Malcolm

Sheree North, a platinum blond bombshell of 1950s musicals who is remembered by younger audiences for her continuing television roles as Lou Grant's sultry girlfriend on ``The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' and Kramer's mother Babs on ``Seinfeld,'' has died. She was 72.

Ms. North, who had been in good health, died Friday at a Los Angeles hospital of complications following surgery, said her daughter, Dawn Bessire of Santa Monica.

Groomed as a studio glamour girl who could substitute for the more famous but often unreliable Marilyn Monroe, Ms. North was later interviewed or cast in documentaries and shows about Monroe.

Hollywood insiders originally whispered that 20th Century Fox hired her only as a threat to the troublesome Monroe -- whom she did replace in the 1955 ``How to Be Very, Very Popular,'' in which she outdanced and outshone the leggy Betty Grable.

Unlike other studio-styled blonds such as Jayne Mansfield or Mamie Van Doren, Ms. North tried to change her bombshell image, allowing herself to age gracefully, work without makeup and segue into older character parts. She worked steadily, enjoying a half-century career on stage, television and in film. But she never quite shook the initial image as a beauty, which she blamed on studio-generated press coverage in the 1950s.

``Even today,'' she told the Los Angeles Times in 1983, lamenting that she had been rejected for several dramatic roles because of her looks, ``there's still the same reaction when producers hear my name. They remember me as the blond who was to have taken over from Marilyn Monroe.''

Born Dawn Bethel in Los Angeles on Jan. 17, 1933, she danced as a youngster with USO shows during World War II.

She made her film debut in 1951 in ``Excuse My Dust,'' starring Red Skelton. But despite her first few films, she became so discouraged about launching a show-business career that she considered going to secretarial school.

When she appeared on the initial episode of ``The Bing Crosby Show'' on television that same year, former Times television critic Walter Ames noted: ``One of the surprises of the show was Sheree North, the shapely dancer. No one had given me an inkling that she could deliver comedy lines as well as she did, but she more than held her own with Bing and Jack Benny. Sheree came pretty close to walking off with the show.''

After that, her film credits quickly rose to leading lady status, as in the 1956 musical film ``The Best Things in Life Are Free'' opposite Gordon MacRae and Dan Dailey.

Ms. North appeared on stage in such popular musicals as ``Can-Can,'' ``Irma La Douce'' and ``Bye Bye Birdie.'' Her films include ``The Outfit'' with Robert Duvall in 1973, ``The Shootist'' starring John Wayne in 1976, and the 1991 thriller ``Defenseless'' with Barbara Hershey and Sam Shepard.

But the actress probably gained her widest recognition on television. She had guest roles in such top series as ``The Virginian,'' ``The Fugitive,'' ``Cannon,'' ``McMillan and Wife,'' ``Kojak,'' ``Hawaii Five-O,'' ``Fantasy Island'' and ``The Golden Girls.'' She earned Emmy nominations for appearances on ``Marcus Welby, M.D.'' and ``Archie Bunker's Place.''

harryfielder

I remember Sheree dancing with Jerry Lewis in the 1953 film Living It Up.

R.I.P. Sheree and thank you.

Aitch,

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