Nancy Kulp will forever be remembered for her portrayal of Jane Hathaway on television's "The Beverly Hillbillies". Often the eye of the sitcom hurricane, there was no doubt that the still waters of Miss Jane ran deep. How else to explain her loyalty to the greedy Milburn Drysdale, or her unrequieted crush on the hunky Jethro (so similar to Rosie O'Donnell's infatuation with Tom Cruise). Much like Alice on "The Brady Bunch", or Eve Arden in almost any of her films, Nancy Kulp brought sense and sensibility to the maelstrom of comedy. Born on August 28, 1921, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, she moved to Hollywood and started out as a publicist. Her unique presence soon led to a career as a character actress, and she eventually graced the silver screen playing a series of oddball, spinster-like women with names like "Wilhelmina Peterson", "Emily Rothgraber", "Maxene Spelvina", "Miss Willoughby", "Miss Grunecker", "Miss Matthew", or even simply "Telephone Operator", "Hypochondriac Woman", "Theatre Goer" and "Aggressive Woman". Was this a prime case of type-casting, or simply that of a woman finding her unique niche in life? Nancy not only appeared in such acclaimed and popular films as "Shane", "The Three Faces of Eve" and "The Parent Trap", but also "Night of the Grizzly" and "Five Gates to Hell", proving that bird-watching, bookish librarian types can be found in all walks of life. In fact, after retiring from acting, Kulp ran for congress in 1984, causing her former "Hillbillies" co-star Buddy Ebsen to publicly endorse her opponent. She lost the race, but not her pride. Towards the end of her life (she succumbed to cancer on December 2nd, 1991), in an interview, she asked herself what she called "the fatal question", replying "Do you find that opposites attract? My own reply would be that I'm the other sort---I find that birds of a feather flock together." Miss Jane couldn't have put it any better.
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