Actress Dorothy Provine dies in Silverdale

LOS ANGELES — Actress Dorothy Provine, best known for her roles as Milton Berle’s wife and Ethel Merman’s daughter in “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” and the high-kicking flapper in the 1960s TV series “The Roaring 20s,” has died. She was 75.

Her husband of 43 years, Robert Day, said Friday that Provine died from emphysema on April 25 at Silverdale’s Hospice of Kitsap County, about 10 miles northwest of Bremerton. He said there won’t be a funeral.

“She was so beautiful,” Day said from his Bainbridge Island home.

Provine’s movie credits also include “Bonnie Parker Story” and “Live Fast, Die Young” in 1958, “The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock” and “Riot in Juvenile Prison” in 1959, “Good Neighbor Sam” in 1964, “That Darn Cat!” and “The Great Race” in 1965 and “Never a Dull Moment” in 1968.

Provine played leggy flapper Pinky Pinkham on ABC-TV’s “The Roaring 20s” from 1960 to 1962, and she appeared on such shows as “77 Sunset Strip,” “Hawaiian Eye,” “Sugarfoot,” “Wagon Train” and “Mike Hammer.”

Besides her husband, Provine is survived by her son Robert Day and her sisters, Susan Cameron of Silverdale and Patricia Coldiron of California.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Lake Stevens Sewer District wastewater treatment plant. (Lake Stevens Sewer District)
Lake Stevens appeals sewer district assumption ruling

In June, a judge ruled the city cannot assume the district eight years earlier than originally planned.

Early morning 2-alarm fire damages Edmonds residence

More than 40 firefighters took over an hour to extinguish the fire that began around 4 a.m. Friday.

A digital render of the Food and Farming Center in its planned location in McCollum Park. (Image provided by Snohomish County Planning and Development Services)
Snohomish County Council pass Food and Farming Center regulations

Fundraising will take place through 2026. Phase one of construction is scheduled to begin in 2027.

Deputy Kargopoltsev gives a demonstration to community members in Stanwood. (Stanwood Police)
Stanwood hosts a new police academy for community members

Police say it’s a chance to learn about patrol operations, investigations, narcotics enforcement and community outreach.

Bothell
Deputies: Motorcyclist, 19, dies after crashing into fence near Bothell

Detectives believe the rider lost control when navigating a turn Thursday morning.

Traffic slows as it moves around the bend of northbound I-5 through north Everett on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Paving project will close I-5 lanes in Everett

Crews will close up to 4 lanes overnight for weeks to complete the $8.1 million repairs.

Glass recycling at Airport Road Recycling & Transfer Station on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
WSU will host a sustainable community steward course this fall

The course will cover environmental sustainability and climate change solutions with a focus on waste reduction and recycling.

Josh Thiel, left, places a nail into a dust pan while Rey Wall continues digging in a sectioned off piece of land at Japanese Gulch on Wednesday, July 23, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Archaeology students excavate local history in Mukilteo’s Japanese Gulch

Through July, the Edmonds College field camp uncovered artifacts from the early 1900s when Japanese immigrants were instrumental for the local Crown Lumber Company.

Cars drive along Cathcart Way next to the site of the proposed Eastview Village development that borders Little Cedars Elementary on Wednesday, May 7, 2025 in unincorporated Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Community members file land use appeal of Eastview Village

The appeal is the latest move in a long controversy over the development slated just west of Highway 9.

The “Risk of Repeal” map created by staff at the Clean & Prosperous Institute shows projects paid for with Climate Commitment Act money. Over 90 Snohomish County projects received funding from the policy. (Clean & Prosperous Institute)
Clean Prosperous updates map to search Climate Committment Act projects

The map shows an estimate 2,700 projects supported by $4.74 in state funding.

Washington Climbers Coalition workers move a large rock to act as a new trail barrier. (Photo provided by the Washington Climbers Coalition)
Washington rock climbers work to improve trails near Index

The Washington Climbers Coalition aims to improve two parcels of land it owns before donating them to the state.

Two Swift Orange Line buses waits at the Edmonds College Transit Center on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025 in Lynnwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Community Transit shares more details on upcoming Gold Line

The agency still needs to decide on a final route and whether to implement bus lanes. It plans to ask for more public input in September.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.