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She appeared twice each on ''The Donna Reed Show,'' ''Thriller,''<ref name=imdb/> ''Wagon Train,'' ''Bonanza,'' and ''The Rebel,'' starring Nick Adams, whom she twice dated.<ref name=silverscreen/> Adams introduced her to Natalie Wood (1938-1981) who encouraged Sturgess in the pursuit of her acting career. In ''The Rebel'' episode "The Pit," Sturgess volunteered her real life nephew, Leonard Sturgess, for the part of a six-month-old baby needed in the script.<ref name=wclippings/>On one of her ''Wagon Train'' episodes, "Wagons Ho!" (September 28, 1960), an NBC season premiere, she and Mickey Rooney were cast as a young married couple, Samuel T. and Melanie Evans, with Ellen Corby as Aunt 'Em.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0743292/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_24|title=Wagons Ho!|date=September 28, 1960|publisher=Internet Movie Data Base|accessdate=January 28, 2021}}</ref>Sturgess had to wear the lowest of heels so as not to tower over Rooney. Her experience with the short Rooney was the opposite of the 6'4" Clint Walker in ''Cheyenne,'' ''Wagon Train'' star Ward Bond, who died a few weeks after the airing of "Wagons Ho!", was in her words "hard to get to know but good to work with."<ref name=wclippings>{{cite web|url=http://www.westernclippings.com/interview/olivesturgess_interview.shtml|title=Olive Sturgess|author=Mike Fitzgerald|publisher=westernclippings.com|accessdate=January 28, 2021}}</ref>On ''Bonanza'' Sturgess found Dan Blocker, who played Eric "Hoss" Cartwright, had "terrible language, foul language — it just came out!"<ref name=wclippings/>

She appeared twice each on ''The Donna Reed Show,'' ''Thriller,''<ref name=imdb/> ''Wagon Train,'' ''Bonanza,'' and ''The Rebel,'' starring Nick Adams, whom she twice dated.<ref name=silverscreen/> Adams introduced her to Natalie Wood (1938-1981) who encouraged Sturgess in the pursuit of her acting career. In ''The Rebel'' episode "The Pit," Sturgess volunteered her real life nephew, Leonard Sturgess, for the part of a six-month-old baby needed in the script.<ref name=wclippings/>On one of her ''Wagon Train'' episodes, "Wagons Ho!" (September 28, 1960), an NBC season premiere, she and Mickey Rooney were cast as a young married couple, Samuel T. and Melanie Evans, with Ellen Corby as Aunt 'Em.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0743292/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_24|title=Wagons Ho!|date=September 28, 1960|publisher=Internet Movie Data Base|accessdate=January 28, 2021}}</ref>Sturgess had to wear the lowest of heels so as not to tower over Rooney. Her experience with the short Rooney was the opposite of the 6'4" Clint Walker in ''Cheyenne,'' ''Wagon Train'' star Ward Bond, who died a few weeks after the airing of "Wagons Ho!", was in her words "hard to get to know but good to work with."<ref name=wclippings>{{cite web|url=http://www.westernclippings.com/interview/olivesturgess_interview.shtml|title=Olive Sturgess|author=Mike Fitzgerald|publisher=westernclippings.com|accessdate=January 28, 2021}}</ref>On ''Bonanza'' Sturgess found Dan Blocker, who played Eric "Hoss" Cartwright, had "terrible language, foul language — it just came out!"<ref name=wclippings/>

   

   

In 1959, she portrayed Mary MacNamara in the episode of the same name in the NBC children's western series set in a fictitious [[Montana]] town, ''Buckskin,'' with [[Tom Nolan (actor)|Tom Nolan]]. She guest-starred too in the ABC western series, ''Destry'' with John Gavin (1931-2018), whom Sturgess noted later went into [[Republican Party|Republican]] politics: "He was interesting. Such a handsome man!"<ref name=wclippings/> She was cast too on NBC's ''Laramie,'' ''[[The Man and the Challenge]],'' ''[[Outlaws (TV series)|Outlaws]],'' ''The Wide Country,'' ''The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.,'' and ''The Virginian,'' and CBS's ''Rawhide,'' ''Have Gun - Will Travel,'' ''The Texan,'' ''General Electric Theater,'' hosted by [[Ronald W. Reagan]], and the detective series, ''Checkmate,'' as Felice O'Neill in the 1962 episode, "Brooding Fixation."<ref name=imdb/>Sturgess describe Earl Holliman of ''The Wide Country,'' a western drama about [[rodeo]] riders, as "such a good actor — a very down to earth person. That’s why he goes on and on!”<ref name=wclippings/>

In 1959, she portrayed Mary MacNamara in the episode of the same name in the NBC children's western series set in a fictitious [[Montana]] town, ''Buckskin,'' with [[Tom Nolan (actor)|Tom Nolan]]. She guest-starred too in the ABC western series, ''Destry'' with John Gavin (1931-2018), whom Sturgess noted later went into [[Republican Party|Republican]] politics: "He was interesting. Such a handsome man!"<ref name=wclippings/> She was cast too on NBC's ''Laramie,'' ''[[The Man and the Challenge]],'' ''[[Outlaws (TV series)|Outlaws]],'' ''The Wide Country,'' ''The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.,'' and ''The Virginian,'' and CBS's ''Rawhide,'' ''Have Gun - Will Travel,'' ''The Texan,'' ''General Electric Theater,'' hosted by [[Ronald W. Reagan]], and the detective series, ''Checkmate,'' as Felice O'Neill in the 1962 episode, "Brooding Fixation."<ref name=imdb/>Sturgess describe Earl Holliman of ''The Wide Country,'' a western drama about rodeo riders, as "such a good actor — a very down to earth person. That’s why he goes on and on!”<ref name=wclippings/>

Three times in 1960 and 1961, Sturgess was cast as May McBean on NBC's ''The Tall Man,'' with Barry Sullivan and Clu Gulager; May is one of the daughters of the crusty Pa McBean, played by Andy Clyde. She played Allie in the 1961 episode "Big Game Hunter"  of the short-lived CBS sitcom, ''Bringing Up Buddy,'' starring Frank Aletter in the title role; Diana Masters in "Shy Alfie" of CBS's ''The Danny Thomas Show,'' and Elsie Barton in "Race Against the Stork" on CBS's ''Petticoat Junction.''.<ref name=imdb/>

Three times in 1960 and 1961, Sturgess was cast as May McBean on NBC's ''The Tall Man,'' with Barry Sullivan and Clu Gulager; May is one of the daughters of the crusty Pa McBean, played by Andy Clyde. She played Allie in the 1961 episode "Big Game Hunter"  of the short-lived CBS sitcom, ''Bringing Up Buddy,'' starring Frank Aletter in the title role; Diana Masters in "Shy Alfie" of CBS's ''The Danny Thomas Show,'' and Elsie Barton in "Race Against the Stork" on CBS's ''Petticoat Junction.''.<ref name=imdb/>