Hazel Shermet obit

Hazel Shermet, Comedienne, Actress and Singer, Dies at 96

She worked on the radio with Milton Berle and Henny Youngman, appeared in the 1954 version of 'A Star Is Born' and voiced Henrietta Hippo on TV. 

She was not on the list.

Hazel Shermet, a comedienne, actress and singer whose long show-business career encompassed radio and television shows, commercials, Broadway and the movies, has died. She was 96.

Shermet died Thursday of natural causes at her home in Los Angeles, her son, actor and producer Robert Rhine, announced.

Her husband was the late Larry Rhine, a two-time Emmy nominee who wrote for such shows as Mr. Ed, The Red Skelton Hour, The Brady Bunch and All in the Family. The couple were married for 50 years before his death in 2000.

Shermet was a prolific voiceover actress who spoke for the tutu-wearing Henrietta Hippo on all 196 episodes of the syndicated New Zoo Review, a musical comedy kids show that aired from 1972-77.

She played Cousin Melancholia on a 1964 episode of The Addams Family and appeared on dozens of shows including The Beverly Hillbillies, My Favorite Martian, The Patty Duke Show, That Girl, I Dream of Jeannie, The Facts of Life, Gimme a Break and Punky Brewster.

Shermet also was seen in more than 100 TV commercials, for products from Borox and Head & Shoulders to Hunt’s Tomato Paste and Charmin. At one point, she had seven national spots running simultaneously, and that landed her on the cover of The Commercial Actor Magazine as actress of the month.

On the big screen, Shermet showed up in A Star Is Born (1954), Rockabilly Baby (1957), Auntie Mame (1958), The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (1960), Gypsy (1962), Bye Bye Birdie (1963), Love at First Bite (1979) and Body Slam (1986).

In 1947, she performed on Broadway alongside Jack Albertson in The Cradle Will Rock.

“I’m proud of the fact that I was able to work in all the mediums and raise two kids and be married to somebody that was working all the time,” she said in a 2000 interview with the Archive of American Television. “I hope people remember me as professional, as versatile and as somebody who loved every minute of it. I hope I gave a lot of joy.

“Acting for me is like eating for most people. When I’m 90 and the phone rings, I’ll put my teeth in, hobble to the phone and see if it’s my agent.”

Shermet was born on Aug. 1, 1920, in Philadelphia. She moved to New York and at age 19 began work as an advertising copywriter with the Al Paul Lefton Co. agency. She credited that experience, along with studying acting at Carnegie Tech in Pittsburgh, for her long career.

Shermet’s first big break came when she was cast as Miss Duffy on the Duffy’s Tavern radio show and relocated to Puerto Rico, where the comedy show was recorded. There, she met her future husband, the head writer on the program.

She later sang and did comedy on the radio alongside the likes of Henny Youngman, Fred Allen, Henry Morgan, Milton Berle, Kate Smith and Morey Amsterdam.

On the fledgling New York TV station WOR, Shermet had her own show called Songs You’ve Never Heard Before and Won’t Want to Ever Hear Again, in which she performed tunes that viewers had mailed in.

Shermet continued her radio career after she and her husband moved to California, with work on My Friend Irma, December Bride and Meet Millie. In 1954, she appeared on TV in Dragnet and played Jack Carson’s secretary in A Star Is Born.

Survivors also include her daughter Vicki, daughter-in-law Julie (an Emmy-nominated costume designer) and half-sister Shirley. The family requests that donations in her name be made to the ASPCA.

Actress

Who Gets the Friends? (1988)

Who Gets the Friends?

6.1

TV Movie

Dr. Freed

1988

 

Soleil Moon Frye, Susie Garrett, George Gaynes, and Cherie Johnson in Punky Brewster (1984)

Punky Brewster

6.5

TV Series

Councilwoman Saganski

1987

1 episode

 

Jem (1985)

Jem

7.4

TV Series

Mrs. Bailey

Additional Voices

Additional voices (voice)

1985–1987

4 episodes

 

Tanya Roberts, Dirk Benedict, and John Fujioka in Body Slam (1986)

Body Slam

5.2

Miss Brooks

1986

 

Nell Carter in Gimme a Break! (1981)

Gimme a Break!

6.4

TV Series

Woman

Mrs. Larry Rhine

Rita

1981–1982

3 episodes

 

The Facts of Life (1979)

The Facts of Life

6.8

TV Series

Miss Downes

Saleslady

1980–1982

2 episodes

 

The New Misadventures of Ichabod Crane (1979)

The New Misadventures of Ichabod Crane

7.3

TV Movie

Velma van Dam (voice)

1979

 

George Hamilton in Love at First Bite (1979)

Love at First Bite

6.1

Lady in Elevator

1979

 

Sword of Justice (1978)

Sword of Justice

7.4

TV Series

Mrs. Quizinberry

1978

1 episode

 

Polly Holliday, Beth Howland, and Linda Lavin in Alice (1976)

Alice

6.8

TV Series

Woman

1978

1 episode

 

ABC Weekend Specials (1977)

ABC Weekend Specials

7.8

TV Series

(voice)

1978

1 episode

 

New Zoo Revue (1972)

New Zoo Revue

7.5

TV Series

Henrietta Hippo

1972–1975

11 episodes

 

The Big House Ain't a Home (1974)

The Goose That Laid a Golden Egg

6.0

Short

Hen (voice)

1974

 

As the Tumbleweed Turns

5.9

Short

Widow Watley (voice)

1974

 

Wait Till Your Father Gets Home (1972)

Wait Till Your Father Gets Home

7.6

TV Series

Lucille Grundy (voice)

1972–1973

4 episodes

 

The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan (1972)

The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan

6.3

TV Series

Voices (voice)

1972

15 episodes

 

Love, American Style (1969)

Love, American Style

6.8

TV Series

Mona Myers (segment "Love and the Neglected Wife")

1971

1 episode

 

Diahann Carroll and Marc Copage in Julia (1968)

Julia

7.7

TV Series

Woman with camera

1968

1 episode

 

Barbara Eden in I Dream of Jeannie (1965)

I Dream of Jeannie

7.4

TV Series

Nurse Lugosi

Mrs. Anderson

1966–1968

2 episodes

 

Marlo Thomas in That Girl (1966)

That Girl

7.3

TV Series

Aunt Harriette

1967

1 episode

 

The Patty Duke Show (1963)

The Patty Duke Show

7.2

TV Series

Mrs. Higglemyer

1966

1 episode

 

Allan Lane, Alan Young, and Mister Ed in Mister Ed (1961)

Mister Ed

6.9

TV Series

Selma Pritchard

Marge Connors

Lady ...

1961–1965

5 episodes

 

Jackie Coogan, John Astin, Marie Blake, Ted Cassidy, Carolyn Jones, Lisa Loring, and Ken Weatherwax in The Addams Family (1964)

The Addams Family

8.0

TV Series

Melancholia

1964

1 episode

 

Buddy Ebsen, Max Baer Jr., Donna Douglas, and Irene Ryan in The Beverly Hillbillies (1962)

The Beverly Hillbillies

7.3

TV Series

Mother

1964

1 episode

 

Inger Stevens and William Windom in The Farmer's Daughter (1963)

The Farmer's Daughter

7.5

TV Series

Reporter

1964

1 episode

 

My Favorite Martian (1963)

My Favorite Martian

7.2

TV Series

Bargaining Woman

1964

1 episode

 

Glynis (1963)

Glynis

7.1

TV Series

Flo

1963

1 episode

 

Ann-Margret, Janet Leigh, Dick Van Dyke, Jesse Pearson, and Bobby Rydell in Bye Bye Birdie (1963)

Bye Bye Birdie

6.6

Marge - Birdie's Secretary (uncredited)

1963

 

The Lloyd Bridges Show (1962)

The Lloyd Bridges Show

7.0

TV Series

Woman Reporter

1963

1 episode

 

Angela Cartwright, Rusty Hamer, Sherry Jackson, Marjorie Lord, and Danny Thomas in The Danny Thomas Show (1953)

The Danny Thomas Show

7.1

TV Series

Woman in Line

Mrs. Green

1961–1963

2 episodes

 

The Dick Powell Theatre (1961)

The Dick Powell Theatre

7.4

TV Series

Gert

1963

1 episode

 

Natalie Wood, Karl Malden, and Rosalind Russell in Gypsy (1962)

Gypsy

7.1

Stage Mother (uncredited)

1962

 

Nick Adams in Saints and Sinners (1962)

Saints and Sinners

5.7

TV Series

Madam Tanga

1962

1 episode

 

Our Man Higgins (1962)

Our Man Higgins

6.9

TV Series

Gert

1962

1 episode

 

Room for One More (1962)

Room for One More

8.2

TV Series

Mrs. Nelson

1962

1 episode

 

Robert Harland and Stephen McNally in Target: The Corruptors (1961)

Target: The Corruptors

7.7

TV Series

1962

1 episode

 

The Detectives (1959)

The Detectives

7.5

TV Series

Miss Ferris

Mrs. Blane

1961

2 episodes

 

Pete and Gladys (1960)

Pete and Gladys

7.4

TV Series

Pamela

1960–1961

2 episodes

 

The Comedy Spot (1960)

The Comedy Spot

7.5

TV Series

Hazel

1960

1 episode

 

Ray Danton in The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (1960)

The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond

6.7

Mrs. Cassidy (uncredited)

1960

 

Alcoa Theatre (1957)

Alcoa Theatre

7.4

TV Series

Hazel

1959

1 episode

 

Coral Browne, Peggy Cass, Fred Clark, Patric Knowles, Rosalind Russell, Roger Smith, and Forrest Tucker in Auntie Mame (1958)

Auntie Mame

7.9

Macy's Customer (uncredited)

1958

 

Les Brown, Virginia Field, and Douglas Kennedy in Rockabilly Baby (1957)

Rockabilly Baby

6.4

Mrs. Hill

1957

 

Blondie (1957)

Blondie

6.9

TV Series

Louise

1957

1 episode

 

The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna (1956)

The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna

7.9

TV Series

1957

1 episode

 

Jeannie Carson in Hey, Jeannie! (1956)

Hey, Jeannie!

7.7

TV Series

Gladys

1956

1 episode

 

Judy Garland and James Mason in A Star Is Born (1954)

A Star Is Born

7.5

Libby's Secretary

1954

 

Ben Alexander, Ann Robinson, and Jack Webb in Dragnet (1954)

Dragnet

6.6

Receptionist (uncredited)

1954