Louise Fitch

Louise A. Fitch was an American actress best known for her work in old-time radio.

Early years

Fitch was born into a Yiddish-speaking family in Omaha, Nebraska, to Leo Fitch and Fannie Riekes Fitch, Jewish immigrants from Ukraine and Russia, respectively. She grew up in Council Bluffs, Iowa, where she received her elementary and secondary education. While she was a student at Creighton University, Fitch was a beauty queen, editor of the school's newspaper, and the school's best violinist. She initially majored in journalism, planning to go into that profession, but opportunities for acting changed her mind. Participation in Creighton's dramatics society helped Fitch to develop her acting skills, and her debut on stage came unexpectedly when she had to go on for a leading lady who became sick. She gained additional experience by acting with a stock theater company throughout her college years.

Radio

Fitch first worked in radio as a copywriter for station KOIL in Omaha, Nebraska, for five months. Her entry into acting on radio came by accident when she visited a friend who was an announcer at a station in Chicago. A director mistakenly had her audition for a part, leading her to be cast as Nancy in That Brewster Boy.
Fitch's roles on radio programs included those shown in the table below.

Program	Character
Arnold Grimm's Daughter	Bernice Farriday
Bachelor's Children	Anne Beacham
Big Sister	Margo Kirkwood
Fighting Senator	Priscilla Logan
Guiding Light	Rose Kransky
Kitty Keene, Inc.	Anna
Light of the World	Zebudah
Lone Journey	Sydney Sherood
Manhattan Mother	Dale Dwyer
Mortimer Gooch	Betty Lou Harrison
The Road of Life	Carol Evans Martin
The Romance of Helen Trent	Gloria Grant
Scattergood Baines	Eloise Comstock
Two on a Clue	Debbie Spencer
Valiant Lady	Christine Jeffreys
We Love and Learn	Andrea Reynolds
Woman in White	Betty Adams

By late 1937, Fitch had rejected two offers to act in films, preferring to remain in radio.

Hollywood blacklist

In the early years of the Cold War, the Red Scare#Second [Red Scare (1947–1957)|Red Scare] and McCarthyism were rampant in the United States. In 1950, Senator Joseph McCarthy propelled himself into the spotlight by claiming he had a list of over 200 confirmed communists working in the United [States Department of State|U.S. State Department]. Soon more lists appeared that affected blue-collar workers and actors/actresses such as Fitch. Red Channels was a pamphlet published in 1950 that identified people in show business who were supposed communists. This pamphlet helped create the Hollywood blacklist. Fitch's name was included in Red Channels. Even though she and her husband at the time, writer Jerry D. Lewis, cooperated with the FBI's investigation into their communist background, she had difficulty obtaining movie or television work in the ensuing years. Eventually she landed minor roles in horror films such as I Was a Teenage Werewolf and Blood of Dracula, and in TV series such as The [Lone Ranger (TV series)|The Lone Ranger]. By the 1960s, the blacklist had eased, and she was working regularly again.

Television

Fitch appeared in supporting or guest roles on dozens of television shows. For example, she played Nurse Bascomb on the CBS drama Medical Center, Mrs. Deuteb on the Hart to Hart episode "As the Hart Turns", and Mrs. Ballard on the Magnum, P.I. episode "Ghost Writer".

Film

In her early films, such as I Was a Teenage Werewolf, Fitch used her married name, Louise Lewis. In her later films, such as Opening Night, she resumed using Louise Fitch.

Personal life

Fitch married attorney Jerome Rosenthal in 1938. They had a daughter before divorcing in 1942. She married Jerry D. Lewis, a writer, in fall of 1947. They had two children.

Death

On September 11, 1996, Fitch died in Los Angeles at age 81.