Charley Grapewin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Charles Ellsworth Grapewin (December 20, 1869 – February 2, 1956) was an American vaudeville performer, writer and a stage and silent and sound actor, and comedian who was best known for portraying Aunt Em's husband, Uncle Henry in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's The Wizard of Oz (1939) as well as Grandpa Joad in The Grapes of Wrath (1940) and Jeeter Lester in Tobacco Road (1941). He usually portrayed elderly folksy-type characters in a rustic setting, in all appearing in over 100 films. He was the oldest cast member of The Wizard of Oz. Born in Xenia, Ohio, Charles Ellsworth Grapewin ran away from home to be a circus acrobat which led him to work as an aerialist and trapeze artist in a traveling circus before turning to acting. He traveled all over the world with the famous P. T. Barnum circus. Grapewin also appeared in the original 1903 Broadway production of The Wizard of Oz, 36 years before he would appear in the famous Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film version. After this he continued in theatre, on and offstage, for the next thirty years, starting with various stock companies, and wrote stage plays as a vehicle for himself. His sole Broadway theatre credit was the short-lived play It's Up to You John Henry in 1905. Grapewin married actress Anna Chance (1875–1943) in 1896, and they remained a devoted couple until her death some 47 years later. Two years after his first wife's death, Grapewin married Loretta McGowan Becker on Jan 10, 1945. Grapewin began in silent films at the turn of the twentieth century. His very first films were two "moving image shorts" made by Frederick S. Armitage and released in November 1900; Chimmie Hicks at the Races (also known as Above the Limit) and Chimmie Hicks and the Rum Omelet, both shot in September and October 1900 and released in November of that year. During his long career, Grapewin appeared in more than one hundred films, including The Good Earth, The Grapes of Wrath, Tobacco Road, and in what is probably his best-remembered role: Uncle Henry in The Wizard of Oz. He also had a recurring role as Inspector Queen in the Ellery Queen film series of the early 1940s. Grapewin died of natural causes in Corona, California at age 86, and his ashes are interred with his wife's in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California, at the Great Mausoleum's Columbarium of Inspiration.
Known For
Credits
- 2000 · The Dark Side of the Rainbow as Uncle Henry (archive footage)
- 1995 · The Dark Side of Oz as Uncle Henry (archive footage)
- 1984 · Going Hollywood: The '30s as (archive footage)
- 1976 · That's Entertainment, Part II as (archive footage)
- 1964 · The Big Parade of Comedy as Mr. Bane in 'Libeled Lady' (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1951 · When I Grow Up as Grandpa Reed
- 1949 · Sand as Doug
- 1948 · The Enchanted Valley as Grandpa
- 1947 · Gunfighters as Rancher Inskip
- 1944 · Atlantic City as Jake Taylor
- 1944 · The Impatient Years as Benjamin L. Pidgeon, Bellboy
- 1944 · Follow the Boys as Nick West
- 1943 · Crash Dive as Pop
- 1942 · Enemy Agents Meet Ellery Queen as Inspector Richard Queen
- 1942 · A Desperate Chance for Ellery Queen as Insp. Queen
- 1942 · A Close Call for Ellery Queen as Insp. Queen
- 1941 · They Died with Their Boots On as California Joe
- 1941 · Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring as Insp. Queen
- 1941 · Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime as Insp. Queen
- 1941 · Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery as Insp. Queen
- 1941 · Tobacco Road as Jeeter Lester
- 1940 · The Texas Rangers Ride Again as Ben Caldwalder
- 1940 · Ellery Queen, Master Detective as Insp. Queen
- 1940 · Rhythm on the River as Uncle Caleb
- 1940 · Earthbound as Mr. Whimser
- 1940 · Johnny Apollo as Judge Emmett T. Brennan
- 1940 · The Grapes of Wrath as Grandpa Joad
- 1939 · Sabotage as Major Matt Grayson
- 1939 · Hero for a Day as Uncle Frank "Lucky" Higgins
- 1939 · Dust Be My Destiny as Pop
- 1939 · The Wizard of Oz as Uncle Henry
- 1939 · The Man Who Dared as Ulysses Porterfield
- 1939 · Sudden Money as Grandpa Casey Patterson
- 1939 · Burn 'Em Up O'Connor as Doc Heath
- 1939 · Stand Up and Fight as 'Old Puff'
- 1938 · Artists and Models Abroad as James Harper
- 1938 · Listen, Darling as Joe Higgins
- 1938 · Three Loves Has Nancy as Grandpa Briggs
- 1938 · Three Comrades as Local Doctor
- 1938 · The Girl of the Golden West as Uncle Davy
- 1938 · Of Human Hearts as Jim Meeker
- 1937 · The Bad Man of Brimstone as Barney Lane
- 1937 · Big City as Robert, the Mayor
- 1937 · Bad Guy as Dan Gray
- 1937 · Broadway Melody of 1938 as James K. Blakeley
- 1937 · Between Two Women as Dr. Webster
- 1937 · Captains Courageous as Uncle Salters
- 1937 · The Good Earth as Old Father
- 1937 · A Family Affair as Frank Redmond
- 1936 · Breakdowns of 1936 as Self
- 1936 · Sinner Take All as Aaron Lampier
- 1936 · Without Orders as J.P. Kendrick
- 1936 · Libeled Lady as Hollis Bane
- 1936 · Small Town Girl as Dr. Ned Fabre
- 1936 · The Voice of Bugle Ann as Cal Royster
- 1936 · The Petrified Forest as Gramp Maple
- 1935 · Ah, Wilderness! as Dave McComber
- 1935 · Rendezvous as Prof. Martin
- 1935 · King Solomon of Broadway as Uncle Winchester
- 1935 · Alice Adams as J. A. Lamb
- 1935 · Shanghai as Truesdale
- 1935 · One Frightened Night as Jasper Whyte
- 1935 · Party Wire as Will Oliver
- 1935 · Eight Bells as Grayson
- 1935 · In Spite of Danger as Pop Sullivan
- 1934 · Caravan as Notary
- 1934 · Anne of Green Gables as Dr. Tatum
- 1934 · The President Vanishes as Richard Norton
- 1934 · Judge Priest as Sergeant Jimmy Bagby
- 1934 · Return of the Terror as Jessup
- 1934 · The Loudspeaker as Pop Calloway
- 1934 · She Made Her Bed as Joe Olesen
- 1934 · The Quitter as Ed Tilford
- 1934 · Two Alone as Sandy Roberts
- 1933 · Hell and High Water as Peck Wealin
- 1933 · Female as Drunk at Hamburger Stand (Uncredited)
- 1933 · Wild Boys of the Road as Mr. Cadman (uncredited)
- 1933 · Torch Singer as Andrew 'Juddy' Judson
- 1933 · Beauty for Sale as Freddy Gordon
- 1933 · Turn Back the Clock as Dr. Henderson (uncredited)
- 1933 · Pilgrimage as Dad Saunders
- 1933 · Midnight Mary as Clerk
- 1933 · Don't Bet on Love as Patrick McCaffrey
- 1933 · Heroes for Sale as Pa Dennis
- 1933 · The Kiss Before the Mirror as Schultz
- 1933 · Hello, Everybody! as Jed
- 1932 · No Man of Her Own as George, a Concessions Clerk
- 1932 · Wild Horse Mesa as Sam Bass
- 1932 · The Night of June 13 as "Grandpop" Strawn (as Charles Grapewin)
- 1932 · American Madness as Mr. Jones (uncredited)
- 1932 · The Washington Masquerade as Senator Simmons (uncredited)
- 1932 · The Woman in Room 13 as Andy
- 1932 · Huddle as Doctor (uncredited)
- 1932 · Are You Listening? as Pierce
- 1932 · The Big Timer as Pop Baldwin
- 1932 · Hell's House as Henry Clark
- 1931 · For the Love of Fanny as Professor
- 1931 · Heaven on Earth as Doc Boax
- 1931 · Gold Dust Gertie as Nicholas Hautrey
- 1931 · The Millionaire as Ed Powers
- 1930 · Only Saps Work as Simeon Tanner
- 1900 · Above the Limit as Chimmie Hicks