Aline Towne

Aline Towne
Towne in an episode of The Public Defender (1955)
Born
Fern Aline Eggen

(1919-11-07)November 7, 1919
DiedFebruary 2, 1996(1996-02-02) (aged 76)
Other namesFern Aline Waller, Fern Eggen
Alma materUniversity of Iowa
OccupationsFilm, television actress
Years active1950-1985
SpouseCharles W Waller (1946-1986) (his death) (3 children)

Fern Aline Waller (née Eggen; 7 November 1919 – 2 February 1996), known as Aline Towne, was an American film and television actress, best remembered for her lead roles in 1950s Republic serials, such as Radar Men from the Moon.

Early life and career

Born Fern Aline Eggen in St. Paul, Minnesota and raised in Charles City, Iowa,[1][2][3] Towne was the daughter of Gertrude N. Jennings and Norwegian American design engineer Oscar Edward Eggen.[3] She attended the University of Iowa, becoming a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1942.[4][5]

Towne was a Powers model.[2]

Towne appeared in dozens of roles on television, in series such as Lassie, Leave It to Beaver, Sea Hunt, Wagon Train, Maverick, The Lone Ranger, Tales of Wells Fargo, and The Donna Reed Show. In 1952 she played Lara, Superman's mother in the first episode of the Adventures of Superman.[6] She also had a small speaking role (billed as Fern Eggen) in White Heat (1949).[7][8]

Personal life and death

Towne was married to Bill Waller.[2]

She died in Burbank, California in 1996.[1]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1950A Woman of DistinctionYoung LadyUncredited
1950Harbor of Missing MenAngelique Corcoris
1950The Vanishing WesternerBarbara
1950The Invisible MonsterCarol RichardsSerial
1950Highway 301Madeline Welton
1951Rough Riders of DurangoJanis Adams
1951I Can Get It for You WholesaleModelUncredited
1951Don Daredevil Rides AgainPatricia DoyleSerial
1951Purple Heart DiaryLt. Cathy Dietrich
1952Radar Men from the MoonJoan GilbertSerial
1952Confidence GirlPeggy Speel
1952Zombies of the StratosphereSue DavisSerial
1952The Steel TrapGail Woodley
1953A Blueprint for MurderHospital File ClerkUncredited
1954Trader Tom of the China SeasVivian WellsSerial
1954GogDr. KirbyUncredited
1955The Lone RangerWife of Ben TalbotSerial
1956JulieDenise Martin
1957Man AfraidMrs. Wilbur FletcherUncredited
1958MaverickLaura MillerTrail West to Fury
1958Tales of Wells FargoNell Forrester“Billy the Kid” S1 E21
1964The Brass BottleMiss Glidden
1964Bullet for a BadmanSaloon GirlUncredited
1964Send Me No FlowersCora
1964TaggartKateUncredited
1965MirageReceptionistUncredited
1967A Guide for the Married ManMousey Man's Wife
1970Song of NorwayMrs. Thoresen

References

  1. 1 2 Mayer, Geoff (2017). Encyclopedia of American Film Serials. Jefferson, NC: MacFarland & Company. p. 278. ISBN 978-0-7864-7762-3.
  2. 1 2 3 "Former Charles City Girl Seen in Picture". Globe-Gazette. Iowa, Mason City. May 26, 1950. p. 7. Retrieved September 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 "United States Census, 1930", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XMJW-1JS : Sun Jul 14 18:19:28 UTC 2024), Entry for Oscar E Eggen and Gertrude Eggen, 1930.
  4. ↑ "Sororities as S. U.I. Pledge 175 at Ceremonies Friday; Many Iowa Citians Among Group Affiliating with Greek Letter Organizations at Close of Annual Rush Week". Iowa City Press-Citizen. September 16, 1939. p. 7. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  5. ↑ "List Candidates for Degrees at Iowa State University; 82nd Commencement Will Be This Afternoon at Iowa City". The Waterloo Courier. May 10, 1942. p. 14. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  6. ↑ The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Ballantine Books. 2003. p. 20. ISBN 0-345-45542-8.
  7. ↑ Goff, Ivan (1984). White Heat. Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Press. p. 206. ISBN 0-299-09670-X.
  8. ↑ Erickson, Glenn. "I Am Cody Jarrett, Destroyer of Worlds", in Silver, Alain; Ursini, James, eds. (2007). The Gangster Film Reader. Pompton Plains, NJ: Limelight Editions. pp. 141–142. ISBN 978-0-87910-332--3. "Field agent Hank Fallon began as a womanizing playboy and a devil-may-care man of action, similar to the later James Bond. When he goes undercover as Vic Pardo to become Cody's criminal apprentice, Fallon is assigned a fake 'Mrs Pardo,' a curvaceous female treasury agent named Margaret Baxter. Margaret visits Fallon in prison and carries messages back to Evans. Early drafts implied that the two agents are carrying on an affair. By the final script, Fallon's skirt chasing is reduced to a few smiles and a raised eyebrows. As deftly played by Edmond O'Brien, Hank is more happy-go-lucky than daredevil, and his prison visits with Margaret (Fern Eggen) are mild parodies of domesticity. They chat about divorce while arranging for Cody's police-monitored prison breakout."