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Roscoe Karns
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Roscoe Karns (September 7, 1891 – February 6, 1970) was an American actor who appeared in nearly 150 films between 1915 and 1964. He specialized in cynical, wise-cracking (and often tipsy) characters, and his rapid-fire delivery enlivened many comedies and crime thrillers in the 1930s and 1940s. Though he appeared in numerous silent films, such as Wings and Beggars of Life, his career didn't really take off until sound arrived. Arguably his best-known film role was the annoying bus passenger Oscar Shapeley, who tries to pick up Claudette Colbert in the Oscar-winning comedy It Happened One Night (1934), quickly followed by one of his best performances as the boozy press agent Owen O'Malley in Howard Hawks' Twentieth Century. (Six years later, he co-starred as one of the reporters in another Hawks classic, His Girl Friday.) In 1937, Paramount teamed him with Lynne Overman as a pair of laconic private eyes in two B comedy-mysteries, Murder Goes to College and Partners in Crime. From 1950 to 1954, Karns played the title role in the popular DuMont Television Network series Rocky King, Inside Detective. His son, character actor Todd Karns, also appeared in that series. From 1959 to 1962, Karns was cast as Admiral Walter Shafer in seventy-three of the ninety-five episodes of the CBS military sitcom/drama series, Hennesey, starring Jackie Cooper in the title role of a United States Navy physician, and Abby Dalton as nurse Martha Hale. His final film was another Hawks comedy, Man's Favorite Sport?, in 1964. Karns was born in San Bernardino, California, and died in Los Angeles. Description above from the Wikipedia article Roscoe Karns, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
Known For
Credits
- 1964 · Man's Favorite Sport? as Major Phipps
- 1962 · The Lucy Show as Mr. Foley
- 1959 · Hennesey as
- 1958 · Onionhead as 'Windy' Woods
- 1957 · Richard Diamond, Private Detective as Ed Church
- 1954 · December Bride as
- 1950 · Rocky King, Detective as Police Inspector Rocky King
- 1948 · Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven as Officer Carmody
- 1948 · The Inside Story as Eustace Peabody
- 1946 · Avalanche as Red Kelly
- 1944 · Hi, Good Lookin'! as Archie
- 1943 · Old Acquaintance as Charlie Archer
- 1943 · Riding High as Shorty
- 1943 · Stage Door Canteen as Roscoe Karns
- 1942 · Yokel Boy as Al Devers
- 1942 · Woman of the Year as Phil Whittaker
- 1941 · Footsteps in the Dark as Monahan
- 1941 · Petticoat Politics as Joe Higgins
- 1940 · They Drive by Night as Irish McGurn
- 1940 · Double Alibi as Jeremiah Jenkins
- 1940 · His Girl Friday as McCue
- 1939 · That's Right – You're Wrong as Mal Stamp
- 1939 · Everything's on Ice as Felix Miller
- 1939 · Dancing Co-Ed as Joe Drews
- 1938 · Thanks for the Memory as George Kent
- 1938 · You and Me as Cuffy
- 1938 · Tip-Off Girls as Tom Benson aka Tommy Logan
- 1938 · Dangerous to Know as Duncan
- 1937 · Night of Mystery as Sergeant Heath
- 1936 · Cain and Mabel as Reilly
- 1936 · Border Flight as Calico Smith
- 1936 · Woman Trap as Mopsy
- 1935 · Two-Fisted as Chick Moran
- 1935 · Front Page Woman as Toots O'Grady
- 1935 · Alibi Ike as Carey
- 1935 · The Woman in Red as Man in court room (uncredited)
- 1935 · Wings in the Dark as Nick Williams
- 1934 · I Sell Anything as Monk
- 1934 · Shoot the Works as Sailor Burke
- 1934 · Twentieth Century as Owen O'Malley
- 1934 · It Happened One Night as Oscar Shapeley
- 1933 · Alice in Wonderland as Tweedledee
- 1933 · One Sunday Afternoon as Snappy Downer
- 1933 · Gambling Ship as Blooey
- 1933 · Today We Live as McGinnis
- 1933 · Grand Slam as Contest Radio Announcer
- 1932 · Lawyer Man as Merritt - Reporter (uncredited)
- 1932 · Under-Cover Man as Dannie
- 1932 · If I Had a Million as Private O'Brien
- 1932 · Night After Night as Leo
- 1932 · One Way Passage as S.S. Maloa Bartender (uncredited)
- 1932 · The Crooked Circle as Harry Carter
- 1932 · Play Girl as Gambler (uncredited)
- 1932 · Stowaway as Insp. Redding
- 1931 · Laughing Sinners as Fred Geer
- 1930 · Man Trouble as Scott
- 1930 · Troopers Three as Bugs
- 1929 · The Jazz Singer as Agent (uncredited)
- 1928 · Beggars of Life as Lame Hoppy
- 1928 · Warming Up as Hippo
- 1928 · The Trail of '98 as Man on Ship (uncredited)
- 1927 · Wings as Lieutenant Cameron
- 1923 · The Ten Commandments as The Boy in the Rain (uncredited)
- Future · Inside Detective as
- 1948 · Speed to Spare as Kangaroo
- 1948 · Devil's Cargo as Lt. Hardy
- 1947 · That's My Man as Toby Gleeton
- 1947 · Vigilantes of Boomtown as Bill Delaney
- 1946 · I Ring Doorbells as Stubby
- 1946 · One Way to Love as Hobie Simmons
- 1944 · The Navy Way as Frankie Gimble
- 1944 · Minstrel Man as Lasses White
- 1943 · His Butler's Sister as Fields
- 1943 · My Son, The Hero as Big-Time Morgan
- 1942 · You Can't Escape Forever as 'Mac' McTurk
- 1942 · A Tragedy at Midnight as Cassidy
- 1941 · Road to Happiness as Charley Grady
- 1941 · Half Shot at Sunrise as Henry Warren
- 1941 · The Gay Vagabond as Arthur Dixon / Jerry Dixon
- 1941 · Black Eyes and Blues as Alfred Harmon
- 1940 · Meet the Missus as Joe Higgins
- 1940 · Ladies Must Live as Pete Larrabee
- 1940 · Saturday's Children as Willie Sands
- 1939 · King of Chinatown as Rep Harrigan
- 1938 · Scandal Street as Austin Brown
- 1937 · Partners in Crime as Sim Perkins
- 1937 · On Such a Night as Joe Flynn
- 1937 · Murder Goes to College as Sim Perkins
- 1937 · Clarence as Clarence Smith
- 1936 · Three Married Men as Peter Cary
- 1935 · Four Hours to Kill! as Johnson
- 1935 · Red Hot Tires as Bud Keene
- 1934 · Come On, Marines! as Spud McGurke
- 1933 · The Women in His Life as Aloysius Lester
- 1933 · A Lady's Profession as Tony
- 1932 · They Call It Sin as Brad - Rehearsal Director (uncredited)
- 1932 · Two Against the World as Segall, reporter
- 1932 · Week-End Marriage as Jim Davis
- 1932 · The Roadhouse Murder as Dale
- 1931 · Ladies of the Big House as Frank - Twenty Questions player (uncredited)
- 1931 · Left Over Ladies as 'Scoop'
- 1931 · Pleasure as Arnie
- 1931 · Many a Slip as Stan Price
- 1931 · Dirigible as Sock McGuire
- 1930 · The Gorilla as Simmons
- 1930 · The Costello Case as Blair
- 1930 · Little Accident as Gilbert
- 1930 · Safety in Numbers as Bertram Shapiro
- 1929 · New York Nights as Johnny Dolan
- 1929 · This Thing Called Love as Harry Bertrand
- 1929 · Copy as City Editor John Mack
- 1929 · The Flying Fleet as Shipwrecked Radio Operator (uncredited)
- 1928 · The Shopworn Angel as Dance Director
- 1928 · Jazz Mad as Sol Levy
- 1928 · Moran of the Marines as Swatty
- 1928 · Win That Girl as Johnny Norton II
- 1928 · The Vanishing Pioneer as Ray Hearn
- 1928 · The Desert Bride as Pvt. Terry
- 1928 · Beau Sabreur as Buddy
- 1927 · Ten Modern Commandments as Benny Burnaway
- 1926 · You'd Be Surprised as Party Guest
- 1924 · The Midnight Express as Switch Hogan
- 1923 · Other Men's Daughters as Hubert
- 1922 · The Trouper as
- 1922 · Her Own Money as Jerry Woodward
- 1920 · The Life of the Party as Sam Perkins
- 1920 · The Family Honor as Dal Tucker