![Hope Summers](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/7pBGzF26RfMGXhAn2pE43QdTcHv.jpg)
Hope Summers
Hope Summers could portray a friendly neighbor or companion as she did for Frances Bavier's Aunt Bee character on many episodes of The Andy Griffith Show (1960) or a seemingly amiable Satanist in Rosemary's Baby (1968).
Born in Mattoon, Illinois, she developed an early interest in the theater. Graduating from Northwestern School of Speech in Evanston, Illinois, she subsequently taught speech and diction there. This, in turn, led to her the head position in the Speech Department at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, teaching students privately on the side as well. In the 1930s Hope began to focus on acting. She found work in community and stock theaters in Illinois and earned some notice for putting on one-woman shows such as "Backstage of Broadway." She made use of her vocal eloquence by building up her resumé on radio, performing in scores of dramatic shows, including "Authors' Playhouse," "First Night," "Ma Perkins", and "Step-Mother".
In 1950 Hope transferred her talents to the new medium of television and earned a regular role on the comedy series Hawkins Falls: A Television Novel (1950). By the age of 50 she was customarily called upon to play slightly older than she was, appearing in a number of minuscule matron roles in such films as Zero Hour! (1957), Hound-Dog Man (1959), Inherit the Wind (1960), Spencer's Mountain (1963), The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966), Charley Varrick (1973) and her last, Foul Play (1978). She never had any major stand-out roles in movies; TV would be a more prolific choice of medium. Her gently stern, old-fashioned looks allowed her to be a part of many small-town settings, including Dennis the Menace (1959) and Petticoat Junction (1963), and in various western locales such as Maverick (1957) and Wagon Train (1957).
She played a rustic regular for many years on The Rifleman (1958). Usually assigned to play teachers, nurses and other helpful, nurturing types, her characters were also known to be inveterate gossips. Hope worked until close to the end of her life, passing away from heart failure in 1979.
Known For | Acting |
---|---|
Most Rating | 9.149 |
Birthday | 1896-06-07 |
Place of Birth | Mattoon, Illinois, USA |
Also Known As |
![Rosemary's Baby](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/nclYFGpVzfbiORO5ELVVdxzt9Vg.jpg)
1968
![Rosemary's Baby](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/nclYFGpVzfbiORO5ELVVdxzt9Vg.jpg)
Rosemary's Baby
7.827/3780
A young couple, Rosemary and Guy, moves into an infamous New York apartment building, known by frightening legends and mysterious events, with the pur...
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Rosemary's Baby
![The Children's Hour](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/goyEWixvULM2IRN4KsKibyrJE4J.jpg)
1961
![The Children's Hour](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/goyEWixvULM2IRN4KsKibyrJE4J.jpg)
The Children's Hour
7.705/334
A private school for young girls is scandalized when one spiteful student accuses the two young women who run the school of being in a relationship.
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The Children's Hour
![The Shakiest Gun in the West](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/qEgG8odMSIUcSMjmqFUe8YUXp9x.jpg)
1968
![The Shakiest Gun in the West](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/qEgG8odMSIUcSMjmqFUe8YUXp9x.jpg)
The Shakiest Gun in the West
6.2/42
Jesse W. Haywood (Don Knotts) graduates from dental school in Philadelphia in 1870 and goes west to become a frontier dentist. Penelope "Bad Penny" Cu...
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The Shakiest Gun in the West
![Charley Varrick](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/qPG2VPNA72he1Kczm2yFmslPNZN.jpg)
1973
![Charley Varrick](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/qPG2VPNA72he1Kczm2yFmslPNZN.jpg)
Charley Varrick
7.3/235
Charley Varrick robs a bank in a small town with his friends, but instead of obtaining a small amount of money, they discover they stole a very large...
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Charley Varrick
![Homicidal](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/qfdPUj8LSMQwK3ltSSTrfQL1LV3.jpg)
1961
![Homicidal](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/qfdPUj8LSMQwK3ltSSTrfQL1LV3.jpg)
Homicidal
6.5/75
A woman named Emily checks into a hotel and offers the bellboy $2000 to temporarily marry her. We soon find out Emily is the caretaker of a wheelchair...
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Homicidal
![Spencer's Mountain](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/g7vN9ZduHCI5mmFs3jfI0vJxxm3.jpg)
1963
![Spencer's Mountain](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/g7vN9ZduHCI5mmFs3jfI0vJxxm3.jpg)
Spencer's Mountain
6.7/37
Clay Spencer and his wife, Olivia, live in a small town deep in the mountains. When Clay isn't busy drinking with his buddies or railing against the t...
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Spencer's Mountain
![The Ghost & Mr. Chicken](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/AomOgoN5kmVtMWWMKVeTPT8nVOE.jpg)
1966
![The Ghost & Mr. Chicken](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/AomOgoN5kmVtMWWMKVeTPT8nVOE.jpg)
The Ghost & Mr. Chicken
6.692/91
Luther Heggs, a typesetter for the town newspaper, pitches an idea for a story about a local haunted house where a famous murder/suicide occurred 20 y...
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The Ghost & Mr. Chicken
![Where Does It Hurt?](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/gATevtVYwcfuMDG7ZiL7ljO6ZY9.jpg)
1972
![Where Does It Hurt?](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/gATevtVYwcfuMDG7ZiL7ljO6ZY9.jpg)
Where Does It Hurt?
5.1/9
In this classic hospital farce, Peter Sellers plays Dr. Albert T. Hopfnagel, a greedy, crooked hospital administrator who has perfected the art of bil...
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Where Does It Hurt?
![Get to Know Your Rabbit](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/6zmz6nhjaS9JM21KWaOvUqTY30d.jpg)
1972
![Get to Know Your Rabbit](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/6zmz6nhjaS9JM21KWaOvUqTY30d.jpg)
Get to Know Your Rabbit
4.972/18
A young businessman goes to a magic expert to learn hardness and skill with his cynical and greedy collaborators. He becomes a very good tap dancer, b...
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Get to Know Your Rabbit
![Parrish](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/Ap2J9y6tdgU0ErqH8ncbVQ2vj0P.jpg)
1961
![Parrish](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/Ap2J9y6tdgU0ErqH8ncbVQ2vj0P.jpg)
Parrish
5.4/9
Parrish McLean lives with his mother Ellen on Sala Post's tobacco plantation in the Connecticut River Valley. His mother winds up marrying Sala's riva...
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Parrish
![Inherit the Wind](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/7oaHcF0gCOt2lKaT2zajhajP0Zo.jpg)
1960
![Inherit the Wind](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/7oaHcF0gCOt2lKaT2zajhajP0Zo.jpg)
Inherit the Wind
7.718/394
Schoolteacher Bertram Cates is arrested for teaching his students Darwin's theory of evolution. The case receives national attention and one of the ne...
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Inherit the Wind
![Claudelle Inglish](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/ucDXxYh1DeC1DudAQfA0mmtGF4e.jpg)
1961
![Claudelle Inglish](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/ucDXxYh1DeC1DudAQfA0mmtGF4e.jpg)
Claudelle Inglish
5.5/4
A young daughter of poor farmers is forced by her mother to ditch her young boyfriend in order to marry an old rich neighbor but the girl rebels by be...
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Claudelle Inglish
![Edge of Eternity](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/dFzy31WG0H2Ep6DVvDJu3z4P7zL.jpg)
1959
![Edge of Eternity](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/dFzy31WG0H2Ep6DVvDJu3z4P7zL.jpg)
Edge of Eternity
6.5/26
Helped by socialite Janice Kendon and barkeeper Scott O'Brien, Arizona deputy sheriff Les Martin works to solve three brutal murders in and around the...
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Edge of Eternity
![The Hallelujah Trail](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/TveXyaD8hz4dleWnxXUubDICPK.jpg)
1965
![The Hallelujah Trail](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/TveXyaD8hz4dleWnxXUubDICPK.jpg)
The Hallelujah Trail
5.9/76
A wagon train heads for Denver with a cargo of whisky for the miners. Chaos ensues as the Temperance League, the US cavalry, the miners and the local...
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The Hallelujah Trail
![Dr. Shagetz](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/ttBZAQNsKG88qxLXU0EfQJrwg6M.jpg)
1975
![Dr. Shagetz](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/ttBZAQNsKG88qxLXU0EfQJrwg6M.jpg)
Dr. Shagetz
0/0
Passing through a small town, two young hippie couples stumble upon a town where the old folks all act strange and even stranger things are happening...
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Dr. Shagetz
![Evil Town](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/8LvgaGxujar4cFp2Zq1MqKsYxU7.jpg)
1987
![Evil Town](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/8LvgaGxujar4cFp2Zq1MqKsYxU7.jpg)
Evil Town
3.9/14
A mad scientist seeks eternal youth by developing a drug derived from human pituitary glands, aided by the local townsfolk, who help abduct visitors t...
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Evil Town
![Hound-Dog Man](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/8cqPUuVFnO1olkWzEzyFhGA3FPr.jpg)
1959
![Hound-Dog Man](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/8cqPUuVFnO1olkWzEzyFhGA3FPr.jpg)
Hound-Dog Man
4.7/6
A rustic drama set in the early 20th century, Hound Dog Man is the simple story of a young man, Spud Kinney constantly in hot water for disobeying his...
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Hound-Dog Man
![Smokey and the Good Time Outlaws](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/nrEUUeFLmkwKWudObnFxVeSlDWY.jpg)
1978
![Smokey and the Good Time Outlaws](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/nrEUUeFLmkwKWudObnFxVeSlDWY.jpg)
Smokey and the Good Time Outlaws
0/0
Two guys come to Nashville and try to make it on the country music scene. Their vision is to play at the Grand IL' Opry. Rejection after rejection pus...
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Smokey and the Good Time Outlaws
![The Couch](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/d5C9iFLxiaQqHfBopO0D9aLiNZK.jpg)
1962
![The Couch](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/d5C9iFLxiaQqHfBopO0D9aLiNZK.jpg)
The Couch
6.1/13
A psychopath calls the police before he kills, in between sessions with his father-figure analyst.
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The Couch
![I Want to Live!](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/aKvw65kHzS6NGsUd3EqPP6kgHEz.jpg)
1958
![I Want to Live!](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/aKvw65kHzS6NGsUd3EqPP6kgHEz.jpg)
I Want to Live!
6.9/98
Barbara Graham is a woman with dubious moral standards, often a guest in seedy bars. She has been sentenced for some petty crimes. Two men she knows m...
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I Want to Live!
![Death Sentence](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/w3aK8Zsy0cauyS4h7v7FxypRMbU.jpg)
1974
![Death Sentence](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/w3aK8Zsy0cauyS4h7v7FxypRMbU.jpg)
Death Sentence
5.7/11
A juror on a murder trial begins to believe that the man charged with the crime is innocent — and that the real killer is her own husband.
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Death Sentence
![Foul Play](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/mk3enoeLNRXRnYGxKcvPXYY1xci.jpg)
1978
![Foul Play](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/mk3enoeLNRXRnYGxKcvPXYY1xci.jpg)
Foul Play
6.3/208
A shy San Francisco librarian and a bumbling cop fall in love as they solve a crime involving albinos, dwarves, and the Catholic Church.
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Foul Play
![One Man's Way](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/29nmV5fj92A5Io15qYjexXIbaUS.jpg)
1964
![One Man's Way](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/29nmV5fj92A5Io15qYjexXIbaUS.jpg)
One Man's Way
4/2
Reverend Norman Vincent Peale fights to bring his message to the nation.
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One Man's Way
![Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/fx1dQnFFTQN0rJcxtukCE9fkEm7.jpg)
1973
![Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/fx1dQnFFTQN0rJcxtukCE9fkEm7.jpg)
Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies
4.7/6
The story of Ace Eli Walford, a 1920s stunt flyer who barnstorms around the country, taking his eleven-year-old son Rodger with him as he goes from to...
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Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies
![Our Time](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/un1st4QfYN1FgB4Y05ZXP7AZ02F.jpg)
1974
![Our Time](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/un1st4QfYN1FgB4Y05ZXP7AZ02F.jpg)
Our Time
7.5/4
Drama about students at a girls' school, their boyfriends, and an unexpected pregnancy.
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Our Time
![Zero Hour!](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/e6gXYB0Le21hKhVQYYTacf2JfYK.jpg)
1957
![Zero Hour!](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/e6gXYB0Le21hKhVQYYTacf2JfYK.jpg)
Zero Hour!
6.7/39
In 1950s Canada, during a commercial flight, the pilots and some passengers suffer food poisoning, thus forcing an ex-WW2 fighter pilot to try to land...
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Zero Hour!
![Indict and Convict](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/8lfE8KvlSHNhbwLZof8IQ7WpzSL.jpg)
1974
![Indict and Convict](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/8lfE8KvlSHNhbwLZof8IQ7WpzSL.jpg)
Indict and Convict
0/0
A prosecutor must try his friend, a deputy district attorney, who has been charged with murdering his wife and her lover.
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Indict and Convict
![Angel Baby](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/ey6U87Hv1YxNhTxTElJSHzaiN2d.jpg)
1961
![Angel Baby](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/ey6U87Hv1YxNhTxTElJSHzaiN2d.jpg)
Angel Baby
6/10
A woman who believes she has been chosen by God to heal people is taken in by a greedy promoter and his shrewish wife to make the rounds of the rural...
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Angel Baby
![Penelope](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/tbpuSKSuydGCF45uG9uNmd8rLeV.jpg)
1966
![Penelope](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/tbpuSKSuydGCF45uG9uNmd8rLeV.jpg)
Penelope
5.6/19
When Penelope gets married to banker James Elcott, she finds him too preoccupied with work to pay much attention to her, so she robs his bank in disgu...
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