Broadway and Television Actress Carol Bruce Remembered
Nightclub singer, Broadway actress and television and film star Carol Bruce succumbed to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease this month. She was 87 years old. The star, born Shirley Levy, had an extensive career that started in the 1930s as a singer with the Larry Clinton band before evolving into singing and acting on Broadway. Her performance in Irvin Berlin’s “Louisiana Purchase†earned her critical acclaim in the 1940s and propelled her career forward. This stage performance led to a television and movie contract with Universal Studios.
She starred in several movies in the 1940s, including “Keep ’Em Flying†with Abbott and Costello. She made guest appearances in television shows later in her career including “Doogie Howser, M.D.,†“Diff’rent Strokes,†“Knots Landing,†“The Twilight Zone†and “Party of Five.†She is however, best known for her reoccurring role as Mama Carlson on WKRP in Cincinnati. Throughout her career she continued to work on Broadway as her schedule allowed.
You can read more about her life and death online.