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.
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.
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 SONSOF 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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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...
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You knew the face was George Chandler, you just couldn't place the name...
