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« on: December 05, 2009, 10:11:20 PM »
msc, I'm right behind you in cheering the appearance of Lovelady Powell as Mrs. Portia Fitzsimmons.
KLS has a vague but persistent memory of another actress having been cast as Dr. Hoffman before Grayson's definitive casting and I and a couple of other fans have wondered whether this might have referred to the Powers that Be having given Powell a stab at the role. Presumably, for whatever reason, they tested her in it and she didn't work out.
Powell is one of those actresses one wishes had been given a recurring role in the series. Jane Draper and Cavada Humprhey are two others. I don't understand why Portia Fitzsimmons didn't make at least one other appearance during the March-April 1967 storylines--it would have been appropriate.
Powell had a small but vivid role in the nasty, deftly made Shirley Maclaine vehicle, The Possession of Joel Delaney (1972). She also appeared in the Happy Hooker, according to IMDB.
Best,
Steve