Charles Lane (January 26, 1905 – July 9, 2007)

This man was amazing…he was absolutely amazing. As far as character actors go this man set the standards… He began in films in 1923 in The White Sister and would go on to appear in hundreds of films as the years went by. Some of his more notable film appearances include You Can’t Take it With You, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Arsenic and Old Lace, The Farmer’s Daughter, Miss Grant Takes Richmond, It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, Strange Invaders and Murphy’s Romance. He had a recurring role as the coroner in the Ellery Queen films of the 1940’s… Television became his second home though and he appeared on just about every major and minor show you can name. Below is a brief list of his television credits it doesn’t even come close to being complete. “Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theatre” “I Love Lucy” “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show” “The Thin Man” “Perry Mason” “The Real McCoys” “Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse” “Fibber McGee and Molly” “The Twilight Zone” “The Untouchables” “The DuPont Show with June Allyson” “Dennis the Menace” “The Lucy Show” “77 Sunset Strip” “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis” “Make Room for Daddy” “The Andy Griffith Show” “The Bill Dana Show” “The Cara Williams Show” “The Donna Reed Show” “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies” “Honey West” “Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre” “Green Acres” “The Debbie Reynolds Show” “Maude” “Soap” “Lou Grant” “Little House on the Prairie” “St. Elsewhere” “L.A. Law” His final television role was on “Shannon’s Deal” in 1991 and his final film role was in The Night Before Christmas in 2006… To “Lucy” fans he is best remembered for being the strict disciplinarian that has no patients for her zany actions. He appeared on three of the redhead’s five television shows. He is also well known to fans of “Petticoat Junction” as Kate Bradley’s (Bea Benaderet) bitter rival Homer Bedloe… His career spanned more than eighty years and hundreds and hundreds of performances…he truly is a legend. On March 16, 2005, he was honored at the 3rd Annual TV Land Awards in recognition of his 100th birthday. He left us two years later… In Memoriam Remembers: Charles Lane

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Remembering the Cast of "Make Room for Daddy" / "The Danny Thomas Show" (583)

It was one of the longest running family sitcoms in television history.  Right there along side "I Love Lucy", "The Honeymooners", "Father Knows Best" and "My Little Margie" it was one of the most beloved programs of the day.  It began on ABC as "Make Room for Daddy" on September 29, 1953.  After 120 episodes the title changed to "The Danny Thomas Show" and in 1957 the program moved to CBS.  After a healthy eleven year run the show ended on April 27, 1964 after producing 351 episodes total.  In 1970 a majority of the cast returned for the show "Make Room for Granddaddy" which lasted from 1970 to 1971 producing 24 episodes.  The cast was headed up by Danny Thomas who played nightclub entertainer Danny Williams.  Jean Hagen played his wife Margaret, Rusty Hamer played his son Rusty and Sherry Jackson played his daughter Terry.  Jackson played Terry from 1953 to 1958 followed by Penny Parker who played the role from
Read more

Doris Packer (May 30, 1904 - March 31, 1979)

She began in New York on Broadway and then started appearing on radio. Some of her radio credits include "Henry Aldrich" and "Mr. & Mrs. North." When she became a widow in 1953 she relocated to California where she began appearing on film and on television. Her first film was Meet Me at the Fair. She also appeared in The Perils of Pauline in 1967. She is best remembered as Mrs. Cornelia Rayburn, Beaver's Principal on "Leave it to Beaver." She also had a recurring role on "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis." Her final film appearance was in Shampoo in 1975... Other Television Credits: "The Great Gildersleeve" "Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theatre" "The Bob Cummings Show" "The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show" "I Love Lucy" "Lux Video Theatre" "The Jack Benny Program" "The Thin Man" "Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse" "Maverick" &quo
Read more