Tammy Grimes (Actor)

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(01-30-1934 - 10-30-2016) Age 82

Tammy Grimes had a successful Broadway career and appeared in 27 episodes of CBS Radio Mystery Theater as host in the show's last season.

She starred in 27 RMT episodes, including the 5-night Nefertiti epic that premiered in 1979, before taking over as series host for a badly ailing E.G. Marshall in 1982. Besides Nefertiti, a favorite Grimes episode was "The God Killer" from 1976, in which she played a creepy murderess. 

Ms. Grimes's daughter, Amanda Plummer, made five RMT appearances, including the last two installments of the 1982 Les Misérables adaptation. Ms. Plummer also had the lead in "To Be an Empress," the second-to-last RMT episode before her mother took over as host. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

She appeared in the following 27 episodes of Radio Mystery Theater
Date Episode Title Plot
05/09/1974 0089 A Tiny Drop of Poison A charming politician hides her dark part as a hippie radical and a murderer. But her game seems up as her husband is allocated the responsibility of cracking the case.
09/05/1975 0339 Sleepwalker Desperate to end her husband's miserable life, a woman starts to plot his demise in her slumber.
02/27/1976 0439 Half a Life What do you get when you mix bar, a handsome stranger, and a lonely middle-aged woman? True love? Or is it just another recipe for disaster?
10/01/1976 0528 The Clairvoyant A clairvoyant forsees an unexpected love in the life of a young, British aristocrat on the eve of World War II.
10/12/1976 0534 The God Killer A typist is accused of murdering the author for whom she works. She insists that the murderer was a character from a novel fighting for his survival.
10/31/1976 0545 The Queen of Cats Cats are used by an evil witch to stalk children in a small village.  A lawyer and a local sheriff try are the childrens\' only hope...
12/17/1976 0567 A Quiet Evening at Home A woman goes to a train station to meet her lover so they can leave their spouses. But when she witnesses a murder, her lover leaves her and she fears testifying because her husband will find out.
01/07/1977 0579 Conquest of Fear
While traveling through Spain, a bandit abducts a world-renowned actress. The beauty recognizes the desperado as one of Spain’s most skilled bull fighters that mysteriously vanished.  She works to convince him to leave his life of crime and return to the professional arena.
03/11/1977 0615 Till Death Do Us Part A plain and middle-aged spinster becomes romantically entangled with her married boss. Unfortunately for her, her lover has made a promise to never leave his wife as long as they both live. His mistress hatches a plot to get rid of the wife so she can claim her man.
06/14/1977 0665 Murder One A wealthy widow is being blackmailed by her maid for killing her husband. So she tries to frame her for her own crime.
10/10/1977 0722 The Actress The quintessential story of an actress slowly losing her own self in the life of the tragic character she is supposed to enact.
04/06/1978 0811 A Tragedy of Error A woman is forced to ask for the help of a mysterious boatman and a ghost in a graveyard to help resettle her life torn by the repulsion for her tyrant husband and diffident but gentle lover.
01/08/1979 0940 Nefertiti (1 of 5) - The Vulture Screams Prince Ahkenatan is set to wed the daughter of the Prime Minister, Nefertiti, who loathes the weak monarch with all her being. When Akhenatan is hailed as Pharaoh, those who question his rule conspire against him.
01/09/1979 0941 Nefertiti (2 of 5) - To Kill a Pharoah The plot to over Akhenatan crumbles and as she learns more about the man she has wed, Nefertiti falls in love. Together, they set on a path of establishing a new religion to worship the God of the Sun.
01/10/1979 0942 Nefertiti (3 of 5) - The Cobra Strikes Their new religion progresses in Amarna, the City of Truth. Their burgeoning love bears fruit and Nefertiti tells Akhenatan she is pregnant with his child, even as she becomes enamored with their army general.
01/11/1979 0943 Nefertiti (4 of 5) - The Head with One Eye With a war hanging over their head, Akhenatan plays the pacifist even as he strengthens his city. When their daughter passes away while doing penance to the God of the Sun, a Nefertiti mad with rage and grief vows to avenge her child's death against her husband and his cruel god.
01/12/1979 0944 Nefertiti (5 of 5) - The Curse of the Scarab Nefertiti arranges a traditional ceremony invoking all the gods to witness her daughter's passing and Akhenatan has her arrested for heresy. In an attempt to slay Nefertiti, Akhenatan meets his demise.
06/27/1979 0992 The Giuseppe Verdi Autobus While on vacation in Italy, a widow falls for a vacationing widower from L.A. Problems arise when she discovers that he has not been honest with her as she packs his belongings in preparation for their trip back to the U.S.
06/30/1980 1098 The Old Maid Murders When a middle-aged secretary unwittingly discovers that her boss is a double-agent passing on information to the enemy, her deep love for him forces her to protect him from his destructive tendencies.
07/30/1980 1105 The Death Disk After being hired by a charitable institution, a woman is surprised when the offer is not only suddenly withdrawn, but she is accused of theft as well. In order to clear her name of a crime she did not commit, she seeks the aid of the local police. When they wash their hands off the case, she takes matters into her own hands and conducts her own investigation.
10/15/1980 1127 The Bright Golden Murders Believing that her husband was murdered after discovering a metallurgical secret that would shake the world market, she turns to his friend and the local police for help. Unknown to her, the scientist was actually having an affair with the cabaret singer girlfriend of a mobster- and was subsequently murdered when he discovered their liaison.
03/27/1981 1177 Did I Say Murder? A firsthand account by an adulteress queen telling of the tragic life and death of England's most notorious king, King Henry VIII.
05/11/1981 1196 End of a Queen A classic retelling of the tragic life and death of Marie Antoinette, and her final hours on the earthly plane.
07/06/1981 1217 My Good Name In the pursuit of becoming a famous couturier, a young artist gives up his passion only to be murdered by his greedy accountant. In order to seek justice for his friend, the police are aided by an investigative journalist.
10/02/1981 1247 Mata Hari A tale about the life and death of the most deceptively beautiful German spy in the history of World War I, Mata Hari.
03/26/1982 1307 In the Cards A classic recounting of the life of Empress Josephine's obsession with the esoteric, and her passionate affair with Napoleon Bonaparte.
07/16/1982 1352 The Great Catherine In order to solidify Russia's place among the world's super powers, a Czarina of German descent works to modernize her country. She falls in love with a war hero despite the fact that he is just a common farmer's son.


14 Responses to Grimes Tammy

I always try to say nice things about everybody and everything. However, I do not like this woman. When she replaced E.G. Marshall, I gave her a chance, but her whispery, pseudo British voice is annoying. Sometimes I simply cannot hear her. However, on a positive note, when she introduced The Way Station, she did get us ready for a spooky tale. She did sound quite passionate and dedicated to that story. That, I enjoyed. Otherwise, she simply did not hold my interest in anything else she did. How does everyone else feel about her?

Robert RJMGREEN@AOL.COM

I'm with you completely, Robert. I'm convinced that Christopher Plummer must have woken up one day and screamed, "Shut up! Shut up!!" before they divorced. She's a talented actress, but not the most compelling actress. Her best work here, I believe, is the "Nefertiti" multi-part saga, and that's because she had great chemistry with Russell Horton. She worked well with Lloyd Battista, too. But whenever she starts screaming, wailing (as in "Sleepwalker"), cackling, or arguing loudly, I lunge for the volume control.

Zeezee1

In my year long journey of listening to all of the Mystery Theater episodes I'm now entering into the Tammy Grimes era (#1284). The end is well within reach by the end of the year.

Frank

i completely agree with the above comments and especially you ZEEZEE1 CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHY EG LEFT? I AM SURE WHEN HIMAN BROWN GAVE HER THE JOB HE KNEW THEY WERE GOING TO BE CANCELLED SOON

WILLIAM DILLARD

Come on, anyone having the misfortune of replacing E.G. is going to have an uphill battle. In fairness, she got the job when others didn't. Why? Because she was a class act and total professional dedicated to her craft. It's obvious to anyone listening that she's articulate and a cut above the norm (or several). The listener was never bored when listening to her.

Greg

Also a very short TV run. The Tammy Grimes Show was one of the first that I remember as a kid that was pulled after airing only once.

Michael

Tammy's fine in her supporting part in Play It As It Lays, one of her few non-TV films; I believe she replaced someone at the 11th hour. She was talented, but I never cared for her as the host of CBSRMT. It was never the same without E.G. Marshall. It was a strangely comforting thing to fall asleep to late at night as I did many times in my teen years

Rick

I never new she was the original Molly Brown! I only new it as Debby Reynolds roll! She certainly had a distinguished career, however, I could never quite understand why she was chosen to host that final year. In general, I think it was a mistake to involve so many theater actors with the show. No doubt many were very good, but I think there is a tendency for actors in plays to "overact." It would have been interesting to see how the show might have been different had it been based on the west coast, utilizing actors used to performing on TV and in the movies. Not complaining about the show as it was, but just engaging in some conjecture.

Andrew

Not only will I remember Tammy Grimes for her talented performances & her contribution as the Hostess for CBS RADIO MYSTERY THEATRE, but I will also remember her performance as the voice of Molly Grue from THE LAST UNICORN (1982). Rest In Paradise, Tammy Grimes

Russ

I don't know why so many people have such a problem with Tammy Grimes' voice. I think she has a very nice, soft, soothing voice and she did an excellent job as host of CBSRMT. I always thought she introduced each episode very well. I also enjoy E.G. Marshall as well, so I am saying that I like them both. Why does it have to be one or the other?

Amy

I began listening to CBSRMT in 1979, so I had fairly equal exposure to both hosts. While I enjoyed Marshall's evocation of classic radio program hosts (I was obsessed with the music, radio and films of the thirties and forties), I found Grimes' voice lent a more sinister, creepy quality to the narration. As a featured actress, however, I tend to agree with the more negative comments. Her voice was unique and immediately recognizable - but also totally phony. The combination of the three ruined her performances for me. In radio acting, the voice is everything. If an actor or actress's voice is the same for every character, it makes it very difficult for the listener to separate actor/actress from character and really lose him or herself in the story. In Grimes' case, it was always 'Tammy Grimes as ..' rather than 'So and So performed by Tammy Grimes'.

Zev de Valera

I have felt that way about many of the recurring actors in this series. So many of them sound exactly the same way in every episode, and on top of that they seem to always to be cast in similar characters

Andy

She is a nerve eater. She plays every role in exactly the same way. AND she didn't even have the class that E.G. Marshall had to NOT be the host AND act in the plays. She had the job as host, so why cut out other actors for roles? I noticed she always put herself up for the roles of queens, empresses, and the like, and then chewed up her lines like bubble gum. As if Marian Seldes or Roberta Maxwell didn't have her out-classed! I really LOATHED her!

Virginia

Tammy Grimes had a very successful Broadway career, with roles in 19 Broadway productions, winning 2 Tony awards. She had over 100 appearances in film and television and recorded a number of albums featuring Broadway show tunes and narration of children's stories. Her appearances on CBSRMT included the 5-night Nefertiti epic that premiered in 1979, before taking over as series host for E.G. Marshall in 1982. Besides Nefertiti, a favorite Grimes episode was "The God Killer" from 1976, in which she played a creepy murderess. Ms. Grimes's daughter, actress Amanda Plummer (with former husband Christopher Plummer), made five CBSRMT appearances, including the last two installments of the 1982 Les Misérables adaptation. Ms. Plummer also had the lead in "To Be an Empress," the second-to-last CBSRMT episode before her mother took over as host.

Charlie


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