Sue Ane Langdon: The Life Of The Last Surviving Cast Member Of Forgotten '70s Sitcom Arnie

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"Arnie" was a critically acclaimed sitcom that lasted from 1970 to 1972. The show starred Herschel Bernardi as Arnie Nuvo, a Greek-American dockworker who is promoted to an executive position, as well as Sue Ane Langdon, Roger Bowen, and Herb Voland. Since the show's cancellation, all of the main cast members have passed away with the exception of Langdon — and she went on to enjoy a fascinating career. For instance, she has worked alongside a handful of major stars over the years, including Jackie Gleason, Elvis Presley, Henry Fonda, Sean Connery, and "Weird Al" Yankovic. While she is often associated with her role as Lillian Nuvo in the short-lived yet beloved series, Langdon's other screen roles are no less impressive.

In the book "Drive-In Dream Girls: A Galaxy of B-Movie Starlets of the Sixties," Langdon opined that "Arnie" faced challenges following the pilot episode because of so many behind-the-scenes changes. "When we came back to begin shooting the series, the creator of the show David Swift — rightly named — was gone," she said. "They brought in a whole new creative team who downplayed Arnie's Greek ethnicity and wrote off some characters. It became a completely different show and we were constantly trying to find the magic that we had in the pilot." The new writers led the story down a different road, transforming Arnie from loading dock worker to office executive. Langdon notes that while Bowen's performance as Arnie's boss added to the humor of the series, the project simply didn't compare to the original pilot due to the shift in creative direction. Let's take a look back at Langdon's long and varied career, which extends well before and after "Arnie."

Sue Ane Langdon started her career in show business at the age of 4. Her mother, Grace Wallis Huddle, was a former opera singer. After her husband died, Huddle became a college voice instructor to support her family. While staging the operetta "The Bartered Bride," Huddle did not want to hire a babysitter for her daughter, so she took her to rehearsals instead. Langdon's mother cast her in the operetta and her performance was very well received. 

In "Drive-In Dream Girls," Langdon discussed how her role in "The Bartered Bride" had a huge impact on her. "Since I felt perfectly at ease on stage and enjoyed myself, my mother cast me in many productions at the colleges where she taught around the country," Langdon said. "I continued performing as I grew up. and went to elementary school, high school, and on to college in Texas and Idaho." Huddle and her mother moved to New York because it was the center of show business and Langdon earned a job performing in the chorus of Radio City Music Hall. "Coincidentally, this was the first job my mother had had in New York City many years prior," Langdon revealed.

"The Honeymooners" was one of the biggest sitcoms of the 1950s and it served as the template for many later shows, including "The Flintstones." "The Honeymooners" revolved around a married couple, Ralph (Jackie Gleason) and Alice Kramden (Audrey Meadows), who bicker constantly. Gleason based the characters on a series of sketches he did for variety show "Cavalcade of Stars," in which Pert Kelton first brought the character of Alice to life. After "The Honeymooners" came to an end, Gleason reused the characters of Ralph and Alice once again for a recurring sketch on his show, "Jackie Gleason and the American Scene Magazine." Sue Ane Langdon played Alice for a short time, but she had a difficult time working with Gleason.

"Jackie would read his part off the teleprompter and he would change everything," she said in "Drive-In Dream Girls." "I would have liked to have winged it too because I don't like to rehearse either. But when the scene has been rehearsed and blocked it made it difficult when Jackie came in and changed everything. Even so I was thrilled to have played Alice even for a short time with Jackie and Art Carney. Art was adorable! He got very sick and couldn't work, so 'The Honeymooners' skit was dropped from the show. There was less and less for me to do on the program so I left." Although Langdon was not on "Jackie Gleason and the American Scene Magazine" for a long time, she was glad she had the chance to put her own take on the character of Alice.

What you might not know about Elvis Presley is that he starred in over 30 films throughout his career, many of which were musicals. In 1964, Sue Ane Langdon had one of her most memorable screen roles alongside Presley in the musical "Roustabout." During an interview with "Drive-In Dream Girls," Langdon discussed how polite the "Can't Help Falling in Love" singer was to her. "It was 'Yes, Sir, Yes, Ma'am,'" she said. "To me it was 'Yes, Madam,' because I played [fortune teller] Madame Mijanou. He'd say it with that little giggle of his. Elvis also liked to tease me and thought I'd be a good 'business woman' in some 'house' somewhere. Despite that little joke he was a very shy, Southern gentleman. I enjoyed working with him and can't say one bad thing about him. Ladies think it was so amazing that I was lucky enough to have kissed him. All I can say is that his lips were very soft."

Langdon later appeared in a second Elvis movie, 1966's "Frankie and Johnny," which starred another television icon, Donna Douglas. (Fans of "The Beverly Hillbillies" will recognize Douglas from the cast of the beloved series from the '60s and '70s; she famously played Elly May Clampett.) Langdon revealed she was glad she acted alongside the King of Rock 'n' Roll because, in her opinion, she is most remembered for her roles in "Roustabout" and "Frankie and Johnny."

In 1965, Sue Ane Langdon appeared in a Western titled "The Rounders," starring Glenn Ford and Henry Fonda. Langdon's part was risque for the time. In "The Rounders," she played an exotic dancer and fully committed to the role. "I really did bare my behind in 'The Rounders,'" Langdon said in "Drive-In Dream Girls." "It was just so fast as you see it in the movie. It was terribly easy to do. I agreed to do it because I thought it was funny. Whenever I agreed to do anything like that it was usually done for a laugh."

Landon revealed she had a blast making "The Rounders." "Burt Kennedy directed 'The Rounders' and he was just so enjoyable to work with," Langdon recalled. "I also loved working with Henry Fonda and Glenn Ford." She remembered Ford being very kind. That said, "The Rounders" did not do particularly well upon its initial release, when it was the bottom half of a double bill with "Get Yourself a College Girl." However, it gained a following and it is now one of Fonda's most beloved films of the decade. The film even spawned the television series of the same name, which starred one of Western icon John Wayne's kids, Patrick Wayne.

After appearing in lesser-known movies, such as Walt Disney's "Darby O'Gill and the Little People," Sean Connery broke into superstardom as James Bond in the 1962 film "Dr. No." He would reprise the role in "From Russia With Love," "Goldfinger," "Thunderball," "You Only Live Twice," "Diamonds Are Forever," and "Never Say Never Again." In the midst of his run as 007, Connery appeared in the 1966 movie "A Fine Madness" with Sue Ane Langdon.

Langdon said Connery was very different from Elvis Presley. "It was so much fun working with Sean," she revealed in "Drive-In Dream Girls." "I adored and admired him. He was so cool and a really relaxed person! Kissing him was quite an experience! We really had some fun on the couch. He was like a big bear but totally charming. I was married and he knew my husband, so he respected that. Sean was very confident and comfortable with his persona, unlike Elvis who was not all that confident except when he was performing on stage." Notably, Langdon's role in "A Fine Madness" led to her posing for "Playboy." Langdon said her photos were much less explicit than those of later "Playboy" models. She said the photographers handled her spread very well.

Today, Gene Kelly is most known for his roles in Old Hollywood musicals such as "An American in Paris" and "Singin' in the Rain." He also had a career as a director. One of his most notable directorial efforts is "A Guide for the Married Man," a risque comedy featuring appearances from many famous stars, including Walter Matthau, Lucille Ball, Jayne Mansfield, and Sue Ane Langdon. 

Langdon has fond memories of "A Guide for the Married Man," which she considers one of her favorite projects. "I think it was one of the funniest movies ever made," Langdon told "Drive-In Dream Girls." "Walter Matthau is so adorable as the husband and Robert Morse is also very good. And all the famous actors who played the technical advisors were hilarious. Gene Kelly brilliantly directed 'Guide.'" Notably, she would work with Kelly again in the 1970 comedy, "The Cheyenne Social Club," starring Jimmy Stewart. "It was just so delightful to be around [James Stewart and Kelly]. I miss them both," said Langdon.

Sue Ane Langdon played Lilian Nuvo on the forgotten 1970s sitcom "Arnie." The show was not a ratings smash, but it earned Langdon recognition from the Golden Globes. In 1971, she was nominated for a Golden Globe for actress in a supporting role in a television series, losing to Gail Fisher for another forgotten series, "Mannix." However, the following year, Langdon won the award.

"I was shocked when they cast me as a housewife in 'Arnie,'" Langdon recalled in "Drive-In Dream Girls." "During my acceptance speech at the Golden Globe Awards I said, 'I never knew I would make it as a mother.' I had known Grant Tinker for years and adored him and his wife, Mary Tyler Moore. One day he called me to come up to his office and talk with him about this role in a pilot he was producing. To this day, I have no idea what possessed him to think of me to play a housewife." Despite Langdon's success at the Golden Globes, she didn't fare as well at the Emmys. The producers of "Arnie" told her they submitted her name for Emmy consideration, but that was a lie. Langdon never learned why they lied to her.

While "Arnie" did well at the Golden Globes, it did not perform as strongly in the ratings as the network expected or wanted. "I did a lot of promotion for it," Langdon told "Drive-In Dream Girls." "Everybody felt our show was going to be the hottest thing on the air. CBS had so much confidence in us that they scheduled 'Arnie' as the lead-in to 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' to help bring in a big audience for Mary. As it all turned out later, Mary surely didn't need us!"

"Arnie" still wasn't the ratings juggernaut that CBS expected. "We struggled and struggled," Langdon recalled. "Even with all that, the public liked us — we had a 36 share, which most shows would die to have. But we were not the mega hit that we were supposed to be. CBS had thought they were going to have another 'All in the Family.'" After a mere two seasons and 48 episodes, "Arnie" was cancelled. However, Langdon still became a regular on television. She acted in numerous classic shows, such as "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In," "Here We Go Again," "Police Story," "Banacek," "Good Heavens," "When the Whistle Blows," and "The Love Boat." While "Arnie" was not as popular as fellow '70s sitcom "All in the Family," it's still a great show — and Langdon still became a television icon.

Sue Ane Langdon generally isn't remembered as a scream queen, but she appeared in a pair of horror cult classics back to back. In 1979, she had a role in the psychological horror film "The Evictors." The movie was directed by Charles B. Pierce, who is known for offbeat exploitation movies such as "The Legend of Boggy Creek" and "The Town That Dreaded Sundown." "The Evictors" is a period piece that's a touch classier than some of Pierce's monster movies.

The following year, Langdon appeared in the alien invasion horror film "Without Warning." This obscure movie was a direct influence on the much more famous Arnold Schwarzenegger thriller, "Predator." Kevin Hall even portrayed alien hunters in both films! While Langdon mostly acted in comedies, her roles in "The Evictors" and "Without Warning" displayed her incredible range as an actor.

Sue Ane Langdon's final role in a theatrical film was in "Weird Al" Yankovic's movie "UHF." In the film, she portrayed Esther Bilchik, the aunt of Yankovic's character. Released at the height of Yankovic's career, the movie parodies Hollywood classics, television, and music videos. "UHF" did very well in test screenings, so the studio expected it to be a massive hit. Instead, it bombed in theaters, serving as a major blow to Yankovic's career — and his self-esteem.

During a 2015 interview with The A.V. Club, Yankovic discussed how the movie strangely became a cult classic. "Somehow, it's really found its audience," he said. "And again, I'm not sure why it's resonated with people like that, or why it was such a slow build, but it's meant a lot to me. Because it was traumatic for the movie to do as poorly as it did upon release, and the fact that now it's so beloved by so many people, that certainly heals a lot of the wounds I had at the time, and I'm very proud of it now." Eventually, Yankovic made another movie, "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story," starring "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe in the title role.

After her role in "UHF," Sue Ane Langdon appeared in one final film, "Zapped Again!" Langdon played Miss Rose Burnhart in this 1990 direct-to-video sequel to "Zapped!" In "Drive-In Dream Girls," she revealed she does not have warm feelings toward the modern film industry. "The parts I played in the '60s and '70s were fun and there is just not that kind of humor around anymore," she said. "The innocence is gone from films and all entertainment today. There is no gentle humor, it's all harsh, brash, and fast with absolutely no set up and no timing, and it's not funny! Everything is so 'real.' Seems like we've totally forgotten the goofy, zany, happy side of life. Even if the ladies I played were 'worldly' they still had an innocence and warmth about them — a reflection of the times, I guess."

If Langdon decides to act in film or television someday, there are undoubtedly many people in the industry who would welcome her with open arms. On the other hand, if she would prefer not to act again, she can sit on her laurels knowing that she has an incredible onscreen legacy. Indeed, Elvis Presley fans, sitcom fans, and horror fans will have plenty of reasons to remember her for decades to come.

Sometimes, people miss their job after they retire. In "Drive-In Dream Girls," Sue Ane Langdon revealed this was not the case for her. "I don't miss acting and I think it's probably not much fun being an actress today," she opined. "Only occasionally do I see a part I wish I could have played. I've done films, TV, theater, and starred on Broadway. I guess I got most of it out of my system."

Although Langdon retired from acting, she continued to be a public figure. She regularly appears at fan conventions and festivals as a guest or host. "I get a kick out of goofing around with the audience and the people I introduce. It's fun seeing how much 'humanness' and laughter you can reach in a two or three minute conversation!" According to the book "Film Fatales: Women in Espionage Films and Television, 1962–1973," Langdon's appearances at fan conventions are always well received.