Actress Francine York (1936-2017) - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Zoneboy · 01-06-2017, 05:50 PM

Link

Cult Radio is heartbroken to hear of the passing of Francine York. Francine was a versatile actress, a great talent, and just one of the sweetest people you could’ve known. She was on our radio show in 2015... and we continued to keep in contact after that. We spoke often, even if it was just a text here or there or a message/comment on FB. She was always pleasant and had a zest for life. She was always dressed to the 9’s and ready to go out on the town whether it was to a fan convention, or a Hollywood party. She had just posted on FB this morning... and now she’s gone. It’s unfathomable... and we’re at a loss for words. She embodied old Hollywood class and she will be sorely missed.
In tribute to Francine and her amazing career, we will rebroadcast our 2015 interview with her on our radio show this coming Saturday. For those that want to listen in, it will air during our live show around 8 pm pacific. The show starts at 6 pm pacific. To listen in, download one of our free apps or go to www.cultradioagogo.com

AB · 01-06-2017, 06:07 PM

Rest in peace.

Zoneboy · 01-06-2017, 06:50 PM

She was memorable as a villainess on TV's Batman and in such films as 'Bedtime Story,' 'Cannon for Cordoba' and 'The Doll Squad.'

Link

Francine York, the statuesque actress who showed off her sexuality as The Bookworm's moll on Batman and in such films as It's Only Money, Cannon for Cordoba and The Doll Squad, has died. She was 80.

York died Friday morning at Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys, Calif., after a battle with cancer, her friend, television producer Pepper Jay, told The Hollywood Reporter.

A native of Aurora, Minn., York appeared in scores of TV shows, from Rescue 8 in 1959 to The Mindy Project in 2015. She played a seductive Venus de Milo on an episode of Bewitched, a bake-off contestant on The Odd Couple and an ex-prostitute/blackmailer on Days of Our Lives. She also appeared in five different roles on Burke's Law, a series renown for featuring gorgeous guest stars.

York was memorable as the willowy Lydia Limpet, the henchwoman of The Bookworm (Roddy McDowall), in a first-season installment of ABC's Batman in 1966. She uses a boring book to lure Robin to sleep and gets to ride in the Batmobile.

"Everybody wanted to work on Batman and ride in that car," she told Tom Lisanti in his book Fantasy Femmes of Sixties Cinema.

She played a sexpot for Jerry Lewis in It's Only Money (1962), and In Cannon for Cordoba (1970), starring George Peppard, she did a nude scene and a belly dance. The Doll Squad (1973) saw her fronting a team of gorgeous female assassins aiming to stop a megalomaniac (Michael Ansara) from destroying the world. Many see that movie as the precursor to Charlie's Angels.

York's other notable film appearances include Bedtime Story (1964), opposite Marlon Brando and David Niven), and Elvis Presley's Tickle Me (1965). She turned in a well-received performance as Marilyn Monroe in Marilyn: Alive and Behind Bars (1992) and played Nicolas Cage's mother-in-law in The Family Man (2000).

In 1961, York portrayed a princess opposite her childhood idol Shirley Temple in Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid for the NBC kids anthology series Shirley Temple's Storybook.

At age 17, the 5-foot-8 York was runner-up in the Miss Minnesota beauty pageant. She toured the U.S. as a model and landed in Northern California, where she finished second in the Miss San Francisco contest.

York was working as a showgirl at the popular Moulin Rouge nightclub on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood when she decided to purse acting. She studied under Jeff Corey and was spotted by a producer who cast her as a duplicitous magazine editor in her film debut, Secret File: Hollywood (1962).

York attracted the attention of Lewis, who put her in It's Only Money (1962) and then in small roles in his films The Nutty Professor (1963), The Patsy (1964), The Disorderly Orderly (1964), The Family Jewels (1965) and Cracking Up (1983), in which she played a 15th century noblewoman.

Her film résumé also includes the 1965 sci-fi releases Mutiny From Outer Space and, playing the world's first female astronaut, Space Probe Taurus.

York also appeared on TV in Route 66, Hawaiian Eye, 77 Sunset Strip, My Favorite Martian, Death Valley Days, Perry Mason, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., Lost in Space, Green Acres, The Wild, Wild West, Ironside, I Dream of Jeannie, Love, American Style, Mannix, Mission: Impossible, Kojak, Columbo, Matlock, The King of Queens and Hot in Cleveland.

York also was known as a gourmet cook and fitness and nutrition expert who hosted lavish parties in Hollywood. She was the decade-long companion of director Vincent Sherman (The Young Philadelphians) until his death in 2006.

She was polishing off her autobiography at the time of her death.

Marvo301 · 01-07-2017, 05:25 PM

Francine York

01-06-2017, 05:50 PM	#1
Zoneboy RIP, I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU :( Moderator Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 13, 2003 Location: AT HOME WISHING ALL THIS WAS JUST A DREAM AND THAT I'LL WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE. Posts: 34,352	Actress Francine York (1936-2017) Link Cult Radio is heartbroken to hear of the passing of Francine York. Francine was a versatile actress, a great talent, and just one of the sweetest people you could’ve known. She was on our radio show in 2015... and we continued to keep in contact after that. We spoke often, even if it was just a text here or there or a message/comment on FB. She was always pleasant and had a zest for life. She was always dressed to the 9’s and ready to go out on the town whether it was to a fan convention, or a Hollywood party. She had just posted on FB this morning... and now she’s gone. It’s unfathomable... and we’re at a loss for words. She embodied old Hollywood class and she will be sorely missed. In tribute to Francine and her amazing career, we will rebroadcast our 2015 interview with her on our radio show this coming Saturday. For those that want to listen in, it will air during our live show around 8 pm pacific. The show starts at 6 pm pacific. To listen in, download one of our free apps or go to www.cultradioagogo.com
	__________________ 'Twas The Night Before Christmas And All Through The Full House Not A Creature Was Stirring, Not Even Mighty Mouse. All My Children We're Nestled All Snug In Their Beds While Visions Of Sugarbakers Danced In Their Heads. Last edited by Zoneboy; 01-06-2017 at 06:51 PM.

01-07-2017, 05:25 PM	#4
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,452	Francine York
	__________________ Only a life lived for others is worth living. Albert Einstein A life isn't worth living unless it has impact on other lives. Jackie Robinson Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. Benjamin Franklin

01-06-2017, 06:07 PM	#2
AB Member Eternal Member Forum Icon Join Date: Dec 26, 2006 Location: The South Posts: 59,429	Rest in peace.

01-06-2017, 06:50 PM	#3
Zoneboy RIP, I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU :( Moderator Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 13, 2003 Location: AT HOME WISHING ALL THIS WAS JUST A DREAM AND THAT I'LL WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE. Posts: 34,352	She was memorable as a villainess on TV's Batman and in such films as 'Bedtime Story,' 'Cannon for Cordoba' and 'The Doll Squad.' Link Francine York, the statuesque actress who showed off her sexuality as The Bookworm's moll on Batman and in such films as It's Only Money, Cannon for Cordoba and The Doll Squad, has died. She was 80. York died Friday morning at Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys, Calif., after a battle with cancer, her friend, television producer Pepper Jay, told The Hollywood Reporter. A native of Aurora, Minn., York appeared in scores of TV shows, from Rescue 8 in 1959 to The Mindy Project in 2015. She played a seductive Venus de Milo on an episode of Bewitched, a bake-off contestant on The Odd Couple and an ex-prostitute/blackmailer on Days of Our Lives. She also appeared in five different roles on Burke's Law, a series renown for featuring gorgeous guest stars. York was memorable as the willowy Lydia Limpet, the henchwoman of The Bookworm (Roddy McDowall), in a first-season installment of ABC's Batman in 1966. She uses a boring book to lure Robin to sleep and gets to ride in the Batmobile. "Everybody wanted to work on Batman and ride in that car," she told Tom Lisanti in his book Fantasy Femmes of Sixties Cinema. She played a sexpot for Jerry Lewis in It's Only Money (1962), and In Cannon for Cordoba (1970), starring George Peppard, she did a nude scene and a belly dance. The Doll Squad (1973) saw her fronting a team of gorgeous female assassins aiming to stop a megalomaniac (Michael Ansara) from destroying the world. Many see that movie as the precursor to Charlie's Angels. York's other notable film appearances include Bedtime Story (1964), opposite Marlon Brando and David Niven), and Elvis Presley's Tickle Me (1965). She turned in a well-received performance as Marilyn Monroe in Marilyn: Alive and Behind Bars (1992) and played Nicolas Cage's mother-in-law in The Family Man (2000). In 1961, York portrayed a princess opposite her childhood idol Shirley Temple in Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid for the NBC kids anthology series Shirley Temple's Storybook. At age 17, the 5-foot-8 York was runner-up in the Miss Minnesota beauty pageant. She toured the U.S. as a model and landed in Northern California, where she finished second in the Miss San Francisco contest. York was working as a showgirl at the popular Moulin Rouge nightclub on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood when she decided to purse acting. She studied under Jeff Corey and was spotted by a producer who cast her as a duplicitous magazine editor in her film debut, Secret File: Hollywood (1962). York attracted the attention of Lewis, who put her in It's Only Money (1962) and then in small roles in his films The Nutty Professor (1963), The Patsy (1964), The Disorderly Orderly (1964), The Family Jewels (1965) and Cracking Up (1983), in which she played a 15th century noblewoman. Her film résumé also includes the 1965 sci-fi releases Mutiny From Outer Space and, playing the world's first female astronaut, Space Probe Taurus. York also appeared on TV in Route 66, Hawaiian Eye, 77 Sunset Strip, My Favorite Martian, Death Valley Days, Perry Mason, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., Lost in Space, Green Acres, The Wild, Wild West, Ironside, I Dream of Jeannie, Love, American Style, Mannix, Mission: Impossible, Kojak, Columbo, Matlock, The King of Queens and Hot in Cleveland. York also was known as a gourmet cook and fitness and nutrition expert who hosted lavish parties in Hollywood. She was the decade-long companion of director Vincent Sherman (The Young Philadelphians) until his death in 2006. She was polishing off her autobiography at the time of her death.