But who is the actress doing the improv?

Occasionally the reason a person reads a certain book can make for an interesting story and Lessons in Becoming Myself is one of those books for me. I tracked it down at the library hoping it might confirm a possible uncredited appearance by Ellen Burstyn in the Naked City episode "The Fault in Our Stars" which originally aired on Mar. 22, 1961.

There's a young actress who briefly appears doing an improvisation which she describes as "repeated words spoken by a man in a dying delirium." The scene takes place in a Greenwich Village club called Bizarre, in the audience are 3 guest stars - Roddy McDowall (Donnie Benton), Patricia Bosworth (Betty Harkness) and Alvin Epstein (Elliot Kesbeck.) Like many of the bit parts in Naked City, this young woman doing an improv that elicits great approval (by way of snapping one's finger, not clapping) is not identified.

Alas, Ellen Burstyn never mentions appearing in Naked City in her autobiography. It can't be because she's embarassed about the appearance; nor do I think she would have forgotten it. She is very candid about her life and career, telling readers more than some people might want to know about her experiences, aspirations, fears, and achievements.

Coincidentally, she mentions that Patricia Bosworth was among those auditioning for the role in Fair Game which went to Ms. Burtyn, marking her 1957 Broadway debut under the stage name Ellen McRae. By chance I happened to watch a 1961 episode of 77 Sunset Strip titled "The Navy Caper" in which Ellen McRae guest starred as Betty Benson, the Admiral's daughter. At first I thought I was watching Ms. Bosworth, the two young women looked so similar, down to hairstyles and clothing (classic, sleek American sportswear of the early 1960's) their characters wore. Somewhere I read that fans sometimes confuse Louise Fletcher and Ellen Burstyn but in the late 50's/early 60's, the confusion must have been between Patricia Bosworth and Ellen McRae.

Back to Lessons in Becoming Myself - the memoir is closer to "no-holds barred" expose than most. It's a must read if you're interested in learning about the metamorphosis of Edna Rae Gillooly of Detroit, Michigan into Ellen McRae, aspiring stage and tv actress, into major film star, Ellen Burstyn. It also describes a lifelong quest for self-knowledge that begins with the Roman Catholicism of her youth, continues through psychotherapy and early"New Age" healing practices and on to Sufiism.

For me, the mystery of the actress doing the improv continues -- maybe one day I'll have a chance to travel to New York or Boston to consult Patricia Bosworth's papers at NYPL or BU. Alternately, I coud go west and look at Stirling Silliphant's papers at UCLA, or to Madison to look at Howard Rodman's papers at WHS.