Whitney Blake - Acting

Acting

After her appearance in an amateur Hollywood production of The Women caught the attention of talent scouts, she appeared on a number of television series, including the syndicated Johnny Midnight, Sheriff of Cochise, and twice on Rod Cameron's State Trooper, and on the David Janssen crime drama, Richard Diamond, Private Detective.

Blake was cast in My Gun Is Quick, the film version of a Mike Hammer novel.

In 1957, Blake appeared in the first episode of CBS's Perry Mason, "The Case of the Restless Redhead" in 1957 in the title role of Evelyn Bagby, the defendant. In 1958, she again appeared in the title role as defendant Diana Reynolds in the episode, "The Case of the Black-Eyed Blonde."

Blake played leading lady to James Garner in "The Day They Hanged Bret Maverick", the second season opener in 1958 for the ABC/Warner Brothers western series, Maverick.

She appeared with Claude Akins in two 1959 episodes, "Cattle Drive" and "Border Incident" of the CBS western, The Texan, starring Rory Calhoun.

In 1959, Blake guest starred in the first episode, "The Good Samaritan" of the syndicated western series Pony Express. That same year, her guest appearance in the short-lived series The D.A.'s Man garnered her an Emmy nomination in 1959.

She also appeared in the 1959 film -30- with Jack Webb as a childless couple wanting to adopt a baby. The "-30-" comes from the symbol of the end of a newspaper story, as Webb played a newspaperman in the film.

Blake guest-starred on Mike Connors's CBS detective series, Tightrope, the CBS sitcom, Pete and Gladys, and on the NBC western series, Riverboat, starring Darren McGavin, and Overland Trail, with William Bendix and Doug McClure.

Blake is best remembered for having portrayed Dorothy Baxter, an interior designer and the wife of George Baxter (Don DeFore), a lawyer, on the NBC sitcom Hazel (1961), starring Shirley Booth in the title role as a bossy maid. Bobby Buntrock played her son, Harold Baxter. In the last season on CBS, DeFore and Blake left the series and were replaced by Ray Fulmer and Lynn Borden, respectively in the roles of Steve and Barbara Baxter, the younger brother and sister-in-law of George Baxter.

After Hazel, Blake guest-starred in an episode of ABC's western series The Legend of Jesse James. In 1966, she appeared in the episode, "Nice Day for a Hanging" of Chuck Connors' NBC western series, Branded.