I am so happy to announce that supporting actress Margaret Hamilton is getting an extremely well-deserved tribute from TCM all day Monday, December 9th, 2013.
Keep a weather eye out for the TCM interstitial, in which her son, Hamilton Meserve, talks about her role in The Wizard of Oz, and her great love of children. Her career goals started when she acted in children's plays for the Cleveland, Ohio Junior League. Bitten hard by the acting bug, Hamilton was convinced she could make it in theater, but her parents insisted she have a proper education, so she attended Wheelock College in Boston. When she graduated, she was a Kindergarten teacher and I'm sure she was a good one, since she possessed a calm, warm and winning personality.
Hamilton got her first real acting break in 1923, and made it to Broadway in 1933, creating the role of Helen Hallam in the play Another Language. She then reprised this role in Hollywood, in front of the camera, with stars Helen Hayes and Robert Montgomery taking the lead roles. TCM starts the day off with this film at 6AM ET.
In 1931, Ms. Hamilton married Paul Meserve, and gave birth to son Hamilton in 1936, but by 1937 her marriage was troubled. She and Meserve divorced. In order to support herself and her son, Margaret took any and all acting jobs Hollywood could dish out, and these were many, surprisingly thanks to her plain looks. She became known for her acid reactions and her spinster-like demeanor. This was as far from her true character as could be, but it gained her lots of work, and Margaret was happy to work in the career she had chosen.
Her parents came around to her way of thinking. Margaret never looked back, and branched out into radio and TV appearances too as times changed. As she aged, her roles became more diverse, and the spinster roles turned into kindly neighbors, nosy parkers, western ladies, and even a member of the Addams Family. She was never above making fun of her role as the most famous witch in film history. She was able to play much more interesting roles in several filmed-for-television plays. She was in two Christmas specials. Many will remember her appearance on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, explaining how she was not really the wicked witch of the west, but an actress playing the part. She was always concerned about children, and how they might feel about her most famous character. Here it looks like she's making a guest appearance on Bewitched, though I can find no mention of it on IMDB.
She also continued stage work throughout her career, most notably as the original Mrs. Arnheldt in A Little Night Music,in 1974.
I was fortunate enough to meet Margaret Hamilton in 1977, when she traveled to Michigan to conduct interviews for the Aljean Harmetz book The Making of the Wizard of Oz. She sat at a table with us, very informal, and discussed her career, and the movie that brought her the most fame. She said she much preferred theater to film or television, because on stage they can't cut out your part.
She said that in theater, you always have your moment, and can make the most of your time there. I think Hamilton made the most of her screen time as well. Her many roles may not show remarkable diversity, but we remember her and smile when she shows up. Her intensity is her triumph. She had a great way with a haughty line and a "Harrumph". In fact I think in her films she's practically the definition of the word "Harrumph". She was a wonderfully kind, warm woman, the sweetest I've ever met. I shed a tear when I saw that TCM was honoring her with a day of films.
MONDAY December 9th
6:00 AM
Another Language (1933)
A newlywed discovers that she and her husband's snobby family speak different languages.
Dir: Edward H. Griffith Cast: Helen Hayes , Robert Montgomery , Louise Closser Hale
BW-76 mins, TV-G
7:30 AM
Chatterbox (1936)
A country girl tries to talk her way into a stage career.
Dir: George Nicholls Jr. Cast: Anne Shirley , Phillips Holmes , Edward Ellis
BW-68 mins, TV-G
8:45 AM
Mountain Justice (1937)
A young lawyer defends a hillbilly girl who killed her father in self defense.
Dir: Michael Curtiz Cast: Josephine Hutchinson , George Brent , Guy Kibbee
BW-83 mins, TV-G
10:15 AM
When's Your Birthday? (1937)
An astrologer trusts the stars to make him a championship boxer.
Dir: Harry Beaumont Cast: Joe E. Brown , Marian Marsh , Fred Keating
BW-74 mins, TV-G
11:45 AM
Mother Carey's Chickens (1938)
A widow with four children fights to keep her home.
Dir: Rowland V. Lee Cast: Anne Shirley , Ruby Keeler , James Ellison
BW-82 mins, TV-G
1:15 PM
Stablemates (1938)
A broken down veterinarian saves a stable boy's prize racehorse.
Dir: Sam Wood Cast: Wallace Beery , Mickey Rooney , Arthur Hohl
BW-90 mins, TV-G
3:00 PM
Meet the Stewarts (1942)
A socialite struggles to live on her blue-collar husband's salary.
Dir: Alfred E. Green Cast: William Holden , Frances Dee , Grant Mitchell
BW-74 mins, TV-G
4:30 PM
George White's Scandals (1945)
Two sets of lovers come together while working on a big musical.
Dir: Felix E. Feist Cast: Joan Davis , Jack Haley , Phillip Terry
BW-95 mins, TV-G
6:15 PM
13 Ghosts (1960)
A family inherits a house haunted by 13 ghosts and a living killer.
Dir: William Castle Cast: Charles Herbert , Jo Morrow , Martin Milner
BW-82 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format
