Minerva Urecal

Minerva Urecal (born Minerva Dunnock; September 22, 1894 – February 26, 1966) was an American stage and radio performer as well as a character actress in Hollywood films and on various television series from the early 1950s to 1965.[2]

Minerva Urecal
Born
Minerva Dunnock

(1894-09-22)September 22, 1894
Eureka, California, U.S.[1]
DiedFebruary 26, 1966(1966-02-26) (aged 71)
Glendale, California, U.S.
Resting placeHollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles, California
OccupationRadio, stage, film, and television actress
Years active1933–1966
Spouse(s)Max Holtzer

Early years

Urecal was born in Eureka, California in 1894.[2] She later formed her stage name by combining letters from the names of her hometown and state.[2]

Career

Urecal was originally a vaudeville performer[3] before venturing into radio and stage, later making her film debut in 1933. She played largely uncredited roles such as secretaries, laundresses and frontierswomen. She began working in television in the 1950s, favoring Westerns.

From 1932 to 1937, Urecal portrayed Mrs. Pasquale on the Sunday Night Hi-Jinks radio program.[4]

On television Urecal played Maw Bowie, mother of the title character, in The Adventures of Jim Bowie (1956-1958).[5]:13-14 She guest-starred on CBS's My Friend Flicka, The Roy Rogers Show, The Lone Ranger, and the syndicated The Range Rider. She also had a recurring role in the 1953-1954 situation comedy Meet Mr. McNutley in the role of Josephine Bradley, the dean of a women's college. The program was broadcast on CBS radio[6] and CBS-TV.[5] She also played Billie the Barber in the 1950 episode of The Lone Ranger as "Billie the Great".[7]

In 1957, Urecal had her only starring television role on the syndicated The Adventures of Tugboat Annie, playing the title character[5]:18 originally performed by Marie Dressler in the film Tugboat Annie in 1933 and continued by Marjorie Rambeau and Jane Darwell in two movie sequels. Later, in 1957, Urecal appeared as a landlady in the Perry Mason episode "The Case of the Fan Dancer's Horse". She then succeeded actress Hope Emerson, as nightclub owner "Mother", on the private detective series Peter Gunn.[8]

Urecal appeared on the Walter Brennan ABC sitcom The Real McCoys in the series' 1960 episode "The Gigolo" and in the Western series Whispering Smith in the episode "Swift Justice". She was cast as a maid in the 1961 episode "Call Me Mother" of the CBS sitcom Angel, starring Annie Fargé. In 1965 she made her second appearance on Perry Mason, this time as Martha Glenhorn in "The Case of the Lover's Gamble". Her final television appearance was the following year, when she played Mrs. Griffin on an episode of the rural sitcom Petticoat Junction.[7]

Personal life and death

Urecal was married to Max Holtzer.[9]

Urecal died in 1966 from a heart attack in Glendale, California, aged 71.[10]

Selected filmography

Notes
  1. Minerva Urecal (1894-1966), What a Character, July 29, 2013
  2. Scheuer, Steven H. (1958). "Tugboat Annie Sails Again", archives (1923-1963) of the Chicago Daily Tribune, November 15, 1958, p. C7. ProQuest Historical Newspapers.
  3. Anderson, Robert (February 14, 1959). "Minerva Urecal Didn't Want to Travel, but the Fine Print said 'Anywhere'!". Chicago Tribune. Illinois, Chicago. p. 39. Retrieved January 30, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Tepper, Ron (March 22, 1959). "Minerva Urecal, a Character Actress, and a Character, on or Off Stage!". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. p. 144. Retrieved January 30, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 876. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  6. Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 224. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
  7. Minerva Urecal at IMDb
  8. IMDb profile of Peter Gunn series details, imdb.com; accessed December 23, 2015.
  9. "Minerva Urecal". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Hawaii, Honolulu. Associated Press. March 1, 1966. p. 41. Retrieved January 30, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Ellenberger, Allan R. (2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. p. 154. ISBN 9780786450190. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
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