Edith MacDonald was the second daughter of Daniel and Anne MacDonald;
her father was a contractor and politician. Early on, her older sister
Elsie, younger sister
Jeanette MacDonald, and she were
given theatrical training. Blossom and Jeanette played Philadelphia
vaudeville houses while still youngsters.
Edith went to New York where she wed
Clarence Rock in 1926; they toured in
vaudeville for three years. When vaudeville died, she toured with her
husband in "Grand Hotel" and, in 1936, played a streetwalker in "Dead
End". The MGM talent agent who saw her in this signed her to the same
studio as her now-famous sister Jeanette. Re-named Marie Blake, she
debuted in
Joan Crawford's
Mannequin (1937) and, in 1938, she
became established as "Sally" the phone operator in the Dr. Kildare
series. After the last of these in 1947, she left MGM, changed her stage name to "Blossom Rock", freelanced, and
doing bit parts. She appeared in television often, becoming widely
known through the part of "Grandmama" in
The Addams Family (1964)
series.
Her husband was night manager at the Beverly Hilton Hotel for fifteen
years, dying in 1960. After retiring, she lived at the Motion Picture
Country Home.
It's About Time(1966)as Trong
The Addams Family(1964)as Grandmama
The New Phil Silvers Show(1963)as Mrs. Furguson, Mrs. Gilhooley
The Best Man(1964)as Cleaning Woman
Going My Way(1962)as Mrs. Carter
This Is Your Life(1950)as Self (as Blossom Rock)
History of the Sitcom(2021)as Grandmama
The Sixties(2014)as Grandmama Addams
Biography(1987)as Grandmama (clip from The Addams Family (TV))
