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Olive Blakeney

Olive Blakeney

Actor · Died October 21, 1959, aged 65 · Newport, Kentucky, USA

Brown-haired, articulate American character actress who became a prolific performer on both sides of the Atlantic. Schooled in her native Kentucky she subsequently attended drama classes. Having relocated to London, she soon found steady employment in repertory theatre and eventually made her motion picture debut in the comedy Her Imaginary Lover (1933). Along with her in the cast was future husband, actor Bernard Nedell. Signed under long-term contract by Warner Brothers/First National, Olive was then given star billing in other romantic farces made at Teddington Studios, including Leave It to Blanche (1934) (title role) and Mr. What's-His-Name? (1935) . Upon her return to the U.S., she continued to commute between stage (including Broadway) and screen but found meatier parts harder to come by. After spending years top cast as genteel socialites in British second features, it was now down to minor roles in, admittedly, A-grade productions like Two-Faced Woman (1941), Random Harvest (1942) and Leave Her to Heaven (1945). Before long, however, Olive secured a regular niche as Alice Aldrich (mother to Henry, played by Jimmy Lydon -- whose mother-in-law she was in real life) in Paramount's popular Aldrich Family series. As to her remaining career: that was spent playing an assortment of housekeepers and dowagers, from 1952 almost entirely as a guest in early TV anthology dramas.

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Biography from IMDb.

Born
August 19, 1894
Died
October 21, 1959 (aged 65)
From
Newport, Kentucky, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
17 on MovieCove · 43 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 46% in 30 days

What are Olive Blakeney's films like?

Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Morality.

Genres

Comedy4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 70th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 51st percentile
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
40%
Morality
23%
Bonds
21%
Power
9%
Society
7%
Ambition3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 9 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 6 · Serious 1 · Dark 2

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 4 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 4 · Charged 4 · Intense 1

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 4 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 3

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 7 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 8 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

1 analyzed role

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
4
Joyful
4
Melancholic
4
Hopeful
2
Romantic
3
Other
7

How their films linger

Feel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy8
  • Tragic1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Olive Blakeney's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 17 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Olive Blakeney's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

43 credits, 17 with a MovieCove page.

  • Auntie Mame(1958)

    as Dowager (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • I Want to Live!(1958)

    as Corona Warden (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • The Green-Eyed Blonde (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    as Miss Vandingham

  • Perry Mason(1957)

    Show 1 episode · as Mrs. Adams

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Three Brave Men (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as Victoria Scott

  • Roogie's Bump(1954)

    as Mrs. Nora Andrews

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Four Star Playhouse(1952)

    Show 1 episode · as Mrs. Comstock

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows

  • Robert Montgomery Presents (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Sealed Verdict (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Camilla Cameron

  • Time Out of Mind(1947)

    as Mrs. Fernald

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • The Strange Woman(1946)

    as Mrs. Hollis

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Sentimental Journey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Mrs. Deane (uncredited)

  • Leave Her to Heaven(1945)

    as Mrs. Louise Robie (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Dakota(1945)

    as Mrs. Stowe

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Nob Hill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Carruthers' Housekeeper

  • Experiment Perilous(1944)

    as Clarissa 'Cissie' Bederaux

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • The Port of 40 Thieves (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Caroline Hubbard

  • Henry Aldrich's Little Secret(1944)

    as Mrs. Aldrich

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • The Road to Victory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Mrs. Ames (uncredited)

  • The Shining Future (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Mrs. Ames

  • Henry Aldrich Plays Cupid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Mrs. Aldrich

  • Henry Aldrich, Boy Scout (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Mrs. Aldrich

  • Henry Aldrich Haunts a House (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Alice Aldrich

  • Henry Aldrich Swings It (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Mrs. Aldrich

  • Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour(1943)

    as Mrs. Aldrich

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Aerial Gunner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Mrs. Lunt

  • Henry Aldrich, Editor(1942)

    as Alice Aldrich

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Henry and Dizzy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Alice Aldrich

  • Two-Faced Woman(1941)

    as Phyllis (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Glamour Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Miss Treat

  • Billy the Kid(1941)

    as Myra Patterson

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • That Uncertain Feeling(1941)

    as Margie Stallings

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Third Finger, Left Hand(1940)

    as Louise

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Gangway (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Nedda Beaumont

  • Don't Get Me Wrong (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Frankie

  • Two's Company (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Mrs. Madison

  • Excuse My Glove (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Aunt Fanny Stafford

  • The Three Maxims (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Mrs. Winston

  • Come Out of the Pantry (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Mrs Howard

  • Mr. What's-His-Name? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Ann Henfield

  • Hello, Sweetheart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Daisy Montrose

  • Give Her a Ring (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Actor

  • Her Imaginary Lover (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Polly

Career shape

Star power in the 84th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 43 titles from 1933 to 1958.

Highest rated

That Uncertain Feeling (1941)

Midcredits 66th

Most popular right now

The Strange Woman (1946)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting43 of 43: 43 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score65th

By decade

1930s10 · acting1940s25 · acting1950s8 · acting

Billing

usually 11th · top billed in 0% of 9 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Olive Blakeney's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 65th percentile, the median of all 15; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 61st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

61stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Approval · how many liked their films

61stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Reach · how many have seen their films

36thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Midcredits score across 17 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th5

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 17 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · actor

Henry Aldrich's Little Secret (1944)

90th percentile spread · 23% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Auntie Mame (1958)

Midcredits 96th · 85% liked

Reviewers score the acting 64/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles; fans 71, detractors 43. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Olive Blakeney work with?

People who share at least 2 of Olive Blakeney's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Hugh Bennett shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors