 While in Peoria, Summers started giving private acting lessons and became involved as a volunteer, and soon a director, in local theatre.A regional actress who often performed in one-woman shows starting in the 1930s, Summers did not break into network television until her mid 50s, when she made her debut in 1951 on the soap opera "Hawkins Falls", broadcast from Chicago.While she had a few uncredited background roles in short films, she did not make her first Hollywood feature film until 1957, with a small credited role in "Zero Hour!