Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "Mary Finney" in English language version.
She had been a secretary for the last five years for Peter Glenn Associates. In addition to her last Broadway appearance in 1959 in 'First Impressions,' she was also seen in 'Whisper to Me' and 'Too Much Johnson.' Earlier she was seen in 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,' 'The Children's Hour,' 'Janus,' 'The Honey' and 'Haunting Hunting [sic].' Both her parents, James Whaley and Mary Eliza Whaley, were in the theatre and she made her legit debut with her father's stock company in 'The Laughlanders,' her NY. debut in 'Southern Exposure.'
She had been a secretary for the last five years for Peter Glenn Associates. In addition to her last Broadway appearance in 1959 in 'First Impressions,' she was also seen in 'Whisper to Me' and 'Too Much Johnson.' Earlier she was seen in 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,' 'The Children's Hour,' 'Janus,' 'The Honey' and 'Haunting Hunting [sic].' Both her parents, James Whaley and Mary Eliza Whaley, were in the theatre and she made her legit debut with her father's stock company in 'The Laughlanders,' her NY. debut in 'Southern Exposure.'
Ruth White as Lucille, Dorothy Sands as Little Pigeon and Mary Finney as Sister Sammye give performances of such vividness that 'Whisper to Me' remains afloat even when it should subside into folksy goo.See also:
Unfortunately for the play, Mrs. Purdy's trials are not at an end. The lady dies, and is replaced by her sister, a gaunt and flinty creature equally well portrayed by Mary Finney. Only then is the fattest lady in the church aware that love can remain in a house despite a change of tenants, but by that time the tale has dwindled off into a tedious Sunday School lesson.
The slow-moving plot, which concerns an eccentric old lady who hides from her relatives to communicate privately with the spirits about an impending murder, was a flimsy affair that wallowed along in dull confusion, cloaked in semi-eerie backgrounds. Nor did its somewhat frantic climax compensate for the endless tedium that preceded it. George Scott, Angela Thornton and Mary Finney managed to rise above the script. The rest of the cast id not. To its credit, 'We Haven't Seen Her Lately' was live — but just barely.
With the fear of an inquest hanging over their heads, the family, usually at odds with each other, unites in a coverup job engineered by Bentley's sister-in-law, Louisa (Mary Finney). Louisa, a lady with a past, beguiles a bibulous and indebted doctor to attest to death from natural causes. [...] Finney's Louisa is the standout, injecting punch into the already punchy lines and compelling a good share of audience laughs.
Edwin Whittier, as the poet Coleridge, is excellent. Frances Waller is an understanding, sympathetic Fanny, and Mary Finney is good as the mother.
Mary Finney displays her usual impressive talents in her brief scene as the Duchess of Orleans.
Mary Finney, playing the title role, and Louis Veda Quince, as a rich relative, virtually take over the stage in spots when the show resolves itself into sort of a Marie Dressler-Wallace Beery type exchange of gags.
Other than Hermione Gingold, there is another performance which stands out, that of Mary Finney as the haughty aristocratic Catherine de Bourgh. Equally high spirited, it brings a rare breath of life into the desultory proceedings.
Mary Finney is exactly on key as the mother-in-law, managing herself so well that she is able to draw uproarious laughs by holding a pair of shoes in her hands and throwing one out, only to find it held back by the laces the pair was tied together with. She is a well-dressed bag of an old Bea Lillie.
George Scott, Angela Thornton and Mary Finney managed to rise above the script. The rest of the cast did not. 'We Haven't Seen Her Lately' was live—but just barely.
The third outing on Sunday's 'CBS Television Workshop' had more of an experimental flair. The play, titled 'The Limbo Kid,' was written by Robert Downing, one of Broadway's most active stage managers. [...] Paul Hampton as the cowpoke was handsome and at times moving. Frieda Holloway, as his girlfriend, was winning. Comedian Morey Amsterdam played a medicine man, a character with many ambiguities. He represented, at the end, a nebulous symbol which could be interpreted in many ways. Victor Killian, Bibi Osterwald, Mary Finney and Evan Elliott did well in supporting roles.
