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Land of the Giants

ANNE DORE

Interview with Anne Dore's daughter Tanii Carr

by Gary P. Rose

Anne Dore

Land of the Giants viewers will know Anne Dore as the female giant scientist in the premiere episode The Crash. Little has been written about Anne and her career. However, if you watch several of Irwin Allen's early productions, you may spot Anne in the background. In particular, Anne was one of the glamorous carhops in the Groucho Marx comedy A Girl in Every Port serving customers at the drive-in restaurant. Many will have recognised Anne in the Lost in Space Season One episode Return from Outer Space.

What you may not have realised is that Anne Dore appears in the very famous shower scene in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller Psycho. She doubles as the shadowy figure for Anthony Perkins in that iconic scene.

Midge Ware and Anne Dore in A Girl in Every Port

Midge Ware and Anne Dore in A Girl in Every Port

 

Below is a new interview conducted by Gary P. Rose with Anne Dore's daughter Tanii Carr. Our warmest thanks go to both Tanii and Gary for sharing the following with us.

 

Q: Your mother is sometimes credited as Anne Dore and sometimes as Ann Dore. Can you please confirm whether it is Anne or Ann?

A: Anne Dore was her stage name, Dore was an old family name, but not sure how far back.


Q: When, and where, was your mother born?

A: She was born 20th March 1921  in Seattle, Washington.


Q: Where did she live as a child?

A: Growing up, she lived in Seattle, then Long Beach and then in Glendale, both in California.


Q: Did your mother have brothers and sisters?

A: She had two brothers, John and Jim.


Q: Where was your mother educated?

A: Not sure where she was educated in the above cities.

Anne Dore in Land of the Giants

Q: Did your mother always aspire to be an actress?

A: Not sure if she aspired to work in show business  or if it seemed like something she could do and did. I think she liked being in the business, as I observed over the years.


Q: How did your mother get into modelling?

A: Not sure how she got into modelling. She never discussed.


Q: Were her modelling assignments confined to the US or did she also work abroad. If so, where?

A: She only modelled in the USA.

Anne Dore in Lost in Space

Q: Your mother worked regularly with Irwin Allen. How did she become involved with his shows?

A: All I remember about Irwin Allen was that they were friends. Mom took brother and me to a viewing of his environmental documentary The Sea Around Us in 1953.


Q: Irwin Allen had a network of actors that he used regularly in his shows. Did you know any of the actors personally?

A: Not sure if she knew any of Irwin's stable of actors.


Q: Did your mother ever perform, as an actress, in the theatre or the stage?

A: She never did stage / theatre.

 

Q: Do you have any memories of your mother's appearance in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Psycho and do you know how she got the role?

Somewhere I have a photograph of mother in costume for "Psycho." Most people seeing one photo against a glamor shot, don't think it's the same person. She had a wig, bushy eyebrows (that we never see on camera), no "make-up," and an old dress buttoned up to the neck. As I recall, her agent got her the job because she was tall (then 5'9" was considered tall;  not so much these days).


Q: Throughout her career your mother met lots of famous people. Who are the most famous people she met?

A: Famous people she met / knew included  Bob Hope, Jane Russell, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Abbott and Costello, Steve Allen, Red Skelton, William Bendix, Roy Rogers, Bing Crosby and Groucho Marx. While some of these were because of the few movies she did, many were as a result of her regular appearances on the Colgate Comedy Hour for NBC. She was part of a group of ladies known as T-Venuses who appeared on all of their shows. 


Q: What did your mother do after her show business career ended?

A: Later, in her career she did bit parts and was married and didn't work.


Q: Sadly, your mother has passed away. Could you please tell us when, and where, she died?

A: Mom passed away in Santa Monica, California, in 1977.

 

Final note from Tanii: Because of her obvious physical beauty, it was easy to forget or dismiss just how intelligent and well-read Mother was. At a young age, she had read all the Classics and was endlessly fascinated with philosophy and religion. She had a kind and generous heart, and a great sense of humor, the latter occupying a large part of the book I am writing about her entitled, "Mother Wore Pasties," scheduled for release in 2019.

 

Anne Dore in The Lost World

Tanii Carr Biography
I've done public and media relations for several non-profit groups and been an on-air spokesperson for same; professional writer for over 40 years; with my husband, have developed curriculum for major corporations and produced (non-computer) multi-media training programs for the financial services industry; owned and managed a holistic horse board and care facility and am a horsewoman; professional speaker on relationships; husband and I own a software development company. Hobbies and avocations: horses, human rights, jazz singing. Married, one son, two step-kids (all grown), five grandchildren (3-24).

Tanii Carr's Blog - Includes audio interviews and details of her book Ten Weeks to Love.