Hazel Shermet (August 1, 1920 – October 27, 2016) was an American actress, comedian, and singer whose decades-long career spanned radio, television, film and theater, including Broadway. In addition to her live action-roles, Shermet also enjoyed a lengthy career as a voice-over and voice actor. She provided the voice of Henrietta Hippo for the entire 196-episode run of the syndicatedchildren's show, New Zoo Revue, from 1972 until 1977.[1]
Hazel Shermet also appeared in more than 100 television commercials, including ads for Borox, Charmin, Head & Shoulders, and Hunt's Tomato Paste. At one point in her career, Shermet appeared in seven national television commercials airing simultaneously across the United States, which earned her a cover photo from The Commercial Actor Magazine as the publication's "actress of the month."[1]
Her first major broadcast acting role came in March 1950[6] when she was cast as Miss Duffy in Duffy's Tavern, a long running radio situation comedy.[1] She was the last actress in that role.[7] Shermet relocated to Puerto Rico, where Duffy's Tavern was produced and recorded, for the role.[1] There she met her future husband, writer Larry Rhine, who was the head writer of Duffy's Tavern at the time. The couple, who married in 1950[3] and had two children, remained together until Rhine's death in 2000.[1] Rhine earned two Emmy nominations during his career as a television writer.[1]
A pioneer of early television, Shermet starred in two shows which aired on WOR-TV in New York City, Songs You’ve Never Heard Before and Won't Want to Ever Hear Again, in which she performed tunes and songs requested by viewers.[1]
Film and television
Shermet and Rhine moved to Los Angeles in the early 1950s, where she continued her radio career, in addition to roles in television and film. She was first cast in a 1954 television episode of Dragnet.[1] She played Louise Cooper in the NBC-TV comedy Blondie (1957).[9]: 115 In 1960–1961, she played Pam on the CBS comedy Pete and Gladys.[10]
Shermet was heard on the cartoon series The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan (1972-1974) on CBS-TV.[9] From 1972 to 1977, Shermet provided the voice of the Henrietta Hippo puppet for all 196-episodes[citation needed] of the children's television show, New Zoo Revue.[9]: 759-760
In a 2000 interview with the Archive of American Television, Hazel Shermet spoke of her prolific acting career, telling the interviewer Karen Herman, "I'm proud of the fact that I was able to work in all the mediums and raise two kids and be married to somebody that was working all the time. I hope people remember me as professional, as versatile and as somebody who loved every minute of it. I hope I gave a lot of joy," noting that "Acting for me is like eating for most people. When I'm 90 and the phone rings, I'll put my teeth in, hobble to the phone and see if it's my agent."[1][11]
Shermet's husband, screenwriter and two-time Emmy Award nominee, Larry Rhine, died in 2000.
Death
Shermet died from natural causes at her home in Los Angeles, California, on October 27, 2016, at the age of 96. She was survived by her two children: daughter, Vicki, and son, Robert Rhine, an actor and producer; as well as her granddaughter, Julie, an Emmy-nominated costume designer.[1]
^Cohen, Harold V. (February 4, 1950). "The Drama Desk". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh. p. 5. Retrieved February 24, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 166–167. ISBN978-0-7864-4513-4.
^ abcTerrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 34. ISBN978-0-7864-6477-7.
