JESSLYN FAX

January 4, 1893

Jesslyn Fax was born in Toronto, Canada, on January 4, 1893. Her father, Jimmy Fax, was a noted Canadian actor and comedian. She began working with her father when she was 16, then left his troupe to work in vaudeville and traveling stock companies. She moved to Hollywood in 1949.

She is best known for playing the elderly Miss Hearing Aid in Rear Window (1954), Avis Grubb in The Music Man (1962), and Miss Hemphill in The Man Who Died Twice (1958).

She made her screen debut playing an uncredited role in the 1950 comedy Mrs. O’Malley and Mr. Malone.  Next up, she made her television debut in a 1951 episode of “Hollywood Theatre Time” titled “Callahan’s Theatrical Boarding House” in which she played the maid. 

LUCY: “Pardon, me. Where am I?”
FAX: “Where are you? What are you?” 

“I Love Lucy” fans will remember Fax as the woman on the Brooklyn subway platform in “The Loving Cup” (ILL S6;E12) aired on January 7, 1957 but filmed on November 1, 1956.   This was her only appearance with Lucille Ball. 

From 1953 to 1956 she played the recurring role of Angela Devon for 15 episodes of “Our Miss Brooks” starring Eve Arden and Gale Gordon, which was filmed at Desilu.  She had also played the role on radio. 

In May 1958, Fax did an episode of Desilu’s sitcom “December Bride” titled “The Capistrano Show.”  In 1957, Executive Producer Desi Arnaz appeared as himself on an episode of the series. 

In 1958, Fax did an episode of “The Westinghouse-Desilu Playhouse” titled “The Time Element” which served as the inspiration for “The Twilight Zone.” The episode was hosted and Produced by Desi Arnaz. 

In April 1960 she did an episode of Desilu’s “The Ann Sothern Show” titled “One for the Books” directed by James V. Kern, who had directed her on “I Love Lucy.” In 1959, Lucille Ball guest-starred on the series as Lucy Ricardo.

In September 1961 she did an episode of Desilu’s “The Real McCoys” titled “George’s Housekeeper” in which she played a character named Miss Trumbull (no relation to Elizabeth Patterson’s character on “I Love Lucy.”)

In February 1967, she played the role of Mrs. Nelson on an episode of “Gomer Pyle: USMC” titled “To Re-Enlist or Not To Re-Enlist”.  The show was filmed at Desilu Studios. 

A year earlier, Gomer Pyle (Jim Nabors) made a cameo appearance on “The Lucy Show” (TLS S5;E9).

In November 1967, Fax was back on the Desilu lot to film an episode of “The Andy Griffith Show” titled “Andy’s Investment” in which Sheriff Taylor opens a laundromat. 

Fax’s last screen appearance was in The Love God?, a 1969 film starring Don Knotts.  

Fax died on February 16, 1975 at age 82.