Amarillo-born Carolyn Jones is best-known for her role as Morticia Addams on “The Addams Family,” but she had an interesting past before that. In 1953, as an actress ingenue, she married an up-and-coming actor/producer named Aaron Spelling, another Texas native, so that’s interesting right there. That same year she appeared in “The House of Wax” along with FYCE favorite Vincent Price (she gets turned into Joan of Arc) and she and Aaron had bit parts in “Dragnet,” although not on the same episodes.
On the Silver Screen she was in “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” and went on to appear opposite Elvis Presley in “King Creole,” Frank Sinatra in “A Hole in the Head,” Dean Martin in “Career,” and Anthony Quinn and Kirk Douglas in “Last Train From Gun Hill.” She had a very busy 1950s. Then in 1964 she was cast as Morticia and ditched Aaron Spelling. Spelling went on to become one of the richest men in Hollywood (and possessor of what was the most expensive estate in Beverly Hills) and Carrie never really worked much again, having taken an iconic TV role that kind of took over, just like something from “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” She did, however, go on to make appearances on “Wonder Woman” in the 1970s. She played Queen Hippolyta, Wonder Woman’s Mom and benign ruler of the other Amazons of Paradise Island. If you ever chance upon reruns of those make sure to stay tuned in. Sadly Jones died young, at 53.
To celebrate her life, make this.
Baked Filet of Sole à la Carolyn Jones
1 1/2 pounds filet of sole (or flounder), sliced
4-ounce can Pacific bay shrimp (or small fresh New Orleans shrimp)
4-ounce can sliced mushrooms (or 8 cleaned fresh mushrooms, sliced, lightly browned in a little olive oil)
1/4 of a 10-ounce can condensed mushroom soup [get something “small batch” if you can, not something like Campbell’s]
1/2 bottle dry while wine (Pinot Blanc)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder [I used a little more]
Half of a 4-ounce can of pimentos
Combine half the amount of mushroom soup in mixing bowl with the shrimp and mushrooms. Mix gently to coat with soup mixture
Spread mixture on one side of filets. Roll each filet into a “mop,” [a roulade] fasten with a toothpick. Place in shallow baking pan (or dish).
Blend remaining amount of soup with wine over low heat, stirring. Add garlic powder, blend, spoon over filets. Garnish with thin pimento strips. Bake in preheated 350 degree F. oven about 15 mins. Run under broiler to lightly brown. Serve at once with broiled tomatoes and crisp green salad. Serves 2-3.
Author’s Note: I have made this, using flounder, and it did serve three, but that’s because I fried up a little flounder separately for my seafood-loving Ravenous Hound. It’s very rich so I assume Carrie had a good appetite.
Before Gomez, John Astin was the overenthusiastic social worker type trying and failing to run the dance in West Side Story. He later became a theater professor and his stepson Sean was famous for going on an awful trip to help a friend get rid of an awful piece of jewelry in the only way they could be sure it would never be found again.
Well done. I was going to do a little side bit about John Astin’s ex-wife, Patty Duke, but she can’t be summed up in two or three sentences. I’ll have to see if she ever got suckered into providing a celeb recipe.
But since you brought up Sean Astin, shortly before the time of his birth she was seeing three men, Desi Arnaz, Jr. (son of Lucy and Desi); Michael Tell, a rock promoter; and John Astin. She married Michael Tell but got an annulment after just 13 days. Patty had quite a few mental and emotional issues and later at various times claimed that she never consummated her marriage to Tell (that might have had something to do with getting the annulment–the four-time married Patty Duke was Catholic) and that (depending on her mood) Desi or John was the real father. At some point somone did some genetic testing and, as is usually the case, the easiest and most obvious answer was true: Tell was the father.
I would make this without the mushrooms and mushroom soup.
The pimentos aside this would be a little bland without the mushrooms and the mushroom soup. If you also leave out the pimentos and the shrimp and make a simple butter sauce you have sole (or flounder) meunière, which is very delicious.
I get that basically everyone likes mushrooms, but I cannot stand the taste of them. Just can’t.
Oh. Wasn’t there an NOT once about foods people can’t stand? I think it was a long while ago. I wouldn’t mind seeing that topic revisited. I have the “cilantro gene” where it tastes like garbage to me, but I eat almost everything else I can think of. I don’t like to eat kale because I never think the effort is worth the reward, but I have eaten it. It’s too bad on my part, because I know it’s extremely healthy.
I eat almost anything, but cilantro tastes terrible to me. Also licorice or fennel. I will eat all the kale though.
I would definitely eat Carolyn Jones’ baked filet of sole.
I am a Carolyn Jones fan from childhood and will try her baked sole.