RUTH PERROTT

May 30, 1899

Ruth Perrott was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and raised in Grand Forks, North Dakota. She attended the University of North Dakota and Carnegie Institute of Technology and moved to New York City in 1920. On radio, she was one of two actresses to play Aunt Aggie on “The Judy Canova Show” (1943-53).  

She is perhaps best known as Katie the maid on “My Favorite Husband” (1948-51). She did nearly 100 episodes over three seasons, playing the Cugat (then Cooper) maid opposite Lucille Ball as Liz.  

She made her television debut in November 1951 on an episode of DuMont’s “Gruen Group Playhouse.”  Along with Barbara Pepper, Perrott was on the list of possible performers to play Ethel Mertz on “I Love Lucy.”

A year later she re-teamed with Lucille (and her writers) for an episode of “I Love Lucy” called “Pioneer Women” (ILL S1;E25) filmed on February 22, 1952, and first aired on March 31, 1952. A subplot has Lucy applying for membership in The Society Matrons League, whose investigating committee is headed by Mrs. Pomerantz and Mrs. Pettebone. “My Favorite Husband” featured a similar club called The Young Matron’s League. Mrs. Pomerantz (above right with Florence Bates) was played by Ruth Perrott. 

She returned to “I Love Lucy” to play a nurse in “Lucy Goes to the Hospital” (ILL S2;E16) playing the nurse who tells Mr. Stanley (Charles Lane) that he has had triplets!  Nine girls!  Later he has to tell Ricky (dressed as in his African make-up) that he’s had a boy – if she can get the words out!  

Her last appearance on the series was as a member of the Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League in “Lucy and Ethel Buy the Same Dress” (ILL S3;E3).  

In May 1958, Perrott did an episode of Desilu’s “The Real McCoys” playing a spinster who is the opposite of the “Life of the Party.” 

A year later she made the first of two appearances on “The Danny Thomas Show” (formerly “Make Room For Daddy”), a series filmed by Desilu.  It reunited her with Hans Conried, with whom she did many episodes of “My Favorite Husband.”  It also happened to feature singer Tony Bennett.  That same year, the series did a cross-over episode with “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”, moving to CBS.  Perrott did one more episode of the sitcom in 1962. 

She also did an episode of a sequel to “The Danny Thomas Show”, “The Bill Dana Show” filmed at Desilu Studios.  The November 1963 episode also starred “Lucy” favorites Amzie Strickland and Charles Lane, who played her husband, reuniting father of nine daughters Mr. Stanley and the Nurse from “I Love Lucy.”  

He final screen appearance was on “That Girl” starring Marlo Thomas, daughter of Danny Thomas, in September 1966. Perrott played an antiques dealer with a bad memory.  A couple of the background performers on the episode also did the same job on “I Love Lucy.”  

She died on January 6, 1996, at at 96.  

She was married to the George St. John Perrott, biostatistician and division chief of the U.S. Public Health Service.