Arthur Gordon Smith (March 23, 1899 – February 24, 1973) was an American stage, film, and television actor, best known for playing supporting roles in Hollywood productions of the 1940s.

Life and career

Born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, he was a member of the Group Theatre and performed in many of their productions, including '' Rocket to the Moon'', ''

Awake and Sing! ''Awake and Sing!'' is a drama written by American playwright Clifford Odets. The play was initially produced by The Group Theatre in 1935. Summary and characters The play is set in The Bronx borough of New York City, New York, in 1933. It con ...

'', '' Golden Boy'' and ''

Waiting for Lefty ''Waiting for Lefty'' is a 1935 play by the American playwright Clifford Odets; it was his first play to be produced. Consisting of a series of related vignettes, the entire play is framed by a meeting of cab drivers who are planning a labor ...

'', all by

Clifford Odets Clifford Odets (July 18, 1906 – August 14, 1963) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and actor. In the mid-1930s, he was widely seen as the potential successor to Nobel Prize-winning playwright Eugene O'Neill, as O'Neill began to withdra ...

; ''

House of Connelly ''The House of Connelly'' is a 1931 Broadway two-act drama written by Paul Green, produced by the Group Theatre in association with The Theatre Guild and staged by Lee Strasberg and Cheryl Crawford. It ran for 91 performances from September 28 ...

'' by Paul Green; and

Sidney Kingsley Sidney Kingsley (22 October 1906 – 20 March 1995) was an American dramatist. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play '' Men in White'' in 1934. Life and career Kingsley was born Sidney Kirschner in New York. He studied at ...

's '' Men in White.''Broadway IBDB
/ref> The gray-haired actor usually played studious and dignified types in films, such as doctors or butlers. Smith appeared in many noirish films, including '' Body and Soul'' (1947) and ''

In a Lonely Place ''In a Lonely Place'' is a 1950 American film noir directed by Nicholas Ray and starring Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame, produced for Bogart's Santana Productions. The script was written by Andrew P. Solt from Edmund H. North's adaptation o ...

'' (1950). He had a key role as a federal agent in 1947's ''

Ride the Pink Horse ''Ride the Pink Horse'' is a 1947 film noir crime film produced by Universal Studios. It was directed by Robert Montgomery, who also stars in it, from a screenplay by Ben Hecht and Charles Lederer, which was based on the 1946 novel of the s ...

'', starring and directed by Robert Montgomery. Two of these films, ''In a Lonely Place'' and ''Ride a Pink Horse'', were based on novels by

Dorothy B. Hughes Dorothy B. Hughes (August 10, 1904 May 6, 1993) was an American crime writer, literary critic, and historian. Hughes wrote fourteen crime and detective novels, primarily in the hardboiled and noir styles, and is best known for the novels ''In ...

. Smith was one of the victims of the

Hollywood blacklist The Hollywood blacklist was an entertainment industry blacklist, broader than just Hollywood, put in effect in the mid-20th century in the United States during the early years of the Cold War. The blacklist involved the practice of denying emplo ...

, which ended most of his film career in 1952. In 1957, he originated the role of Doc in the stage version of ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid-1 ...

.'' Smith only returned occasionally to the film business, for example in an uncredited part in ''

The Hustler ''The Hustler'' is a 1961 American sports romantic drama film directed by Robert Rossen from Walter Tevis's 1959 novel of the same name, adapted by Rossen and Sidney Carroll. It tells the story of small-time pool hustler "Fast Eddie" Felson a ...

''. He also worked on television before retiring in 1967. He died, aged 73, in Long Island, New York from a heart attack.

Broadway roles

* ''Broken Dishes'' (1929) - Sam Green * ''The

'' (1931) - Jesse Tate * '' Success Story'' (1932) - Marcus Turner * '' Night Over Taos'' - Captain Mumford * ''

'' (1935) and (1939) - Myron Berger * '' Men in White'' (1933) - Mr. Hudson * ''

Waiting For Lefty ''Waiting for Lefty'' is a 1935 play by the American playwright Clifford Odets; it was his first play to be produced. Consisting of a series of related vignettes, the entire play is framed by a meeting of cab drivers who are planning a labor ...

'' (1935) - henchman * '' Johnny Johnson'' (1936) - Sgt. Jackson, and as Doctor and as Brother Thomas * '' Golden Boy'' (1937) - Tokio * '' Rocket to the Moon'' (1938) - Phillip Cooper, D.D.S * ''

'' (1957) - Doc * '' All the Way Home'' (1960) - Father Jackson

Partial filmography

*'' Nancy Drew... Reporter'' (1939) *''

Education for Death ''Education for Death: The Making of the Nazi'' is an animated propaganda short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released on January 15, 1943, by RKO Radio Pictures, directed by Clyde Geronimi and principally animated by Milt Kahl, W ...

'' (1943, Short) - Narrator (voice) *''

Edge of Darkness ''Edge of Darkness'' is a British television drama serial produced by BBC Television in association with Lionheart Television International and originally broadcast in six 55-minute episodes in late 1985. A mixture of crime drama and politica ...

'' (1943) - Knut Osterholm *''

Appointment in Berlin ''Appointment in Berlin'' (also known as ''Assignment in Berlin'') is a 1943 American war drama film directed by Alfred E. Green and starring George Sanders, Marguerite Chapman and Onslow Stevens. The film's plot follows an R.A.F. officer who inf ...

'' (1943) - Dutch Pastor (uncredited) *''

Government Girl ''Government Girl'' is a 1943 American romantic-comedy film, produced and directed by Dudley Nichols and starring Olivia de Havilland and Sonny Tufts. Based on a story by Adela Rogers St. Johns, and written by Dudley Nichols and Budd Schulberg, t ...

'' (1943) - Macqueenie (uncredited) *''

None Shall Escape ''None Shall Escape'' is a 1944 war film. Even though the film was made during World War II, the setting is a post-war Nuremberg-style war crimes trial. Alexander Knox plays Wilhelm Grimm, a Nazi officer who is on trial, and the story unfolds th ...

'' (1944) - Stys *'' Uncertain Glory'' (1944) - Warden (uncredited) *''

The Black Parachute ''The Black Parachute'' is a 1944 American war film directed by Lew Landers and starring John Carradine, Osa Massen and Larry Parks. The ''Chicago Daily Tribune'' said the film had "an engrossing story and is graced by excellent acting - notabl ...

'' (1944) - Joseph - Guerilla (uncredited) *''

Mr. Winkle Goes to War ''Mr. Winkle Goes to War'' is a 1944 war comedy film starring Edward G. Robinson and Ruth Warrick, based on a novel by Theodore Pratt. Plot On June 1, 1942, after fourteen years working in a bank, mild-mannered 44-year-old Wilbert G. Winkle su ...

'' (1944) - McDavid, Head of McDavid's School for Boys (uncredited) *''

Youth Runs Wild ''Youth Runs Wild'' is a 1944 B movie directed by Mark Robson and starring Bonita Granville, Kent Smith, Jean Brooks, Glen Vernon and Vanessa Brown. The plot concerns inattentive parents and juvenile delinquency. The film was produced by Val Lewt ...

'' (1944) - Fred Hauser (uncredited) *'' None but the Lonely Heart'' (1944) - Mr. Marjoriebanks (uncredited) *'' A Tree Grows in Brooklyn'' (1945) - Charley (uncredited) *'' Framed'' (1947) - Desk Clerk (uncredited) *'' Brute Force'' (1947) - Dr. Walters *''

'' (1947) - Bill Retz *'' Body and Soul'' (1947) - David Davis (uncredited) *''

T-Men ''T-Men'' is a 1947 semidocumentary and police procedural style film noir about United States Treasury agents. The film was directed by Anthony Mann and shot by noted noir cameraman John Alton. The production features Dennis O'Keefe, Mary Mea ...

'' (1947) - Gregg *'' A Double Life'' (1947) - Wigmaker *'' Arch of Triumph'' (1948) - Inspector *'' Letter from an Unknown Woman'' (1948) - John *''

Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid ''Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid'' is a 1948 American romantic fantasy film directed by Irving Pichel starring William Powell and Ann Blyth in the title roles. The film was based on the 1945 novel ''Peabody's Mermaid'' by Guy and Constance Jones. ...

'' (1948) - Dr. Harvey *'' Angel in Exile'' (1948) - Emie Coons *''

Chicken Every Sunday ''Chicken Every Sunday'' is a 1949 American comedy film directed by George Seaton. The screenplay by Seaton and Valentine Davies is based on the 1944 play of the same title by Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein, which was based on the memo ...

'' (1949) - Mr. Johnson (uncredited) *'' Caught'' (1949) - Psychiatrist *''

South of St. Louis ''South of St Louis'' is a 1949 American Technicolor Western film directed by Ray Enright and starring Joel McCrea, Alexis Smith, Zachary Scott and Dorothy Malone. It chronicles the friendship between three ranchers after their ranch is destroy ...

'' (1949) - Bronco *'' Manhandled'' (1949) - Detective Lt. Bill Dawson *''

Red, Hot and Blue ''Red, Hot and Blue'' is a stage musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It premiered on Broadway in 1936 and introduced the popular song " It's De-Lovely," sung by Ethel Merman and Bob Hope. ...

'' (1949) - Laddie Corwin *'' Song of Surrender'' (1949) - Mr. Willis *''

Quicksand Quicksand is a colloid consisting of fine granular material (such as sand, silt or clay) and water. It forms in saturated loose sand when the sand is suddenly agitated. When water in the sand cannot escape, it creates a liquefied soil that los ...

'' (1950) - Mackey *''

'' (1950) - Mel Lippman *''

The Next Voice You Hear The Next Voice You Hear may refer to: *'' The Next Voice You Hear...'', a 1950 drama film *'' The Next Voice You Hear: The Best of Jackson Browne'', an album by Jackson Browne {{DEFAULTSORT:Next Voice You Hear, The ...

'' (1950) - Fred Brannan *''

South Sea Sinner ''South Sea Sinner'' is a 1950 American adventure film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone and starring Macdonald Carey and Shelley Winters. It is a remake of '' Seven Sinners'' (1940). Liberace has a small role. Plot A cafe owner on a South Sea i ...

'' (1950) - William Grayson *''

The Killer That Stalked New York ''The Killer That Stalked New York'' (also known as ''Frightened City'') is a 1950 American film noir directed by Earl McEvoy and starring Evelyn Keyes, Charles Korvin and William Bishop. The film, shot on location and in a semi-documentary styl ...

'' (1950) - Anthony Moss *'' The Sound of Fury'' (1950) - Hal Clendenning *''

The Painted Hills ''The Painted Hills'', also known as ''Lassie's Adventures in the Goldrush'', is a 1951 drama western film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and directed by Harold F. Kress. Adapted by True Boardman from Alexander Hull's novel ''Shep of t ...

'' (1951) - Pilot Pete *''

Half Angel Half Angel may refer to: * Half Angel (1951 film), a Technicolor comedy film * Half Angel (1936 film), an American comedy film {{dab ...

'' (1951) - Policeman Dan (uncredited) *'' Rose of Cimarron'' (1952) - Deacon *'' Just for You'' (1952) - Leo *''

'' (1961) - Old Man Attendant (uncredited) *''The Moving Finger'' (1963)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Art 1899 births 1973 deaths Male actors from Chicago American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Hollywood blacklist People from Long Island 20th-century American male actors