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Mercedes McCambridge (Actor)
(03-16-1916
-
03-02-2004)
Age 88
Orson Welles called Mercedes McCambridge "the world's greatest living radio actress"for her old time radio work in the 1940s.
She appeared in the following 25 episodes of Radio Mystery Theater
| Date | Episode | Title | Plot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02/24/1974 | 0045 | The Horse That Wasn't for Sale | Hereditary equestrian passion notwithstanding, a woman has to put up her horses for sale after her father's death. All except one that is fabled to be the best to the dismay of her dad's rivals. |
| 04/29/1974 | 0082 | All Living Things Must Die | A lonely woman is left with just the houseplants for her company under the rules of her tyrannic husband. But he goes too far in trying to take even the plants away from her and the vegetation isn't willing to comply. |
| 05/02/1974 | 0085 | Dracula | The classic Bram Stoker tale retold. A young girl is progressively being drained of her life-force and must stake the responsible vampire to save herself. |
| 06/20/1974 | 0108 | The Secret Doctrine | After suffering a devastating rejection at the hands of her favorite actor, an obsessed fan directs her violent rage against her former idol. |
| 06/27/1974 | 0111 | Yesterday's Murder | Determined to change her fate, a woman is granted the chance to go back in time to set her life in order. |
| 09/30/1974 | 0154 | Murder to Perfection | A young woman is horrified to learn that her soon to be brother-in-law murdered her sister as well as his previous wife. He then proceeds to disclose his intention to act out the perfect murder, with her as the star of the show. |
| 12/16/1974 | 0187 | Stephanie's Room | A married woman moves back to her birthplace in New York when her husband is posted there for work. She visits the house she grew up in and meets a childless old lady. They bond in a strange, symbiotic manner as mysterious things happen to her childhood quarters. |
| 12/23/1974 | 0190 | Give the Devil His Due | An aged dancer attempts to enter a pact with the devil to sacrifice her soul in return for her youth and skill. But she backs out of the deal at the last minute - with severe consequences. |
| 01/16/1975 | 0206 | A Death of Kings | A genius but modest scientist takes in a student. He ends up losing his wife to him, his skills and aptitudes too. |
| 01/24/1975 | 0211 | The Flowers of Death | Dionysus, a god in Greek mythology appears in modern times and charms a young lady living in a suburb. Her husband brings his boss home so he can evaluate them for a promotion. Apart from this, the neighborhood is buzzing about her special talent with flowers. |
| 03/26/1975 | 0245 | Death Is a Dream | A girl has a dream about her brother being murdered. She starts to wreak revenge on the murderer even though it's unclear whether the murder actually took place. |
| 03/28/1975 | 0247 | Key to Murder | A double bill of the classic Poe plot. An investigator probes the case of two murders that took place in rooms sealed from the inside with no other visible entrances or exits. |
| 06/04/1975 | 0285 | The Devil's Leap | A famous film star tries to unite a father and son after the strange death of the woman of the family. |
| 06/18/1975 | 0293 | Frame-Up | In order to seize her wealth, a woman falls prey to a set-up masterminded by her two-timing spouse. Refusing to take the rap for a crime she did not commit, she takes struggles to clear her name in court not just for her sake, but for the welfare of her step-daughter. |
| 07/08/1975 | 0305 | The Triangle | Five days after a commercial airline vanished into the Bermuda Triangle, a sole survivor is found. She then recounts her adventure in a lost world within the mysterious void. |
| 07/31/1975 | 0318 | Carmilla | In 20th century Austria, a young woman and her widower father are charged with the welfare of a female ward. The two girls grow up like sisters but a terrible secret in the orphan's past threatens to tear their lives asunder. |
| 08/25/1975 | 0332 | Person to Be Notified | After landing a position at the remote island home of an eccentric author, a woman begins to suspect his manservant's actions and sets out to expose him. Concerned for welfare, the man who sent her to the island goes after her. |
| 09/08/1975 | 0340 | The Other Life | A neglected housewife finds herself deep in debt when she turns to racehorse gambling to stave off her loneliness. At the same time, her husband manages to further his political career at the expense of his wife's happiness. |
| 10/02/1975 | 0357 | The Man Who Ran Away | Devastated by the discovery of his wife's infidelity, a man seeks refuge in a nearby town. He comes across a seemingly run-down estate and intends to drown his sorrows in solitude. However, he is surprised to find that the house occupied by a lady just as lonely as he is. |
| 01/30/1976 | 0423 | Castle Kerfol | On a tour of a British castle, an American tourist is suddenly attacked by a pack of dogs. She is sheltered by a neighbor and there discovers the castle's history and the origins of its strange guardians. |
| 02/25/1976 | 0437 | General Laughter | In lieu of a suicide confession, a distressed actress chooses to record her final breath as well as the motives for her actions. Being a consummate actress, she sets the perfect scene but quickly learns that even the best laid plans can go awry. |
| 10/29/1976 | 0543 | The Unborn | An American encounters a woman several times through his life as he moves between occupations. She grows younger each time. He falls in love not knowing he tarries with the mistress of the Devil. |
| 02/15/1977 | 0601 | The Star Killers | The world\'s top nuclear researcher is either an insane murderess or a gullible innocent. The truth becomes clear when she is forced to recount the story of her marriage to a supposed alien to her therapist; and how she was later convicted for her husband\'s death. |
| 09/07/1977 | 0705 | Silent Shock | A female inmate of a mental asylum talks to invisible people and awaits the return of a beloved who might not exist. But the doubt lies in whether she is actually insane or made disturbed intentionally. |
| 05/08/1978 | 0829 | Death and Desire | Retired circus actors hit upon an ingenious scheme of conning people with a spirit-medium act. But trouble starts when the spirit dies. |
39 Responses to McCambridge Mercedes
Routinely plays women half her age (or less) and sounds utterly ridiculous doing so. All hail Himan Brown, etc. but some of his casting decisions were awful and a lot of those came with the name "Mercedes McCambridge" attached to them.
jpc
I totally agree., She sounds so weird when they have her play a young girl on CBSRMT, lol! It's very interesting to hear her when she was really a lot younger in earlier radio shows. She is barely recognizable but I can still hear that same, distinctive voice, even then. At least she sounded young back then, lol!
Amy
Love Mercedes McCambridge! She played Mina or Lucy in the CBSRMT version of Dracula. Such a distinctive voice!!
Liz
Well know for her distinctive voice, she was usually cast on CBSRMT as an emotionally unstable character. She had quite the radio drama pedigree, having performed in dozens of shows and with a seal of approval from Orson Wells. The best bit of trivia is that she was also the voice of the demon possessing the girl in the movie The Exorcist.
Frank
Love Mercedes McCambridge! She played Mina or Lucy in the CBSRMT version of Dracula. Such a distinctive voice!!
Liz
i have her on a dvd of magnum pi she played magnums blind friend agatha and she was on lost in space and charlies angels
Tracy
Interesting facts for those who don't know. In order to "get into character" for the voice of the possessed girl in the Exorcist, she "went back off the wagon" (started drinking again) and gargled with raw eggs. In the original release of the film, William Friedkin failed (most likely deliberately) to include her name in the credits, and she was furious.
Will
I don't wonder! All the prep work she went through for that role only to be snubbed for credit by the DIRECTOR. I'd have spewed pea soup at him! Sorry. Couldn't resist.
Joanna Oznowicz
Love Mercedes McCambridge! She played Mina or Lucy in the CBSRMT version of Dracula. Such a distinctive voice!!
Liz
Well know for her distinctive voice, she was usually cast on CBSRMT as an emotionally unstable character. She had quite the radio drama pedigree, having performed in dozens of shows and with a seal of approval from Orson Wells. The best bit of trivia is that she was also the voice of the demon possessing the girl in the movie The Exorcist.
Frank
Love Mercedes McCambridge! She played Mina or Lucy in the CBSRMT version of Dracula. Such a distinctive voice!!
i have her on a dvd of magnum pi she played magnums blind friend agatha and she was on lost in space and charlies angels In order to "get into character" for the voice of the possessed girl in the Exorcist, she "went back off the wagon" (started drinking again) and gargled with raw eggs. In the original release of the film, William Friedkin failed (most likely deliberately) to include her name in the credits, and she was furious.
i have her on a dvd of magnum pi she played magnums blind friend agatha and she was on lost in space and charlies angels In order to "get into character" for the voice of the possessed girl in the Exorcist, she "went back off the wagon" (started drinking again) and gargled with raw eggs. In the original release of the film, William Friedkin failed (most likely deliberately) to include her name in the credits, and she was furious.
Will
Mercedes McCambridge. Well know for her distinctive voice, she was usually cast on CBSRMT as an emotionally unstable character. She had quite the radio drama pedigree, having performed in dozens of shows and with a seal of approval from Orson Wells. The best bit of trivia is that she was also the voice of the demon possessing the girl in the movie The Exorcist.
Frank
And watch her Academy Award performance in 1949's "All The King's Men", a movie inspired by Huey Long as a Pulitzer winning novel by Robert Penn Warren.
A harsh performance about a shrill political operative.
Jonhendry
I've been a big fan of CBSRMT as well as OTR in general for a long, long, time. It's October which got me thinking about the movie, the Exorcist, which got me thinking about one of my all time favorite radio performers, Mercedes McCambridge. Apparently, doing that voice disturbed her so much she fell off the wagon. I tip my hat to Mercedes!
Charles
I've been admiring the voice-over work of actress Mercedes McCambridge; she did many episodes of CBSRMT. Orson Welles once described her as "the world's greatest living radio actress."
She has a very distinctive voice... I just found out (via Wiki) that "McCambridge provided the dubbed voice of Pazuzu, the demon possessing the young girl Regan (played by Linda Blair) in 'The Exorcist.' To sound as disturbing as possible, McCambridge insisted on swallowing raw eggs, chain smoking and drinking whiskey to make her voice harsh and her performance aggressive. Director William Friedkin also arranged for her to be bound to a chair during recordings, so that the demon seemed to be struggling against its restraints."
Cindy
Lovd her as an actress & her unique voice. She had a difficult personal life tho-suffered from alcoholism for many years and the personal tragedy of her adult son murdering his family then taking his own life.
Cathy
I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when she received the producer's call saying, "Hey, lady, we want YOU to be the voice of the devil in our movie." šš¤£šš¤£
Shwan
Carlotta Mercedes Agnes McCambridge (March 16, 1916 ā March 2, 2004) was an American actress of radio, stage, film, and television.
Orson Welles called her "the world's greatest living radio actress."
She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for All the King's Men (1949) and was nominated in the same category for Giant (1956).
She also provided the voice of Pazuzu (the demon) in The Exorcist (1973).
Some of the radio shows she appeared in include Lights Out, Inner Sanctum, Gang Busters, Screen Directors Playhouse, Ford Theater and more.
She was an original cast member on The Guiding Light (before the Bauers took over as the central characters)
On Television McCambridge played Katherine Wells in Wire Service, a drama series that aired on ABC during 1956-1957.
On film, she was in All the King's Men (1949), Johnny Guitar (1954), Giant (1956), Suddenly, Last Summer (1959),
Adam
One of my all time favorites!! She was amazing!...had such tragedy in her life, I have much respect for her endurance.
Donna
I remember hearing Mercedes in the CBSRMT production of Dracula. As soon as I heard the voice I KNEW where I heard it from, and yet, the episode removed it from my mind. And then there was "Murder to Perfection" . Ms. McCambridge was able to inhabit whatever role she took on and it's enjoyable to listen to her on whatever RMT role she took on.
Joanna Oznowicz
I've been admiring the voice-over work of actress Mercedes McCambridge; she did many episodes of CBSRMT. Orson Welles once described her as "the world's greatest living radio actress."
She has a very distinctive voice... I just found out (via Wiki) that "McCambridge provided the dubbed voice of Pazuzu, the demon possessing the young girl Regan (played by Linda Blair) in 'The Exorcist.' To sound as disturbing as possible, McCambridge insisted on swallowing raw eggs, chain smoking and drinking whiskey to make her voice harsh and her performance aggressive. Director William Friedkin also arranged for her to be bound to a chair during recordings, so that the demon seemed to be struggling against its restraints."
The more you know...
Adam
Mercedes McCambridge had that "signature voice". As a kid in my room at night at 11 PM, I would listen to CBSRMT when I should have been asleep. I always knew when I heard that voice come on, who it was right away, and that I would enjoy the episode. Her voice could change from sweet to scary in a matter of seconds. Great actress also. Although I have never seen her in "All The KIng's Men", she was great in "Giant" and "Suddenly Last Summer". She could pull off being cruel with class. Her matriarch roles seemed to follow her and suit her quite well. For amusement, check out her in the role of a space alien named Sybilla in a "Lost in Space" episode. Her treatment of the cowardly Dr. Zachary Smith is hilarious. Ad as always, he deserved it. She was truly a versatile and wonderful actress. Rest in peace Mercedes.
Gino
Do I lover her or hate her, lol? Her voice is so familiar, so she's kind of like an old friend who grows on you. At the same time, she has one of the most annoying, hammy voices I've ever heard, lol! In my opinion, she was probably the very worst actress on this show, although some of her episodes were really good, so I'm not saying she was always bad. However, when she was awful, she was REALLY awful! Also, they should have never let her play young girls. I agree with the comments above on that. I have very mixed feelings about her.
Amy
Donāt think Iāll ever understand why Mercedes McCambridge kept getting chosen for roles that required a much younger voice. She was about to hit 60 in 1974. Her character here said to be 40. And the thing is, if anything, she sounded much older than her voice. Kind of the opposite of Evie Juster, who would have been perfect for this role, even though she was older than MM. Other than the horrible casting of the lead, itās a slightly above average episode with a good deal of creep.
Gary
It's the intonation that's off on a lot of the actors (many women like Mercedes McCambridge(.
I remember growing up and hanging out with my friend in the 70's, wondering what E.G. Marshall looked like.
Some of the quirkiness was funny, but I LOVED this show and my wife and I play it all the time.
Jeff
The most interesting part about her is that her son donned a Halloween mask, killed his entire family, committed suicide, and had left a lengthy, hateful suicide note for her/his mother.
Robert
That's harsh, Robert. MM was an extremely talented voice and film actress. And to judge her whole body of work on something her son did is pretty awful. I know her voice was sometimes grating, it was unique and memorable, which is what you want from a radio actor.
P Norman
I used to listen to CBSRMT back in the 70s, and Mercedes McCambridge was my favorite actress. Then, one day, I was working at Friendly's in Columbia Mall in Columbia, MD, and a woman and man sat down at a booth in the section I was working. The woman began to order her ice cream sundae, and Mercedes McCambridge's voice came out. I got flustered and began to babble, but it was indeed her. She was very gracious and signed an autograph for me, and told me that she was constantly hearing from fans who enjoyed her work on the show.
David S.
Mercedes McCambridge was a legend in radio acting. Orson Welles called her "the world's greatest living radio actress". She had hundreds of appearances on dozens of radio shows including Lights Out, Inner Sanctum, Suspense, the Great Gildersleeve, the Jack Benny program, I Love a Mystery, Perry Mason and many, many others.
She appeared on Broadway and in over 80 films and television programs. She won an Oscar and 2 Golden Globes for her film debut in All The Kings Men but is best remembered as the voice of the demon in The Exorcist.
Charlie
I visited the old San Francisco Mint ("The Granite Lady') several years ago. The museum presented a video history of the building narrated by Mercedes McCambridge. I remember well the part of the story addressing the 1906 earthquake. Ms. McCambridge growled the dialog ... "the Granite Lady was RAVAGED." That was perhaps the most memorable moment of my west coast visit.
Charles