Carole Cook, veteran stage
and screen actor, has died in Beverly Hills, California, of heart failure. She
was 98. She was a protégé of Lucille Ball. Cook was famous for her guest roles
on The Lucy Show from 1963-68 and Here’s Lucy from 1969-74. She started her
acting career in 1959 when ball requested her to appear in an episode of
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse titled, The Desilu Revue. 

In
1945, she graduated from Baylor University, where she studied Greek drama. She
worked in regional theater and made it to Broadway in 1954 in a revival of
Threepenny Opera, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

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Here
are five of Carole Cook’s notable plays:

70, Girls, 70

It
is a musical with a book by Fred Ebb and Norman L Martin adapted by Joe
Masteroff, lyrics by Ebb, and music by John Kander. The musical is based on the
1958 play Breath of Spring by Peter Coke. The plot revolves around a group of
larcenous old folks who steal furs from various New York City stores with the
intent of using the proceeds from their resale to buy their Upper West Side
retirement hotel, which is slated to be sold to developers.

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42nd Street

It
is a 1980 stage musical with a book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble, lyrics
by Al Dubin and Johnny Mercer, and music by Harry Warren. The musical is based
on the 1932 novel by Bradford Ropes. In June 1980, it premiered in out-of-town
tryouts at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC.

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Romantic Comedy

It
is a play by Bernard Slade, author of Same Time, Next Year. Romantic Comedy
opened on Broadway on November 8, 1979, after 11 previews at the Ether
Barrymore Theatre. After 396 performances, it closed on October 1980. Cook played
the role of Blanche Dailey in the play.

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Follies

It
is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James
Goldman. The original Broadway production, directed by Harold Prince and
Michael Bennet, and choreographed by Bennett, opened on April 4, 1971. One of
the most costly Broadway productions ran for more than 500 productions but
eventually lost its entire investment. 

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The Lion in Winter

The
1966 play by James Goldman, depicts the personal and political conflicts of
Henry II of England, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, their children, and their
guests during Christmas 1183. The play premiered at the Ambassador Theatre on
March 3, 1966, starring Robert Preston and Rosemary Harris.