Alan Coe Bunce (June 28, 1900
– April 27, 1965) was an American radio and television actor.
Bunce was best remembered for playing the role of Albert Arbuckle alongside
Peg Lynch
Margaret Frances "Peg" Lynch (November 25, 1916 – July 24, 2015) was an American writer, actress, and creator of the radio and television sitcoms ''Ethel and Albert'', '' The Couple Next Door'', and ''The Little Things in Life''. She created, w ...
on the sitcom ''
Ethel and Albert
''Ethel and Albert'' (aka ''The Private Lives of Ethel and Albert'') was a radio and television comedy series about a married couple, Ethel and Albert Arbuckle, living in the small town of Sandy Harbor. Created by Peg Lynch (1916–2015), who scr ...
'' from 1944-50 on radio and from 1953-1956 on television. Bunce was also remembered as the first actor to portray physician Jerry Malone on radio's ''
Young Doctor Malone
''Young Doctor Malone'' (a.k.a. ''Young Dr. Malone'') is an American soap opera, created by Irna Phillips, which had a long run on radio and television from 1939 to 1963. The producer was Betty Corday (1912–1987), who also produced '' Pepper You ...
'' in the early 1940s.
Early life
Alan Coe Bunce was born on June 28, 1900 in
Westfield, New Jersey
Westfield is a town in Union County, New Jersey, United States, located southwest of Manhattan. As of the 2010 United States census, the town's population was 30,316,[Melrose, Massachusetts
Melrose is a city located in the Greater Boston metropolitan area in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Its population, per the 2020 United States Census, is 29,817. It is a suburb located approximately seven miles north of Boston. I ...]
in 1918.
Career
Bunce's career began in the early 1930s with small roles in several films and guest appearances on several radio programs. Bunce did not get household recognition until 1939 when he began playing the role of Dr. Jerry Malone, the young physician who dispensed prescriptions and advice to the folks of Three Oaks on the medical drama ''
Young Doctor Malone
''Young Doctor Malone'' (a.k.a. ''Young Dr. Malone'') is an American soap opera, created by Irna Phillips, which had a long run on radio and television from 1939 to 1963. The producer was Betty Corday (1912–1987), who also produced '' Pepper You ...
''. He left the program in 1944.
The same year Bunce left ''Young Doctor Malone'', he replaced film star
Richard Widmark
Richard Weedt Widmark (December 26, 1914March 24, 2008) was an American film, stage, and television actor and producer.
He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, '' Kiss of Death'' (1947) ...
in the role of working-class man Albert Arbuckle, the male lead on
Peg Lynch
Margaret Frances "Peg" Lynch (November 25, 1916 – July 24, 2015) was an American writer, actress, and creator of the radio and television sitcoms ''Ethel and Albert'', '' The Couple Next Door'', and ''The Little Things in Life''. She created, w ...
's ''
Ethel and Albert
''Ethel and Albert'' (aka ''The Private Lives of Ethel and Albert'') was a radio and television comedy series about a married couple, Ethel and Albert Arbuckle, living in the small town of Sandy Harbor. Created by Peg Lynch (1916–2015), who scr ...
''. Lynch played the female lead and Albert's wife Ethel Arbuckle. Bunce remained with the radio show for its entire six year run.
Bunce played New York State Governor Al Smith in "Sunrise at Campobello" about President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's early battle with polio and return to public life during the 1924 Democratic convention where Roosevelt walked ten steps to the podium and stood for 45 minutes to nominate the Governor for president.
Bunce broke into television in 1950 with a guest star appearance of the
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
anthology series ''
The Clock''. Bunce's "Albert Arbuckle" character also moved to television starting with appearances on ''The Kate Smith Hour'' beginning in 1952. This led to the premiere of the televised version of ''Ethel and Albert'' on NBC April 25, 1953. The show stayed on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
until Christmas Day, 1954. It moved to
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
on June 20, 1955 and stayed there until September 26, 1955 serving as a summer replacement for ''
December Bride
''December Bride'' is an American sitcom that aired on the CBS television network from 1954 to 1959. It was adapted from the original CBS radio network series of the same name that aired from June 1952 through September 1953.
Overview
''Dec ...
'' and ended its television life on ABC where it aired from October 14, 1955 – July 6, 1956.
Bunce was a ranking officer in the American Federation of Radio Artists, formed in 1937, and in 1952 was elected the first president of the newly formed, American Federation of Radio and Television Artists, after merging that same year with the Television Authority, until 1954.
In his later career, Bunce appeared on episodes of ''
Perry Mason
Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a cli ...
'', ''
The United States Steel Hour
''The United States Steel Hour'' is an anthology series which brought hour long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the U.S. Steel, United States Steel Corpor ...
'', ''
The Patty Duke Show
''The Patty Duke Show'' is an American television sitcom created by Sidney Sheldon and William Asher. The series ran on ABC from September 18, 1963, to April 27, 1966.
The series was developed as a vehicle for teenage star Patty Duke, who h ...
'' and ''
The Nurses''. His last appearance on television was on a 1965 episode of ''
The Defenders''.
Family
Bunce married Ruth Elizabeth Nugent (ca. 1902-1978), an actress, in 1924. Nugent was born in Ohio and was the daughter of
John Charles "J.C." Nugent and Grace Mary (née Fertig). J.C. Nugent was the father of actor
Elliott Nugent
Elliott Nugent (September 20, 1896 – August 9, 1980) was an American actor, playwright, writer, and film director.
Biography
Nugent was born in Dover, Ohio, the son of actor J.C. Nugent. He successfully made the transition from silent film ...
(1896-1980). Her father was an actor, as well as a playwright and commentator for ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
''.
J.C. Nugent profile
worldcat.org; accessed December 4, 2015.
Death
Bunce died on April 27, 1965 from an undisclosed cause at age 64. He is interred in Long Ridge Union Cemetery, Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...
.
Filmography
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bunce, Alan
1900 births
1965 deaths
American male radio actors
American male television actors
Male actors from New Jersey
Male actors from Boston
People from Melrose, Massachusetts
People from Westfield, New Jersey
20th-century American male actors
Presidents of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists