Jack Norton: Difference between revisions
Content deleted Content added
No edit summary |
#article-change-desc Tags: Mobile edit Mobile app edit iOS app edit |
||
| (17 intermediate revisions by 12 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{about|the actor|the American children's musician|Jack Norton ( |
{{about|the actor|the American filmmaker and children's musician|Jack Norton (filmmaker)|the American general|John Norton (soldier)|the American chemist|Jack R. Norton}} |
||
{{short description|American actor}} |
{{short description|American actor (1882–1958)}} |
||
{{BLP IMDb refimprove|date=August 2018}} |
|||
{{use mdy dates|date=August 2017}} |
{{use mdy dates|date=August 2017}} |
||
{{Infobox person |
{{Infobox person |
||
| Line 16: | Line 15: | ||
| occupation = Actor |
| occupation = Actor |
||
}} |
}} |
||
'''Jack Norton''' (born '''Mortimer John Naughton'''; September 2, 1882 – October 15, 1958) was an American stage and film [[character actor]] who appeared in |
'''Jack Norton''' (born '''Mortimer John Naughton'''; September 2, 1882 – October 15, 1958) was an American stage and film [[character actor]] who appeared in more than 180 films between 1934 and 1948, often playing drunks, although in real life he was a [[Teetotalism|teetotaler]].<ref name=obit/> |
||
==Career== |
==Career== |
||
Norton was born in [[Brooklyn, New York]], on September 2, 1882.<ref name=obit/> |
|||
In his early career he had a vaudeville comedy act with his wife Lillian Healy.<ref name=amgbio>Erickson, Hal [http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=2:53073 Biography (Allmovie)]</ref> Norton made his Broadway debut in 1925<ref>{{ |
In his early career he had a vaudeville comedy act with his wife Lillian Healy.<ref name=amgbio>Erickson, Hal [http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=2:53073 Biography (Allmovie)]</ref> Norton made his Broadway debut in 1925<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/54695 |title=Jack Norton |publisher=[[Internet Broadway Database]] }}</ref> in that year's edition of ''[[Earl Carroll's Vanities]]'',<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/9881 |title=''Earl Carroll's Vanities [1925]'' |publisher=[[Internet Broadway Database]] }}</ref> and also appeared in ''Florida Girl'', which was produced and staged by [[Earl Carroll|Carroll]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/9936 |title=''Florida Girl'' |publisher=[[Internet Broadway Database]] }}</ref> |
||
Norton's first film work was for a musical short, ''School for Romance'', in 1934, in which a young [[Betty Grable]] appeared, but his scenes were deleted. |
Norton's first film work was for a musical short, ''School for Romance'', in 1934, in which a young [[Betty Grable]] appeared, but his scenes were deleted. His work survived to reach the screen in his next assignment, ''The Super Snooper'', a comedy short, and in his third film, his first full-length movie, ''Finishing School'', which featured [[Frances Dee]], [[Billie Burke]], [[Ginger Rogers]] and [[Bruce Cabot]], Norton played a drunk, setting the pattern for many of his future performances. Although he also played stone sober characters as well, he was best known for his inebriated characterizations, and he improved his work by following genuine drunks around, picking up behavioral tips.<ref name=amgbio /> |
||
Norton worked continuously and consistently, sometimes appearing in as many as 20 films in one year, although many of his performances went uncredited. |
Norton worked continuously and consistently, sometimes appearing in as many as 20 films in one year, although many of his performances went uncredited. One of the few times he was credited as part of the main cast<ref>Allmovie [http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=2:53073~T2 Filmography]</ref> was in 1945 for the film ''A Guy, a Gal and a Pal''. In the 1940s, Norton was part of [[Preston Sturges]]' unofficial [[Preston Sturges Unofficial Stock Company Actors|"stock company" of character actors]], appearing in five films written and directed by Sturges.<ref>Norton appeared in ''[[Sullivan's Travels]]'', ''[[The Palm Beach Story]]'', ''[[The Miracle of Morgan's Creek]]'', ''[[Hail the Conquering Hero]]'' and ''[[The Sin of Harold Diddlebock]]''.</ref> He is perhaps best known to modern audiences as A. Pismo Clam, the drunken film director whom [[W.C. Fields]] is hired to replace in ''[[The Bank Dick]]'' (1940). |
||
In 1947, Norton retired from films due to illness, his last appearance being in ''Alias a Gentlemen'', |
In 1947, Norton retired from films due to illness, his last appearance being in ''Alias a Gentlemen'', which was released in 1948, although he did make some live television appearances in the early 1950s. |
||
Norton's final appearance would have been in the 1956 episode of ''[[The Honeymooners]]'' entitled "Unconventional Behavior", but age and infirmity had so overwhelmed him that he was literally written out of the show as it was being filmed, though Jackie Gleason saw to it that Norton was paid fully for the performance he was ready, willing, but unable to give.<ref name=amgbio /> |
|||
Norton died on October 15, 1958 in [[Saranac Lake, New York]] at the age of 76.<ref name=obit>{{cite news |
Norton died on October 15, 1958, in [[Saranac Lake, New York]], at the age of 76.<ref name=obit>{{cite news |title=Jack Norton, Comedian, Is Dead at 69. Played Lovable Drunk' in 200 Films |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1958/10/16/archives/jack-norton-comedian-is-dead-at-69-played-lovable-drunk-in-200.html |newspaper=[[New York Times]] |date=October 16, 1958 }}</ref> He is buried in Sacred Hearts Cemetery in [[Southampton (town), New York|Southampton, New York]], on [[Long Island, New York|Long Island]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=FOHgDAAAQBAJ&dq=jack+norton+sacred+hearts&pg=PA553 ''Resting Places'']</ref> |
||
==Partial filmography== |
==Partial filmography== |
||
| Line 43: | Line 42: | ||
* ''[[The Moon's Our Home]]'' (1936) |
* ''[[The Moon's Our Home]]'' (1936) |
||
* ''[[Meet the Missus (1937 film)|Meet the Missus]]'' (1937) |
* ''[[Meet the Missus (1937 film)|Meet the Missus]]'' (1937) |
||
* ''[[Thanks for the Memory]]'' (1938) |
* ''[[Thanks for the Memory (film)|Thanks for the Memory]]'' (1938) |
||
* ''[[The Roaring Twenties]]'' (1939) |
* ''[[The Roaring Twenties]]'' (1939) as Drunk (uncredited) |
||
* ''[[Laugh It Off (1939 film)|Laugh It Off]]'' (1939) |
|||
* ''[[The Bank Dick]]'' (1940) |
* ''[[The Bank Dick]]'' (1940) |
||
* ''[[The Farmer's Daughter (1940 film)|The Farmer's Daughter]]'' (1940) |
* ''[[The Farmer's Daughter (1940 film)|The Farmer's Daughter]]'' (1940) |
||
| Line 53: | Line 53: | ||
* ''[[Gildersleeve on Broadway]]'' (1943) (uncredited) |
* ''[[Gildersleeve on Broadway]]'' (1943) (uncredited) |
||
* ''[[The Story of Dr. Wassell]]'' (1944) (uncredited) |
* ''[[The Story of Dr. Wassell]]'' (1944) (uncredited) |
||
* ''[[Going My Way]]'' (1944) as Mr. Lilley, Music Publisher |
|||
* ''[[Prairie Chickens]]'' (1943) |
* ''[[Prairie Chickens]]'' (1943) |
||
* ''[[The Big Noise (1944 film)|The Big Noise]]'' (1944) |
* ''[[The Big Noise (1944 film)|The Big Noise]]'' (1944) |
||
| Line 64: | Line 65: | ||
==References== |
==References== |
||
{{reflist |
{{reflist}} |
||
==External links== |
==External links== |
||
| Line 71: | Line 72: | ||
* {{Amg name|53073}} |
* {{Amg name|53073}} |
||
* {{Tcmdb name}} |
* {{Tcmdb name}} |
||
* {{Find a Grave|6896337}} |
|||
{{authority control}} |
{{authority control}} |
||
Latest revision as of 23:22, 12 March 2024
Jack Norton | |
|---|---|
 Norton circa 1940 | |
| Born | Mortimer J. Naughton September 2, 1882 Brooklyn, New York U.S. |
| Died | October 15, 1958 (aged 76) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1925–1948 |
| Spouse |
Lucille Healy (m. 1922) |
Jack Norton (born Mortimer John Naughton; September 2, 1882 – October 15, 1958) was an American stage and film character actor who appeared in more than 180 films between 1934 and 1948, often playing drunks, although in real life he was a teetotaler.[1]
Career[edit]
Norton was born in Brooklyn, New York, on September 2, 1882.[1]
In his early career he had a vaudeville comedy act with his wife Lillian Healy.[2] Norton made his Broadway debut in 1925[3] in that year's edition of Earl Carroll's Vanities,[4] and also appeared in Florida Girl, which was produced and staged by Carroll.[5]
Norton's first film work was for a musical short, School for Romance, in 1934, in which a young Betty Grable appeared, but his scenes were deleted. His work survived to reach the screen in his next assignment, The Super Snooper, a comedy short, and in his third film, his first full-length movie, Finishing School, which featured Frances Dee, Billie Burke, Ginger Rogers and Bruce Cabot, Norton played a drunk, setting the pattern for many of his future performances. Although he also played stone sober characters as well, he was best known for his inebriated characterizations, and he improved his work by following genuine drunks around, picking up behavioral tips.[2]
Norton worked continuously and consistently, sometimes appearing in as many as 20 films in one year, although many of his performances went uncredited. One of the few times he was credited as part of the main cast[6] was in 1945 for the film A Guy, a Gal and a Pal. In the 1940s, Norton was part of Preston Sturges' unofficial "stock company" of character actors, appearing in five films written and directed by Sturges.[7] He is perhaps best known to modern audiences as A. Pismo Clam, the drunken film director whom W.C. Fields is hired to replace in The Bank Dick (1940).
In 1947, Norton retired from films due to illness, his last appearance being in Alias a Gentlemen, which was released in 1948, although he did make some live television appearances in the early 1950s.
Norton's final appearance would have been in the 1956 episode of The Honeymooners entitled "Unconventional Behavior", but age and infirmity had so overwhelmed him that he was literally written out of the show as it was being filmed, though Jackie Gleason saw to it that Norton was paid fully for the performance he was ready, willing, but unable to give.[2]
Norton died on October 15, 1958, in Saranac Lake, New York, at the age of 76.[1] He is buried in Sacred Hearts Cemetery in Southampton, New York, on Long Island.[8]
Partial filmography[edit]
- Woman Haters (1934)
- Don't Bet on Blondes (1935)
- Calling All Cars (1935)
- Going Highbrow (1935)
- Ship Cafe (1935)
- Forgotten Faces (1936)
- The Moon's Our Home (1936)
- Meet the Missus (1937)
- Thanks for the Memory (1938)
- The Roaring Twenties (1939) as Drunk (uncredited)
- Laugh It Off (1939)
- The Bank Dick (1940)
- The Farmer's Daughter (1940)
- Pacific Blackout (1941)
- The Spoilers (1942)
- The Palm Beach Story (1942)
- So's Your Uncle (1943)
- Gildersleeve on Broadway (1943) (uncredited)
- The Story of Dr. Wassell (1944) (uncredited)
- Going My Way (1944) as Mr. Lilley, Music Publisher
- Prairie Chickens (1943)
- The Big Noise (1944)
- Wonder Man (1945) (uncredited)
- Man Alive (1945)
- Flame of Barbary Coast (1945)
- Rhythm and Weep (1946)
- Bringing Up Father (1946)
- Shadows Over Chinatown (1946)
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "Jack Norton, Comedian, Is Dead at 69. Played Lovable Drunk' in 200 Films". New York Times. October 16, 1958.
- ^ a b c Erickson, Hal Biography (Allmovie)
- ^ "Jack Norton". Internet Broadway Database.
- ^ "Earl Carroll's Vanities [1925]". Internet Broadway Database.
- ^ "Florida Girl". Internet Broadway Database.
- ^ Allmovie Filmography
- ^ Norton appeared in Sullivan's Travels, The Palm Beach Story, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, Hail the Conquering Hero and The Sin of Harold Diddlebock.
- ^ Resting Places
External links[edit]
- Jack Norton at the Internet Broadway Database
- Jack Norton at IMDb
- Jack Norton at AllMovie
- Jack Norton at the TCM Movie Database
