John Brown (actor)
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John Brown | |
|---|---|
 Publicity Photo of John Brown | |
| Born | April 4, 1904 |
| Died | May 16, 1957 (aged 53) Hollywood, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1932–1957 |
John Brown (April 4, 1904 – May 16, 1957) was a British actor.[1]
Radio[edit]
Brown had major roles in several popular radio shows: He was "John Doe" in the Texaco Star Theater's version of Fred Allen's Allen's Alley,[2] played Irma's love interest Al in My Friend Irma,[3] both "Gillis" and Digby "Digger" O'Dell in The Life of Riley,[4] (a role he reprised for the first incarnation of the television show), "Broadway" in The Damon Runyon Theatre,[5] and "Thorny" the neighbor on the radio version of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Perhaps his most memorable piece of work is the ‘Broadway’ role; once heard, many find it impossible to think of the narrator of Damon Runyon’s stories as anyone else. It was a measure of Brown’s talent that this quintessentially American character was portrayed by an Englishman.[6]
Film[edit]
Brown appeared in some notable films: as the inebriated professor in Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train (1951), The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951, uncredited), and The Wild One (1953); he supplied the voice of "Ro-Man" in the 1953 cult science fiction B-film Robot Monster.
Television[edit]
In early television, Brown was the second actor (after Hal March) to play "Harry Morton", the next-door neighbor of George Burns and Gracie Allen in their situation comedy show, opposite Bea Benaderet; his tenure on the series lasted six months, and he was replaced by Fred Clark in June 1951.
Personal life[edit]
In 1952, Brown was placed on the Hollywood blacklist.[7]
Death[edit]
Brown died of a heart attack on May 16, 1957, in West Hollywood, California, while en route to his doctor's office.[1][8]
Filmography[edit]
Radio[edit]
| Original Air Date | Program | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | Police Headquarters | ||
| 1932–1936 | Roses and Drums | ||
| 1935–1943 | Town Hall Tonight/The Fred Allen Show/Texaco Star Theatre | John Doe Various characters | |
| 1939 | Arch Oboler's Plays | ||
| 1940–1945 | Amanda of Honeymoon Hill | Mr. Lenord | |
| 1942 | Tillie the Toiler | Mr. Simpkins | |
| 1943–1949 | The Abbott and Costello Show | Travelling salesmen Police officers | |
| 1943 | Busy Mr. Bingle | Mr. Bingle | |
| 1943–1945 | The Jack Benny Program | Airplane Captain John Doe Various characters | |
| 1944 | This Is My Best "The Plot To Overthrow Christmas" | The Devil | |
| 1944 | The Burns and Allen Show | ||
| 1944–1945 | It's Time to Smile | ||
| 1945 | The Drene Show | ||
| 1944–1946 | The Charlotte Greenwood Show | William Anderson | |
| 1944–1950 | A Date with Judy | Dad | |
| 1944–1951 | The Life of Riley | Digby "Digger" O'Dell Gillis Additional voices | |
| 1945–1950 | The Saint | Inspector Fernack | |
| 1945–1952 | The Adventures of Maisie | Mr. Dorsey | |
| 1945–1954 | The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet | Thorny Thornberry | |
| 1946–1951 | A Day in the Life of Dennis Day | Mr. Willoughby | |
| 1947–1954 | My Friend Irma | Al | |
| 1948–1949 | The Damon Runyon Theatre | Broadway | |
| 1949 | Young Love | James Lewis' Dad | |
| 1952–1953 | December Bride | Various characters |
Films[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | Casanova Brown | Fire chief | Uncredited |
| 1945 | The Horn Blows at Midnight | Lew Poplinski – Waiter | Uncredited |
| 1945 | It's in the Bag! | Joe – Nightclub Doorman | Uncredited |
| 1946 | A Knight for a Day | Narrator[9] | Voice, Uncredited |
| 1946 | Make Mine Music | Umpire | Voice |
| 1946 | The Stranger | Passport Photographer | Uncredited |
| 1948 | Make Mine Freedom | People | Voice, Uncredited |
| 1949 | The Life of Riley | Digby "Digger" O'Dell | |
| 1949 | Winter Storage | Chip 'n' Dale | Voice, Uncredited |
| 1951 | Three Desperate Men | Fairwether | |
| 1951 | The Lemon Drop Kid | Minor Role | Uncredited |
| 1951 | Symphony in Slang | St. Peter The Hipster Noah Webster[9] | Voice |
| 1951 | Strangers on a Train | Professor Collins | |
| 1951 | The Day the Earth Stood Still | George Barley | Uncredited |
| 1952 | The Sniper | Wise | Uncredited |
| 1952 | Somebody Loves Me | Auto Salesman | Uncredited |
| 1952 | Something for the Birds | Mr. Lund | |
| 1952 | Hans Christian Andersen | Schoolmaster | |
| 1953 | That's My Pup | Spike[9] | Voice, uncredited |
| 1953 | T.V. of Tomorrow | Las Vegas Special Narrator "We’re getting a picture now" Narrator[9] | Voice, uncredited |
| 1953 | The Unicorn in the Garden | Husband Psychiatrist[9] | Voice |
| 1953 | Robot Monster | Ro-Man Great Guidance | Voice |
| 1953 | Crazylegs | Keller | |
| 1953 | Man Crazy | Mr. Duncan | |
| 1953 | The Bigamist | Dr. Wallace | Uncredited |
| 1953 | The Wild One | Bill Hannegan | |
| 1954 | The Farm of Tomorrow | Tomato Narrator[9] | Voice, uncredited |
| 1954 | Dixieland Droopy | Narrator Agent[9] | Voice, Uncredited, (final film role) |
Television[edit]
| Year | Program | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949–1950 | The Life of Riley | Digby "Digger" O'Dell | Was the only original cast member to join the television version |
| 1951 | I Love Lucy | Mr. Murdoch | "The Mustache" |
| 1951 | The Amos 'n Andy Show | The Loan Shark | "Leroy Lends a Hand" Uncredited |
| 1951 | The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show | Harry Morton | |
| 1952 | Biff Baker, U.S.A. | Mueller | "Counterfeit Plates" |
References[edit]
- ^ a b DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-2834-2. p. 43.
- ^ Buxton, Frank (1997). The Big Broadcast 1920–1950 2nd Edition. Scarecrow Press. p. 116. ISBN 978-0810829572. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
- ^ Gargiulo, Suzanne (2002). Hans Conreid: A Biography; With a Filmography and a Listing of Radio, Television, Stage and Voice Work. McFarland. p. 57. ISBN 978-0-7864-1338-6. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
- ^ "The Life of Riley". Museum of Broadcast Communications. Archived from the original on 11 February 2011. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
- ^ "The Damon Runyon Theatre". Digital Deli Too. Archived from the original on 27 January 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
- ^ Nachman, Gerald (1998). Raised on Radio, p. 247. Pantheon Books, New York. ISBN 037540287X.
- ^ "Reliving The Scare: Looking Back On 'Red Channels'". NPR.org.
- ^ "Digger O'Dell Dies". The Kansas City Times. Associated Press. 18 May 1957. p. 2. Retrieved 26 April 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g Scott, Keith (3 October 2022). Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 2. BearManor Media.
External links[edit]
- John Brown at IMDb
- John Brown at Find a Grave
- The Damon Runyon Theatre – audio files of the complete series, freely available at the Internet Archive
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