Happy Birthday Charles Lane !!

Well, one of the great character actors of all time, Mr. Charles Lane, turned 102 years old yesterday (Jan 26). No news yet on how Mr. Lane spent his birthday, but work continues on a documentary that is being done that was started shortly before he turned 100 in January of 2005. One might also note that Mr. Lane was born in San Francisco, and that he is also one of the few living survivors of the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906.

In an active film career that spanned 1932-1995, Mr. Lane stepped before a camera for more than 600 different productions, but is probably best known for some of his television roles. He was Homer Bedloe on the CBS-TV series Petticoat Junction during the 1960s. He was Lucy's boss Mr. Barnsdahl on the first season of her second series, The Lucy Show, from 1962-63. There aren't too many actors that can say they appeared on top rated series in the 1950s like I Love Lucy and Perry Mason, as well as top rated series in the 1970s and 80s like Soap, L.A. Law, Hunter, and others.

Mr. Lane is fond of his association with famed film director Frank Capra, having appeared in several of his films such as Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Mr. Dees Goes to Town, State of the Union, and It's a Wonderful Life. But he also appeared in films with the Marx Brothers, Abbott & Costello, Bob Hope, Jack Benny and Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy and he was in It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. He was in Blondie, Tarzan, and Ellery Queen movies. He had parts in classics like 42nd Street, In Old Chicago, Mighty Joe Young. He worked for the folks at Disney several times in such productions as The Gnome Mobile, The Ugly Dachshund, My Dog the Thief, and The Aristocats. The list goes on and on and on and on...

So, a happy, happy birthday to Charles Lane. More than 75 years in show business, and still everybody's favorite "mean, old, grouchy skinflint".

(photo at left was taken for his 100th birthday two years ago)

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.

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.