Sidney Meltzer (May 22, 1917 – November 2, 2011), known professionally as Sid Melton, was an American actor. He played the roles of incompetent carpenter Alf Monroe in the

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 ...

sitcom '' Green Acres'' and Uncle Charlie Halper, proprietor of the Copa Club, in ''

The Danny Thomas Show ''The Danny Thomas Show'' (titled ''Make Room for Daddy'' for its first three seasons) is an American sitcom that ran from 1953 to 1957 on ABC and from 1957 to 1964 on CBS. Starring Danny Thomas as a successful night club entertainer, the show f ...

'' and its spin-offs. He appeared in about 140 film and television projects in a career that spanned nearly 60 years. Among his most famous films were ''

Lost Continent Lost lands are islands or continents believed by some to have existed during pre-history, but to have since disappeared as a result of catastrophic geological phenomena. Legends of lost lands often originated as scholarly or scientific theor ...

'' with

Cesar Romero Cesar Julio Romero Jr. (February 15, 1907 – January 1, 1994) was an American actor and activist. He was active in film, radio, and television for almost sixty years. His wide range of screen roles included Latin lovers, historical figures in c ...

, ''

The Steel Helmet ''The Steel Helmet'' is a 1951 American war film directed, written, and produced by Samuel Fuller during the Korean War. The cast stars Gene Evans, Robert Hutton, Steve Brodie, James Edwards, and Richard Loo. It was the first American film abo ...

'' with

Gene Evans Eugene Barton Evans (July 11, 1922 – April 1, 1998) was an American actor who appeared in numerous television series, television films, and feature films between 1947 and 1989. Background Evans was born in Holbrook, Arizona and raised i ...

and Robert Hutton, ''

The Lemon Drop Kid ''The Lemon Drop Kid'' is a 1951 American comedy film based on the short story of the same name by Damon Runyon, starring Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell. Although Sidney Lanfield is credited as the director, Frank Tashlin reportedly was hired, u ...

'' with

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with 5 ...

, and '' Lady Sings The Blues'' with

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

and

Billy Dee Williams William December Williams Jr. (born April 6, 1937) is an American actor. He appeared as Lando Calrissian in the '' Star Wars'' franchise, first in the early 1980s for ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) and ''Return of the Jedi'' (1983), and thir ...

. He was a regular on ''

'' and '' Green Acres'', and appeared in flashback on several episodes of ''

The Golden Girls ''The Golden Girls'' is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris that aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning seven seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Bea Arthur, Betty White ...

'' as Salvadore Petrillo, the long-dead husband of Sophia (played by

Estelle Getty Estelle Gettleman (née Scher; July 25, 1923 – July 22, 2008), known professionally as Estelle Getty, was an American actress and comedian best known for her portrayal of Sophia Petrillo on ''The Golden Girls'' (1985–92), for which she won ...

) and father of Dorothy (played by

Beatrice Arthur Beatrice Arthur (born Bernice Frankel; May 13, 1922 – April 25, 2009) was an American actress and comedian. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, Arthur began her career on stage in 1947, attracting critical acclaim before achieving ...

). accessed February 20, 2014.

Early life and family

Sidney Meltzer was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

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 ...

, New York. His father was Isidor Meltzer, a

Yiddish theater Yiddish theatre consists of plays written and performed primarily by Jews in Yiddish, the language of the Central European Ashkenazi Jewish community. The range of Yiddish theatre is broad: operetta, musical comedy, and satiric or nostalgic revu ...

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...

. His brother Lewis Meltzer became a screenwriter. Sid was known for his short stature, .

Career

Sid Melton made his stage debut in a 1939 touring production of ''See My Lawyer''. Sid's brother Lewis was a screenplay writer in Hollywood and had connections "in the industry," which led to Sid being cast as Fingers in ''

Shadow of the Thin Man ''Shadow of the Thin Man'' is the fourth of six ''The Thin Man'' murder mystery comedy films. It was released by MGM in 1941 and was directed by W. S. Van Dyke. It stars William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles. Also, in this fil ...

''. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Melton entertained American soldiers overseas. Sid met screenwriter Aubrey Wisberg, who arranged for him to have a part in his ''

Treasure of Monte Cristo ''Treasure of Monte Cristo'' is a 1949 American film noir crime film directed by William Berke and starring Glenn Langan, Adele Jergens and Steve Brodie. Plot A descendant of Edmond Dantès finds himself framed for a crime he did not commit. ...

'' for

Robert Lippert Robert Lenard Lippert (March 31, 1909 – November 16, 1976) was an American film producer and cinema chain owner. He was president and chief operating officer of Lippert Theatres, Affiliated Theatres and Transcontinental Theatres, all based in ...

. This was his first film after signing his first Hollywood contract with

Lippert Pictures Lippert Pictures was an American film production and distribution company controlled by Robert L. Lippert. History Robert L. Lippert (1909-1976) was a successful exhibitor, owning a chain of movie theaters in California and Oregon. He was frustrate ...

in 1949. The studio churned out low-budget films, most of them made in less than a week, and Melton was the

comic relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...

in dozens of them, including ''Mask of the Dragon'' and ''

''. Other movies included '' On the Town'', ''

The Geisha Boy ''The Geisha Boy'' is a 1958 American comedy film starring Jerry Lewis, distributed by Paramount Pictures. Filmed from June 16 to August 7, 1958, it had its first screening in New York City on December 19, 1958. This motion picture featured th ...

'', ''

The Tunnel of Love ''The Tunnel of Love'' is a 1958 romantic comedy film directed by Gene Kelly and starring Doris Day and Richard Widmark. The film follows a married suburban couple who, for reasons unknown, are unable to conceive a child and soon endure endless ...

'', and ''

Blondie Goes to College ''Blondie Goes to College'' is a 1942 American comedy film directed by Frank R. Strayer. The film is a part of the ''Blondie'' series, starring Penny Singleton in the title role. It is the tenth of twenty-eight Blondie movies starring Penny Sing ...

''. He appeared in two

, ''

'' and ''

Radar Secret Service ''Radar Secret Service'' is a 1950 action film starring John Howard, produced by Barney A. Sarecky and directed by Sam Newfield. The film was featured on the American television show ''Mystery Science Theater 3000''. Plot In the post-World War T ...

'', later featured on ''

Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy film review television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. ...

'', whose hosts gave Melton the nickname "Monkey Boy" due to his comedy relief antics. Melton appeared three times as Harry Cooper in the 1955–56 sitcom ''

It's Always Jan ''It's Always Jan'' is an American situation comedy that aired on CBS during the 1955-1956 television season. The series stars Janis Paige as a widowed nightclub singer struggling to make ends meet. Synopsis Janis Stewart is a war widow and str ...

''. In the late 1950s, he played several small roles in the popular Desilu show ''

The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour ''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 ...

'' as a construction worker who comes into the room through the window to ask for

Milton Berle Milton Berle (born Mendel Berlinger; ; July 12, 1908 – March 27, 2002) was an American actor and comedian. His career as an entertainer spanned over 80 years, first in silent films and on stage as a child actor, then in radio, movies and tel ...

's autograph for his children. He starred in another episode in which he plays a bellboy for a hotel in

Nome, Alaska Nome (; ik, Sitŋasuaq, ) is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of Alaska, United States. The city is located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. It had a population of 3,699 recorded ...

that Lucy and the gang are staying at. He played Captain Midnight's sidekick, Ichabod "Icky" Mudd ("That's Mudd, with two D's"), in ''

Captain Midnight ''Captain Midnight'' (later rebranded on television as ''Jet Jackson, Flying Commando'') is a United States, U.S. adventure franchise first broadcast as a radio serial from 1938 to 1949. The character's popularity throughout the 1940s and into ...

'', an early 1950s Saturday morning

children's show Children's television series (or children's television shows) are television programs designed for children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run during the early evenin ...

. Until the end of his life, old fans would greet him on the street with his signature introductory gag line, "Mudd with two D's." Other television credits include '' Dragnet'', ''

The Silent Service is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kaiji Kawaguchi. It was published in Kodansha's '' Weekly Morning'' manga magazine from 1988 to 1996 and collected in 32 ''tankōbon'' volumes. The series was adapted into an anime tele ...

'', and ''

M Squad ''M Squad'' is an American crime drama television series that ran from 1957 to 1960 on NBC. It was produced by Lee Marvin's Latimer Productions and Revue Studios. Its main sponsor was the Pall Mall cigarette brand; Lee Marvin, the program's ...

''. He appeared in four episodes of the final two seasons of ''

Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. ''Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.''The show (and CBS) renders the title as ''Gomer Pyle – USMC''. is an American situation comedy that originally aired on CBS from September 25, 1964, to May 2, 1969. The series was a spin-off of ''The Andy Griffith Sho ...

'' as Friendly Freddy, an unsuccessful con-artist who bilks Gomer and Sgt. Carter, among others, but always gets caught, sometimes several times in the same episode. He had guest roles on '' Adventures of Superman'', ''

I Dream of Jeannie ''I Dream of Jeannie'' is an American fantasy sitcom television series, created by Sidney Sheldon that starred Barbara Eden as a sultry, 2,000-year-old genie and Larry Hagman, as an astronaut with whom she falls in love and eventually marrie ...

'' and ''

The Dick Van Dyke Show ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' is an American television sitcom created by Carl Reiner that initially aired on CBS from October 3, 1961 to June 1, 1966, with a total of 158 half-hour episodes spanning five seasons. It was produced by Calvada Product ...

''; in the last he played deli owner Bert Monker, who is in love with Sally Rogers (played by

Rose Marie Rose Marie (born Rose Marie Mazzetta; August 15, 1923 – December 28, 2017) was an American actress, singer, comedian, and vaudeville performer with a career ultimately spanning nine decades, which included film, radio, records, theater, night ...

). In 1956 Melton appeared in an uncredited role as Shorty on the TV western ''

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enroll ...

'' in the episode "The Last Train West." Melton appeared in a humorous 1966 television commercial as a truck driver carrying new

American Motors American Motors Corporation (AMC; commonly referred to as American Motors) was an American automobile manufacturing company formed by the merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company on May 1, 1954. At the time, it was the ...

automobiles.

Personal life and death

Melton was married in the 1940s, but the marriage was annulled. In 2005, he attended

Eddie Albert Edward Albert Heimberger (April 22, 1906 – May 26, 2005) was an American actor and activist. He was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor; the first nomination came in 1954 for his performance in ''Roman Holiday'', ...

's funeral along with ''Green Acres'' co-stars

Mary Grace Canfield Mary Grace Canfield (September 3, 1924 – February 15, 2014) was an American theatre, film and television actress. Early life and career Mary Grace Canfield was born in Rochester, New York, the second child of Hildegard (née Jacobson) and ...

and

Frank Cady Frank Randolph Cady (September 8, 1915 – June 8, 2012) was an American actor best known for his role as storekeeper Sam Drucker in three American television series during the 1960s – ''Petticoat Junction'', '' Green Acres'', and ...

. Melton died from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

on November 2, 2011, aged 94, at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. He was interred at

Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery is the largest Jewish cemetery organization in California. History Mount Sinai Memorial Parks and Mortuaries, owned by Sinai Temple of Los Angeles, refers to two Jewish cemeteries in the Los Angeles metrop ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1942) * ''

Close-Up A close-up or closeup in filmmaking, television production, still photography, and the comic strip medium is a type of shot that tightly frames a person or object. Close-ups are one of the standard shots used regularly with medium and long s ...

'' (1948) * ''

Lady at Midnight ''Lady at Midnight'' is a 1948 American mystery film directed by Sam Newfield and starring Richard Denning, Frances Rafferty, and Claudia Drake.Langman p.150 The film's sets were designed by the art director Edward C. Jewell. It was shot at the ...

'' (1948) * ''

Knock on Any Door ''Knock on Any Door'' is a 1949 American courtroom trial film noir directed by Nicholas Ray and starring Humphrey Bogart. The picture gave actor John Derek his breakthrough role, and was based on the 1947 novel of the same name by Willard Motley ...

'' (1949) as "Squint" Zinsky (uncredited) * ''

Tough Assignment ''Tough Assignment'' is a 1949 American crime film directed by William Beaudine and starring Don Barry, Marjorie Steele and Steve Brodie. It is regarded as a film noir.Spicer p.421 Plot A Los Angeles reporter and his photographer wife inves ...

'' (1949) * ''

'' (1950) * ''

'' (1951) * ''

Mask of the Dragon ''Mask of the Dragon'' is a 1951 American mystery film, mystery thriller film directed by Sam Newfield and starring Richard Travis (actor), Richard Travis , Sheila Ryan and Michael Whalen (actor), Michael Whalen. It was released by the independent ...

'' (1951) * ''

Savage Drums ''Savage Drums'' is a 1951 American adventure film directed by William Berke and starring Sabu, Lita Baron, H.B. Warner. The film was released by the independent producer Robert L. Lippert. Although Lippert had previously announced his films wo ...

'' (1951) * '' Under Fire'' (1957) - GI #1 (uncredited) * ''

The Joker Is Wild ''The Joker Is Wild'' is a 1957 American musical drama film directed by Charles Vidor, starring Frank Sinatra, Mitzi Gaynor, Jeanne Crain, and Eddie Albert, and released by Paramount Pictures. The film is about Joe E. Lewis, the popular si ...

'' (1957) - Racetrack Runner (uncredited) * ''

Thundering Jets ''Thundering Jets'' is a 1958 American drama film directed by Helmut Dantine, written by James Landis, and starring Rex Reason, Dick Foran, Audrey Dalton, Barry Coe, and Robert Dix. ''Thundering Jets'' was released in May 1958, by 20th Century ...

'' (1958) - Sgt. Eddie Stone * ''

'' (1958) - Truck Driver (uncredited) * '' The Buccaneer'' (1958) - Kentuckian (uncredited) * ''

'' (1958) - Taxi Driver (uncredited) * ''

Lone Texan ''Lone Texan'' is a 1959 American Western film directed by Paul Landres and written by James Landis and Jack W. Thomas. The film stars Willard Parker, Grant Williams, Audrey Dalton, Douglas Kennedy, June Blair and Dabbs Greer. The film was r ...

'' (1959) - Gus Pringle - the barber * ''

Alias Jesse James ''Alias Jesse James'' is a 1959 American Western comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod and starring Bob Hope and Rhonda Fleming.''Harrison's Reports'' film review; March 21, 1959, page 46. Based on a story by Robert St. Aubrey and Bert Lawre ...

'' (1959) - New York Bar Fight Fan (uncredited) * ''

The Beat Generation ''The Beat Generation'' is a 1959 American crime film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer starring Steve Cochran and Mamie Van Doren, with Ray Danton, Fay Spain, Maggie Hayes, Jackie Coogan, Louis Armstrong, James Mitchum, Vampira, and Ray Anthony. It i ...

'' (1959) - Police Detective Carlotti (uncredited) * ''

The Atomic Submarine ''The Atomic Submarine'' is a 1959 independent film, independently made, American black-and-white science-fiction film directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet and starring Arthur Franz, Dick Foran, Brett Halsey, Joi Lansing and Jean Moorhead, with John ...

'' (1959) - Yeoman Chester Tuttle * ''

The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond ''The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond'' is a 1960 neo-noir crime film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Ray Danton, Karen Steele and Elaine Stewart. The supporting cast features Warren Oates, Jesse White and Robert Lowery. The picture ...

'' (1960) - Little Augie (uncredited) * '' Why Must I Die?'' (1960) - Morrie Waltzer * '' It Takes All Kinds'' (1969) - Benjie * '' Lady Sings the Blues'' (1972) - Jerry * ''

Hit! ''Hit!'' is a 1973 action film directed by Sidney J. Furie and starring Billy Dee Williams and Richard Pryor. It is about a federal agent trying to destroy a drug zone after his daughter dies from a heroin overdose. An alternate title for th ...

'' (1973) - Herman * ''

Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York ''Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York'' is a 1975 black comedy film directed by Sidney J. Furie about a shy young woman who moves to New York City and falls in love with the boyfriend of her extroverted roommate. The film was co-written ...

'' (1975) - Manny * ''

The Lady from Peking ''That Lady from Peking'' is an Australian crime film directed by Eddie Davis and starring Carl Betz, Nancy Kwan and Bobby Rydell. Although shot in 1969 it was not screened commercially until 1975. It was the last of three films Eddie Davis made ...

'' (1975) - Benny Segal * ''

Sixpack Annie ''Sixpack Annie'' is a 1975 American International film aimed at the drive-in theatre circuit that was advertised with tags "Lookout... She's Legal Now! She's Out to Tear the Town Apart!" and "She's got the boys glad and the sheriff mad," amongst ...

'' (1975) - Angelo * ''

Game Show Models A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (suc ...

'' (1977) - Marvin Schmitt * ''...And Call Me in the Morning'' (1999) - Eddie

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Melton, Sid 1917 births 2011 deaths Male actors from New York City American male film actors American male television actors People from Brooklyn Deaths from pneumonia in California Jewish American male actors Burials at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery 21st-century American Jews