In Memory of Character Actress Reta Shaw: Four Decades After Her Tragic Death From Emphesema

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It’s been 42 years since the demise of beloved character actress Reta Shaw. Best known for roles in the TV adaptation of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (NBC/ABC, 1969–1971), and Bewitched (ABC, 1964–1972), Shaw was an acclaimed actress on the stage and in films as well. This is her story.

A Closer Look

Reta Shaw was born on September 13, 1912, in South Paris, Maine. Before moving into film and television, Shaw established herself in the live theatre. In each case, she portrayed matronly roles that were accentuated by her full figure.

In the mid-1940s, Shaw performed in Broadway musicals like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Annie Get Your Gun.

In the early 1950s, she made various TV appearances before transitioning to the big screen in movies like Picnic and The Pajama Game. Later on, she was seen in Disney films such as Pollyanna and Mary Poppins.

In the 1960s, Shaw made several guest-star appearances on sitcoms like The Lucy Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, variety shows including The Red Skelton Show, and even sci-fi series, such as Star Trek, among countless others.

Her most popular small screen performance was that of the housekeeper Martha Grant, in The Ghost & Mrs. Muir, which was about a family (led by widow Mrs. Muir, played by Hope Lange) haunted by the spirit of a 19th-century ship captain (Edward Mulhare in the Rex Harrison role from the original movie).

In her episode of The Odd Couple, “Maid for Each Other,” Jack Klugman’s Oscar is upset with Shaw’s character Claire Frost, a nanny hired by Tony Randall’s Felix.

At one point, a frustrated Oscar explained how he had imagined a nanny being “a nice, sweet little lady, with red cheeks, and an umbrella,” a reference to Julie Andrew’s famed film role of Mary Poppins.

In that same episode, Oscar then sings his own rendition of the popular tune, “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” another reference to the Mary Poppins movie, in which Shaw plays cook Mrs. Brill.

No More Ghost of a Chance To Watch the Show

After the cancellation of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Reta Shaw continued to make guest spots on other TV shows, while her final performance was on the big screen in Disney’s Escape to Witch Mountain.

In one interview from 1969, Shaw explained how she loved working on the stage more than any other medium or platform for acting. “There’s nothing like a live audience,” she said.

Behind the Scenes

Reta Shaw wed and divorced actor William Forester. While married the couple had one child, daughter Kathryn Anne Forester.

On January 8, 1982, Shaw died at age 69 in her home in Encino, CA.

Lasting Impression

Reta Shaw was the rare kind of character actress who had both talent, charisma, and likability, no matter what role she played.