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Georgia Belden Backus (October 13, 1901 – September 7, 1983) was an American character actress on stage, radio and screen, and a writer, director and producer of radio dramas. In 1930 she was named dramatic director of the Columbia Broadcasting System, to guide the development of the new art of the radio play. A member of the repertory company presenting Orson Welles's Mercury Theatre radio programs, she played supporting roles in some 30 films during the 1940s and 1950s. Her first screen credit was ''Citizen Kane'' (1941), in which she played the severe assistant in the Thatcher library. Her career was ended by the Hollywood blacklist. ==Biography== Georgia Belden Backus was born October 13, 1901, in Columbus, Ohio,〔Ancestry.com. ''California Death Index, 1940–1997'' (on-line ). Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2000.〕 to a theatrical family. She was named for her uncle, George Backus, a light comedic actor who performed in Florenz Ziegfeld's original stage production of ''Way Down East''. She earned a place in a local stock company at the age of 14. She attended Smith College, and as a student at Ohio State University she toured the state as leading lady and manager of the campus dramatic society.〔"Georgia Backus". ''Radio Dial'', May 28, 1931, page 3.〕 After she received her diploma she chose a career in the theatre.〔 While living in New York Backus worked in stock theatre and on the Broadway stage,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Georgia Backus )〕 and began to write plays and short stories. She was soon acting, writing and directing for radio.〔 In 1930 CBS put Backus in charge of all of the network's dramatic presentations, to guide the development of the new art of the radio play.〔"Brunet Abandons Career On Stage to Guide New Art of Radio Drama". ''The Sedalia Capital'', January 20, 1931, page 6.〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Georgia Backus ) Date stamp on reverse side of publicity photo announcing the appointment reads December 4, 1930.〕 She put together an innovative team and announced three experimental dramas, beginning with ''Behind the Words: A Drama of Thoughts'' (December 26, 1930). She then directed a series titled ''The Columbia Experimental Dramatic Laboratory'' (1931–32), which would lay the foundation for the historic dramatic series, the ''Columbia Workshop''.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Columbia Workshop )〕 She was also an audition director for ''The March of Time''〔Smith, Fred, "Keeping Up with the March of Time". ''Radio Digest'', May 1931, page 24.〕 and was a member of the show's prestigious ensemble cast.〔 Backus was regularly featured on ''Arabesque'',〔 ''Brenthouse'',〔 ''The Eno Crime Club''〔 and ''The Palmolive Beauty Box Theatre''〔 In 1935 Backus married Harmon J. Alexander,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Harmon Joseph Alexander )〕 a radio writer whose credits include ''The Burns and Allen Show''.〔Dunning, John, ''On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio''. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 1998 ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3〕 In 1938 they moved to California,〔〔Ancestry.com. ''1940 United States Federal Census'' (on-line ). Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.〕 In 1939 she joined Orson Welles's Mercury Theatre repertory company on radio when production was moved to Los Angeles, performing on episodes of ''The Campbell Playhouse'' including "There's Always a Woman", "A Christmas Carol", "Come and Get It", "Theodora Goes Wild", "The Citadel", "Rabble in Arms" and "Huckleberry Finn".〔Welles, Orson, and Peter Bogdanovich, edited by Jonathan Rosenbaum, ''This is Orson Welles''. New York: HarperCollins Publishers 1992 ISBN 0-06-016616-9〕 Her other regular roles on radio included ''A Date with Judy'',〔 ''The Story of Holly Sloan'' 〔 and ''NBC University Theatre''〔. Backus was also playing supporting roles in motion pictures. Her first credited role was in ''Citizen Kane'' (1941), as Miss Anderson, the severe attendant at the library of Walter Parks Thatcher.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Citizen Kane )〕 The following year she appeared in ''The Magnificent Ambersons'' and ''I Married a Witch''. Her most widely noted role may have been as Mrs. Warren, the helpful neighbor with a garden in the film noir, ''Cause for Alarm!'' (1951).〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Georgia Backus )〕 On September 19, 1951, Backus appeared under subpoena as an uncooperative witness before the House Un-American Activities Committee, which was investigating Communism in the motion picture industry.〔Vaughn, Robert. ''Only Victims: A Study of Show Business Blacklisting''. New York: Limelight Editions, 1996. ISBN 9780879100810 Originally published New York: Putnam, 1972.〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=''Communist Infiltration of Hollywood Motion-Picture Industry—Part 4. Hearing before the Committee on Un-American Activities, House of Representatives, September 19, 1951'', pp. 1635–1638 )〕 At a HUAC hearing May 7, 1953, Backus was one of more than 50 people named as Communists by director-producer-writer Robert Rossen.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=''Investigation of Communist Activities in the New York City Area—Part 4. Hearing before the Committee on Un-American Activities, House of Representatives, May 7, 1953'', page 1480 )〕 Her career was ended by the Hollywood blacklist.〔McBride, Joseph, ''What Ever Happened to Orson Welles? A Portrait of an Independent Career''. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky, 2006, ISBN 0-8131-2410-7〕 Georgia Backus Alexander died September 7, 1983, in Sun City, California, and was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.〔〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Georgia Belden Backus Alexander )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Georgia Backus」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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