MEREDITH MacRae, accompanied by the 23rd Psalm, 91st Psalm and The Lord's Prayer, was buried at sea yesterday. "That's what my daughter wanted. It was in her will," Sheila MacRae told me just before the service.
"See, she and I always helped the dolphins in Baja. We'd go to the shore and rescue them and feed them.
"I was at her bedside talking about this with her just minutes before she went," said Sheila by phone from L.A.
"I'd said, 'Now, remember when we greased them - that's what the nurses are doing to you. We'd hold them and love them as the nurses now do you. We'd put those who needed assistance into a sling and free them in the deep water...Just think of that as happening to you...'
"She went with no pain. No anguish. She was serene."
Sheila broke down. Then, "As a child, she loved history. I taught her about Bastille Day. On that July 14th morning, I phoned my son Bruce in New York and said, 'Come to L.A.' I sensed this would be her last day.
"She'd been ill a year and eight months but wouldn't tell anyone. She'd say, 'Mother, if anyone asks why I'm in the hospital, say it's a facelift. Say I hurt my arm.'"
There will be no memorial. "We're planning a celebration. At the Getty Museum, outdoors, in their garden, under the cupola, so all her friends can attend. Bruce is composing a song about angels. My daughter Heather, who has a great voice, will sing it. It will be a celebration of beauty."
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Television actress Meredith MacRae, best known as a talk show host and for her role as Billie Jo in the series ``Petticoat Junction,'' died on Friday of brain cancer, her publicist said.
MacRae died at her home in the coastal suburb of Manhattan Beach. She was 56.
The oldest of four children, MacRae was born into a show business family. Her mother is actress Sheila MacRae, and Meredith MacRae made her screen debut alongside her father Gordon MacRae in the 1953 film ``By the Light Of The Silvery Moon.''
She became a regular as in the series ``My Three Sons'' in the 1960s as a girlfriend of one of the sons. She later had a starring role as Billie Jo Bradley in ``Petticoat Junction.``
In the 1980s, she co-hosted the Los Angeles talk show ''Mid-Morning L.A.''
She is survived by her husband, Phil Neal, her daughter, Allison Mullavey, her mother, a sister and two brothers as well as two stepsons.
10:51 07-15-00
Copyright 2000 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
Los Angeles, July 15 (Bloomberg) -- Television actress Meredith MacRae, who played Billie Jo Bradley in the 1960s U.S. comedy series ``Petticoat Junction,'' died Friday of brain cancer at the age of 56, the Associated Press reported. She was the daughter of the late actor-singer Gordon MacRae, who appeared in the film version of ``Oklahoma!'', and actress-comedian Sheila MacRae, who appeared in ``The Honeymooners.'' According to her publicist, Sandy Pollack, MacRae had a tumor removed from her brain last year and had received an excellent prognosis at the time, the AP said.
A lecturer and TV talk-show hostess, MacRae produced a one- hour television special, ``A Second Chance: Surviving Alcoholism,'' that focused candidly on her family's effort to help Gordon MacRae to recover from alcoholism.
(AP 7/15)
Jul/15/2000 11:36 ET
Meredith MacRae, an award-winning television talk show host and actress whose credits included the role of Billie Jo on the long-running television series "Petticoat Junction," died at her home in Manhattan Beach on Friday morning from brain cancer. She was 56.
Born in 1944 in Houston to show business parents, MacRae grew up in the San Fernando Valley. She started her acting and singing career with Doris Day and her father, movie idol Gordon MacRae, in the 1953 movie "By the Light of the Silvery Moon." Her first television series was "My Three Sons," in which she played the girlfriend of one of the boys.
During the 1980s, the UCLA graduate co-hosted "Mid-Morning L.A." on KHJ-TV and won an L.A. Emmy for her profiles of newsmakers of the day. The show ran for eight years. Later, she created, wrote and hosted an interview series for cable television called "Born Famous," which featured children of celebrities. She also co-produced a television special on surviving alcoholism, and lectured nationwide on her experiences as the child of an alcoholic father.
MacRae was active in community and charity events and was cited by former Los Angeles Mayor Thomas Bradley for her contributions. She championed women's causes and was past president of the International Women's Forum Southern California chapter.
In September, MacRae will posthumously receive the Tichi Award from Women in Film for a lifetime of distinguished service to the group. The award is named after the founder of the group, Tichi Wilkerson Kassel.
Most recently, MacRae recorded 24 books for Dove Audio and served as a guest interviewer of celebrities. She also had a best-selling beauty video, "The 15-Minute Acupressure Face-Lift."
In addition to her husband, Phil Neal, she is survived by a daughter, Allison Mullavey; two stepsons, Brian and Kevin; her mother, Sheila MacRae; a sister, Heather, and two brothers, Bruce and Gar.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
Copyright 2000 Los Angeles Times
Actress/singer Meredith MacRae, probably best known for her role as the third Billie Jo on Petticoat Junction and a popular game show player in the late 1960s and through the '70s, has died at the age of 56. MacRae passed away at her California home after a bout with brain cancer.
After playing Billie Jo from 1966-70, MacRae---daughter of Gordon and Sheila MacRae of Broadway and television fame---was frequently found on television games.
She made frequent appearances on the syndicated What's My Line? panel during its first two seasons. MacRae was one of the three celebrities on the first week of Al Lohman and Roger Barkley's Name Droppers in 1969. She also was seen twice during the first season of The $10,000 Pyramid.
Assorted other game show credits included the syndicated I've Got a Secret, Match Game, Tattletales and Break the Bank.
MacRae is survived by her husband Phil Neal, her daughter and two stepsons and her mother.