Carla Balenda, Actress in ‘Sealed Cargo’ and ‘Hey Mulligan,’ Dies at 98

Carla Balenda, known for her roles in the RKO Pictures thriller Sealed Cargo and the NBC sitcom Hey Mulligan, passed away at the age of 98. Her grandson, Jim Martin, confirmed that she died of natural causes on April 9 at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills.

Balenda, sometimes credited as Sally Bliss—her birth name—also featured in the syndicated series The Adventures of Dr. Fu Manchu (1955-56) as a nurse. Additionally, she was a recurring character as Miss Hazlitt, Timmy’s teacher on CBS’ Lassie from 1958 to 1963.

In the 1951 film Sealed Cargo, Balenda played a woman aboard a fishing trawler bound for Newfoundland. The storyline follows her and the skipper, played by Dana Andrews, as they confront Nazis led by Claude Rains’ character. This role was among her favorite performances.

When Mickey Rooney debuted on television with the show Hey Mulligan in 1954, Balenda played his girlfriend and secretary, Pat Harding. The show lasted one season with a total of 36 episodes and was created by Blake Edwards and Richard Quine.

Born on November 22, 1925, in Carthage, New York, Balenda was the daughter of a high school science teacher. She attended Baldwin High School on Long Island and later pursued acting school in Rhode Island, also participating in summer stock.

At 17, she moved to Hollywood after signing a contract with Columbia Pictures. Early in her career, she appeared in films like Swing in the Saddle (1944), Eadie Was a Lady (1945), and Rustlers of the Badlands (1945).

She married and briefly relocated to New York before returning to Hollywood to work with RKO Pictures. It was there that studio head Howard Hughes asked her to change her name to something more exotic, leading to her new moniker—Carla Balenda.

Balenda starred alongside Gig Young in Hunt the Man Down (1950) and played prominent roles in films such as The Whip Hand (1951) with Elliott Reid, Outlaw Women (1952) with Marie Windsor, Prince of Pirates (1953) with John Derek, and Phantom Stallion (1954) with Slim Pickens.

In 1957, she reverted to using her birth name, Sally Bliss, and made guest appearances on TV series such as The Gray Ghost, The Real McCoys, The Rebel, Perry Mason, and Wagon Train. Balenda left her acting career in the 1960s and later focused on charitable work, specifically with a charity known as The Dolls.

Her personal life saw her married twice. She was first married to her high school sweetheart John Martin from 1944 until their divorce in 1959, and later to William Rutter, a publisher of law study guides, from 1965 until his death in 2012.

Balenda is survived by her children, Paul, Joanna, and Charles, as well as 13 grandchildren.

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