Alice Playten

Infobox actor
name = Alice Playten

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birthname = Alice Plotkin
birthdate = birth date and age|1947|8|28|mf=y
birthplace = New York City, New York, United States
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Alice Playten (born August 28, 1947) is an American actress.

Born Alice Plotkin in New York City, Playten began her career in 1959 in the Broadway musical "". Additional Broadway credits include "Oliver!", "Henry, Sweet Henry", "Hello, Dolly!", "Rumors", "Seussical", and "Caroline, or Change". Her many off-Broadway credits include "Promenade", "The Last Sweet Days of Isaac", "Up from Paradise", "Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You", "Spoils of War", "Four Short Operas", "First Lady Suite", "A Flea in Her Ear" and "National Lampoon's Lemmings", which also starred then up-and-comers
John Belushi, Chevy Chase and Christopher Guest.

Playten's screen credits include "Ladybug Ladybug", "I.Q.", and "Legend". She labored under heavy makeup and prosthetics in Legend, incidentally, to portray the character of 'Blixx', a major minion of the Lord of Darkness whom the latter addresses as his "most loathesome of goblins". She has done voice work in several animated features, including "Felix the Cat", "Heavy Metal", "Doug" and "". She was a regular on the children's television series "The Lost Saucer" and "That's cat" and has had guest shots on "Frasier", "Law & Order", "Third Watch", and "As the World Turns", among others.

Playten probably is remembered best for her role of the newlywed creating gastronomic delights for her husband (Terry Kiser) in a classic 1970 Alka-Seltzer commercial. Lying in bed, reliving the triumph of her first home-cooked meal (a single, monumental dumpling), she is oblivious to her spouse surreptitiously gulping a fizzy glassful behind her as she pores through a cookbook in search of recipes for her next menu. Her exultant cry of discovery, "marshmallowed meatballs and poached oysters!," became a popular catch phrase among television viewers throughout the country.

Awards and nominations

* 1994 Obie Award ("First Lady Suite")
* 1989 Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play ("Spoils of War")
* 1968 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical ("Henry, Sweet Henry")
* 1968 Theatre World Award ("Henry, Sweet Henry")

External links

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* [http://www.lortel.org/LLA_archive/index.cfm?search_by=people&first=Alice&middle=&last=Playten Lortel Archives listing]
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