Josephine Hutchinson was a talented actress who appeared in dozens of films, theater plays, and television shows. She was best known for her roles in Son of Frankenstein, North by Northwest, and The Twilight Zone. She died on June 4, 1998, at the age of 94, in New York City. The cause of her death was not disclosed, but she had been living in a nursing home for several years. In this article, we will look back at her life and career, and pay homage to her legacy.
Early Life and Career
Josephine Hutchinson was born on October 12, 1903, in Seattle, Washington. Her mother, Leona Roberts, was also an actress who played Mrs. Meade in Gone with the Wind. Josephine made her film debut as a child in The Little Princess (1917), starring Mary Pickford. She later attended the Cornish School in Seattle, where she studied music and dance.
She moved to New York City in the late 1920s, where she began acting in theater. She joined Eva Le Gallienne’s Civic Repertory Theater, where she won critical praise for her title role in Alice in Wonderland. She also appeared in several Broadway shows, such as The Cherry Orchard, Camille, and Hedda Gabler. She married stage director Robert W. Bell in 1924, but they divorced in 1930, amid rumors of her lesbian affair with Le Gallienne.
Hollywood Stardom
In 1934, she was offered a contract with Warner Bros., and moved to Hollywood. She made her debut in Happiness Ahead, and co-starred with Paul Muni in The Story of Louis Pasteur. She played in many small roles, often as a sympathetic or noble woman. She married her press agent, James F. Townsend, in 1935, and they lived in a ten-room home in Pacific Palisades.
One of her most memorable roles was as Elsa von Frankenstein, the leading lady in Son of Frankenstein (1939), alongside Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, and Bela Lugosi. She also played the sister of the villain Vandamm, posing as Mrs. Townsend, in Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest (1959), and Mrs. Macaboy in Love Is Better Than Ever, starring Elizabeth Taylor.
Television and Retirement
In the 1950s and 1960s, Hutchinson made numerous television appearances, as a guest star in various series. She appeared in four episodes of Perry Mason, as well as The Twilight Zone, Gunsmoke, Wagon Train, and Bonanza. She also worked as an acting coach at Columbia Studios, and taught at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
She was happily married to Townsend until his death in 1970. They never had any children. She married actor Staats Cotsworth in 1972, and retired from acting. Cotsworth died in 1979. She spent her final years living at the Florence Nightingale Nursing Home in Manhattan, where she died on June 4, 1998. Her ashes were scattered near her niece’s home in Springfield, Oregon.
Conclusion
Josephine Hutchinson was a versatile actress who had a long and successful career in film, theater, and television. She worked with some of the most famous directors and actors of her time, and left behind a rich body of work. She was also a pioneer for lesbian visibility in Hollywood, and a loyal friend to Eva Le Gallienne. She was a woman of grace, beauty, and talent, who deserves to be remembered and celebrated. Josephine Hutchinson cause of death may be unknown, but her life and legacy are not.
