# Dody Goodman
**Dody Goodman** (born Dolores Goodman) was an American comedienne, dancer, and character actress whose ditzy, off-kilter persona made her a familiar figure on Broadway, television, and film from the 1940s into the 2000s. She first drew national attention as a regular guest on [Jack Paar](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-paar)'s *Tonight Show* in 1957 and 1958, and was later widely known as Martha Shumway, the mother on the soap-opera parody *Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman*, and as Blanche, the principal's assistant, in *Grease* and *Grease 2*.[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/comedian-dody-goodman-dies-at-93/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Dolores Goodman, October 28, Columbus, Ohio; sources give 1914 or 1915, and Goodman was known to obfuscate her age[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/comedian-dody-goodman-dies-at-93/) • [2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/goodman-dody-1915) |
| Died | June 22, 2008, at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, New Jersey, at a reported age of 93[3](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2008/06/24/dody-goodman-quirky-versatile-comic-actress/9699e962-7ead-4833-b283-87ec4ed15c3f) |
| Signature TV role | Martha Shumway, Louise Lasser's mother, on *Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman* (1976–1978) and its successor *Fernwood Forever*[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/goodman-dody-1915) • [4](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-jun-24-me-goodman24-story.html) |
| Emmy nomination | 1958, Best Continuing Performance (Female) in a Series by a Comedienne, for *Tonight – Jack Paar* on NBC[5](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dody-goodman) |
| Broadway debut era | Danced as Dolores Goodman in *Viva O'Brien* (1941), *Wine, Women and Song* (1942), *Something for the Boys* (1943), and other 1940s musicals[6](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/dody-goodman-42526) |
| Film roles | Blanche in *Grease* (1978) and *Grease 2* (1982); Mrs. Stimler in *Splash* (1984)[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/comedian-dody-goodman-dies-at-93/) |
| Late-career stage work | *Nunsense* and its sequels, playing Sister Mary Amnesia and later Mother Superior, into her 80s[7](https://playbill.com/article/dody-goodman-comedienne-and-actress-dead-at-92-com-151135) |
## Early life and dance career
Goodman was born in [Columbus, Ohio](https://www.edgepedia.org/columbus-ohio), where her father ran a small cigar factory.[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/comedian-dody-goodman-dies-at-93/) Her birth year is reported differently across sources: obituaries from the Associated Press and her own website give October 28, 1914, while Encyclopedia.com and the Internet Broadway Database give October 28, 1915.[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/comedian-dody-goodman-dies-at-93/) • [2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/goodman-dody-1915) • [6](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/dody-goodman-42526) The Los Angeles Times noted that she was known to obfuscate her age.[4](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-jun-24-me-goodman24-story.html)
She began dance lessons at age eight and moved to New York after high school to become a ballerina.[4](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-jun-24-me-goodman24-story.html) • [8](https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Saint-Peters-Church-Hosts-DODY-GOODMAN-REMEMBERED-1027-20081023) She arrived in the late 1930s to study at the [School of American Ballet](https://www.edgepedia.org/school-of-american-ballet) and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet School, and danced in the corps de ballet at [Radio City Music Hall](https://www.edgepedia.org/radio-city-music-hall).[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/comedian-dody-goodman-dies-at-93/) • [2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/goodman-dody-1915)
**Broadway chorus work.** Credited as Dolores Goodman, she danced in a string of Broadway musicals: *Viva O'Brien* (1941), *Wine, Women and Song* (1942), *Something for the Boys* (1943), *One Touch of Venus* (1943), *Laffing Room Only* (1944), *Miss Liberty* (1949), *Call Me Madam* (1950), *My Darlin' Aida* (1952), and *Wonderful Town* (1953), in which she originated the role of Violet, the streetwalker.[6](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/dody-goodman-42526) • [1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/comedian-dody-goodman-dies-at-93/) In *Wonderful Town*, director George Abbott was so taken with her comic performance as Violet that he had an extra scene written for her.[8](https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Saint-Peters-Church-Hosts-DODY-GOODMAN-REMEMBERED-1027-20081023)
## From dancer to comedienne
Goodman said she was never sure when the transition from ballerina to comedienne began; she had always been a backstage cut-up, and friends, including the comic actress [Imogene Coca](https://www.edgepedia.org/imogene-coca), persuaded her to concentrate on comedy.[8](https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Saint-Peters-Church-Hosts-DODY-GOODMAN-REMEMBERED-1027-20081023) • [4](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-jun-24-me-goodman24-story.html) In 1955 she made a splash Off Broadway in the *Shoestring Revue* with the novelty song "Someone's Been Sending Me Flowers" by [Sheldon Harnick](https://www.edgepedia.org/sheldon-harnick) and David Baker.[7](https://playbill.com/article/dody-goodman-comedienne-and-actress-dead-at-92-com-151135) She also performed in the small topical nightclub revues that flourished in the early to mid-1950s, in shows by Ben Bagley and Julius Monk, and in *Parade*, Jerry Herman's first revue.[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/comedian-dody-goodman-dies-at-93/)
**The Jack Paar years.** Her airhead persona, built on curly hair, wide childlike blue eyes, a long loopy grin, and a hesitant, befuddled delivery, attracted Jack Paar, then host of *The Tonight Show*. Beginning in 1957 he had her on as a regular guest, essentially playing herself, and she quickly became popular with audiences.[9](https://playbill.com/person/dody-goodman-vault-0000075498) She received an Emmy nomination in 1958 for the show.[5](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dody-goodman) Her habit of upstaging Paar and ad-libbing too freely, however, ended the association; Paar said, "Before long I began to feel like the announcer on 'The Dody Goodman Show'," and dropped her from his guest list in 1958.[9](https://playbill.com/person/dody-goodman-vault-0000075498) • [10](https://funeral-notices.co.uk/notice/dody%2Bgoodman/2126919) Goodman later said she had been thrown into the talking with no idea how to do it: "They just called me up and asked me if I wanted to be on 'The Jack Paar Show.' I didn't know who Jack Paar was."[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/comedian-dody-goodman-dies-at-93/)
After the falling out, other chat shows took up the slack, including *The Merv Griffin Show* and *Girl Talk*, and she appeared on *The Ed Sullivan Show* and *The Phil Silvers Show*.[3](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2008/06/24/dody-goodman-quirky-versatile-comic-actress/9699e962-7ead-4833-b283-87ec4ed15c3f) • [7](https://playbill.com/article/dody-goodman-comedienne-and-actress-dead-at-92-com-151135) In later years she was a guest on [David Letterman](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-letterman)'s late-night show, telling the Associated Press in 1994, "I don't like dumb jokes but I will do dumb things for a laugh."[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/comedian-dody-goodman-dies-at-93/)
## Television, film, and stage in the 1970s and 1980s
Fame returned in the late 1970s with the syndicated mock soap opera *Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman*, in which she played Martha Shumway, the mother of [Louise Lasser](https://www.edgepedia.org/louise-lasser)'s title character, from 1976 to 1978, continuing in *Fernwood Forever* through 1980.[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/goodman-dody-1915) • [3](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2008/06/24/dody-goodman-quirky-versatile-comic-actress/9699e962-7ead-4833-b283-87ec4ed15c3f) Her sing-song voice could be heard in the opening credits calling out the show's title.[4](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-jun-24-me-goodman24-story.html)
Her film work included a supporting turn as Blanche, the principal's assistant, in *Grease* (1978), repeated in *Grease 2* (1982), and Mrs. Stimler in [Ron Howard](https://www.edgepedia.org/ron-howard)'s *Splash* (1984); she also appeared in *Silent Movie* (1976), *Max Dugan Returns* (1983), and *Private Resort* (1985).[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/comedian-dody-goodman-dies-at-93/) • [2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/goodman-dody-1915) On television she had a recurring role as Aunt Sophia on *Diff'rent Strokes* (1981–1982, 1984), guest shots on *St. Elsewhere*, *Murder, She Wrote*, and *Punky Brewster*, and the voice of Miss Rebecca Miller on the animated *Alvin & the Chipmunks* from 1986 to 1990.[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/goodman-dody-1915) • [3](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2008/06/24/dody-goodman-quirky-versatile-comic-actress/9699e962-7ead-4833-b283-87ec4ed15c3f)
**Later stage work.** On Broadway she appeared in *A Rainy Day in Newark* (1963), *My Daughter, Your Son* (1969), a 1969 revival of *The Front Page*, and the 1974 musical *Lorelei* as Mrs. Ella Spofford opposite [Carol Channing](https://www.edgepedia.org/carol-channing), and she joined the 1994 Broadway revival of *Grease* as a replacement Miss Lynch.[6](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/dody-goodman-42526) • [7](https://playbill.com/article/dody-goodman-comedienne-and-actress-dead-at-92-com-151135) She was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a [Play](https://www.edgepedia.org/play-theatre) for the 1984 revival of *Ah, Wilderness!*.[6](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/dody-goodman-42526) From 1989 she spent two years on the national tour of Dan Goggin's *Nunsense* as Sister Mary Amnesia, then played Mother Superior in companies around the country, touring in the Christmas musical *Nuncrackers* at age 85. Goggin called her "totally irreplaceable" and said her comedy was unique and her timing impeccable.[7](https://playbill.com/article/dody-goodman-comedienne-and-actress-dead-at-92-com-151135)
## Persona and later life
Goodman's comic style rested on a ditsy, [Gracie Allen](https://www.edgepedia.org/gracie-allen)-like persona delivered in a distinctive, crackly Southern-tinged voice, described by one writer as sounding "like a Tweetie Pie cartoon bird strangling on peanut butter" and by another as "gravel mixed into a bowl of honey."[4](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-jun-24-me-goodman24-story.html) Her career spanned more than 75 years, from teenaged ballet dancing to cabaret, radio, television, and film, and she remained active into her 90s; in 2007 she received a Lifetime Achievement award at the 21st annual MAC Awards in New York.[8](https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Saint-Peters-Church-Hosts-DODY-GOODMAN-REMEMBERED-1027-20081023) • [11](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-dody-goodman-pg-photogallery.html)
She died on June 22, 2008, at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center in New Jersey, where she had lived at the Actors Fund Home since the previous October; no cause of death was announced.[3](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2008/06/24/dody-goodman-quirky-versatile-comic-actress/9699e962-7ead-4833-b283-87ec4ed15c3f) • [4](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-jun-24-me-goodman24-story.html) Goodman never married and left no immediate survivors; she was survived by seven nieces and nephews, 11 great-nieces and nephews, and 15 great-great-nieces and nephews.[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/comedian-dody-goodman-dies-at-93/)
## References
1. [Comedian Dody Goodman Dies At 93, CBS News (AP)](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/comedian-dody-goodman-dies-at-93/)
2. [Goodman, Dody 1915–, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/goodman-dody-1915)
3. [Dody Goodman; Quirky, Versatile Comic Actress, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2008/06/24/dody-goodman-quirky-versatile-comic-actress/9699e962-7ead-4833-b283-87ec4ed15c3f)
4. [Comedian, actress gained fame on the Jack Paar show, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-jun-24-me-goodman24-story.html)
5. [Dody Goodman, Emmy Awards and Nominations, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dody-goodman)
6. [Dody Goodman, Broadway Cast & Staff, IBDB](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/dody-goodman-42526)
7. [Dody Goodman, Comedienne and Actress, Dead at 92, Playbill](https://playbill.com/article/dody-goodman-comedienne-and-actress-dead-at-92-com-151135)
8. [Saint Peter's Church Hosts DODY GOODMAN REMEMBERED 10/27, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Saint-Peters-Church-Hosts-DODY-GOODMAN-REMEMBERED-1027-20081023)
9. [Dody Goodman (Performer), Playbill](https://playbill.com/person/dody-goodman-vault-0000075498)
10. [The obituary notice of DODY GOODMAN, Funeral Notices](https://funeral-notices.co.uk/notice/dody%2Bgoodman/2126919)
11. [Dody Goodman photo gallery, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-dody-goodman-pg-photogallery.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1940s to 1960s › Surnames F to G*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license