mary-kay-stearns-450x600.jpg
Mary Kay Stearns
Mary Kay Stearns
Mary Kay Stearns was an American actress.
Stearns starred in the early television sitcom Mary Kay and Johnny with her real-life husband. Mary Kay and Johnny debuted on the DuMont network in November 1947. It moved to NBC in October 1948, to CBS in March 1949, and then back to NBC in June 1949. The final episode aired in March 1950. Episodes ran either 15 or 30 minutes long.
Mary Kay Stearns was an American actress.
Stearns starred in the early television sitcom Mary Kay and Johnny with her real-life husband. Mary Kay and Johnny debuted on the DuMont network in November 1947. It moved to NBC in October 1948, to CBS in March 1949, and then back to NBC in June 1949. The final episode aired in March 1950. Episodes ran either 15 or 30 minutes long.
Mary Kay and Johnny was the first sitcom to air on a television network in the United States, as well as the first television show in which a married couple shared a bed. In 1948, Stearns’s pregnancy was written into the show. She gave birth in December of that year. Several weeks later, their son, Christopher, joined his parents on the show, playing himself.
After their sitcom went off the air, the couple starred in commercials for United States Steel for seven years. Johnny Stearns died in 2001 at the age of 85.
Stearns died November 17, 2018 in Newport Beach, California. She was 93.
The Television Academy database lists prime-time Emmy information. Click here to learn more
Mary Kay Stearns (seated) with her husband Johnny and son Christoper in 1949. Ms. Stearns's pregnancy, and Christopher's birth in December 1948, were incorporated into their television series Mary Kay and Johnny.