Gus Schilling
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Gus Schilling | |
|---|---|
 Schilling in Calendar Girl (1947) | |
| Born | August Schilling June 20, 1908 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | June 16, 1957 (aged 48) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1940–1957 |
| Partner | Betty Rowland |
August "Gus" Schilling (June 20, 1908 – June 16, 1957) was an American film actor who started in burlesque comedy and usually played nervous comic roles, often unbilled. A friend of Orson Welles, he appeared in five of the director's films — Citizen Kane (first screen performance), The Magnificent Ambersons, The Lady from Shanghai, Macbeth and Touch of Evil (final performance, released posthumously).[1]
Career[edit]
Born in New York City, Schilling had a rubber face and flustered gestures which made him a natural comedian and he began his career understudying comedy stars Bert Lahr and Joe Penner on Broadway. He soon became a favorite among burlesque comedians, who welcomed him into the burlesque profession. Schilling was in a relationship with burlesque star Betty Rowland and the couple toured in the Minsky burlesque troupe.[2]
Orson Welles saw Schilling in New York and followed him to Florida. There Welles hired Schilling to appear in a stage production featuring several Shakespearean scenes. "I learned my part by taking the script to Welles and having him translate the lines to everyday English," Schilling recalled in 1939. Welles promised Schilling a part in Welles's first motion picture, and kept his promise: Schilling is featured in Citizen Kane (1941).[3] This established Schilling in Hollywood movies as a "nervous" comedian (he plays a jittery symphony conductor in Olsen and Johnson's Hellzapoppin', for example). He also co-starred with character comedian Richard Lane in a series of 11 comedy shorts for Columbia Pictures; the series ran from 1945 to 1950.[4]
Personal life[edit]
In July 1945 Schilling was arrested in Hollywood on charges of possession of narcotics. At his trial he testified that he admitted ownership of the marijuana to save his wife from arrest. The all-woman jury acquitted Schilling on November 29.[5]
Schilling and Rowland were often reported as married, but Rowland later said that they never were.[2] His professional career remained successful, and he worked in movies and television throughout the 1950s. His final film, Welles's Touch of Evil, in which he has a brief uncredited appearance, was released in May 1958, nearly a year after his death.
On June 16, 1957, Schilling was found dead of an apparent heart attack in his Hollywood apartment.[6][7]
Filmography[edit]
- Pop Always Pays (1940) – City Dump Watchman (uncredited) (film debut)
- Mexican Spitfire Out West (1940) – Danny – Hotel Desk Clerk (uncredited)
- Dr. Kildare's Crisis (1940) – Orderly Cleaning Window (uncredited)
- Lucky Devils (1941) – Aloysius Grimshaw
- The Penalty (1941) – Parkins, Bank Teller (uncredited)
- The Flame of New Orleans (1941) – Couturier (uncredited)
- Citizen Kane (1941) – John, The Headwaiter / Screening Room Reporter
- The People vs. Dr. Kildare (1941) – Interne at Mike's (uncredited)
- Too Many Blondes (1941) – Elevator Operator
- Mystery Ship (1941) – Waiter (uncredited)
- Ice-Capades (1941) – Dave
- Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day (1941) – Leo Cobb – Orderly (uncredited)
- It Started with Eve (1941) – Raven
- Appointment for Love (1941) – Gus
- Hellzapoppin' (1941) – Orchestra conductor
- Dr. Kildare's Victory (1942) – Leo Cobb
- Broadway (1942) – Joe
- There's One Born Every Minute (1942) – Professor Asa Quisenberry
- The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) – Drug Clerk (uncredited)
- You Were Never Lovelier (1942) – Fernando
- Lady Bodyguard (1943) – Bughouse Sweeney
- The Amazing Mrs. Holliday (1943) – Jeff Adams
- Hi, Buddy (1943) – Downbeat Collins
- Chatterbox (1943) – Gillie
- Presenting Lily Mars (1943) – Scotty – Stage Manager (uncredited)
- Hers to Hold (1943) – Rosey Blake
- Larceny with Music (1943) – Austin J. Caldwell
- Sing a Jingle (1944) – Bucky
- It's a Pleasure (1945) – Bill Evans[8]
- See My Lawyer (1945) – J. Ambrose Winkler aka Winky
- River Gang (1945) – Jafar
- Dangerous Business (1946) – Alexander Pough
- Calendar Girl (1947) – Ed Gaskin
- Stork Bites Man (1947) – Hubert Butterfield
- The Lady from Shanghai (1947) – Goldie
- Macbeth (1948) – A Porter
- The Return of October (1948) – Benny (uncredited)
- Angel on the Amazon (1948) – Dean Hartley
- Bride for Sale (1949) – Timothy
- Our Very Own (1950) – Frank, TV Repairman
- Hit Parade of 1951 (1950) – Studio Guide
- Gasoline Alley (1951) – Joe Allen
- Honeychile (1951) – Window Washer
- On Dangerous Ground (1951) – Lucky
- One Big Affair (1952) – Mr. Rush
- Three for Bedroom "C" (1952) – Train Barber (uncredited)
- She Couldn't Say No (1954) – Ed Gruman
- Executive Suite (1954) – Newsstand Vendor (uncredited)
- Run for Cover (1955) – Doc Ridgeway
- Son of Sinbad (1955) – Jaffir (uncredited)
- Rebel Without a Cause (1955) – Attendant (uncredited)
- Willy (TV series, 1955) – Pincus in episode "Franklin's Shoe Business"
- Glory (1956) – Joe Page
- Bigger Than Life (1956) – Druggist (uncredited)
- Touch of Evil (1958) – Eddie Farnham (uncredited) [9]
References[edit]
- ^ Churchill, Douglas W. "Screen News Here and in Hollywood / Gus Schilling First Choice for Role in Welles–RKO Film, 'Heart of Darkness'" (The New York Times, August 31, 1939, p.14)
- ^ a b Green, Penelope (June 29, 2022). "Betty Rowland, One of Burlesque's Last Queens, Dies at 106". The New York Times. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
- ^ Delmont, Jim (November 2, 1998). "Orson Welles Should Be Smiling Now". Omaha World-Herald. p. 33.
Welles was obviously having a good time directing, pulling into minor roles some old buddies, including...Gus Schilling (a veteran of Welles' "Citizen Kane," "Ambersons" and "The Lady From Shanghai")
- ^ Special to the New York Times. "Grofe Will Write Music for Films" (The New York Times, July 18, 1945, p.21)
- ^ "Heiress Has Baby Daughter". Los Angeles Times. November 29, 1945. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
Gus Schilling, actor-husband of Betty Rowland, burlesque's "Ball of Fire," was found innocent of charges of possessing narcotics yesterday by an all...
- ^ "Gus Schilling, Comedian, Dies in Home". Los Angeles Times. June 17, 1957. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
Comedian August Gus Schilling 49 was found dead apparently of a heart attack yesterday morning in his apartment
- ^ Special to The New York Times. "August E. Schilling" (The New York Times, June 17, 1957, p.23)
- ^ "Of Local Origin / "At the Palace the newcomer will be It's a Pleasure, a Sonia Henie starring vehicle produced by International Pictures for RKO release. Michael O'Shea, Marie McDonald, Bill Johnson and Gus Schilling are featured…" (The New York Times, May 3, 1945, p.26)
- ^ French, Philip (October 6, 1996). "The week in reviews". The Observer. p. 11.
For this his final Hollywood picture, Welles cast four actors from Citizen Kane, two of them (Joseph Cotten and Gus Schilling) unbilled
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