In Memory of Mary Jane Croft (Sidekick to Lucille Ball, Ozzie & Harriet): 25 Years After Her Death

Mary Jane Croft was a frequent presence on all of Lucille Ball's TV sitcoms including "Here's Lucy" (pictured).Photo byimdb.com

It's been 25 years since actress/comedian Mary Jane Croft died at 83 in Culver City, CA on August 24, 1999. She was best known for her frequent side-kick appearances opposite in variations incarnations of Lucille Ball's TV comedies, including playing betty Ramsey on I Love Lucy, Mary Jane Lewis on The Lucy Show and Here's Lucy, as Miss Daisy Enright on the radio and television adaptations of Our Miss Brooks, and as Clara Randolph on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. This is her story.

An early glamour shot of Mary Jane Croft.Photo byimdb.com

A Closer Look

Mary Jane Croft was born on February 15, 1916, in Muncie, Indiana. Star-struck at 17, Croft graduated high school, Croft began her acting career on the stage of the Muncie Civic Theatre. She soon joined the Guild Theatre Company, a new theatrical stock troup in Cincinnati.

She later went into radio, specifically working at station WLW. From 1935 to 1939, Croft played roles with every kind of voice and accent: children, babies, seniors, society belles, and more.

Then Came Television

Mary Jane Croft soon ventured into television with appearances on shows like I Love Lucy, Our Miss Brooks, and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, all three of which had their origins in radio.

It was in 1954 when Croft first appeared on screen with Lucille Ball in I Love Lucy, playing the snobby Cynthia Harcourt. She appeared a few years later in a scene sitting next to Ball on a return airline trip from Europe. In the show's final season, Mary Jane appeared in a new recurring role as Connecticut neighbor Betty Ramsey.

Croft, however, was at her best with her portrayal of the neighborly nasal Clara Randolph opposite TV husband, Joe Randolph, portrayed by Lyle Talbot on the TV edition of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Croft's appearances on this show helped her establish the shrill but hilarious voice which, in many instances, contributed to her unstoppable scene-stealing.

Mary Jane Croft (with book) frequently stole the TV spotlight, even amid the talents of Lyle Talbot (left), and Harriet and Ozzie Nelson.Photo byimdb.com

Personally Speaking

Mary Jane Croft played Mary Jane Lewis on The Lucy Show and its follow-up series Here's Lucy. The character's name was derived from Croft's married moniker; her husband was Elliott Lewis (from 1959 to his death in 1990), a producer of The Lucy Show. The two had wed after her brief marriage to actor Jack Stoller.

That initial union produced one son: Eric Stoller who, unfortunately, was killed in action in 1967 during the Vietnam War.

In the End

Mary Jane Croft was an unsung hero of Hollywood, and TV comedy in general. With each appearance, she gave a stand-out performance.

After her demise in 1999, Lucie Arnaz, daughter of Lucille Ball, described Croft as "a fun-loving and joyous spirit" in real life; the antithesis of the dizzy blonde she portrayed on screen.