Kasey Rogers (credited as Laura Elliott) and Robert Walker in Strangers on a Train (1951)

via

Who it was.

A recent posting over at Stirred, Straight Up With a Twist inspired my latest guessing game, TJB's posting on Evolution, particularly his picture of Patrica Hitchcock(close guess TJB!) got me to thinking about "Strangers on a Train" and Hitchcock's fantastically shot murder of Laura Eliot reflected in the lenses of her fallen glasses.

My Mystery Lady was none other than Kasey Rogers, the actress who played Laura Eliot in Strangers on a Train but probably better known to TV viewing audiences for playing Louise Tate on Bewitched.

Born Josie Imogene Rogers in Morehouse, Missouri on December 15, 1925, she adopted the nickname "Kasey" as a child. At the age of 19. She was literally spotted on the street by a talent scout, and touched base with him again after the birth of her first child. This lead to a screen test and contract at Paramount during the late 1940s.


She really never struggled as an actress, winning a contract and lead role in Special Agent (1949) almost immediately. Kasey worked under the name "Laura Elliot" for Paramount. In addition to Special Agent (1949), she appeared in films including Two Lost Worlds (1951), Silver City (1951), Denver and Rio Grande (1952), and Jamaica Run (1953). With these lead roles, came smaller roles in classic films from the studio including Samson and Delilah (1949) and A Place in the Sun (1951 - uncredited role of Miss Harper) as well as work at other studios. Particularly remembered is her turn as Miriam Haynes (who has a very memorable death scene) in Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train (1951) for Warner Bros.


From the mid-1950s, she guest starred on various TV shows, such as The Lone Ranger, Maverick, Perry Mason, The Restless Gun, and Hawaiian Eye. In 1964, she was cast as Julie Anderson night-time soap opera Peyton Place. She left Peyton Place in 1966, replacing Irene Vernon in the role of Louise Tate on Bewitched. She also returned to the name Kasey Rogers professionally. In 1972, she made her final appearance on Bewitched and appeared in a few more TV shows through the 70s. Later on in life she penned The Bewitched Cookbook: Magic in the Kitchen ( A copy of which I happily own).

Sadly Kasey Rogers passed away in on July 6, 2006.