Character Actor Hall of Fame: Charles Lane

Our next inductee as a member of the Character Actor Hall of Fame is being announced now, so that we may celebrate over the next few weeks. Charles Lane, film and television character actor for over 75 years, will turn 102 years old on January 26! Biographical information and more photos will be added to the post in the coming days and weeks. Happy Birthday to the screen's most beloved "skinflint"!

Return of the "Yessssssss..." Man

One of the great character actor actors of radio and television (he never really did much film work) was the late Frank Nelson. He is of course, best remembered as the man who forever annoyed Jack Benny in both his radio and television shows for over 35 years, with his elongated "Yessssssssssss". Ususally as a floorwalker, clerk, waiter, or some other officious role, Nelson would appear and gain some of the biggest laughs of the episode.

Born in Colorado Springs in 1911, and raised in Denver, Frank Nelson started out in radio in the late 1920s at KOA in Denver; he moved to Hollywood in 1929. He married actress Mary Lansing in 1933, and they had two children. While working on the Benny program in radio, he appeared on many other shows, including Lux Radio Theatre, Fibber McGee & Molly, Abbott & Costello, Baby Snooks, Blondie as well as hundreds of others. He joined Benny in the earliest days of television, but also found time to appear with Lucille Ball in several episodes of I Love Lucy (in the last season, he neighbor Ralph Ramsey), as well as doing numerous voice overs for animated series (such as The Flinstones and The Jetsons) and commercials.

He continued to appear with Benny until the comedian's weekly series went off the air in 1965, but he returned to do bits in a couple of Jack's tv specials in the early 1970s. He did several episodes of the hit 1970s tv series Sanford & Son, as well as appearing on screen in numerous tv commercials for McDonald's hamburgers. Frank Nelson was one of the most highly regarded actors in his profession due to his work off screen for the benefit of his fellow actors, He was one of the founders of the union American Federation of Radio Actors, as well as being the driving force behind their pension and welfare fund years later. He eventually divorced Ms. Lansing, and married fellow radio actor Veola Vonn in 1970; they were married until his death from cancer in September of 1986.

DVD this week

Out on Tuesday was the latest wave of Disney Treasures. Disney was a fan of character actors, and one of the live-action treasures out this week is from Disney's Mickey Mouse Club. "The Hardy Boys: Mystery of the Applegate Treasure" star Tim Considine and Tommy Kirk as Frank and Joe Hardy. But character actors abound, including Russ Conway as their father and Sarah Selby as their Aunt Gertrude in each of the more than two dozen episodes. You'll also find Robert Foulk, Arthur Shields, Jess Kirkpatrick, Mort Mills, Charles Cane, and as Silas Applegate, the wonderful Florenz Ames (above/right).
Ames was in vaudeville and later appeared on Broadway from the 1920s to the 1950s. He was Ellery Queen's father in the early 1950s tv series; he played Dagwood's boss Mr. Dithers, on the first Blondie tv series in the late 1950s; but I can find no credits for him after 1959. He was born in Rochester, New York in January 1883 and appeared in vaudeville with his wife Adelaide Winthrop. I also can't find any record of his death, so we have a bit of a mystery...whatever happened to Florenz Ames???

Obit

Unfortunately, there have been few deaths among the character actor ranks. Rudy Diaz, a former policeman turned actor died on December 5 at 88. He worked most often in television, doing mostly cop show and westerns.

Born in Wales in 1919, character actor Ivor Barry (at right) could be found playing butlers, chauffeurs, or stuffy Britishers. Mr. Barry died December 12 from heart failure. He had been retired a number of years, and was living at the Motion Picture House in Woodland Hills, California.

Also, veteran character actor Adam Williams (left) died on December 4 from lymphoma; he was 84. He appeared in many westerns, as well as classic films such as North by Northwest, The Big Heat, The Flying Leathernecks, and The Day the Earth Stood Still, among others.

Busy, busy, busy...

The time of year has kept me pretty busy lately. But here are several posts to try and catch me up with things from the last week or so.

George Chandler

You knew the face was George Chandler, you just couldn't place the name...
He was born in Waukegan, Illinois June 30, 1898. He went into vaudeville in 1919 billed as George Chandler, the Musical Nut. Chandler started in films in 1927 in a series of shorts called "Tenderfoot Thrillers" for Universal. Beginning with 1937's A Star is Born, he appeared in over 20 of famed director William Wellman's films. He is probably best remembered as Uncle Petrie in the Lassie television series. He succeeded Ronald Reagan as President of the Screen Actors Guild in 1960 and served until 1963. After losing his first wife, Catherine Ward in 1963, he married Helen Gutcheon in 1968. Due to the onset of Alzheimer's Disease in 1980, Chandler was forced to retire. He died June 10, 1985 from complications following cancer surgery.

The "Yessssssss Man"

Frank Nelson.

One of the reasons I've linked Mark Evanier's site to this weblog, is that he writes so much about the things I am interested in. Occasionally, various character actors are written about. This specific link is to a wonderful story he wrote about Frank Nelson, everyone's favorite "yessss... man". I'll write some biographical info on Mr. Nelson later, but first read Mark's story, originally published eleven years ago, it's real show business, through and through.

you know this face...

• He worked with W.C Fields in 1933.
• It's said he may have played more newspaper reporters in movies than any other actor.
• He was Uncle Petrie on tv's Lassie.
• His favorite director was William Wellman, and he appeared in nearly every film the director made.
• He was at one time, President of the Screen Actors Guild.
• His last role was in Disney's Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again in 1979.

                      What's the name to go with this familiar face?

Character Actor Hall of Fame: Percy Helton

• Born January 31, 1894 in New York City.
• Married to actress Edna Eustace from 1931, she was 18 years his junior. She died in 1976 at the age of 64. They had no children.
• Began his show business career while still an infant, appearing in his father Alf Helton's vaudeville act.
• As a child, he worked for famed producer David Belasco on Broadway just after the turn of the century. The great George M. Cohan used him in several plays.
• After service in WWI, and one report suggesting he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Mr. Helton returned to the stage and appeared in such Broadway productions as One Sunday Afternoon, In Love With Love, Ah, Wilderness!, To The Ladies, All the Comforts of Home, Young America and some 20 others up through the early 1940s.
• After playing a role that required him to scream for much of the play, Mr. Helton's voice became permanently hoarse, resulting in one of the most familiar voices in movies and television.
• In WWII, while too old to serve, he and his wife toured overseas to entertain the troops in such plays as The Front Page.
• In his spare time, Mr. Helton enjoyed Barbershop Quartet music and attended the famed Masquers Club in Hollywood, where he served for many years as 2nd Vice President. One of his close friends during the last 15 years of his life was fellow aged character actor Burt Mustin.
• Died September 11, 1971 in Hollywood, California from natural causes.
• Films of Percy Helton...
• DAY OF THE WOLVES 1973
  BUTCH CASSIDY & THE SUNDANCE KID 1969
  HEAD 1968
  BIG HAND FOR THE LITTLE LADY, A 1966
  DON'T WORRY, WE'LL THINK OF A TITLE 1966
  DEAR BRIGITTE 1965
  SONS OF KATIE ELDER, THE 1965
  ZEBRA IN THE KITCHEN 1965
  HUSH . . . HUSH, SWEET CHARLOTTE 1964
  4 FOR TEXAS 1963
  WHEELER DEALERS, THE 1963
  MUSIC MAN, THE 1962
  RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY 1962
  WHERE THE BOYS ARE 1960
  PROUD REBEL, THE 1958
  SHEEPMAN, THE 1958
  RALLY 'ROUND THE FLAG, BOYS! 1958
  GUNS DON'T ARGUE 1957
  JAILHOUSE ROCK 1957
  LOOKING FOR DANGER 1957
  PHANTOM STAGECOACH, THE 1957
  SHAKE, RATTLE, AND ROCK? 1957
  SPOOK CHASERS 1957
  THIS COULD BE THE NIGHT 1957
  BOSS, THE 1956
  FURY AT GUNSIGHT PASS 1956
  TERROR AT MIDNIGHT 1956
  CRASHOUT 1955
  DIANE 1955
  JAIL BUSTERS 1955
  KISS ME DEADLY 1955
  NO MAN'S WOMAN 1955
  TRIAL 1955
  ABOUT MRS. LESLIE 1954
  LUCKY ME 1954
  STAR IS BORN, A 1954
  20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA 1954
  WHITE CHRISTMAS 1954
  AFFAIRS OF DOBIE GILLIS 1953
  AMBUSH AT TOMAHAWK GAP 1953
  CALL ME MADAM 1953
  DOWN LAREDO WAY 1953
  HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE 1953
  RIDE, VAQUERO! 1953
  ROBE, THE 1953
  SCARED STIFF 1953
  STOOGE, THE 1953
  SHE'S BACK ON BROADWAY 1953
  WICKED WOMAN 1953
  BELLE OF NEW YORK, THE 1952
  GIRL IN EVERY PORT, A 1952
  I DREAM OF JEANIE 1952
  BAREFOOT MAILMAN, THE 1951
  CHAIN OF CIRCUMSTANCE 1951
  DARLING, HOW COULD YOU! 1951
  INSIDE SRAIGHT 1951
  NIGHT INTO MORNING 1951
  TALL TARGET 1951
  THREE GUYS NAMED MIKE 1951
  COPPER CANYON 1950
  CYRANO DE BERGERAC 1950
  FANCY PANTS 1950
  HARBOR OF MISSING MEN 1950
  LIFE OF HER OWN, A 1950
  RIDING HIGH 1950
  SECRET FURY, THE 1950
  SUN SETS AT DAWN, THE 1950
  UNDER MEXICALI STARS 1950
  WABASH AVENUE 1950
  ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE KOPS 1949
  CRISS CROSS 1949
  CROOKED WAY, THE 1949
  FREE FOR ALL 1949
  LUST FOR GOLD 1949
  MY FRIEND IRMA 1949
  RED, HOT AND BLUE 1949
  SET-UP, THE 1949
  THIEVES' HIGHWAY 1949
  CALL NORTHSIDE 777 1948
  CHICKEN EVERY SUNDAY 1948
  HAZARD 1948
  LARCENY 1948
  LET'S LIVE AGAIN 1948
  THAT WONDERFUL URGE 1948
  MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET 1947
  PRISONER OF SWING 1938
  DU BARRY DID ALL RIGHT 1937
  OFFENDERS, THE 1922
  INSINUATION 1922
  SILVER WINGS 1922
  FLOWER OF AITH, THE 1916
  FAIR AND THE WAIF, THE 1915

DVD this week

Out today on DVD are two completely different releases, but both with a wealth of character actors on view. CBS/Paramount has released the first season of tv's Mission: Impossible on a seven disc set; all of the episodes from the 1966-67 season are included. On view are such veteran character people as Harry Davis, William Keene, Albert Paulsen, Leonard Stone, Oscar Beregi, Cyril Delevanti (above right), Charles Maxwell, Nehemiah Persoff, Joseph Ruskin, David Fresco, Mark Lenard, Percy Rodrigues and Larry Gelman. And that's just the first 6 episodes !!

And for a taste of the classic character people of the 1930s, just released today is a fantastic box set of director Frank Capra's films. American Madness, You Can't Take it With You, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and It Happened One Night make for a real lesson in film making. Capra tended to use actors over and over again, and so we are able, in this one box set, to see multiple performances by the likes of Stanley Andrews, Arthur Hoyt, Irving Bacon (above left), Pierre Watkin, H.B. Warner, James Burke, and the one and only Charles Lane. The 'character stars' are in fine form as well, with Beulah Bondi, Eugene Pallette, William Demarest, Ward Bond, Douglass Dumbrille and others populating the screen. Lots of extras are included.

Obit

The passage of time has taken one of the most familiar faces of the 1950s-1980s period. It would probably be easier to list the television shows that Milton Selzer didn't appear in than the ones he did. Born in Lowell, Mass. in 1918, he attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and The New School in New York. After serving in World War II, he began appearing on the stage and in live television, doing such shows as Playhouse 90 and You Are There (where he once played Ghandi !). He and his wife Alice moved to California in 1960, where he became possibly the most prolific character player of the decade. He could do comedy (he was Professor Parker in several episodes of Get Smart); drama (The Defenders, The Untouchables, Hawaii Five-O); even westerns (Gunsmoke, Have Gun Will Travel, High Chaparral). He even found time to appear in a handful of films, such as Henry Fonda's A Big Hand for a Little Lady, and Steve McQueen's Cincinnati Kid. He continued to work into the mid-1990s, showing up on MacGyver, Walker Texas Ranger, Cagney & Lacey, and as a regular on the short-lived Famous Teddy Z. Mr. Selzer died October 21 of a stroke at St. John's Hospital after being retired for over a decade and living in Oxnard, California. His wife of 53 years and a son survive him.

Still Working...

It's nice to see some of the veteran character actors still working. In the last week, Billy Beck (below) was spotted as a blind man on ER. Michael Fairman (right) was seen as a doctor in an episode of Medium.

Charles Seel

You knew this face, but probably not the name. Charles Seel was born in the Bronx in April of 1897. He did some silent film work when films were still being made on the East Coast. He appeared in vaudeville with his wife Jeanne, whom he married in 1922. He went into radio in 1929 and moved to Hollywood in 1937. Television viewers remember him as Mr. Krinkie, the newspaper publisher in the town where Dennis the Menace lived. For many years he was Barney the telegrapher in Dodge City for the Gunsmoke series. Mr. Seel's wife died in 1964, but he continued to work until at least 1976. He died April 19, 1980 in Burbank, California, 10 days before his 83rd birthday.

Elizabeth Kerr

In the mention of St. Elsewhere arriving on DVD this week, we said Elizabeth Kerr was one of the many character people appearing in the first season. Elizabeth Kerr played Mindy's grandmother Cora in the 1970s sitcom Mork & Mindy. At last report, Ms. Kerr was still with us, aged 101, living with relatives in the Los Angeles area.

UPDATE: I'm afraid I have to update this post and admit I have second thoughts as to Ms. Kerr's whereabouts. I can find no reliable source that lists her current status, though it does seem unlikely that she is still living. I do believe current information on the Internet Movie Database is incorrect. If anyone knows whatever happened to Elizabeth Kerr... please let us know...

DVD this week

Some producers put good character actors to work better than others. In the early 1980s, the producers of tv's St. Elsewhere did a very good job of putting very good character actors to work. The first season of this landmark series arrived on DVD this past Tuesday from Fox. All of the episodes from the 1982-83 season are included on four discs. Just some of the great character people on view during this first season include James Hong, Robert Costanzo, Dick O'Neill, Pearl Shear, Peter Hobbs, Pat Corley, Alan Oppenheimer, and Elizabeth Kerr, all faces that you would know, even if you don't know the names. By the way, on what 1970s sitcom did Elizabeth Kerr play a grandmother?

You know this face...

You know this face, but what's the name?

• He ran the newspaper on tv's Dennis the Menace.
• He was Dodge City's telegrapher on Gunsmoke.
• He worked for famed director John Ford several times, including the films Sergeant Rutledge, The Horse Soldiers, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and Cheyenne Autumn.
• He even did an episode of Star Trek !

You know the face, but what's his name? And what else do you know about him?

Parley Baer

That's right, it's Parley Baer.

This veteran character actor was born in Salt Lake City, Utah in August 1914. One of his great loves (besides dramatic radio) was the circus, and he even owned one for a while. His wife Ernestine Clarke was a former circus performer. They were married from 1946 until her death in 2000. In an episode of tv's Streets of San Francisco, Parley played a circus ringmaster. The episode used Parley's own circus as the backdrop for the storyline. He estimated that between 1932 and 1962 he appeared on 15,000 radio shows. Parley called it "the most nearly perfect medium for an actor". He continued to work in film and television until a stroke took away his speech in 1997. He died of stroke complications in November of 2002, having been in show business for more than sixty years.

What are your favorite Parley Baer performances?

You know this face...

You know this face, but what's the name?

• He was the voice of Chester on the radio version of Gunsmoke.
• He was Darby, a friend of Ozzie & Harriet, on their television show in the 1950s and 1960s.
• For a while, he was the Mayor of Mayberry.
• He was the voice of the Keebler Elf in television commercials of the 1980s.

What's his name? And what else do you know about him?