Ernest Truex Brandon de Wilde Jamie 1953

Ernest Truex (September 19, 1889 – June 26, 1973) was an American actor of stage, film, and television.

Career

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Truex learned acting at an early age after his father, a doctor, treated actor Edwin Melvin, who paid his bill by giving the son elocution lessons. He started acting at age five and toured through Missouri at age nine as "The Child Wonder in Scenes from Shakespeare". His Broadway debut came in ''Wildfire'' (1908), and he performed in several David Belasco plays and portrayed the title role in the 1915 musical '' Very Good Eddie''. Truex played the lead role in the disastrous 1923 premiere of F. Scott Fitzgerald's ''The Vegetable''. In 1927, he created the role of Bill Paradene in ''

Good Morning, Bill ''Good Morning, Bill'' is a comedic play by P. G. Wodehouse, adapted from the Hungarian play ''Doktor Juci Szabo'' by playwright Ladislaus Fodor. It premiered in London at the Duke of York's Theatre in 1927.Wodehouse (1983), pp. 73–76. Wodeh ...

'', which was based on an original play by Ladislas Fodor and adapted by

P.G. Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, ( ; 15 October 188114 February 1975) was an English author and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Jeeve ...

. In 1926, he performed for the first time in London's West End. He played a leading role in '' The Fall Guy'' at the Apollo Theatre. He continued to perform in plays in London for the next three years while his two sons attended

Leighton Park School Leighton Park School is a co-educational independent school for both day and boarding pupils in Reading in South East England. The school's ethos is closely tied to the Quaker values, having been founded as a Quaker School in 1890. The school's ...

in Reading. In 1927, he acted in ''Good Morning, Bill'' at the Duke of York's Theatre and in 1928 he performed in '' Sexes and Sevens'' at the Globe Theatre. In 1930, he appeared on Broadway in '' Ritzy''. He made his film debut in 1913, but did not work in film full-time for another 20 years. He tended to play "milquetoast" characters and in ''

The Warrior's Husband ''The Warrior's Husband'' is a 1933 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Walter Lang and starring Elissa Landi, David Manners, and Ernest Truex. It tells the story of the Amazons, who ruled over men thanks to the sacred girdle of Diana, and ...

'' he played a "nance". In the 1938 '' The Adventures of Marco Polo'', he played

Marco Polo Marco Polo (, , ; 8 January 1324) was a Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in '' The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known as ''Book of the Marv ...

's comical assistant, opposite

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, a ...

. Early in television, Truex guest starred on ''

Faye Emerson's Wonderful Town ''Faye Emerson's Wonderful Town'', also known as ''Wonderful Town, USA'', is a half-hour variety television series that aired on CBS from June 16, 1951, to April 19, 1952, in which Faye Emerson visits various cities. Episodes of the program were ...

.'' In 1949, he starred in ''The Truex Family'' on

WPIX WPIX (channel 11) is a television station in New York City. Owned by Mission Broadcasting, it is operated under a local marketing agreement (LMA) by Nexstar Media Group, making it a ''de facto'' owned-and-operated station and flagship of ...

in New York City. Also in that year, he played

Caspar Milquetoast Caspar Milquetoast is a comic strip character created by H. T. Webster for his cartoon series ''The Timid Soul''. Webster described Caspar Milquetoast as "the man who speaks softly and gets hit with a big stick". The character's name is derive ...

on the

DuMont Television Network The DuMont Television Network (also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont Television, simply DuMont/Du Mont, or (incorrectly) Dumont ) was one of America's pioneer commercial television networks, rivaling NBC and CBS for the distinction of being ...

's ''Program Playhouse Series''. From 1953 to 1954, he co-starred with Brandon deWilde in ''

Jamie Jamie is a unisex name. It is a diminutive form of James or, more rarely, other names. It is also given as a name in its own right. People Female * Jamie Anne Allman (born 1977), American actress * Jamie Babbit (born 1970), American film and t ...

''. He played aging Grandpa McHummer striking a bond with young Jamie, his recently orphaned grandson. In the early 1960s, he played Gladys' father on ''

Pete and Gladys ''Pete and Gladys'' is an American sitcom television series starring Harry Morgan and Cara Williams that aired on CBS on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific time for two seasons, beginning on September 19, 1960. The last episode was ...

.'' In later life, he became known for playing elderly men on television in works such as ''

Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

'', '' Mister Peepers,'' ''

Hazel The hazel (''Corylus'') is a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K. (1999). ...

'', and '' Father Knows Best''. He had the main role in the "

Kick the Can Kick the can (also known as kick the block, guard the block, can can, 40 40, pom pom, tip the can, tin can copper, and can up can down), is an outdoor children's game related to tag, hide and seek, and capture the flag, played with as few as thr ...

" episode of

Rod Serling Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, and narrator/on-screen host, best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his anthology television series ...

's original ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...

'' (with his son Barry). In another ''Twilight Zone'' episode, " What You Need" (airing on December 25, 1959), he played a traveling peddler who just happened to have exactly what people needed just before they knew they needed it.This Day in Twilight Zone History: Happy birthday to Ernest Truex
/ref> He starred in the first season (1958-1959) of ''

The Ann Sothern Show ''The Ann Sothern Show'' is an American sitcom starring Ann Sothern that aired on CBS for three seasons from October 6, 1958, to March 30, 1961. Created by Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf, the series was the second starring vehicle for Sothern, who ...

'' as Jason Macauley, the manager of the swank Bartley House hotel in New York City. Reta Shaw played his domineering wife Flora. In 1960, Truex appeared with Harpo Marx in the episode "Silent Panic" of the

anthology series An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a dif ...

The DuPont Show with June Allyson ''The DuPont Show with June Allyson'' (also known as ''The June Allyson Show'') is an American anthology drama series which aired on CBS from September 21, 1959, to April 3, 1961, with rebroadcasts continuing until June 12, 1961. The series wa ...

''. He guest starred on the sitcom '' Dennis the Menace'', with Jay North as the series lead.

Marriages

His first wife was Julia Mills with whom he had two sons, Philip in 1911 and James in 1912. Philip had an acting career until the early 1950s. Philip Truex's greatest success in the theatre was when he landed the starring role of Og in the Broadway musical ''

Finian's Rainbow ''Finian's Rainbow'' is a musical with a book by E. Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy, lyrics by Harburg, and music by Burton Lane, produced by Lee Sabinson. The original 1947 Broadway production ran for 725 performances, while a film version was r ...

'' in 1947. His most famous film performance is the title role in

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

's '' The Trouble with Harry'' (1955) as Harry, the corpse dragged all over the countryside by several other characters in this film. Philip had expected to have substantial lines to speak in the role but Hitchcock decided to kill off the character of Harry before he could utter one word. After this disappointment Philip decided to give up acting completely and turned his hand to landscape gardening. A widower, Ernest married stage actress Mary Jane Barrett, appearing with her in New York in such plays as ''The Third Little Show'', (1931), ''The Hook-Up'' (1935), and ''Fredericka'' (1937). They had one child, Barry Truex, who had an acting career of his own from 1949 to the early 1960s. His career began in 1949 when he played the role of Ernest's youngest son in the TV situation comedy '' The Truex Family'' broadcast on WPIX New York. All of Ernest Truex's immediate family had acting parts in this show which was co-written by his second son James Truex. In 1962, Barry again played opposite his father Ernest in the episode "

" of the TV series ''

''. Barry's more memorable film roles were in '' The Benny Goodman Story'' playing the young Benny Goodman (1956), '' Rockabilly Baby'' (1957), and '' Dragstrip Riot'' (1958). He also acted in numerous TV productions. In 1934, Ernest Truex directed, co-produced, and starred in the play ''Sing and Whistle'', which co-starred actress Sylvia Field who later became his third wife upon his divorce from Mary Jane Barrett.

Death

On June 26, 1973, Truex died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

at the age of 83.

Partial filmography

*'' Caprice'' (1913) - Wally Henderson *''

An American Citizen ''An American Citizen'' is a 1914 American silent romantic comedy film directed by J. Searle Dawley. The film is noteworthy as the feature film debut of John Barrymore. Distributed by Famous Players Film Company, the film is based on the 1897 ...

'' (1914) - Mercury *''

A Good Little Devil ''A Good Little Devil'' is a 1914 silent film starring Mary Pickford, produced by Adolph Zukor and Daniel Frohman, and distributed on a 'State's Rights' basis. It was Pickford's first feature-length film. She, along with friend Lillian Gish, app ...

'' (1914) - Charles MacLance - a Good Little Devil *''Dope'' (1914) - Jimmy Binkley *''Artie, the Millionaire Kid'' (1916) - Artie Hamilton *'' Come on In'' (1918) - Ernest Short *''

Good-Bye, Bill ''Good-Bye, Bill'' is a lost 1918 American comedy silent film directed by John Emerson and written by John Emerson and Anita Loos. The film stars Shirley Mason, Ernest Truex, Joseph Allen Sr., Joseph Burke, Carl De Planta, and Henry S. Koser. T ...

'' (1918) - Teddy Swift *'' Oh, You Women!'' (1919) - Abraham Lincoln Jones *'' The Night of the Dub'' (1919, Short) *'' Six Cylinder Love'' (1923) - Gilbert Sterling *''

Whistling in the Dark Whistling without the use of an artificial whistle is achieved by creating a small opening with one's lips, usually after applying moisture (licking one's lips or placing water upon them) and then blowing or sucking air through the space. The a ...

'' (1933) - Wallace Porter *''

'' (1933) - Sapiens *''

Get That Venus ''Get That Venus'' is a 1933 American comedy film directed by Arthur Varney and starring Ernest Truex, Jean Arthur and Harry Davenport.Koszarski p.306 Cast * Ernest Truex as Tom Wilson * Jean Arthur as Margaret Rendleby * Harry Davenport as ...

'' (1933) - Tom Wilson *'' Everybody Dance'' (1936) - Wilbur Spurgeon *'' Mama Runs Wild'' (1937) - Ernest Summers *''

Start Cheering ''Start Cheering'' is a 1938 American musical film directed by Albert S. Rogell and starring Jimmy Durante, Charles Starrett, Joan Perry, and Walter Connolly. It is best remembered today for guest appearances throughout the film by The Three Stoog ...

'' (1938) - Blodgett *'' The Adventures of Marco Polo'' (1938) - Binguccio *'' Freshman Year'' (1938) - Professor Lucius Peabody *''

Swing That Cheer ''Swing That Cheer'' is a 1938 American comedy film directed by Harold D. Schuster and written by Charles Grayson (writer), Charles Grayson and Lee Loeb. The film stars Tom Brown (actor), Tom Brown, Robert Wilcox (actor), Robert Wilcox, Constance ...

'' (1938) - Professor Peabody *''

Swing, Sister, Swing ''Swing, Sister, Swing'' is a 1938 American comedy film directed by Joseph Santley and written by Charles Grayson. The film stars Ken Murray, Johnny Downs, Kathryn Kane, Eddie Quillan, Ernest Truex and Edna Sedgewick. The film was released on ...

'' (1938) - Prof. L. Orlando Beebee *''

Ambush An ambush is a long-established military tactic in which a combatant uses an advantage of concealment or the element of surprise to attack unsuspecting enemy combatants from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind moun ...

'' (1939) - Mr. Gibbs *'' It's a Wonderful World'' (1939) - Willie Heyward *''

Bachelor Mother ''Bachelor Mother'' (1939) is an American romantic comedy film directed by Garson Kanin, and starring Ginger Rogers, David Niven, and Charles Coburn. The screenplay was written by Norman Krasna from an Academy Award-nominated story by Felix Jac ...

'' (1939) - Orphanage Investigator *'' Island of Lost Men'' (1939) - Frobenius *'' These Glamour Girls'' (1939) - Alumnus *''

The Under-Pup ''The Under-Pup'' is a 1939 American feature film by Richard Wallace that introduced soprano singing star Gloria Jean to the screen. Plot The story, adapted by Grover Jones from a magazine story by Australian author I. A. R. Wylie, casts Gloria ...

'' (1939) - Mr. Binns *''Little Accident'' (1939) - Tabby Morgan *''

Slightly Honorable ''Slightly Honorable'' is a 1939 American film directed by Tay Garnett. The film was based on the 1939 novel ''Send Another Coffin'' by Frank Gilmore Presnell, Jr. (1906–1967).Frank Gilmore Presnell, Jr. (24 June 1906 (Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico ...

'' (1939) - P. Hemingway Collins *'' His Girl Friday'' (1940) - Bensinger *''

Adventure in Diamonds ''Adventure in Diamonds'' is a 1940 American crime film directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring George Brent, Isa Miranda, John Loder and Nigel Bruce. It was also released under the alternative title of ''Diamonds are Dangerous''. Critics n ...

'' (1940) - Toutasche *'' Little Orvie'' (1940) - Frank Stone *'' Lillian Russell'' (1940) - Charles K. Leonard *'' Dance, Girl, Dance'' (1940) - Bailey #1 *'' Calling All Husbands'' (1940) - Homer Trippe *'' Christmas in July'' (1940) - Mr. Baxter *''

The Gay Vagabond ''The Gay Vagabond'' is a 1941 American comedy film directed by William Morgan and written by Ewart Adamson and Taylor Caven. The film stars Roscoe Karns, Ruth Donnelly, Ernest Truex, Margaret Hamilton, Abner Biberman and Bernadene Hayes. The ...

'' (1941) - A.J. Wilber *'' Tillie the Toiler'' (1941) - George Winkler *''

We Go Fast ''We Go Fast'' is a 1941 American comedy action film directed by William C. McGann and written by Thomas Lennon and Adrian Scott. The film stars Lynn Bari, Alan Curtis, Sheila Ryan, Don DeFore, Ernest Truex and Gerald Mohr. The film was relea ...

'' (1941) - Harold Bruggins *''

Unexpected Uncle ''Unexpected Uncle'' is a 1941 American comedy-drama film directed by Peter Godfrey and starring Charles Coburn, Anne Shirley, and James Craig. Cast *Anne Shirley as Kathleen Brown * James Craig as Johnny Kerrigan *Charles Coburn as Alfred Cra ...

'' (1941) - Wilkins *'' Don't Get Personal'' (1942) - Jules Kinsey *'' Twin Beds'' (1942) - Larky *'' You're Telling Me'' (1942) - Charles Handley *'' Private Buckaroo'' (1942) - Col. Elias Weatherford *''

The Affairs of Martha ''The Affairs of Martha'', also known as ''Once Upon a Thursday'', is a 1942 American romantic comedy film directed by Jules Dassin and written by Isobel Lennart based on her story. It stars Marsha Hunt and Richard Carlson. Plot The peace and ...

'' (1942) - Llewellyn Castle *'' Star Spangled Rhythm'' (1942) - Murgatroyd in Priorities Skit *'' The Crystal Ball'' (1943) - Mr. Martin (uncredited) *''

Rhythm of the Islands ''Rhythm of the Islands'', also known as ''Isle of Romance'', is a 1943 American film directed by Roy William Neill starring Jane Frazee. Plot summary Two ambitious guys from Brooklyn, Tommy Jones and Eddie Dolan, get the idea of buying a trop ...

'' (1943) - Mr. Holton *'' This Is the Army'' (1943) - Soldier's Father (uncredited) *''

Fired Wife ''Fired Wife'' is a 1943 comedy film directed by Charles Lamont and starring Robert Paige, Diana Barrymore and Louise Allbritton. It was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures. This was one of the final films in Barrymore's short-lived Un ...

'' (1943) - Willie Wilson *'' Sleepy Lagoon'' (1943) - Dudley Joyner *'' True to Life'' (1943) - Oscar Elkins *''

Chip Off the Old Block ''Chip Off the Old Block'' is 1944 American comedy musical film starring Donald O'Connor, Peggy Ryan, and Ann Blyth. It was Blyth's film debut. The son of a strict Navy man, O'Connor falls in love with a girl from a performing family (Ann Blyt ...

'' (1944) - Henry McHugh *''

Her Primitive Man ''Her Primitive Man'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Charles Lamont and written by Michael Fessier and Ernest Pagano. The film stars Louise Allbritton, Robert Paige, Robert Benchley, Edward Everett Horton, Helen Broderick, Stephani ...

'' (1944) - Uncle Hubert *'' Pan-Americana'' (1945) - Uncle Rudy *'' Men in Her Diary'' (1945) - Vernon Williams *''

Club Havana ''Club Havana'' is a 1945 American film drama directed by Edgar G. Ulmer. It was produced and released by independent film company Producers Releasing Corporation. It has been compared to the 1933 film '' Grand Hotel''. Plot Rosalind (Margaret ...

'' (1945) - Willy Kingston *''

Life with Blondie ''Life with Blondie'' is a 1945 black-and-white domestic comedy film and the 16th of the 28 Blondie films. It was the return of Dagwood and Blondie after Columbia Picture's 1943 decision to cancel the series met with protest. Plot summary A pho ...

'' (1945) - Theodore Glassby, Apex Advertising *'' Night in Paradise'' (1946) - Scribe *''

Always Together ''Always Together'' is a 1947 American comedy film directed by Frederick de Cordova and written by I. A. L. Diamond, Henry Ephron and Phoebe Ephron. The film stars Robert Hutton, Joyce Reynolds, Cecil Kellaway, Ernest Truex, Don McGuire and ...

'' (1947) - Mr. Timothy J. Bull, Attorney *'' On an Island with You'' (1948) - Nightclub Waiter (uncredited) *'' The Girl from Manhattan'' (1948) - Homer Purdy *''

The Leather Saint ''The Leather Saint'' is a 1956 American drama film noir sport film, directed by Alvin Ganzer in black-and-white VistaVision, about a priest who boxes. It stars John Derek, Paul Douglas and Jody Lawrance. Plot Although he is a minister, the youn ...

'' (1956) - Father Ritchie *'' All Mine to Give'' (1957) - Dr. Delbert *''

Twilight for the Gods ''Twilight for the Gods'' is a 1958 American Eastmancolor adventure film directed by Joseph Pevney and starring Rock Hudson and Cyd Charisse. The story is based on the novel ''Twilight for the Gods'' by Ernest K. Gann (though the opening credits ...

'' (1958) - Rev. Butterfield *''

The Tom Ewell Show ''The Tom Ewell Show'', also known as ''The Trouble With Tom'', is an American situation comedy that aired on CBS during the 1960-61 television season. It depicts the challenges a husband and father faces as he resides in a household otherwise c ...

'' (TV series, 1960) Episode: "The Friendly Man" - Mr. Steckel *'' Fluffy'' (1965) - Claridge

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Truex, Ernest 1889 births 1973 deaths American male television actors American male film actors American male silent film actors American male stage actors Male actors from Kansas City, Missouri People from Greater Los Angeles People from Fallbrook, California 20th-century American male actors American male child actors