Madge Blake
Madge Blake (born
31 May,
1899 in
Kinsley, Kansas; died
19 February,
1969 in
Pasadena, California) was an American character actress most famous for her role as Aunt Harriet Cooper on the
Batman TV series of the 1960s.
In addition to her role as Aunt Harriet Cooper on
Batman, her other well-known roles include a semi-regular part as Larry Mondello's mother on
Leave It to Beaver (
1957), gushy gossip columnist Dora Bailey in
Singin' in the Rain (
1952) and as one of the models for the fairies in Disney's animated version of
Sleeping Beauty (
1959).
Declining health saw her role as Aunt Harriet reduced and with the introduction of Batgirl in the third and final series of
Batman she only appeared in two episodes of that season as a guest role. She died of a
heart attack in
1969, not long after the series was cancelled. She was interred in the
Grand View Memorial Park Cemetery in
Glendale, California.
At one point, the producers of
Batman wanted to fire Madge Blake for unknown reasons.
Adam West, with whom she'd become friends, stood up for her and she kept her job. The next day, he found a freshly baked cake in his dressing room. To this day, West considers that one of the greatest compliments he's ever been paid.
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Singin' in the Rain (1952)
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Batman (
1966)
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1966 Batman TV Heroes - Madge Blake
