Phyllis Kirk as Sue
A sculptor of wax figures for a museum is horrified when his partner proposes setting fire to the unpopular museum in order to collect the insurance money. As the wax figures melt amid the blaze, the two men have a fight. The sculptor is knocked out in the scuffle and left to "perish" among the flames. He resurfaces many years later for the launch of his own wax museum. The opening coincides with the sudden disappearance of some dead bodies from the city morgue. His assistant begins to suspect his boss of foul play, especially after the deranged wizard of wax begins eyeing his assistant's lovely girlfriend's friend as a model for a waxed figure of Joan of Arc.
Biography for Phyllis Kirk
Birth name
Phyllis Kirkegaard
Date of birth
18 September 1929
Syracuse, New York, USA
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Danish by descent, a native of Syracuse, New York, Phyllis Kirk had jobs as a waitress and a perfume counter clerk before she began a modeling career. Stage roles ensued before Hollywood beckoned; she was a contract player at MGM and then Warner Brothers, where in her most famous role she was stalked by Vincent Price's maniac sculptor in House of Wax (1953). Kirk's talents were better showcased on the small screen, where she had good dramatic roles on many of the era's prestige series (and consequently made the covers of TV Guide and Life). Her signature TV role was as Nora Charles, the daffy, fast-talking wife of Peter Lawford's The Thin Man (the 1957-59 NBC series). During her acting career, she also worked as an interviewer and writer for an ACLU newspaper; after she played her final roles in the 1970s, she went to work in public relations. She is now retired.
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Trivia
Perhaps best remembered as Nora Charles in TV's "The Thin Man" series of the late 50's, opposite Peter Lawford in the role of Nick Charles.
Retired from acting in the 1970s.
Had difficulty walking, possibly due to childhood polio.
Became a publicist for CBS News.
When MGM didn't renew her contract she moved to Warner Brothers.
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Where are they now
Last heard living in Los Angeles and badly disabled with arthritis.
Sad Sack, The (1957) .... Major Shelton
That Woman Opposite (1957) .... Eve Atwood
... aka City After Midnight (1959) (USA)
"Thin Man, The" (1957) TV Series .... Nora Charles
Back from Eternity (1956) .... Louise
Johnny Concho (1956) .... Mary Dark
Canyon Crossroads (1955) .... Katherine Rand
"Red Buttons Show, The" (1952) TV Series .... Regular Performer (1955)
River Beat (1954) .... Judy Roberts
Crime Wave (1954) .... Ellen Lacey
... aka City Is Dark, The (1954) (UK)
Thunder Over the Plains (1953) .... Nora Porter
House of Wax (1953) .... Sue Allen
Stop, You're Killing Me (1952) (uncredited) .... Nurse
World by the Tail (1952) (TV)
Iron Mistress, The (1952) .... Ursula de Varamendi
About Face (1952) .... Alice Wheatley
Three Guys Named Mike (1951) .... Kathy Hunter
Life of Her Own, A (1950) .... Jerry
Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone (1950) .... Kay, Malone's Secretary
Two Weeks with Love (1950) .... Valerie Streseman
Our Very Own (1950) .... Zaza