Merry Anders

Who was Merry Anders?

Merry Anders was an American actress who appeared in a number of television programs and films from the 1950s until her retirement from the screen in 1972. In 1954, she succeeded Ann Todd as Stuart Erwin's daughter in the final season of his television series, The Stu Erwin Show.

In the 1955-1956 season, she joined Janis Paige in the 26-week CBS sitcom It's Always Jan. From 1957-1959, Anders co-starred with Barbara Eden and Lori Nelson in How to Marry a Millionaire, a syndicated 20th Century Fox television series based on the 1953 film How to Marry a Millionaire. The three played young women living in New York City and trying to land wealthy husbands.

In the latter 1950s and 1960's, Anders made numerous television appearances, including the premiere episode "Brannigan's Boots" of the ABC/Warner Brothers western series Sugarfoot, with Will Hutchins in the title role. She is cast as the character Katie Brannigan, who inadvertently coins the character's name, "Sugarfoot", and it was not meant as a compliment. Other Anders appearances included the Walter Brennan ABC sitcom, The Real McCoys and the 1967 version of Jack Webb's Dragnet series on NBC, in which she played policewoman Dorothy Miller in seven episodes. She made four guest appearances in Lassie, four on 77 Sunset Strip, and three times on Perry Mason, including the role of Sadie Hepner in the 1962 episode, "The Case of the Glamorous Ghost."