Live from the 19th Century

By Tom Vogt, Oct. 31, 2020

When I saw Clem Bevans earlier this month, he looked great for a guy who was born 141 years ago. Bevans played a bit part in a 1959 episode of "Maverick," one of the classic shows that are getting new lives on nostalgia TV channels.

Actors from television's rabbit-ears era like Bevans and Jane Darwell, born a day apart in 1879, now can be seen on high-def flat screens. In that "Maverick" episode, Bevans was credited as "old man." I started to wonder, "How old are some of these people, anyway?" I found dozens of TV actors who were born in the 1800s, including three who were on that one episode.

As the names piled up, I focused on people who were famous in their own right (Alfred Hitchcock), cast members of classic shows ("I Love Lucy"), actors who played enduring pop-culture characters (Commissioner Gordon) or were often cast as a "type" (old codger).

I don't actually watch most of the oldies shows I've listed, other than "Maverick" and an occasional "Star Trek." Thanks to internet data bases, however, it doesn't take too long for Google to expand your search horizons. And that is how I came across a trivia note:

Between 1961 and 1966, five of these actors died while working on a popular series. What was the show?

And here is something I noticed: Two of the people on this list won Academy Awards. Who are they? (If there are more, let me know.)

There is no significance to this TV topic, but there is a demographic note worth pointing out. The last surviving person born in the 1800s, Emma Morano, died more than three years ago. The 117-year-old Italian woman was born on Nov. 29, 1899, and died on April 15, 2017. But we will continue to see faces and hear voices from the 1800s as long as some TV channels continue to air Lucy, Andy and the Beaver. That could be a while.

TV PERFORMERS AND PERSONALITIES BORN IN THE 1800S

Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980) - The giant of cinema produced a classic TV show from 1955-1965 and also was an on-camera personality.

Neil Hamilton (1899-1984) - The "Batman" cast member is one of seven actors to play Commissioner Gordon on film or TV.

Hoagy Carmichael (1899-1981) - Composer of "Stardust" and "Georgia on My Mind," he was a regular on the first season of "Laramie."

Madge Blake (1899-1969) - A two-fer: She was Mrs. Mondello on "Leave it to Beaver" and Aunt Harriet on "Batman."

Joseph Hamilton (1899-1965) - He played several different Mayberry residents on "The Andy Griffith Show."

Moe Howard (1897-1975) - He led the trio of Stooges that made 190 comedy shorts from 1934 to 1957.

Hope Summers (1896-1979) - Summers was another "Andy Griffith" regular and had a recurring role on "The Rifleman."

Alan Mowbray (1896-1979) - The London native was a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild in 1933 and wrote a check to fund it. After more than 200 films, Mowbray transitioned to TV in the 1950s, as many of the people on this list did.

Ian Wolfe (1896-1992) - At age 85, he stole the show as Mrs. Carlson's butler, Hirsch, on "WKRP in Cincinnati." Wolfe is the only person on the list to live into the 1990s.

Bud Abbott (1895-1974) - Abbott was the straight man for Lou Costello in a comedy act that went from vaudeville to radio to film to television.

Shemp Howard (1895-1955) - He had two Stooge stints, sandwiched around a 14-year solo career.

Percy Helton (1894-1971) - He was a familiar face, but his breathless, squeaky falsetto voice was even more recognizable.

Will Wright (1894-1962) - His sagging face, drooping mustache and weary eyes were featured on several "Maverick" episodes. In a late-career recurring role, he played the richest man in Mayberry on "Andy Griffith."

Cheerio Meredith (1890-1964) - Another member of Mayberry ensemble, she played the town jaywalker.

Ray Collins (1889-1965) - Collins made his film debut in "Citizen Kane" as the political rival of the title character, but he is best remembered as Lt. Tragg on "Perry Mason."

Hank Patterson (1888-1975) - Patterson portrayed Fred Ziffel on both "Green Acres" and "Petticoat Junction." He pretty much played second banana to his pig, Arnold.

John Hamilton (1887-1958) - During filming of "Adventures of Superman," he started missing his lines. The producer put a script among all the paper on the desk so Hamilton could read his lines as editor Perry White.

William Frawley (1887-1966) - Another two-fer: Frawley is pretty much a TV immortal as Fred Mertz on "I Love Lucy." He also had a good run on "My Three Sons" as Bub O'Casey.

Reginald Owen (1887-1972) - A two-time "Maverick" guest star, Owen had a legendary performance as Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol" in 1938.

Leo G. Carroll (1886-1972) - He built his acting profile on six Hitchcock films, but I was more impressed with his performance as spymaster Alexander Waverly on "Man From U.N.C.L.E."

Dick Elliott (1886-1961) - A character actor with more than 240 film credits, Elliott capped his career with his role as mayor of Mayberry.

Ralph Moody (1886-1971) - He wasn't limited to Indian roles, but more than 30 of his characters had names like Wise Eagle, Gray Eagle, Red Hawk and Blue Cloud.

Burt Mustin (1884-1977) - He had a recurring role as Gus the fireman on "Leave it to Beaver" and made multiple appearances on "Gunsmoke" and "All in the Family."

Bud Osborne (1884-1964) - Osborne was a real a cowboy, and a member of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. Since he could handle a team of horses, he got a lot of stage-driver roles. One source says Osborne filmed more than 600 movies and TV episodes –most by any actor.

Joseph Crehan (1883-1966) - Crehan ended his career – which included nine portrayals of U.S. Grant – as a Mayberry councilman on "Andy Griffith."

Clem Bevans (1879-1963) - Bevans started his vaudeville career in 1900 and didn't make his film debut until 1935, when he was 55. He was pretty much locked into "old coot" roles, but he did get to play a killer on "Perry Mason."

Jane Darwell (1879-1967) - Darwell's film career started in 1913, and her finale came in 1964 as the Bird Woman in "Mary Poppins." She was frequently cast as a Mrs. or a Ma or a Grandma. One of those roles really paid off in 1940, when she won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress as Ma Joad in "The Grapes of Wrath."

... Which answers part of that trivia item. The other Oscar winner here is Hoagy Carmichael. With lyricist Johnny Mercer, he won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 1951 for "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening." (Alfred Hitchcock might have seemed like a good bet, but his six nominations didn't yield any Oscars.)

And the other trivia note? Hopefully, you noticed all the Mayberry folks on this list. Dick Elliott, Will Wright, Cheerio Meredith, Joseph Hamilton and Joseph Crehan all died during the production of "The Andy Griffith Show."