While attending Pasadena City College, she worked in small theater groups in the Los Angeles area.

[2] After her appearance in an amateur Hollywood production of The Women caught the attention of agent Sid Gold,[3] she appeared on a number of television series, including the syndicated Johnny Midnight, Sheriff of Cochise, twice on Rod Cameron's State Trooper, and on the David Janssen crime drama Richard Diamond, Private Detective.

[2] Blake was cast in My Gun Is Quick, the film version of a Mike Hammer novel by Mickey Spillane.

In 1957, she appeared in the first episode of CBS's Perry Mason, "The Case of the Restless Redhead," in the title role of Evelyn Bagby, the defendant.

Also in 1957, Blake played Lilli Bridgeman, who hires a professional assassin to murder her husband, Les (Alan Hale Jr.), so she can marry a rival rancher, Kiley Rand (Don Megowan), in the episode "Hired Gun" of the ABC/Warner Bros. Western series Cheyenne, starring Clint Walker.

She appeared with Claude Akins in two 1959 episodes, "Cattle Drive" and "Border Incident," of the CBS Western The Texan, starring Rory Calhoun.

Blake guest-starred on Mike Connors' CBS detective series, Tightrope; the CBS sitcom, Pete and Gladys; and on the NBC Western series, Riverboat, starring Darren McGavin; and Overland Trail, with William Bendix and Doug McClure.

She performed the lead female dramatic role on the Route 66 TV series in a January 1960 episode (first season).

She also guest-starred on police drama TV series M Squad, starring Lee Marvin (Season 3, Episode 25).

In 1966, she appeared in the episode "Nice Day for a Hanging" of Chuck Connors' NBC Western series, Branded.

The sitcom ran for nine seasons on the CBS network and made household names of its stars: Bonnie Franklin, Mackenzie Phillips, Valerie Bertinelli, and Pat Harrington.