ann sothern (january 22, 1909 - march 15, 2001) was an american movie, stage and television series actress. she starred in a lot of radio and television shows. she began her career in the late 1920s, and it lasted less than sixty years. she acted in the sitcoms "private secretary" (1953-58) and "the ann sothern show" (1958-61). sothern was born in north dakota. she moved to idaho after she retired from acting. she died in idaho from heart failure.