Francis "Dink" Trout (June 18, 1898 – March 26, 1950) was an American actor, voice artist and radio personality.

Early years

Trout was born in 1898 in Illinois. He attended the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

Radio

In 1927, Trout had his own musical program on WOR in Newark, New Jersey. Much of his career involved playing characters in American radio shows. He was heard as Waldo Binney on ''

The Life of Riley ''The Life of Riley'' is an American radio situation comedy series of the 1940s that was adapted into a 1949 feature film, a 1950s television series, and a 1958 comic book. Radio The radio program initially aired on the Blue Network (later kn ...

'', as Mr. Anderson on ''

The Dennis Day Show ''The RCA Victor Show'' is a 1950s American television program broadcast on NBC that eventually became ''The Dennis Day Show''. It began on November 23, 1951, and ended on August 2, 1954. ''The RCA Victor Show'' With Ezio Pinza ''The RCA Victor ...

'' and as Luke Spears on ''

Lum and Abner ''Lum and Abner'' was an American network radio comedy program created by Chester Lauck and Norris Goff that was aired from 1931 to 1954. Modeled on life in the small town of Waters, Arkansas, near where Lauck and Goff grew up, the show proved i ...

''. He was also heard in ''

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from October 3, 1952, to April 23, 1966, and starred the real-life Nelson family. After a long run on radio, the show was brought to television, where it ...

'', the ''Cass Daley Show'', ''The Nebbs'',Sies, Luther F. (2014). ''Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition, Volume 1''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 705. and ''The Jim Backus Show''.

Stage

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, Trout had the role of Zappo in ''The Wild Rose'' (1926).

Music

Trout played marimba and trombone for

Ben Bernie Benjamin Anzelwitz, known professionally as Ben Bernie (May 30, 1891 – October 23, 1943),DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. ...

and his orchestra.

Film

In 1936 Trout made his first (uncredited) film appearance in ''

Under Your Spell ''Under Your Spell'' is a 1936 American romantic comedy film with music directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay by Frances Hyland and Saul Elkins is based on a story by Sy Bartlett and Bernice Mason. Plot New York City opera star Anthony All ...

''. Later in 1941 he appeared in ''

Scattergood Baines ''Scattergood Baines'' is a 1941 American comedy-drama film. It is based on a novel by Clarence Budington Kelland. The character of Scattergood was also popular during the days of live radio. In the film, Guy Kibbee plays the title character. ...

'' as Plinky Pickett. Trout reprised this role for the next two films in the ''Scattergood Baines'' chronology. He made several other film appearances throughout his life, though he was generally uncredited. In 1947 he voiced the title character in Disney's ''

Bootle Beetle ''Bootle Beetle'' is a 1947 animated short film featuring Donald Duck. It was released by Walt Disney Productions. Plot A rare breed insect, the Bootle beetle, tells the story of how, as a child, he left the forest and came across a monster, D ...

'', a character he continued to voice for the next three years. He also played Phink, the pressure cooker salesman in the unaired

Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appeared ...

TV pilot, ''

Jerks of All Trades ''Jerks of All Trades'' (identified on the title card only as ''“The Three Stooges”'') is the title of an American television pilot released on October 12, 1949. It was The Three Stooges' first and only pilot made with Shemp Howard in the r ...

''. His final performance was as the voice of the

King of Hearts The king of hearts is a playing card in the standard 52-card deck. King of Hearts may also refer to: Games * The King of Hearts Has Five Sons, card game that may have been a precursor to Cluedo Books * King of Hearts (''Alice's Adventures ...

in ''

Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatur ...

'', which was released over a year after his death.

Death

Trout died March 26, 1950, in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

, after having had major surgery.

Filmography

* ''

'' (1936) - Small Man (uncredited) * ''

'' (1941) - Pliny Pickett * '' Scattergood Baines Pulls the Strings'' (1941) - Pliny Pickett * ''

Miss Polly ''Miss Polly'' is a 1941 American comedy film produced as part of Hal Roach's Streamliners series. It was directed by Fred Guiol, written by Eugene Conrad and Edward E. Seabrook and stars ZaSu Pitts, Slim Summerville, Kathleen Howard, Brenda For ...

'' (1941) - Postman Wilbur Boggs * ''

Cinderella Swings It ''Cinderella Swings It'' is a 1943 American comedy-drama film directed by Christy Cabanne from a screenplay by Michael L. Simmons, based on short stories by Clarence Budington Kelland about small-town philanthropist Scattergood Baines. Produced a ...

'' (1943) - Pliny Pickett * ''

Gildersleeve's Bad Day ''Gildersleeve's Bad Day'' is a 1943 American comedy film directed by Gordon Douglas from a screenplay by Jack Townley. The picture was the second in the Gildersleeve's series produced and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures, based on the popular ...

'' (1943) - Otis (uncredited) * '' It's a Great Life'' (1943) - Little Man (uncredited) * '' Food and Magic'' (1943, Documentary short) - Meek Butcher Customer (uncredited) * ''

Up in Arms ''Up in Arms'' is a 1944 musical film directed by Elliott Nugent and starring Danny Kaye and Dinah Shore. It was nominated for two Academy Awards in 1945. Plot Danny Weems works as an elevator operator in a New York Medical building, so he can b ...

'' (1944) - Startled Man in Cable Car (uncredited) * ''

The Doughgirls ''The Doughgirls'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by James V. Kern based on the 1942 hit Broadway play written by Joseph Fields. The film works around three newlywed couples, focusing on the Halstead couple, played by Jane Wyman and ...

'' (1944) - Young Husband (uncredited) * ''

Irish Eyes Are Smiling ''Irish Eyes Are Smiling'' is a 1944 United States musical film which chronicles the life of popular Irish song composer Ernest R. Ball. The screenplay by Earl Baldwin and John Tucker Battle is based on a story by E. A. Ellington. The film was di ...

'' (1944) - Meek Husband (uncredited) * '' A Tree Grows in Brooklyn'' (1945) - Undetermined (uncredited) * ''

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

'' (1945) - Bedai the Potter (uncredited) * ''

The Horn Blows at Midnight ''The Horn Blows at Midnight'' is a 1945 comedy fantasy film directed by Raoul Walsh, and starring Jack Benny. Following its poor box-office, Benny often exploited the film's failure for laughs over the next 20 years in his radio and television c ...

'' (1945) - Trumpet Player (uncredited) * '' Notorious'' (1946) - Court Clerk (uncredited) * ''

'' (1947, short) - Bootle Beetle (voice) * ''

So Dear to My Heart ''So Dear to My Heart'' is a 1948 American live-action/animated film produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Its world premiere was in Chicago, Illinois, on November 29, 1948. Like 1946's ''Song of the South'', the film comb ...

'' (1948) - Bob Peters - Station Agent (uncredited) * ''

Sea Salts ''Sea Salts'' is a 1949 animated short film featuring Donald Duck. It was released by Walt Disney Productions. Plot 'Mac' Bootle Beetle tells the story of the time he and Donald Duck were sole survivors of a shipwreck. The story involves how D ...

'' (1949, short) - 'Mac' Bootle Beetle (voice, uncredited) * ''

'' (1949, TV pilot) - Mr. Phink * ''

The Greener Yard ''The Greener Yard'' is a 1949 animated short film featuring Donald Duck. It was released by Walt Disney Productions. Plot Bootle Beetle lives next door to Donald Duck. He explains to a younger beetle the dangers of Donald's garden by tell the ...

'' (1949, short) - Bootle Beetle (voice) * ''

Morris the Midget Moose ''Morris the Midget Moose'' is a 1950 Walt Disney animated short, based on a 1945 picture book published by G.P. Putnam's sons, written and illustrated by Frank Owen, originally released to theaters on November 24, 1950, from Walt Disney Producti ...

'' (1950, short) - Old Bootle Beetle / Balsam (voice, uncredited) * ''

'' (1951) -

(voice) (final film role)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Trout, Dink 1898 births 1950 deaths American radio personalities American male film actors American male radio actors American male voice actors Male actors from Illinois People from Beardstown, Illinois University of Illinois alumni 20th-century American male actors