Mary McCarty

On April 3, 1980, a friend found McCarty dead on the floor of her home in West Los Angeles. She was 56. The cause of death remained undetermined after an autopsy, with results of a toxicology awaited.

McCarty's Broadway credits included Anna Christie (1977), Chicago (1975), Irene (1973), Follies (1971), A Rainy Day in Newark (1963), Bless You All (1950), Miss Liberty (1949), Small Wonder (1948), and Sleepy Hollow (1938). She replaced Ethel Merman as the star of the national touring company of Gypsy. Her appearances in regional theatrical productions included Panama Hattie in St. Louis, Missouri.

In 1977, McCarty was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her work in Anna Christie.

In the era of old-time radio, McCarty starred in the comedy The Redhead (1952), and she was a regular on the variety show This Is Broadway (1949). On television, in addition to portraying nurse Clara Willoughby on Trapper John, M.D. (1979), McCarty was a regular on the variety series Admiral Broadway Revue (1949) and The Arthur Murray Party (1950). (1950).

McCarty's versatility as a performer was highlighted in a review in the September 11, 1948, issue of the trade publication Billboard. Reviewer Bill Riley described McCarty as "a versatile, pretty young Ethel Merman-to-be, who can sing a novelty or a torch song, dance a turn ... or act a sketch with the best of them."

McCarty began appearing in musical revues in Los Angeles when she was 5 years old. As a youngster, she performed with other child actresses, including Shirley Temple and Jane Withers. Her first screen credit came in Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. By 1934 she had appeared in approximately 75 films. Her films as an adult included The French Line (1953), All That Jazz (1979), and Somebody Killed Her Husband (1978).

Mary McCarty (September 27, 1923 - April 3, 1980) was an American actress, singer, dancer, and comedian perhaps best known for her role as a nurse on the television series Trapper John, M.D.