Minerva Urecal

Minerva Urecal
Born Minerva Holzer
(1894-09-22)September 22, 1894
Eureka, California, U.S.[1]
Died February 26, 1966(1966-02-26) (aged 71)
Glendale, California, U.S.
Cause of death Heart attack
Resting place Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles, California
Occupation Radio, stage, film, and television actress
Years active 1933–1966
Spouse(s) Max Holtzer (? - 1966, her death)

Minerva Urecal (September 22, 1894 – February 26, 1966) was an American vaudevillian and radio, stage and television character actress, primarily in serials, but also appeared in numerous film roles.

Early years

Urecal was born Minerva Holzer,[2] or Dunnock in Eureka, California in 1894. She took her stage name from that city and state.[3]

Career

Urecal was originally a vaudeville performer[4] 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.[5]

Urecal played Maw Bowie, mother of the title character, in The Adventures of Jim Bowie (1956-1958).[6]: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 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 [7] and CBS-TV [6]. She also played Billie the Barber in the 1950 episode of The Lone Ranger as "Billie the Great".[8]

In 1957, Urecal had her only starring television role on the syndicated The Adventures of Tugboat Annie, playing the title character[6]: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.[9]

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.[8]

Personal life and death

Urecal was married to Max Holtzer.[10]

Urecal died in 1966 from a heart attack in Glendale, California, aged 71.[11][12] She was survived by her husband.[10]

Partial filmography

Notes

  1. ↑ Minerva Urecal (1894-1966), What a Character, July 29, 2013
  2. ↑ Room, Adrian (2012). Dictionary of Pseudonyms: 13,000 Assumed Names and Their Origins, 5th ed. McFarland. p. 487. ISBN 9780786457632. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  3. ↑ "Articles - Tugboat Annie". CBC Times. October 4, 1957. Archived from the original on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  4. ↑ 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.
  5. ↑ 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.
  6. 1 2 3 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.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. 1 2 Minerva Urecal on IMDb
  9. ↑ IMDb profile of Peter Gunn series details, imdb.com; accessed December 23, 2015.
  10. 1 2 "Minerva Urecal". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Hawaii, Honolulu. Associated Press. March 1, 1966. p. 41. Retrieved January 30, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Ellenberger, Allan R. (2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. p. 154. ISBN 9780786450190. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  12. ↑ Minerva Urecal at Find a Grave


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