Kaye Elhardt


Kaye Elhardt was an American actress with dozens of television appearances in a career spanning from 1956 to 1977. She was known for her many roles in Warner Brothers television series, including 77 Sunset Strip, Hawaiian Eye, Surfside 6, Maverick, Bourbon Street Beat, Colt.45, and Bronco, but also did multiple episodes of Perry Mason and My Three Sons.

Early life

Kaye Valerie Elhardt was born in Los Angeles, the only child of Leonard Elhardt, a salesman and real estate developer from Minnesota, and Faye Fenusz Elhardt from Wyoming. During the summer of 1951 she took part in a city-sponsored youth chorus program. She studied dramatics at Marymount College in Westwood, California.

Early career

During her junior year she appeared in her first professional stage role for the musical High Button Shoes. Her first starring stage role came as she entered her senior year, when she played "Laurey Williams" in Green Grow the Lilacs. The production included some original songs by Rod McKuen. Elhardt performed six songs, and was judged by the Los Angeles Times reviewer "A winsome and spirited young actress", who "displayed dramatic talent and a voice of appealing caliber". Elhardt's professional voice coach was Harold Hurlbut.
Her screen career began with bit parts on television, starting with West Point during December 1956. She did episodes of three shows, then had the female lead in another musical, New England Summer in August 1957. She again received high marks for this production from the Los Angeles Times: "Kaye Elhardt, possessor of a lovely lyric voice... not only sings with taste and charm, but she is an unusually talented actress".

Career

Elhardt played Peaches in the 1958 ABC comedy Love That Jill. She also made more than 40 appearances on television series. Among her three guest appearances on Perry Mason with Raymond Burr, she played defendant Ginny Talbot in the 1962 episode, "The Case of the Borrowed Baby."
She was featured on Family Affair; Highway Patrol with Broderick Crawford; Wagon Train with Ward Bond; Sea Hunt with Lloyd Bridges; seven different roles in 77 Sunset Strip with Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.; Bourbon Street Beat with Andrew Duggan, Richard Long, and Van Williams; Bat Masterson with Gene Barry; My Three Sons with Fred MacMurray; The Tab Hunter Show with Tab Hunter; Surfside Six with Troy Donahue and Van Williams; Hawaiian Eye with Robert Conrad; Bronco; Yancy Derringer with Jock Mahoney; Colt.45; Philip Marlowe with Philip Carey; and more than a score of others.

Personal life

All through college and most of her acting career, Elhardt lived with her parents in the Kentner Canyon area, north of Sunset Boulevard in Brentwood, Los Angeles. Her family had real estate interests in Shasta County, California and Elhardt appears to have become a realtor after show business.
Elhardt married George A. Cariker in Los Angeles on April 20, 1975. They were divorced six months later.

Filmography

YearSeriesEpisodeRoleNotes
1956West PointDouble ReverseNancy's Trading PartnerHer first screen credit was a small part in this Gene Roddenberry teleplay.
1957Matinee TheaterUnknown EpisodeElhardt's performance is known only from a newspaper blurb by her voice coach.
1957Dr. ChristianHit and RunMary Haven
1957Fireside TheatreContact
1957Telephone TimeI Get Along...BettyElhardt plays a co-ed at Indiana; with Hoagy Carmichael and Walter Winchell.
1958Tombstone TerritoryThe Rebels' Last ChargeRichard Reeves and Elhardt were the guest stars in this episode.
1958The MillionaireThe Peter Barkley StoryDora
1958Love That JillTonight's the NightPeachesElhardt was only in the first episode of this series.
1958Highway PatrolInsulinJoan Haggard
1958Sea HuntGold BelowBetty
1958Harbor CommandHostageEllen Leeds
1958The Rough RidersThe MaccabitesNaomi
1959Yancy DerringerOutlaw at LibertySally Snow
195977 Sunset StripDownbeatApril MyfordThe first of eight episodes Elhardt would do on this WB show.
1959Rescue 8One More StepMelinda StarkActress falls off of a theater catwalk and is left dangling high above stage.
1959MaverickPappyJosephine St. Cloud
195977 Sunset StripSix Superior SkirtsWanda HillElhardt sits in on joint jam session with the Mary Kaye and Frankie Ortega Trios.
1959Colt.45Yellow TerrorLucieElhardt is miscast as a dance hall girl.
1959General Electric TheaterPlatinum on the RocksLenore MartinGeorge Burns stars as a jewel thief after Elhardt's jewelry.
1959Bourbon Street BeatLight Touch of TerrorAlise BonvillanA psychotic killer is after Elhardt.
1959Philip MarloweHit and RunGloria Fielding
1960Johnny MidnightThe Villain of the PiecePaula Shafto
196077 Sunset StripThe StarletKay DonnellyElhardt plays an aspiring actress whose suicide arouses suspicion.
1960Tightrope!First Time OutBetty Carlson
1960Tombstone TerritoryYoung KillerMary Rice
1960The Donna Reed ShowThe First Time We MetPat ArcherElhardt plays a nurse whom Donna Reed matches with a doctor.
1960Wagon TrainThe Luke Grant StorySue
1960Bat MastersonBlood on the MoneyEva Rogers
1960The Tab Hunter ShowBe My GuestCynthia
196077 Sunset StripThe Laurel Canyon CaperBelinda LaneElhardt sings on camera but her voice was dubbed over by Eileen Wilson.
1960Surfside 6Bride and SeekLois CulverGrant Williams and Elhardt made this WB detective show...
1960Hawaiian EyeBaker's Half DozenDody Baker...about the same time they did this other WB detective show.
1961Surfside 6Invitation to a PartyVirginia Barker
196177 Sunset StripVamp Until ReadyJulie Lee
1961The Many Loves of Dobie GillisThe Battle of Maynard's BeardLt. Portia Potter
1961Perry MasonThe Case of the Duplicate DaughterMuriell Gilman
1961The AquanautsThe Landslide AdventureNancy Wilson
1961Surfside 6The Wedding GuestMillie Owens
1961BroncoThe Cousin from AtlantaGail Summers
196177 Sunset StripThe Deadly SoloIrene McCallum
1962My Three SonsThe Girls Next DoorAnn StoefferElhardt plays an airline stewardess.
1962Perry MasonThe Case of the Borrowed BabyGinny TalbotElhardt is the defendant accused of murder.
1962Hawaiian EyeScene of the CrimeGloria MatthewsElhardt is a reporter on a boar-hunting trek on Kauai.
1962The Comedy SpotOctavious and MeJill DrakeThirty-minute unsold pilot broadcast on a summer fill-in show.
1962Perry MasonThe Case of the Lurid LetterDoris Wilson
196377 Sunset StripWalk Among TigersMartha Emerson
196477 Sunset StripNot Such a Simple KnotPaula BarnesElhardt is older sister to math genius.
1965My Three SonsSteve and the ComputerMiss Baxter
1966My Three SonsCall Her MaxKatherine
1966HankOperation MatriculationMiss Treadwell
1967My Three SonsThe Good EarthReceptionist
1968My Three SonsMy Wife, the WaitressSharon
1968Family AffairA Man's PlaceMiss Martin
1969Family AffairThe StowawayToni