Marilyn Erskine
Actor · Born April 24, 1926 (100) · Rochester, New York, USA
A gentle redhead with a peaches and cream complexion, Marilyn Betty Erskine had a notably early start in show biz, perhaps encouraged by her father Robert, who presided over the New York City Credit Bureau. By the age of three, Marilyn was active on the airwaves at a Buffalo radio station. Between 1948 and 1960, she featured on numerous nationwide radio shows, including The Cavalcade of America, Radio City Playhouse and Let's Pretend. She had extensive theatrical experience from the age of eleven, appearing on and off-Broadway in plays like The Primrose Path, Our Town and The Linden Tree. In later years, she recalled an incident while performing in The Shining Hour, which starred Jane Cowl and had Marilyn playing the role of ingénue: "I was supposed to trip lightly down a flight of stairs and get on with the dialogue. But-on the top stair I tripped and fell the whole flight right into the arms of Miss Cowl. Personally, I think mine was an entrance that never has been topped!" Marilyn began acting on the screen in 1949, though films offered her little more than small supporting roles. A possible highlight may have been the part of Eddie Cantor 's wife Ida in The Eddie Cantor Story (1953). She fared rather better on television where she managed to amass an impressive resume in anthology drama appearances between 1953 and 1962. She also had a recurring role in the short-lived CBS sitcom The Tom Ewell Show (1960) as the star's wife Fran. Towards the close of her career, Marilyn had featured roles in Perry Mason (1957) and Ironside (1967), both starring Raymond Burr. Marilyn's first husband (for all of two months) was the distinguished director and producer Stanley Kramer. She was subsequently married for five years to a Dr. Samuel Eugene Neikrug. Her third husband, Charles William Curland, was a senior partner in the Los Angeles insurance firm of Curland, Moss & Meltzer. They had two children. Curland died in 2012.
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Biography from IMDb.
- April 24, 1926 (100)
- Rochester, New York, USA
- Actor
- 5 on MovieCove · 19 credits in all
What are Marilyn Erskine's films like?
Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 4
A split, not a type: Light 2 · Serious 1 · Dark 1
Grounded 3 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0
A split, not a type: Gentle 2 · Charged 1 · Intense 1
Steady 2 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 1
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
Casual 3 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0
A split, not a type: Easy watch 2 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 2
Resolved 4 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
- Allyas Mrs. Emily Clopp in A Slight Case of Larceny (1953)
Moods and endings
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 Marilyn Erskine's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 1 of their 5 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Marilyn Erskine'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
19 credits, 5 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
Ironside (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
The Tom Ewell Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
The Playroom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Perry Mason(1957)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows
Screen Director's Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
The 20th Century Fox Hour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
The Eddie Cantor Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
A Slight Case of Larceny(1953)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
Confidentially Connie(1953)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
Above and Beyond(1952)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all filmsThe Hoaxters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
The Ford Television Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
Just This Once (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
Chevron Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
Westward the Women(1951)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
Lux Video Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Studio One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)
Career shape
Star power in the 31st percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 19 titles from 1948 to 1967.
Film career
- 1951Screen debut· Westward the Women
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.
How do Marilyn Erskine's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 54th percentile, the median of all 4; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 54th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up2
- 50th to 74th1
- 25th to 49th2
Shape of the crowd
None of their 5 titles divides audiences: 2 are Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved2
- Crowd Pleaser1
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the acting 70/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 48. 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 Marilyn Erskine work with?
People who share at least 2 of Marilyn Erskine's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Robert Burton shares the most, 3.
Actors
- Robert BurtonShared titles: A Slight Case of Larceny (1953), Confidentially Connie (1953), Above and Beyond (1952)See all 3 shared titles with Robert Burton
- Hayden RorkeShared titles: Confidentially Connie (1953), Above and Beyond (1952)See all 2 shared titles with Hayden Rorke
- Robert TaylorShared titles: Above and Beyond (1952), Westward the Women (1951)See all 2 shared titles with Robert Taylor
Cinematographers
- Ray JuneShared titles: A Slight Case of Larceny (1953), Above and Beyond (1952)See all 2 shared titles with Ray June
