Mary Wickes

         It’s not easy being a nun! Your face never looks thin, you never get to wear pants, and your love interest is always offscreen! Clearly, though, some actresses have been able to overcome those hardships and deliver memorable performances as nuns in movies, and many of those who have done so have had remarkably diversified careers in Hollywood. One actress who played a nun several times throughout her career, as well as several other notable, “bit” roles, is an actress who answered to the name of Mary Wickes.

Mary Wickes played a nun 4 times, in The Trouble With Angels (1966) and its sequel,  Where Angels Go Trouble Follows (1968), and Sister Act (1992) and its sequel, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993). Her character in both of those movies was known as “the bus driving nun.” In addition to playing a nun many times, she also portrayed Emma Allen, the busybody housekeeper in White Christmas (1954), and Mrs. Squires, one of the “Clucking” ladies, in The Music Man (1962). One of the most unique things about Mary Wickes is that many of the characters that she portrayed were irascible, wisecracking, smart alecks, who always managed to provide heart-warming comic relief. She could even get a laugh, even if the movie she was in wasn’t a comedy, like in the dramatic film, Now, Voyager (1942), with Bette Davis, Paul Henreid, and Claude Rains.   

Mary Wickes also has a remarkable history throughout the Walt Disney Studios. She served as the live-action model for Cruella De Vil in 101 Dalmatians (1961), when the actress who supplied the voice for the character, Betty Lou Gerson, was deemed too elegant by the studio, to provide the live-action modeling as reference for the animators. Wickes is still screen credit as a voice talent in the film, despite the fact that she didn’t actually lend her voice to it. She also starred in the live-action Disney film Snowball Express (1972). Her very last film role was another Disney Animated Feature that she did actually lend her voice to, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996). She voiced Quasimodo’s gargoyle friend, Laverne in the movie. The film’s producer, Don Hahn, and co-directors, Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, (the same creative team who made Beauty and the Beast (1991), joked that for the role of Laverne, they wanted to find someone who’d be sitting on the front porch, with a shotgun! Wickes fortunately didn’t have a shotgun when they found her, and she agreed to do the film. Sadly, she passed away 8 months before the release of the film, on October 22nd, 1995, and before recording all of her dialogue had completed. The studio hired Jane Withers to do the additional “Laverne” dialogue.

In addition to films, Wickes also appeared numerous times in television and Broadway shows. In television, she starred in “The Ballet” episode of I Love Lucy (1951-1957) as the hungarian ballet mistress, Madame Lamond, where Lucy tries to get into Ricky’s ballet act at the Tropicana. Wickes, in real life, was one of Lucille Ball’s dearest friends. She often guest-starred on Ball’s follow up television series The Lucy Show (1962-1968) and Here’s Lucy (1968-1974). She had recurring roles on Disney/ABC’s Zorro (1959-1961), and Disney/ABC’s Walt Disney Presents: Annette (1958), centered around Annette Funicello, and Tabitha (a spin-off of Bewitched (1964-1972)) (1977-1978). Wickes was also very close with Doris Day, having worked with her in 2 of her movies, On Moonlight Bay (1951) and its sequel, By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953). She made a guest-star appearance on her show, The Doris Day Show (1968-1973). On Broadway, she made her first appearance in 1934 in a comedy called The Farmer Takes a Wife, where she starred oppose Henry Fonda. She originated the role of Nurse Preen in The Man Who Came to Dinner (1939), and reprised that role for a film version of the same name, (1942), and in the later years of her career, she portrayed Aunt Eller in a revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! in 1979.

Mary Wickes is undoubtedly an unsung legend of Hollywood. She made every role that she portrayed seem effortless, humorous, and heartwarming to watch onscreen, especially with her role as “the bus-driving nun.” Her legacy in Hollywood will continue to live on for generations through simple, wholesome, family-oriented humor. It’s extraordinary that she was able to achieve a legacy of humor without ever coming within a mile of being nominated for a Golden Globe or an Academy Award.

From Wonderland to Neverland

The 1950s were some of the classiest years for the Walt Disney Studios. In addition to releasing animated films such as Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951), Peter Pan (1953), Lady and the Tramp (1955), and Sleeping Beauty (1959), the studios began producing live-action films with Treasure Island (1950), and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954). Disneyland was also built and opened on July 17th, 1955. Business couldn’t have been going better for Walt Disney at this time, which was terrific considering the outbreak of World War 2, as well as the unfortunate studio strike in the early 1940s. The studio had been on the verge of closing because of both of those things, but Walt was able to keep his studio afloat, primarily because of the success of Cinderella (1950). 

After coming off of Cinderella (1950), Walt produced Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Peter Pan (1953). Alice in Wonderland (1951) flopped in its initial release, but has gone on to gain popularity today. Peter Pan (1953), on the other hand, was a huge hit in its initial release, and has gone on to be considered a true Disney classic to this day. Did you know, however, that Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Peter Pan (1953) share two remarkable connections?

The first connection between these two films is the voice talent. 3 actors who voiced characters in Alice in Wonderland (1951) also went on to voice characters in Peter Pan (1953). Kathryn Beaumont who played Alice in Alice in Wonderland (1951) went on to play the role of Wendy Darling in Peter Pan. Heather Angel who voiced Alice’s sister in Alice in Wonderland (1951), portrayed Mrs. Darling in Peter Pan (1953). Bill Thompson, who voiced the White Rabbit and the Dodo Bird in Alice in Wonderland (1951), voiced Mr. Smee and the Pirates in Peter Pan (1953). Thompson provided the voices Jock, Bull-the Bull Terrier, and the Policeman at the Zoo in Lady and the Tramp (1955), King Hubert in Sleeping Beauty (1959), and Uncle Waldo in The AristoCats (1970) as well.

The other thing that connects Alice in Wonderland (1951) to Peter Pan (1953) is a song that originally was called “Beyond the Laughing Sky.” It was a song with music by Sammy Fain (Composer of Peter Pan (1953) and The Rescuers (1977)) and Lyrics Bob Hilliard. Many songs were written for Alice in Wonderland (1951), not just by Fain and Hilliard, but also by Mack David, Gene de Paul, Al Hoffman, Jerry Livingston, and John Ray. Many got thrown out, including one by Fain and Hilliard entitled “Beyond the Laughing Sky.” That was to be the song that Alice would sing at the very beginning of the movie where she fantasizes about what it would be like to live in a world of wonderland, where nothing would be impossible. It was decided, fairly early on, in the production of the film, for that song not to be used, because it was feared by the filmmakers that it was too reminiscent of the song “Over the Rainbow,” in The Wizard of Oz (1939). The filmmakers decided that they needed a song that would be different of melody and lyrics and Fain and Hilliard wrote a new song for the beginning scene of Alice in Wonderland (1951) entitled “In a World of My Own,” and that wound up being the song in the final cut of the film. 

When Peter Pan (1953), which was around the same time as Alice, Sammy Fain decided to revisit the melody he had written for “Beyond the Laughing Sky,” when he was assigned to Pan, along with Sammy Cahn (who’s wrote many Frank Sinatra hit songs, i.e. “Three Coins in the Fountain,” “All the Way,”) to write the lyrics. Together they wrote different lyrics, and “Beyond the Laughing Sky,” became the song heard over the main titles of Peter Pan (1953), “The Second Star to the Right.”

Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Peter Pan (1953) are both unique cartoon movies for their own reasons, and yet it is quite interesting what they have in common with each other. Both movies celebrated their 60th anniversaries not too long ago, and Alice in Wonderland (1951) was given the live-action treatment by Disney in 2010, with Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter and Mia Wasikowska as Alice. Peter Pan has been adapted numerous times for live-action, on film and on stage, though none of which have been done by Disney. Disney has, however, produced several sequels to Peter Pan (1953), including a theatrical sequel, Return to Neverland (2002), six C-G-I Tinker Bell Movies, and a television series called Jake and the Neverland Pirates (2011). Even though Peter Pan (1953) has received much more popularity than Alice in Wonderland (1951), the similarities of the movies can increase one’s respect and appreciation for both movies even if they favor one above the other.  

Of Shirley Temple, Hayley Mills, and Patty Duke 

Have you ever heard of the Academy Juvenile Award? It was a special, Honorary Academy Award handed out to movie stars under the age of 18. It is an Oscar category that does not exist today, but was handed out as an award from 1934-1960. Only 12 child stars were fortunate enough to receive this award, however, 14 statuettes of this award are known to exist. Initially, the award was presented for the child actor’s number of film’s throughout the year, but the Academy started presenting it for a child’s performance in one specific movie in 1946.

The award was first presented to Shirley Temple in 1935 for her work in 1934 in Fox’s Stand Up and Cheer!, Paramount’s Little Miss Marker, Fox’s Baby Take a Bow, and Fox’s Bright Eyes. The last recipient of this award was Hayley Mills for Disney’s Pollyanna (1960). After that, in 1962, Patty Duke received a Best Supporting Actress Oscar Nomination for her performance as Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker (1962), and ultimately won, making her the first child movie star ever to win an Oscar. That proved to the Academy that child actors could be equally capable of winning and Oscar just like an adult movie star, and the Academy Juvenile Award was dropped from the Oscars. The list of all the recipients of this award and the films that they received it for are as follows.

Shirley Temple-Stand Up and Cheer!, Little Miss Marker, Baby Take a Bow, Bright Eyes (1934). This made Temple the youngest person ever to receive an honor from the Academy, even to this day.

Mickey Rooney-Andy Hardy series, Boys Town (1938). Rooney was the eldest winner of the Academy Juvenile Award.

Deanna Durbin-Mad About Music, That Certain Age (1938). Durbin starred opposite Judy Garland in a film produced by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer entitled Every Sunday (1936). Both Garland and Durbin had hoped to be on the MGM roster as two female singers, but only Garland would go on to officially enlisted on the roster. Durbin, however, would go on to sign with Universal Studios. 

Judy Garland-Babes in Arms, The Wizard of Oz (1939). Garland would receive a Best Actress Oscar Nomination for A Star is Born (1954) and a Best Supporting Actress Oscar Nomination for Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), but sadly this would be her only Oscar win.

Margaret O’Brien-The Canterville Ghost, Music for Millions, Meet Me in St. Louis, (starring opposite Judy Garland) (1944). Both Garland and O’Brien would unfortunately loose their Oscars in their lifetimes (O’Brien lost it when she was 17 years old). Garland unfortunately was never able to relocate hers before her death in 1969. O’Brien, however, would recover hers, but it took 41 years to do so.  

Peggy Ann Garner-Nob Hill, Junior Miss, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945). Garner received a great deal of acclaim for her work as a child, but she made very few acting appearances as an adult.

Claude Jarman, Jr.-The Yearling (1946). Jarman only made 10 other film appearances after The Yearling (1946), but also found success as a film producer and film festival executive producer.

Ivan Jandi-The Search (1948). Being a native of the Czech Republic, Jandi was the first and only foreign actor ever to be nominated with a Juvenile Oscar.

Bobby Driscoll-So Dear to My Heart, The Window (1949). In addition to starring in several Disney live-action films, i.e. Song of the South (1946), So Dear to My Heart (1949), and Treasure Island (1950), Driscoll is also best-known throughout the history of Disney as the voice of Peter Pan (1953).

John Whiteley and Vincent Winner-The Little Kidnappers (1954).

Hayley Mills-Pollyanna (1960). Mills’s dad, Sir John Mills acted in another film for the Disney studios, Swiss Family Robinson (1960), released the same year as Pollyanna.        

It’s extraordinary how children can, every once in a while, give an emotionally-moving performance that’s worthy of an Oscar, same as an adult. It’s good knowing that today, children are being nominated in the same category against adult actors, instead of having a category of their own.