Carleton Upham Carpenter Jr. (July 10, 1926 – January 31, 2022) was an American film, television and stage actor, magician, songwriter, and novelist.

Early and personal life

Carpenter was born in

Bennington, Vermont Bennington is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is one of two shire towns (county seats) of the county, the other being Manchester. As of the 2020 US Census, the population was 15,333. Bennington is the most populous t ...

, where he attended Bennington High School. He was the son of Carleton Upham Carpenter Sr. He was

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whic ...

. Carpenter lived in

Warwick, New York Warwick is a town in the southwestern part of Orange County, New York, United States. Its population was 32,027 at the 2020 census. The town contains three villages ( Florida, Greenwood Lake, and Warwick) and eight hamlets ( Amity, Bellvale ...

, where he died on January 31, 2022, at the age of 95.

Military service

Carpenter served as a

Seabee , colors = , mascot = Bumblebee , battles = Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Cape Gloucester, Los Negros, Guam, Peleliu, Tarawa, Kwajalein, Saipan, Tinian, Iwo Jima, Philippin ...

in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and helped to build the airstrip from which the ''

Enola Gay The ''Enola Gay'' () is a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, named after Enola Gay Tibbets, the mother of the pilot, Colonel Paul Tibbets. On 6 August 1945, piloted by Tibbets and Robert A. Lewis during the final stages of World War II, it ...

'' took off for its flight to bomb

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui ...

Acting career

Debbie Reynolds in Two Weeks With Love (2)

Carpenter began his performing career as a magician and an actor on

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 ...

, beginning with

David Merrick David Merrick (born David Lee Margoulis; November 27, 1911 – April 25, 2000) was an American theatrical producer who won a number of Tony Awards. Life and career Born David Lee Margulois to Jewish parents in St. Louis, Missouri, Merrick gra ...

's first production, ''Bright Boy'', in 1944, followed by co-starring appearances in ''Three to Make Ready'' with

Ray Bolger Raymond Wallace Bolger (January 10, 1904 – January 15, 1987) was an American actor, dancer, singer, vaudevillian and stage performer (particularly musical theatre) who started in the silent-film era. Bolger was a major Broadway performer in ...

, ''

John Murray Anderson's Almanac ''John Murray Anderson's Almanac'' is a musical revue, featuring the music of the songwriting team of Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, as well as other composers. It was conceived by John Murray Anderson. Productions ''John Murray Anderson's Almanac ...

'', and '' Hotel Paradiso''. He was a featured player on the early television program '' Campus Hoopla'', which was produced by

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

, via WNBT in New York City, and which aired from 1946 to 1947. Carpenter was brought to

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) * Hollywoo ...

in 1949 by independent producer

Louis de Rochemont Louis Clark de Rochemont (January 13, 1899 – December 23, 1978) was an American film maker known for creating, along with Roy E. Larsen, the monthly theatrically shown newsreels ''The March of Time''. His brother, Richard, was also a pro ...

to play the boyfriend in ''

Lost Boundaries ''Lost Boundaries'' is a 1949 American film starring Beatrice Pearson, Mel Ferrer (in his first leading role), and Susan Douglas Rubeš. Directed by Alfred L. Werker, it is based on William Lindsay White's story of the same title, a nonfictio ...

''. De Rochemont later cast him again, in ''

The Whistle at Eaton Falls ''The Whistle at Eaton Falls'' (also known by the alternative title ''Richer Than the Earth'') is a 1951 American social drama film directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Lloyd Bridges and Dorothy Gish. Plot A newly promoted plant supervisor f ...

'' (1951). Carpenter signed with

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

in 1950, where he made eight films in three years: '' Father of the Bride'', '' Three Little Words'', ''

Summer Stock In American theater, summer-stock theater is a theater that presents stage productions only in the summer. The name combines the season with the tradition of staging shows by a resident company, reusing stock scenery and costumes. Summer stock th ...

'', '' Two Weeks With Love'', ''

Vengeance Valley ''Vengeance Valley'' is a 1951 American Technicolor Western film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Burt Lancaster, with a supporting cast featuring Robert Walker, Joanne Dru, Sally Forrest, John Ireland and Ray Collins. It is based on ...

'', ''

Fearless Fagan ''Fearless Fagan'' is a 1952 comedy film directed by Stanley Donen and stars Janet Leigh and Carleton Carpenter. It is about a clown who is drafted into the military and tries to sneak his pet lion into the service. The film was inspired by the 12 ...

'' (his one-of-two leading roles there), ''

Sky Full of Moon ''Sky Full of Moon'' is a 1952 American western film directed by Norman Foster and starring Carleton Carpenter, Keenan Wynn, and Jan Sterling. It was produced and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Plot Easy-going cowpoke Harley "Tumbleweed" W ...

'' (his other leading role there) and ''

Take the High Ground! ''Take the High Ground!'' is a 1953 American war film directed by Richard Brooks and starring Richard Widmark and Karl Malden as drill sergeants who must transform a batch of everyday civilians into soldiers during the Korean War. Plot In May 195 ...

''. He gained fame when teamed in 1950 with

Debbie Reynolds Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds (April 1, 1932 – December 28, 2016) was an American actress, singer, and businesswoman. Her career spanned almost 70 years. She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer for her portra ...

in '' Three Little Words'' and '' Two Weeks with Love''. In a guest sequence in ''Three Little Words'', they perform “I Wanna Be Loved by You” as vaudeville players Dan Healy and

Helen Kane Helen Kane (born Helen Clare Schroeder, August 4, 1904 – September 26, 1966) was an American singer and actress. Her signature song was " I Wanna Be Loved by You" (1928), featured in the 1928 stage musical ''Good Boy''. The song was written for ...

, with Reynolds dubbed by Kane. In ''Two Weeks with Love'', where they have featured roles, their duet " Aba Daba Honeymoon" was the first soundtrack recording to become a top-of-the-chart

gold record Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

, reaching number three on the

Billboard chart The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...

. After 1953, Carpenter exited films for stage, television, and radio work. Among his television appearances, he played Gilbert Burton, the recipient of $1,000,000 in a 1959 episode of '' The Millionaire'' and co-starred with

Ann Sothern Ann Sothern (born Harriette Arlene Lake; January 22, 1909 – March 15, 2001) was an American actress who worked on stage, radio, film, and television, in a career that spanned nearly six decades. Sothern began her career in the late 1920 ...

in the 1954 TV production of

Kurt Weill Kurt Julian Weill (March 2, 1900April 3, 1950) was a German-born American composer active from the 1920s in his native country, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fru ...

's ''

Lady in the Dark ''Lady in the Dark'' is a musical with music by Kurt Weill, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and book and direction by Moss Hart. It was produced by Sam Harris. The protagonist, Liza Elliott, is the unhappy female editor of a fictional fashion magazine ...

'', which he also recorded for

RCA Victor Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Ari ...

. In 1963, he played defendant Peter Brent in the ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...

'' episode "The Case of the Lover's Leap". He returned to film in 1959 for ''

Up Periscope ''Up Periscope'' is a 1959 World War II submarine film drama directed by Gordon Douglas, produced by Aubrey Schenck and starring James Garner and Edmond O'Brien. The supporting cast features Andra Martin, Alan Hale Jr., Edd Byrnes, Warren Oate ...

'' for

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

and, much later, the independent films ''Cauliflower Cupids'' (1970) and '' Some of My Best Friends Are...'' (1971), as the character "Miss Untouchable". Carpenter's later stage appearances included '' Hello, Dolly!'', opposite

Mary Martin Mary Virginia Martin (December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990) was an American actress and singer. A muse of Rodgers and Hammerstein, she originated many leading roles on stage over her career, including Nellie Forbush in ''South Pacific'' (194 ...

(which toured Vietnam during the war and was filmed as a one-hour

NBC-TV The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are ...

special), '' The Boys in the Band'', '' Dylan'', '' Crazy For You'', and the

City Center A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...

revival of

Kander and Ebb Kander and Ebb were a highly successful American songwriting team consisting of composer John Kander (born March 18, 1927) and lyricist Fred Ebb (April 8, 1928 – September 11, 2004). Known primarily for their stage musicals, which include ' ...

's '' 70, Girls, 70''. He was still working occasionally as a stage actor in 2015.

Songwriting

Carpenter composed the songs "Christmas Eve", recorded by

Billy Eckstine William Clarence Eckstine (July 8, 1914 – March 8, 1993) was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously ...

, "Cabin in the Woods", and "Ev'ry Other Day", which he recorded for

MGM Records MGM Records was a record label founded by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946 for the purpose of releasing soundtrack recordings (later LP albums) of their musical films. It transitioned into a pop music label that continued into the ...

and sang on screen in ''

''. In 1943 he wrote the words and melody of the song "Can We Forget". His other song compositions include "I Wouldn't Mind", "A Little Love", and "Come Away". He also wrote the musical ''Northern Boulevard'', produced in New York City by actress Rosetta LeNoire.

Writing

Carpenter wrote material for

Kaye Ballard Kaye Ballard (November 20, 1925 – January 21, 2019) was an American actress, comedian, and singer. Early life Ballard was born Catherine Gloria Balotta in Cleveland, Ohio, one of four children born to Italian immigrant parents, Lena (née Nac ...

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

, and

Hermione Gingold Hermione Ferdinanda Gingold (; 9 December 189724 May 1987) was an English actress known for her sharp-tongued, eccentric character. Her signature drawling, deep voice was a result of nodules on her vocal cords she developed in the 1920s and e ...

, and also scripts for films and television. Carpenter was a successful mystery novelist in the 1970s and 1980s. His books include ''Deadhead'', ''Games Murderers Play'', ''Cat Got Your Tongue?'', ''Only Her Hairdresser Knew'', ''Sleight of Deadly Hand'', ''The Peabody Experience'', and ''Stumped''. His memoir, ''The Absolute Joy of Work'', was published in 2016.

Awards and honors

In 2012, he received a lifetime achievement award from the Hollywood film organization Cinecon, which was presented to him in person by his once often co-star

.Cinecon highlights
cinecon.org; accessed January 31, 2016.

Filmography

References

External links

* * *
Carleton Carpenter and Debbie Reynolds sing "Abba Dabba Honeymoon" in this clip from YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carpenter, Carleton 1926 births 2022 deaths 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century LGBT people American bisexual actors American magicians American male dancers American male film actors American male musical theatre actors American male non-fiction writers American male novelists American male screenwriters American mystery writers Bisexual male actors Dancers from Vermont LGBT dancers LGBT people from Vermont LGBT screenwriters Male actors from Vermont Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players Military personnel from Vermont Novelists from Vermont People from Bennington, Vermont People from Warwick, New York Screenwriters from Vermont Seabees United States Navy personnel of World War II