Hope Summers
33 movies · 41 TV shows
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- Jun 7, 1896
- Died
- Jun 22, 1979 (age 83)
- Place of birth
- Mattoon, Illinois, USA
Biography
Hope Summers could portray a friendly neighbor or companion as she did for Frances Bavier's Aunt Bee character on many episodes of The Andy Griffith Show (1960) or a seemingly amiable Satanist in Rosemary's Baby (1968).
Born in Mattoon, Illinois, she developed an early interest in the theater. Graduating from Northwestern School of Speech in Evanston, Illinois, she subsequently taught speech and diction there. This, in turn, led to her the head position in the Speech Department at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, teaching students privately on the side as well. In the 1930s Hope began to focus on acting. She found work in community and stock theaters in Illinois and earned some notice for putting on one-woman shows such as "Backstage of Broadway." She made use of her vocal eloquence by building up her resumé on radio, performing in scores of dramatic shows, including "Authors' Playhouse," "First Night," "Ma Perkins", and "Step-Mother".
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In 1950 Hope transferred her talents to the new medium of television and earned a regular role on the comedy series Hawkins Falls: A Television Novel (1950). By the age of 50 she was customarily called upon to play slightly older than she was, appearing in a number of minuscule matron roles in such films as Zero Hour! (1957), Hound-Dog Man (1959), Inherit the Wind (1960), Spencer's Mountain (1963), The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966), Charley Varrick (1973) and her last, Foul Play (1978). She never had any major stand-out roles in movies; TV would be a more prolific choice of medium. Her gently stern, old-fashioned looks allowed her to be a part of many small-town settings, including Dennis the Menace (1959) and Petticoat Junction (1963), and in various western locales such as Maverick (1957) and Wagon Train (1957).
She played a rustic regular for many years on The Rifleman (1958). Usually assigned to play teachers, nurses and other helpful, nurturing types, her characters were also known to be inveterate gossips. Hope worked until close to the end of her life, passing away from heart failure in 1979.
Profiles IMDb
Known for
Hope Summers: movies and TV shows
Acting (74)
- 1987 Evil Town
as Alice Wylie (as Hope Summer)
- 1978 Smokey and the Good Time Outlaws
as Marcie
- 1978 Foul Play
as Ethel
- 1978
- 1976
- 1975
- 1975
- 1975 Dr. Shagetz
as Alice Wylie
- 1974 Death Sentence
as Emily Boylan
- 1974
- 1974
- 1974 Our Time
as Biology Teacher
- 1974 Indict and Convict
as Mrs. Potter
- 1973 Charley Varrick
as Mess Vesta
- 1973 Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies
as Laura
- 1972
- 1972 Where Does It Hurt?
as Nurse Throttle
- 1972 Get to Know Your Rabbit
as Mrs. Beeman
- 1970
- 1969 The Learning Tree
as Mrs. Kiner
- 1969
- 1968
- 1968
- 1968 5 Card Stud
as Customer in General Store (uncredited)
- 1968 The Shakiest Gun in the West
as Celia
- 1968 Rosemary's Baby
as Mrs. Gilmore
- 1967
- 1966 Penelope
as Shop Lady (uncredited)
- 1966
- 1966
- 1966
- 1966 The Ghost and Mr. Chicken
as Susanna Blush
- 1965 The Hallelujah Trail
as Mrs. Hasselrad
- 1964
- 1964
- 1964 One Man's Way
as Mrs. Elwood Thompson
- 1963
- 1963
- 1963
- 1963 Spencer's Mountain
as Mother Ida
- 1962
- 1962 The Couch
as Mrs. Quimby
- 1961 The Children's Hour
as Agatha
- 1961
- 1961
- 1961
- 1961 Claudelle Inglish
as Ernestine Peasley (uncredited)
- 1961 Homicidal
as Martha Adrims (Uncredited)
- 1961 Angel Baby
as Woman at Revival Meeting (uncredited)
- 1961 Parrish
as Mary (uncredited)
- 1960
- 1960
- 1960 Inherit the Wind
as Mrs. Krebs - Righteous Townswoman
- 1959 Hound-Dog Man
as Jewell Crouch
- 1959 Edge of Eternity
as Motel Attendant
- 1959
- 1959
- 1959
- 1958 I Want to Live!
as Ethel - Policewoman on Bus (uncredited)
- 1958
- 1958
- 1958
- 1957 Zero Hour!
as Older Woman
- 1957
- 1957
- 1956
- 1955
- 1955
- 1954 Son of Man
as Miss Johnson
- 1953
- 1953
- 1953
- 1951
- 1950 Better Use of Leisure Time
as Mrs. Michaels (uncredited)