View Full Version : Madge Blake


MichaelMartinD
12-20-2019, 03:51 PM
The other day they showed An American in Paris on my retro channel and Madge Blake showed up as a woman trying on perfume in a shop. At one point she says "I wish my husband were here...He's in Milwaukee." I had to wonder if this was the inspiration for the fact of Mrs. Mondello's husband always being "in Cincinnati."

getsmartbeaver
12-20-2019, 05:16 PM
I love seeing things like that.

stevea
12-20-2019, 06:50 PM
Me too. Maybe she suggested it.

Bonniegirl
12-20-2019, 10:22 PM
The other day they showed An American in Paris on my retro channel and Madge Blake showed up as a woman trying on perfume in a shop. At one point she says "I wish my husband were here...He's in Milwaukee." I had to wonder if this was the inspiration for the fact of Mrs. Mondello's husband always being "in Cincinnati."


That is so cute !! :D I love Madge !! :)

PracTz
12-20-2019, 11:03 PM
That is so cute !! :D I love Madge !! :)

Same here! I wonder if, perhaps they hadn't met Mrs. Mondello yet but she was just out on the town trying perfume when she talked about her absent husband.

BTW, she seems to have been one of the few women the late Adam West had true respect for with him having nothing but praises for her in his autobio. He said that, in actuality, she was quite a verbose and intellectual person who composed her own moving, original prose that he liked- yet she suffered from stage fright and as a result when the cameras rolled, would become the twittery character that helped define both Mrs. Mondello and later Aunt Harriet on "Batman" that everyone loved. Oh, and he said that she was so grateful to him for personally lobbying for her to stay on the show against the bosses' wishes, that the very next day she presented him a cake she herself had baked from scratch!

stevea
12-21-2019, 08:27 AM
She was perfect in the Aunt Harriet role--I really liked her in that too.

I wonder why the producers were trying to toss her. Kudos to Adam!

MichaelMartinD
12-23-2019, 08:05 PM
And don't forget, she along with her husband did testing on the atomic bomb during WWII (at least according to Wiki).

Scrabjan1
12-26-2019, 10:10 AM
Quite an exceptional person. Love about her husband being in Milwaukee. Too funny!! That bit about your father out of town or being in Cincinnati was the funniest part of LITB.

stevea
12-26-2019, 10:18 AM
The running gag--that's one.

Another one they used once in awhile--Ward starting one of his stories and June walking out without his knowing it.

Also--Beaver being mad at Wally, and slamming a door yelling "rat" three times.

Another--one of the boys in trouble and leaves, saying--"See ya, Beav." "See ya, Wally."

Scrabjan1
12-26-2019, 05:41 PM
Also Ward mentioning traits that Wally and Beaver show that are from his side of the family.

The Cleaver charm

The Cleaver spunk

The Cleaver modesty

stevea
12-26-2019, 06:19 PM
Also W&J teasing each other about past beaus.

Scrabjan1
12-27-2019, 09:44 AM
Right Genevieve Dunlap and Freddie Rice, Loretta Mish, Evelyn Bowderhouse, Helene Quigley and Agnes Fuller etc.

stevea
12-27-2019, 10:46 AM
Helene Quigley whose father had a hupmobile agency?

Scrabjan1
12-28-2019, 11:18 AM
I think. One did own a hupmobile agency and another former girlfriend’s father had a paint store.

stevea
12-28-2019, 05:44 PM
Sounds like Ward brought up a lot more beaus than June did. And when she brought up Freddie, Ward had a ready put-down. If Ward hadn't pried with questions on who took her to the opera, she wouldn't even have mentioned him.