Talk:Agnes Moorehead

Sexuality

I've often heard rumours that she was bisexual. Any idea it this is founded on anything worthwhile? Rhymeless 03:52, 15 Aug 2004 (UTC)

She pretty much admits it in Boze Hadleigh's book "Hollywood Lesbians," in an interview conducted about a year before her death.

On Wikipedia, everyone is considered to be hmo unless proven otherwise.173.61.67.102 (talk) 23:20, 27 September 2012 (UTC)50Cint

What I find troubling about the most recent biography here (July 2005) is the misinformation about her adopted child, Sean. She adopted him in 1949, this was not a product of natural childbirth. There was no other adoption thereafter.

Also, I don't think she smoked in "real life," although I do recollect her smoking in Who's Minding the Store (I don't think she inhaled). And the fact her mother lived to be over 100 makes me wonder if that pesky fallout while filming The Conqueror had anything to do with her (somewhat) premature death.

Deletions January 2012

I found some statements that speculate about the sexual orientation of living persons, of persons OTHER THAN the subject of this biographical entry. To use the biography of a dead person to propagate rumors about the sexual orientation of a living person seems like a bad faith attempt to circumvent the policy for Biographies of Living Persons (WP:BLP). One key source was a TV show that is not accessible. There seems no way to verify that certain things allegedly broached in that show were indeed broached, and to verify what the exact statements were. Anyway, the statements I deleted were not probative for the question of Agnes Moorehead's sexual orientation. For example, the sentiment of a "friend" that she was not gay because she was deeply religious is illogical and also quaint (forty years ago, many people could believe that devout Christians wouldn't be gay, but in the 21st century, everybody knows better). Hurmata (talk) 05:38, 5 January 2012 (UTC)

Your personal views of what defines a devout Christian are of no value whatsoever in the building of an article on Wiki, please press your personal agenda elsewhere. WP:SOAP 68.19.10.83 (talk) 10:36, 5 January 2016 (UTC)

Icon

On page 78 of Gay and Lesbian Weddings : Planning the Perfect Same-Sex Ceremony (2004, ISBN 0345475747) David Toussaint asks one to "Choose your favorite gay icon (check either Male or Female, not both):

(Male)

1. Judy Garland
2. Barbara Streisand
3. Joni Mitchell
4. "Material Girl" Madonna
5. Agnes Moorehead

(Female)

1. Katharine Hepburn
2. Jodie Foster
3. Ellen DeGeneres
4. "Ray of Light" Madonna
5. Eleanor Roosevelt

Hyacinth 20:17, 30 August 2005 (UTC)

Thanks for that unvaluable contribution. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.127.236.187 (talk) 12:37, 30 July 2009 (UTC)

Cause of Death 1) Smoking or 2) The Conqueror

Okay, for the fun of it, I decided to test a theory. I picked another popular movie at random from about the same time period as The Conqueror, I picked the The Caine Mutiny. Of the 42 actors listed in the credits at IMDb for The Caine Mutiny, it only list the cause of death (or that have died) for 15 of them. Of those 15, 8 died of cancer, 1 of a brain tumor, and 1 of leukemia. That is 53% outright of cancer, and 66.7% of cancer related diseases.

• The Caine Mutiny (died of cancer related diseases):
  • Humphrey Bogart
  • José Ferrer
  • Tom Tully
  • E.G. Marshall
  • Warner Anderson
  • Claude Akins
  • Jerry Paris
  • Steve Brodie
  • Don Dubbins
  • Todd Karns
  • Tyler McVey

• Filming Locations for The Caine Mutiny (1954):
  • Los Angeles, California, USA
  • Naval Station Treasure Island, San Francisco, California, USA
  • Pearl Harbor, O`ahu, Hawaii, USA
  • Yosemite National Park, California, USA

I suppose Yosemite gave those people cancer?

WikiDon 23:44, 6 September 2005 (UTC)

"Although the number of incidences of cancer in the cast and crew on that set is too large to be due solely to heavy smoking, as obviously not every single one of those afflicted with the disease was a smoker." Seems like a bit of a supposition to me. Post hoc, ipso propter hoc?

That's ergo propter hoc, but we get the picture. :) SkoreKeep (talk) 23:40, 30 January 2014 (UTC)

I agree that it reads as supposition, and Moorehead died of uterine cancer not lung cancer, regardless of the fact that she was a smoker. Therefore I think it's possible the discussion of lung cancer reflects an anti smoking bias on the part of the contributor. Moorehead's death certificate states that she had "widely mestastacized cancer" (no mention specifically but it could have been in her lungs by then) during the 4 months prior to her death, but that it started in her uterus 2 years before. Moorehead's smoking addiction may or may not have contributed to her cancer. Rossrs 12:34, 11 September 2005 (UTC)

Indeed, no one (including an oncologist and his lab) can assign other than statistical blame on any of the causes of cancer to any particular case. It is improper to do so scientifically. Statistically speaking, though, it is more likely life-long heavy smoking caused than a 3 month exposure to possibly radioactive soils. In addition, the type of cancer is largely not germane as to the cause; radioactive particles in the lungs are pretty rapidly drawn into the bloodstream and thence to the body in general, as is smoking carcenogens (and pollution, and asbestos, etc, etc.). As it happens both cause first damage to the lungs usually, but there's a lot more to actual cancer occurrence than where the carcinogens first land. SkoreKeep (talk) 23:40, 30 January 2014 (UTC)

The entire section on her death being related to the fallout from bombs needs to be revised and written from a less biased POV. It's all part of an urban legend, and only an ill-informed anti-nuke nutter would believe it today. Back in the 50s, HUNDREDS of atom bombs were tested in the Southwestern U.S. If they had anything to do with the deaths of these folks, there would be a distinct pattern; there is none. Science writer Brian Dunning covers this myth well: http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4238

Actually, in my opinion, this article should state that her death was due to metastatic cancer of the uterus, and just say there is some controversy as to the cause of the cancer (which will, in fact, never be factually determined) and refer to the The Conqueror article for the full argument. In any case someone added a little more fuel to the fire here yesterday, so I added an extension to the paragraph about this mysterious AEC researcher (which means the quote must be from before 1974 in any case) Robert C. Pendleton (surely not the auto mechanic/creationist? *cough*) that is only quoted second hand. Note also the chosen article they get Pendleton's quotes from deflates them as well. In about a month, I'll consider moving the cancer cause argument to the film page (or perhaps another page just for the controversy) and deleting it from here, and probably Wayne's page and others as well. SkoreKeep (talk) 22:43, 30 January 2014 (UTC)

more on Sean

Lets hear more about her son.

======how about a photo of her as a young woman?

Is a publicity photo ok to post? http://www.angelfire.com/yt/Weston/images/agnes.jpg

She was quite pretty, and rather vain about it, "back in the day"

Yeah, a picture of a younger version of her would be excellent. But are you sure this is a promotional shot? -Tim Rhymeless (Er...let's shimmy) 09:59, 1 March 2006 (UTC)

Image

The image of Agnes Moorehead in this article is terrible. Can someone please replace it with a better image. jmfh3733 june 15 2006

I commented about the picture of Agnes Moorehead 5 months ago, and it's still here. I'm not good at knowing the copywrite laws and such for images but can someone that does please change that God awful picture of her. jmfh3733 November 25 2006

The picture

This was one of the most important actresses of her generation. To illustrate the article with a picture of her in a frivolous TV series is preposterous. (unsigned comment by User:66.108.179.173)

Agnes was not a smoker!

I read on this website that Agnes Moorehead was a heavy smoker some time ago, and asked that it be removed. I knew her, and I can guarentee she was NOT a smoker. I do not know who posted this info in her bio, but a lot of it is not correct (she never adopted Sean, he was just a Foster son) but it is most upsetting to suggest that her death had anything to do with smoking - she was a non-smoker her whole life. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 216.113.202.211 (talk) 23:01, 20 February 2007 (UTC).

Are you sure? She certainly sounded like a smoker in "Pollyanna". (92.14.245.88 (talk) 20:32, 11 October 2009 (UTC))

Everywhere where I've gone to investigate the "Conqueror Disaster" where there has been a remark at all about smoking, Moorehead has been cited as having been a heavy smoker. If you can indeed establish by cite your relationship to her, then perhaps your argument can be made. SkoreKeep (talk) 22:46, 30 January 2014 (UTC)

Article protected - vandalism target

Because this page has been targeted for vandalism, I have protected it through most of 9 July. —C.Fred (talk) 22:02, 8 July 2007 (UTC)

Possible error

The article says she was an only child, then later in the same paragraph alludes to her sister. Which is it???

It says her mother lived 1883-1990 and listed the age as 97. In that case she would have been 107. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Cromwellj (talk • contribs) 02:40, 7 October 2012 (UTC)

She was 106 when she died in 1990. She died two months before her 107th birthday. 2600:1700:BC01:9B0:A4B6:2F48:BB48:9261 (talk) 03:09, 13 June 2024 (UTC)

Only child?

The early life section seems to contradict itself, indicating that she's an only child, then later referring to her sister. Can somebody with access to the source book verify? —C.Fred (talk) 23:29, 6 November 2007 (UTC)

She had a younger sister named Margaret who committed suicide when she (Margaret) was 23 years old, in 1929. Agnes was 28. Suicide was stigmatized then much more than it is now, and the family would tell people that Margaret died from a heart attack. It was ruled a suicide by the coroner. — Preceding unsigned comment added by YieldingTendon (talk • contribs) 11:23, 10 January 2014 (UTC)

Moorehead's sexuality

Material on Moorehead's homosexuality has been deleted from the article on spurious grounds that the sources are hollywood gossip books. This is not the case; the sources are all reliable books published by mainstream publishers and university presses. It is not libelous to state that Moorehead had a reputation for lesbianism -- this is supported by reliable sources. This information should not be deleted without due discussion on the talk page and the achievement of a consensus. --Jburlinson (talk) 01:57, 18 December 2013 (UTC)

Once again, repeated attempts have been made by an editor to delete this material. This time, though, there is no rationale given as to why the section is being summarily zapped out. If anyone has any problem with what currently appears in the article about Moorehead's sexuality, they should bring their concerns to this talk page before they start arbitrarily deleting sections of the article. Thanks to the two editors who have reverted the attempted cuts. --Jburlinson (talk) 22:49, 17 September 2014 (UTC)

• I have altered the wording slightly in this section. "Speculation" is more neutral than "controversy" and so far as I know no great controversy has erupted over the subject. I rephrased the sentence about the interview in which Moorehead supposedly acknowledged her lesbianism because the cited source does not quote directly from the interview and the interview itself does not appear to be available online. If the original interview is available then it should be cited directly rather than the second-hand report. The two statements from Moorehead's associates are from the same source and the proper citation is at the end of the section. Frank Booth Luce (talk) 00:09, 17 October 2015 (UTC)

Was Agnes Moorehead Part Black

I read somewhere many years ago about star's who hid the fact that they were black, part black or had ancestors who were black, but of course looked white. Agnes Moorehead's name was on the list. Now it is nowhere to be found about this information. Is this true or not?

Solangespa (talk) 16:39, 16 April 2017 (UTC)

Her parents were both white. 2600:1700:BC01:9B0:A4B6:2F48:BB48:9261 (talk) 03:07, 13 June 2024 (UTC)

Moorhead's graduation year error?...

Wikipedia says that Agnes Moorehead graduated from Muskingum College in 1923. It seems that it is a possible error because she appears in the college yearbook of 1923 as a Junior Student and in 1924 as a Senior Student. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.103.218.214 (talk • contribs) 15:14, 24 March 2018 (UTC)

Location of birth

On the Help Desk, an IP editor left a note saying that AM was a guest in an episode of Password_(game_show) and said she was born in Cambridge (MA), not Clinton, though she grew up in Clinton. If true, I would say that is enough to overturn the current birthplace sourcing (Encyclopedia Britannica). I have no idea how to locate that episode, though. Tigraan^{Click here to contact me} 14:18, 1 August 2019 (UTC)

Agnes Moreheads burial site.

Agnes Morehead is not buried in Dayton Memorial Park. She is buried at Woodland Cemetary close to downtown Dayton. I grew up in Dayton and have seen her burial site many times, as my Grandmother is buried there also. 99.196.6.219 (talk) 20:36, 3 December 2022 (UTC)

Agnes Moorehead is entombed at Dayton Memorial Park in the Abbey Mausoleum, Sanctuary of Peace, see register or Dayton Daily News, next to her parents and other relatives. Interment was handled by Martin Funeral Home of Rochester, MN, where she passed away. P37307 (talk) 22:43, 3 December 2022 (UTC)

She is not at Woodland Cemetery, sorry. She is in fact at the Mausoleum in Dayton Memorial Park. My aunt and uncle & cousin are also there and I have seen her name on her crypt. 216.255.13.93 (talk) 23:50, 5 June 2023 (UTC)

Really?

In talking about her mother, this article states: "who was 17 when she was born." Now, that's impressive...bet it was painful. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:801:380:63E0:0:0:0:E5ED (talk) 13:02, 7 February 2023 (UTC)

Is this the first time that you have heard of a teenage pregnancy? Dimadick (talk) 21:59, 7 February 2023 (UTC)

Foster son's birth name

The article currently says that Moorehead's foster son Sean was "né John Griffith Lee." How can that be possible? John Griffith Lee was her first husband. Surely if her foster son was born with her husband's name, there'd be a source for that. Or the son wasn't related at all to the husband and just happened to be born with his name? Dlauri (talk) 08:33, 6 November 2023 (UTC)

Mother

I noticed that in the article about Agnes it says that her mother was still alive when she died. Knowing she was born in the 1800s and was still alive in 1974 led me to look her up. This link has her obituary, among other things, so surely that should be proof of her age at death. It would be an interesting tidbit to include in this article since Agnes' mother died in 1990 at the age of 106. https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/KPS2-T3J/mary-mildred-mccauley-1883-1990 2600:1700:BC01:9B0:A4B6:2F48:BB48:9261 (talk) 03:06, 13 June 2024 (UTC)