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S
he arrived in Peoria in 1926
to become the new head
of the Bradley Polytechnic
peech Department. Few could
guess her career would lead
her to be one of America’s most
sought-after character actors,
appearing in hundreds of early
television shows and more than
32 movies.
Hope Summers was born in
Mattoon, Ill., in 1896. Her father,
Dr. John Summers, was the
town physician. He would later
relocate to Walla Walla, Wash.,
where he would be elected to the
United States Congress from 1919
to 1933.
Hope attended Northwestern
University and graduated in
1923 from the School of Speech.
Bradley Polytechnic hired the
fresh-faced young girl in 1926 to
head their speech department,
which was part of the Bradley
Conservatory of Music.
Living on her own for the first
time at 808 Bradley Avenue,
Hope enjoyed her teaching
duties, both on campus and
giving private acting lessons off
campus. She directed the 1926
Bradley play “The Romantic
Age.” But the acting bug soon
pulled Hope in.
Hope Summers volunteered
for Peoria Players, which at the
time held performances at the
Peoria’s Women’s Club second
story theater. She directed two
plays for the 1925-26 season:
“Mansions” by Hildegarde
Flanner and “Colombine” by
Colin Clements.
But then she was cast in the
lead role in the Peoria Players,
March 1926 production “R.U.R.”
by Karol Capek. The local
reviews were sensational. The
Peoria Transcript wrote, “I don’t
happen to think of any actress
at the current moment who
could have surpassed Miss Hope
The Past
10
thePeorian.com
Rifles, Pickles &
Rosemary’s Baby
The Fascinating Career of a Bradley Speech Teacher
By Dr. Peter J. Couri
Hope Summers
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)