Mary Frann

Mary Frann (February 27, 1943 September 23, 1998) was an American stage, film and television actress. She is best known for her role as Bob Newhart's wife, Joanna Loudon, on the CBS sitcom Newhart, which aired from 1982 to 1990.

Early years

Born Mary Frances Luecke in St. Louis, Missouri, Frann was a child model and appeared in commercials for a local television station while she attended Nerinx Hall High School. At the age of 18, she was voted Missouri's "Junior Miss." She went on to win the 1961 national title of America's Junior Miss and earned a college scholarship to study drama at Northwestern University. As America's Junior Miss, she starred in a Jam Handy educational film (Prom: It's a Pleasure) extolling the etiquette and fun of the high school prom. While attending Northwestern, Frann worked as a weather reporter for the NBC station in St. Louis. After a year, she dropped out of Northwestern and moved to Chicago where she co-hosted a morning show on an ABC affiliate. While working as a host, Frann worked in local theatre productions and began working in television and films. In 1964, Frann made her television debut in an episode of the Kraft Suspense Theatre. That same year, she appeared in the television movie Nightmare in Chicago, starring Carroll O'Connor. In 1966, Frann made her film debut in the low budget musical drama Nashville Rebel, starring Waylon Jennings.

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Latest News for: mary frann

Actress Linda Lavin created occasions on and off stage and screen

Herald-Tribune Sarasota 08 Jan 2025
Sarasota Arts and Culture Events to Watch in 2025 ... The cast of the production included such future film and TV stars as Melinda Dillon, Mary Frann, Paul Sand and Richard Libertini. At the time, those names meant nothing ... That’s the way I work.

New owners, familiar faces, take helm at Waybury Inn

Addison County Independent 29 Aug 2024
EAST MIDDLEBURY — Chas Lyons was a longtime customer of East Middlebury’s historic Waybury Inn ... The Newhart show (1982-1990) starred the recently deceased comedian Bob Newhart, supported by castmates Mary Frann, Tom Poston and Julia Duffy ... ....

'Cold Turkey' actor Newhart, 94, dies

Creston News Advertiser 25 Jul 2024
A Greenfield man had a connection with comedian and actor Bob Newhart who passed July 18 ... It was fun ... From 1982 to 1990 Newhart starred in the comedy “Newhart” where he was an author and he and his wife, played by Mary Frann, owned an inn in Vermont.

Greenfield man remembers meeting Newhart

Creston News Advertiser 24 Jul 2024
A Greenfield man had a connection with comedian and actor Bob Newhart who passed July 18 ... It was fun ... From 1982 to 1990 Newhart starred in the comedy “Newhart” where he was an author and he and his wife, played by Mary Frann, owned an inn in Vermont.

The Best Bob Newhart Movies And TV Shows And How To Watch Them

Cinema Blend 22 Jul 2024
(Image credit ... A New Yorker (played by Newhart) who writes how-to books for a living decides to move him and his wife (played by Mary Frann) to a small town in Vermont where they run an inn and make friends with a number of eccentric locals ... 8.7/10 ... .

Late Bob Newhart Made History With His Sitcom Newhart's Iconic Ending; Here's How

Pinkvilla 21 Jul 2024
... innkeeper Dick Loudon (Newhart) wakes up to tell the strangest dream he saw to his wife Joanna (Mary Frann), he flicks the switch to find not Joanna or Mary Frann but Suzanne Pleshette as Emily.

Newhart always had the last laugh — on us

Republican American 20 Jul 2024
... 1978, where he played psychologist Robert Hartley opposite Suzanne Pleshette, and 184 of “Newhart,” airing from 1982 to 1990, in which he played innkeeper Dick Loudon opposite Mary Frann.

Bob Newhart rarely set foot in Vermont. But his impact on the state was noteworthy.

Burlington Free Press 19 Jul 2024
... as the inn was used in the show for exterior shots as a fill-in for the Stratford Inn, owned by the characters portrayed by Newhart and Mary Frann.Was the 'Newhart' show filmed in Vermont.

Bob Newhart's deadpan humor shined on TV, albums and film

Newsday 19 Jul 2024
Instead of waking up in bed next to his sitcom wife Mary Frann, he found himself next to Suzanne Pleshette, his spouse from his first series, "The Bob Newhart Show." "I was an innkeeper ...

Bob Newhart was a timeless comedic genius whose quiet delivery made him a star

The Los Angeles Times 19 Jul 2024
... from 1972 to 1978, where he played psychologist Robert Hartley opposite Suzanne Pleshette, and 184 of 'Newhart,' airing from 1982 to 1990, in which he played innkeeper Dick Loudon opposite Mary Frann.

The Comedy Team of Bob Newhart

New York Magazine 19 Jul 2024
This time, he played a travel writer named Dick Loudon who’s moved from New York City to Vermont with his wife, Joanna (Mary Frann), to run a bed-and-breakfast in a town with as many weirdos as Bob ...

Bob Newhart, Emmy-Winning Comedy Icon, Dies at 94

The Wrap 18 Jul 2024
The Emmy winner, who was 94, died after “a series of short illnesses,”Digney said in a press release ... In it, he played a former New Yorker who relocates to a small town in Vermont where he and his wife (Mary Frann) run a historic inn ... .

Bob Newhart: In praise of a brilliant comedian and decent man worthy of a statue

Chicago Sun-Times 18 Jul 2024
... and “Newhart” (1982-1990), with Newhart playing another variation on the character, this time as the author, talk show host and Vermont innkeeper Dick Loudon, with Mary Frann as his wife, Joanna.

Comedic legend Bob Newhart dies at 94

The Trentonian 18 Jul 2024
The Bob Newhart Show” in the 1970s and “Newhart” in the ’80s ... 5, 1929 ... Mary Frann played his wife on the show, with Newhart serving as a straight man to eccentric characters such as brothers Larry, Darryl and Darryl ... ....

Bob Newhart, Dean of the Deadpan Delivery, Dies at 94

The Hollywood Reporter 18 Jul 2024
The show was a mainstay for eight seasons, and this one also featured a great cast (Mary Frann, Tom Poston — who later would marry PleshetteJulia Duffy, Peter Scolari and, as handymen "Larry, ...

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