Mel Welles (February 17, 1924 – August 19, 2005) was an American

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

and director. His best-remembered role may be that of hapless flower shop owner Gravis Mushnick in the 1960 low-budget

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is an American film director, producer, and actor. He has been called "The Pope of Pop Cinema" and is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are based on works t ...

dark comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

, ''

The Little Shop of Horrors ''The Little Shop of Horrors'' is a 1960 American horror comedy film directed by Roger Corman. Written by Charles B. Griffith, the film is a farce about an inadequate florist's assistant who cultivates a plant that feeds on human blood. The fi ...

''.

Life and career

Welles was born Ira W. Meltcher in the Bronx,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, son of Max and Sally Grichewsky Meltcher. He was raised in

Mount Carmel Mount Carmel ( he, הַר הַכַּרְמֶל, Har haKarmel; ar, جبل الكرمل, Jabal al-Karmil), also known in Arabic as Mount Mar Elias ( ar, link=no, جبل مار إلياس, Jabal Mār Ilyās, lit=Mount Saint Elias/Elijah), is a c ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

and graduated from Mt. Carmel High School, in 1940. He went on to receive a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree from

Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State became ...

, a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree from

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State Coll ...

, and a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. Welles held a number of jobs during his lifetime; at one time or another he worked as a clinical psychologist, radio DJ, television actor, writer and film director. He did some stage work before traveling to Hollywood, where in 1953 he appeared in his first film, ''

Appointment in Honduras ''Appointment in Honduras'' is a 1953 American adventure film directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Glenn Ford, Ann Sheridan, and Zachary Scott. Plot Taking place in 1910, during a fictional revolution in Honduras, Jim Corbett (Glenn For ...

''. His favorite role (''The Little Shop of Horrors'') was also his last in the U.S. for many years. In the early 1960s, he left the United States initially to make a film in Germany. After the producer was arrested he travelled to Rome to act, produce and direct mostly uncredited primarily in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

several film productions including the cult horror films ''

Maneater of Hydra ''Maneater of Hydra'' is a Spanish–German co-production released in 1967 directed by American expatriate Mel Welles. The alternate titles include ''La isla de la muerte'', ''Island of the Doomed'' and ''The Blood Suckers'' (U.K. title). The hor ...

'' (1967) and ''

Lady Frankenstein ''Lady Frankenstein'' is a 1971 Italian horror film directed by Mel Welles and written by Edward di Lorenzo. It stars Rosalba Neri (under the pseudonym Sara Bey), Joseph Cotten, Mickey Hargitay and Paul Müller. Plot Somewhere in Western-Ce ...

'' (1971). His fluency in five languages proved to be most helpful where he started a dubbing company that by his own estimate dubbed over 800 European made films.Paul, Louis ''Mel Welles Interview'' in ''Tales from the Cult film Trenches: Interviews with 36 Actors from Horror, Science Fiction and Exploitation Cinema'' McFarland 06/09/2007 He also served as a film consultant. Later, he returned to the U.S., appearing in a number of films, doing voice work, and teaching voice acting. Probably his most widely seen work in the late 1970s was his English adaptation of the Japanese television show, ''

Spectreman is a tokusatsu science fiction superhero television series. Produced by P Productions and created by producer Souji Ushio, the series aired on Fuji TV in Japan from January 2, 1971 to March 25, 1972 with a total of 63 episodes (divided into thre ...

'' which was seen on UHF and cable across the United States. While he shares writing credit with two other people, it's clear that most of the English voice work, and the offbeat humor, is his. Reportedly, Welles also wrote gag material for Lord Buckley at some point in his career. In 1998, Welles took to the stage in a community theater production of '' Little Shop of Horrors'' as Mushnik, the role he created in the original

film. Welles had never performed in the musical and was happy to be asked to do the role, which he described as a "mitzvah" for Scotts Valley Performing Arts.

Jonathan Haze Jonathan Haze (born Jack Schachter; April 1, 1929) is an American actor, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work in Roger Corman films, especially the 1960 black comedy cult classic, '' The Little Shop of Horrors'', in which he ...

, who played Seymour in the original film, attended the opening, and Welles also received a visit from Martin P. Robinson, the designer of the Audrey II plant puppets used in the off-Broadway production (Robinson is also famous for his puppetry on ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) a ...

''). Arguably his most remembered piece is the beat poem he wrote for the classic film '' High School Confidential'' (1958). Famously delivered by Phillipa Fallon, ''Dragsville'', has become a classic piece of literary and cinema history. Welles was working on a horror screenplay, tentatively titled ''House of a Hundred Horrors'', at the time of his death.

Filmography

*''

The Golden Blade ''The Golden Blade'' is a 1953 American adventure film directed by Nathan Juran and starring Rock Hudson as Harun Al-Rashid and Piper Laurie as Princess Khairuzan. It is set in ancient Bagdad and borrows from the Arabic fairy tales of ''One Thousa ...

'' (1953) .... Minor Role (uncredited) *''

Gun Fury ''Gun Fury'' is a 1953 3-D American Western crime film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Rock Hudson and Donna Reed, with major supporting roles for Philip Carey and Leo Gordon. The film is based on the novel ''Ten Against Caesar'' by Kath ...

'' (1953) .... Pete Barratto (uncredited) *''

'' (1953) .... Hidalgo (uncredited) *''

Jesse James vs. the Daltons ''Jesse James vs. the Daltons'' is a 1954 American 3-D Western film directed by William Castle and starring Brett King, Barbara Lawrence and James Griffith. It was produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures and was one of three films shot b ...

'' (1954) .... Lou - Deputy on Train (uncredited) *'' Yankee Pasha'' (1954) .... Servant (uncredited) *''

Massacre Canyon The Massacre Canyon battle took place in Nebraska on August 5, 1873 near the Republican River. It was one of the last hostilities between the Pawnee and the Sioux (or Lakota) and the last battle/massacre between Great Plains Indians in North Ame ...

'' (1954) .... Gonzáles *'' Pushover'' (1954) .... Detective (uncredited) *''

Bengal Brigade ''Bengal Brigade'' is a 1954 American adventure war film directed by Laslo Benedek and starring Rock Hudson, Arlene Dahl and Ursula Thiess. The film was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures, based on the 1952 novel ''Bengal Tigers'' by ...

'' (1954) .... Merchant (uncredited) *''

The Silver Chalice ''The Silver Chalice'' is a 1952 English language historical novel by Thomas B. Costain. It is the fictional story of the making of a silver chalice to hold the Holy Grail (itself here conflated with the Holy Chalice) and includes 1st century b ...

'' (1954) .... Marcos (uncredited) *''

The Racers ''The Racers'' is a 1955 film directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Kirk Douglas and Bella Darvi. The film is based on the book by Hans Ruesch entitled ''The Racer'', based on the life of Rudolf Caracciola.Automobile Quarterly 2005 "In 1953, 2 ...

'' (1955) .... Fiori (uncredited) *'' Pirates of Tripoli'' (1955) .... Gen. Tomedi *''

Wyoming Renegades ''Wyoming Renegades'' is a 1955 American Western film directed by Fred F. Sears and starring Philip Carey, Gene Evans and Martha Hyer.p.149 England, Jerry ''Reel Cowboys of the Santa Susanas'' Lulu.com, 01/06/2008 Plot The film opens with th ...

'' (1955) .... 'Whiskey' Pearson *'' Soldier of Fortune'' (1955) .... Fernand Rocha *''

Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy ''Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy'' is a 1955 American horror comedy film directed by Charles Lamont and starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. It is the 28th and final Abbott and Costello film produced by Universal-International. ...

'' (1955) .... Iben *''

Spy Chasers ''Spy Chasers'' is a 1955 American comedy film directed by Edward Bernds and starring the comedy team of The Bowery Boys. The film was released on July 31, 1955 by Allied Artists and is the thirty-eighth film in the series. Plot Princess Ann ...

'' (1955) .... Nick (uncredited) *''

The Big Knife ''The Big Knife'' is a 1955 melodrama directed and produced by Robert Aldrich from a screenplay by James Poe based on the 1949 play by Clifford Odets. The film stars Jack Palance, Ida Lupino, Wendell Corey, Jean Hagen, Rod Steiger, Shelley Winte ...

'' (1955) .... Mustached Party Guest (uncredited) *''

Duel on the Mississippi ''Duel on the Mississippi'' is a 1955 American Western film directed by William Castle and starring Lex Barker and Patricia Medina. Plot Andre Tulane (Barker), descendant of a plantation family in 1820 Louisiana, is bound to Lili Scarlet (Medi ...

'' (1955) .... Sheriff *'' Hold Back Tomorrow'' (1955) .... First Guard *'' Kismet'' (1955) .... Beggar (uncredited) *'' The Fighting Chance'' (1955) .... Al Moreno *''

Meet Me in Las Vegas ''Meet Me in Las Vegas'' (1956) is an MGM musical comedy produced by Joe Pasternak, directed by Roy Rowland, filmed in Eastman Color and CinemaScope, and starring Dan Dailey and Cyd Charisse. The screenplay is by Isobel Lennart, cinematograph ...

'' (1956) .... Roulette Player (uncredited) *'' Outside the Law'' (1956) .... Milo *''

Calling Homicide ''Calling Homicide'' is a 1956 American police drama film directed by Edward Bernds and starring Bill Elliott, Don Haggerty and Kathleen Case. The picture was the third of five films in the Lt. Andy Doyle series, all starring Elliott. Plot Whe ...

'' (1956) .... Valensi (uncredited) *''

Flight to Hong Kong ''Flight to Hong Kong'' is a 1956 American crime film noir directed by Joseph M. Newman and starring Rory Calhoun, Barbara Rush, Dolores Donlon. The film was co-produced by Newman's Sabre Productions and was the first of Rory Calhoun's Rorvic ...

'' (1956) .... Boris *''

Code of Silence A code of silence is a condition in effect when a person opts to withhold what is believed to be vital or important information voluntarily or involuntarily. The code of silence is usually followed because of threat of force or danger to onesel ...

'' (1957) *''

Attack of the Crab Monsters Attack may refer to: Warfare and combat * Offensive (military) * Charge (warfare) * Attack (fencing) * Strike (attack) * Attack (computing) * Attack aircraft Books and publishing * ''The Attack'' (novel), a book * ''Attack No. 1'', comic an ...

'' (1957) .... Jules Deveroux *''

Hold That Hypnotist ''Hold That Hypnotist'' is a 1957 American comedy film starring the comedy team of The Bowery Boys. The film was released on March 10, 1957 by Allied Artists and is the forty-fourth film in the series. Plot The Bowery Boys' landlady Mrs. Kelly b ...

'' (1957) .... Blackbeard *''

The Undead The Undead is an American horror punk band formed in 1980 in New York City's East Village by Bobby Steele (vocals and guitar), Chris "Jack" Natz (bass) and Patrick Blanck (drums). They were one of the pioneers in the New York hardcore scene. ...

'' (1957) .... Smolkin, the gravedigger *''

The Shadow on the Window ''The Shadow on the Window'' is a 1957 American film noir crime film directed by William Asher and starring Philip Carey, Betty Garrett and John Drew Barrymore.. The screenplay involves a boy (Jerry Mathers) who is traumatized after seeing his m ...

'' (1957) .... Polikoff (uncredited) *''

Rock All Night ''Rock All Night'' is a 1957 crime drama film produced and directed by Roger Corman. Distributed by American International Pictures, it is based on a 25-minute television episode of '' The Jane Wyman Show'' from 1955 called "The Little Guy." It s ...

'' (1957) .... Sir Bop *''

Designing Woman ''Designing Woman'' is a 1957 American Metrocolor romantic comedy film, in CinemaScope, about two young, whirlwind-romanced newlywed professionals and their misadventures in adjusting to each other's lifestyles. Vincente Minnelli directed the fi ...

'' (1957) .... Solly Horzmann (uncredited) *''

The 27th Day ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1957) .... Russian Marshal (uncredited) *''

Hell on Devil's Island ''Hell on Devil's Island'' is a 1957 American adventure film directed by Christian Nyby and written by Steven Ritch. The film stars Helmut Dantine, William Talman, Donna Martell, Jean Willes, Rex Ingram and Robert Cornthwaite. The film was re ...

'' (1957) .... Felix Molyneaux *''

Tip on a Dead Jockey ''Tip on a Dead Jockey'' is a 1957 American drama film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Robert Taylor and Dorothy Malone. It is based on ''The New Yorker'' 1954 short story by Irwin Shaw. Plot Phyllis Tredman is shocked when her husband ...

'' (1957) .... El Fuad (uncredited) *''

The Walter Winchell File ''The Walter Winchell File'' is a television crime drama series that initially aired from 1957 to 1958, dramatizing cases from the New York City Police Department that were covered in the ''New York Daily Mirror''. The series featured columnist an ...

'' ("The Bargain", 1958) .... Friend *''

The Brothers Karamazov ''The Brothers Karamazov'' (russian: Братья Карамазовы, ''Brat'ya Karamazovy'', ), also translated as ''The Karamazov Brothers'', is the last novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky spent nearly two years writing '' ...

'' (1958) .... Trifon Borissovitch *'' High School Confidential!'' (1958) .... Charlie O'Flair *'' Hakuja den'' (1958) .... The Wizard (English version, voice) *'' Cone of Silence'' (1960) .... Max Frankel *''

'' (1960) .... Mushnick *''

Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man ''Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man'' is a 1962 American adventure film directed by Martin Ritt based on Ernest Hemingway's semi-autobiographical character Nick Adams, and featuring Richard Beymer as Adams. A.E. Hotchner wrote the screenpl ...

'' (1962) .... Italian Sergeant (uncredited) *'' Lo Sceicco Rosso'' (1962) .... Hassan *''

The Reluctant Saint ''The Reluctant Saint'' is a 1962 American-Italian historical comedy drama film which tells the story of Joseph of Cupertino, a 17th-century Italian Conventual Franciscan friar and mystic honored as a saint by the Catholic Church. It stars M ...

'' (1962) *'' The Keeler Affair'' (1963) .... Yevgeni Ivanovich *''Un commerce tranquille'' (1964) .... Antonio *''

Panic Button A panic alarm is an electronic device that can easily be activated to request help during an emergency situation where danger to persons or property exists. It is designed to minimize time until assistance can arrive. A panic alarm is freque ...

'' (1964) *''

Our Man in Jamaica ''Our Man in Jamaica''/''Operation Jamaica'' ( it, A 001, operazione Giamaica) is a 1965 Italian Spanish German international co-production Eurospy adventure film directed by an uncredited Mel Welles. It was credited to for reasons of European ...

'' (1965, director) *''

The She Beast ''The She Beast'' is a 1966 horror film written and directed by Michael Reeves in his directorial debut. The film stars Barbara Steele, John Karlsen and Ian Ogilvy. Plot The film starts in Transylvania with an alcoholic, Count Von Helsing, r ...

'' (1966) .... Ladislav Groper *''

'' (1967, director) *''

The X from Outer Space is a 1967 Japanese science fiction '' kaiju'' film that was directed by Kazui Nihonmatsu and stars Eiji Okada and Toshiya Wazaki. Guilala returned in a 2008 Shochiku sequel of sorts called '' Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit''. Plot ...

'' (1967) .... Berman (English version, voice, uncredited) *'' Llaman de Jamaica, Mr. Ward'' (1968) *''

The Great Silence ''The Great Silence'' ( it, Il grande silenzio) is a 1968 revisionist Spaghetti Western film directed and co-written by Sergio Corbucci. An Italian-French co-production, the film stars Jean-Louis Trintignant, Klaus Kinski, Vonetta McGee (in ...

'' (1968) .... Henry Pollicut (English version, voice, uncredited) *'' Die Grosse Treibjagd'' (1968) .... (uncredited director and cameo) *''

Machine Gun McCain ''Machine Gun McCain'' ( it, Gli intoccabili, lit, "The Untouchables") is a 1969 English-language Italian crime film directed by Giuliano Montaldo and starring John Cassavetes, Britt Ekland, Peter Falk, Gabriele Ferzetti, and Florinda Bolkan. C ...

'' (1969) .... Duke Mazzanga (English version, voice, uncredited) *''

'' (1971, director) .... Tom (voice, uncredited) *''Cut-Throats Nine'' (1972) .... Ray (English version, voice, uncredited) *'' Amarcord'' (1973) .... Temperance / Walla (English version, voice, uncredited) *'' Joyride to Nowhere'' (1977) .... Tank McCall *''

Dr. Heckyl and Mr. Hype ''Dr. Heckyl and Mr. Hype'' is a 1980 American comedy-drama horror romance film directed by Charles B. Griffith, starring Oliver Reed and Sunny Johnson. Plot The film is a reversal of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 '' Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' ...

'' (1980) .... Dr. Vince Hinkle *''

Faeries A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, o ...

'' (1981) .... Trow / Hunter (voice) *'' Wolfen'' (1981) .... ESS Voice (voice) *''

Smokey Bites the Dust ''Smokey Bites the Dust'' is a 1981 car chase film from New World Pictures directed by Charles B. Griffith. Despite the title, the film is not connected to the ''Smokey and the Bandit'' series. Plot The stock plot deals with Roscoe Wilton (Jimmy ...

'' (1981) .... Abu Habib Bibubu *'' Body and Soul'' (1981) .... Joe Gillardi *''

The Last American Virgin ''The Last American Virgin'' is a 1982 American sex comedy film written and directed by Boaz Davidson. It is a remake of Davidson's 1978 Israeli film '' Eskimo Limon (Lemon Popsicle)''. After the success of the original film and its sequels in ...

'' (1982) .... Druggist *''

Homework Homework is a set of tasks assigned to students by their teachers to be completed outside the classroom. Common homework assignments may include required reading, a writing or typing project, mathematical exercises to be completed, informatio ...

'' (1982) .... Doctor *'' Chopping Mall'' (1986) .... Cook *'' Commando Squad'' (1987) .... Quintano *'' Invasion Earth: The Aliens Are Here'' (1988) .... Mr. Davar *''

Rented Lips ''Rented Lips'' is a 1988 satire comedy film directed by Robert Downey Sr., and starring his son Robert Downey Jr., as well as Martin Mull, Dick Shawn, and Jennifer Tilly. It was the final film appearance of Shawn, who died in 1987. Plot Archi ...

'' (1988) .... Milo *''

Wizards of the Lost Kingdom II ''Wizards of the Lost Kingdom II'' is a 1989 American sword and sorcery film written and directed by Charles B. Griffith and starring David Carradine, Mel Welles and Lana Clarkson. It was Griffith's last feature film credit and is a sequel to the ...

'' (1989) .... Caedmon *'' Raising Dead'' (2002) .... Police Dispatcher

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Welles, Mel 1924 births 2005 deaths Male actors from New York City American male film actors Film directors from New York City Columbia University alumni Pennsylvania State University alumni West Virginia University alumni 20th-century American male actors