Synopsis: Thrust Into Television

Many movie character actors found steady work and arguably more exposure with the advent of television.

MORRIS ANKRUM (1897-1964) 

Ankrum was an American radio, television, and film character actor appearing in countless films from the 1930s to the mid-1950s. His credits were largely concentrated in the Western and Science-Fiction genres, often as authority figures, scientists, numerous military figures, judges, bankers, and even psychiatrists in more than 270 films and television episodes. His portrayal of Native Americans was less believable, however. Because of his commanding facial countenance, Ankrum could also play believable villains. Between numerous and varied television appearances, he could be seen as a judge on twenty-two episodes of Perry Mason. Somewhat ironic since Ankrum had a law degree from the University of Southern California. A career he pursued before getting the acting bug.

Discover more about Ankrum's career at IMDB.

From Bullets to Ice Cubes

The Norge Appliance Company manufactured window iceboxes and later moved to motorized refrigeration units. The Norge brand began making home appliances in the early 1940s. Norge appliances were considered solid and reliable, perhaps built like a tank, Norge's military involvement in producing bullets, gun turrets, and airplane parts during WW2 was just as impressive. The Norge refrigeration line has a complicated history of corporate buy-outs. The company was originally a division of BorgWarner, manufacturing refrigerators made by the Ranney Refrigeration Company. The Norge refrigerator line was eventually sold in 1970 to the Fedders Corporation and approximately four years later was acquired by Magic Chef, which in turn was absorbed by Maytag in 1986. Since 2005, the Whirlpool Corporation took over any Maytag brands. 

Reel Character Series

 

Frank Lovejoy (1912-1962) was an American actor in radio, film, and television, best known for his supporting roles as the “everyman” caught up in challenging circumstances. He was one actor not needing to change his last name just to stand out from the Hollywood crowd. Whether in military uniform, as a detective, or common laborer, he handled a variety of roles with near-flawless performances, from tough cop to sensitive husband. Lovejoy had the voice of someone who spent the day in the stands yelling for his NFL playoff team and has not yet recovered. A smokey, nasal sound like few others, it lent intrigue to his radio characters or the narrator for his radio crime show, Night Beat. Somewhat surprisingly, the 1950s was his only full decade of work, starting out that decade with a strong leading role in the chilling, Try and Get Me! aka The Sound of Fury, as a struggling out-of-work family man spiraling into a life of crime with an arrogant instigator, Lloyd Bridges. In 1951, he had the title role and narrator for I Was a Communist for the FBI, going undercover to expose Communism. He was notable as a supporting player in The Hitch-hiker, the classic film noir of 1953. He crammed down a lot of scripts in 1955, his busiest year, with seven films and seven television appearances. Oddly or not, the nearest I can figure he had a total of fifty-five acting roles as well. Though he completed three more films in the late Fifties, he spent the balance of his career in television. Had he lived longer, he might have provided some interesting characters well into his seventies. 

Not Aiming for Subtle

Robert Strauss (1913-1975) was an American Broadway and film character actor arguably best known for his prolific television work. But he hit instant stardom in 1953 on the big screen as Stanislas "Animal" Kuzawa in Stalag 17 —a role he created in the original Broadway production two years earlier—for which he garnered an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. His character set the stage for numerous quirky military roles to follow, like Kelly's Heroes or M.A.S.H. The year before he played CPO Lardoski in Sailor Beware and Sgt. McClusky in Jumping Jacks, for the Martin and Lewis comedies. In 1954, he was back in the military for The Bridges at Toko-Ri, then joined Mickey Rooney as half of the lame-brained duo in the wacky comedy, The Atomic Kid here. By the late Fifties, mobster roles became more common. Even in comedies.

For being such a bombastic performer, it seemed logical to spread his work all over living rooms in America where he made the small screen seem bigger. From television's early days of anthology series such as Studio One, or The Alcoa Hour, viewers found him difficult to forget. He made appearances on Medic, hosted and sometimes starring Richard Boone, and was naturally in uniform for The Phil Silvers Show. Westerns somewhat broke any Strauss stereotypes, and he guest-starred on Wanted: Dead or Alive, Stagecoach West, Bat Masterson, and Wagon Train, to only name three. By the Sixties, silly comedies included Strauss in The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, and others. He was a cast member on Mona McCluskey, opposite Juliet Prowse and Denny Miller, as Sgt. Stan Gruzewsky. Strauss finished out the decade guesting on comedies in the likes of Get Smart, Mr. Terrific, and The Monkees.

By 1975, it was back to the silver screen for the post-apocalyptic film, The Noah. Not only was it his last performance it was also a rare starring role as the last human on earth, the title character. Strauss is the loan performer in this incredibly forgotten film. A tough assignment any way you slice it. However, his career had long since solidified him as one of the most famous and polarizing character actors of his era.

Note: Above photo of Robert Strauss, William Holden, and Harvey Lembeck in Stalag 17.