a teenager.[1] She attended Hunter College[2] and Columbia University[3] before moving to Southern California in 1951 to get into film acting.[4]

Duncan worked three years in summer stock theatre.[3] Her first role came when she appeared in the 1951 film Whistling Hills. Also in the 1950s, she played the part of Mike Hammer's secretary Velda in the mystery drama My Gun Is Quick.

On television, Duncan appeared in more than 200 programs and 100 telefilms.[3] In 1958 she appeared on Perry Mason as the murder victim and title character in "The Case of the Daring Decoy." Other television appearances included General Electric Theater, Studio One, The Philco Television Playhouse, Fireside Theatre, Dragnet, Dr. Kildare, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, Pony Express, Highway Patrol, Maverick, M Squad, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Colt .45, Laramie, The Roy Rogers Show, Suspense, Captain Video, Tombstone Territory, Sea Hunt, Rawhide, Tales of Wells Fargo episode 14 "The Sliver Bullets" and, in 1959, in Bat Masterson as Rachel Lowery in the episode "Lady Luck."[4][3][1]

In still another 1959 appearance, Duncan was cast as traveling show performer "Princess Nadja" in the episode "RX: Slow Death" on the syndicated anthology series, Death Valley Days, hosted by the "Old Ranger" (Stanley Andrews).

On November 11, 2005, Duncan died from a stroke at the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, New Jersey, where she had lived for ten years. She was 80.[1][4]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1951 Whistling Hills Cora - Waitress
1951 Lawless Cowboys Nora Clayton
1952 Confidence Girl Braddock's Nurse Uncredited
1952 The Ring Frances - Carhop Uncredited
1953 A Blueprint for Murder Nurse Uncredited
1954 Dragonfly Squadron Anne Taylor
1954 The Saracen Blade Zenobia
1954 Return from the Sea Nurse
1956 Seven Men from Now Señorita Nellie
1956 Julie Peggy Davis Uncredited
1957 Attack of the Crab Monsters Martha Hunter
1957 The Undead Diana Love / Helene
1957 My Gun Is Quick Velda, Hammer's Secretary
1957 Gun Battle at Monterey Maria Salvador
1959 Don't Give Up the Ship Lt. Ward Uncredited
1959 Career Myra Holloway Uncredited
1961 Summer and Smoke Pearl Uncredited
1962 Girls! Girls! Girls! Cigarette Girl Uncredited

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Pamela Duncan; was in 'Attack of Crab Monsters'". The Boston Globe. Massachusetts, Boston. Associated Press. November 21, 2005. p. D 7. Archived from the original on June 30, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ Weaver, Tom (2014). A Sci-Fi Swarm and Horror Horde: Interviews with 62 Filmmakers. McFarland. pp. 178–183. ISBN 978-0-7864-5831-8. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d Johnson, Erskine (April 10, 1958). "Pamela Duncan Is TV's Famed Unknown". News-Press. Florida, Fort Myers. Newspaper Enterprise Association. p. 7 A. Archived from the original on June 30, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b c Obituaries (November 23, 2005). "Pamela Duncan B-movie actress who battled giant talking crabs". The Independent. Archived from the original on June 10, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
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