Maurice Gosfield
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Maurice Lionel Gosfield (January 28, 1913 – October 19, 1964) was an American stage, film, radio and television actor, best remembered for his portrayal of Private Duane Doberman on the sitcom ''
The Phil Silvers Show ''The Phil Silvers Show'', originally titled ''You'll Never Get Rich'', is a sitcom which ran on CBS from 1955 to 1959. A pilot titled "Audition Show" was made in 1955, but it was never broadcast. 143 other episodes were broadcast – all half-a ...
'' (1954–1959) and voicing Benny the Ball in ''
Top Cat ''Top Cat'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and originally broadcast in prime time on the ABC network. It aired in a weekly evening time slot from September 27, 1961, to April 18, 1962, for a single season of ...
'' (1961–62).


Biography


Early life

Gosfield was raised in
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
and, later, in
Evanston, Illinois Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, Wil ...
.


Pre-war career

In 1937, he made his Broadway debut as Manero in the play ''Siege''. Other theatre credits from the late 1930s include ''The Petrified Forest'', ''
Three Men on a Horse ''Three Men on a Horse'' is a three-act farce co-authored by John Cecil Holm and George Abbott. The comedy focuses on a man who discovers he has a talent for choosing the winning horse in a race as long as he never places a bet himself. Originally ...
'' and ''
Room Service Room service or in-room dining is a hotel service enabling guests to choose items of food and drink for delivery to their hotel room for consumption. Room service is organized as a subdivision within the food and beverage department of high-end ...
''. He also made several appearances on radio programs.Gosfield profile
radiogoldindex.com; accessed July 17, 2015.
In September 1941, Gosfield joined the cast of the Broadway play ''Keep Covered''. 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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, he served in the U.S. Army as a Technician fourth grade (T/4) in the 8th Armored Division.


Post-war career

In early 1951, Gosfield acted in the play ''
Darkness at Noon ''Darkness at Noon'' (german: link=no, Sonnenfinsternis) is a novel by Hungarian-born novelist Arthur Koestler, first published in 1940. His best known work, it is the tale of Rubashov, an Old Bolshevik who is arrested, imprisoned, and tried f ...
'', which ran for 156 performances from January to June 1951, and in September 1951, he joined the cast of ''Out West of Eighth'', which closed after only four performances''.'' From October to November 1952 he had a comedic role as "A Turkish Gentleman" in the play ''In Any Language'', his performance being singled out as the funniest of the play by reviewers of the show''.'' From late 1954 to early 1955, he acted in ''A Stone for Danny Fisher'', which ran off-Broadway at the Downtown National Theater.


''The Phil Silvers Show''

From 1955 to 1959, Gosfield played Private Duane Doberman in ''The Phil Silvers Show'' (titled ''You'll Never Get Rich'' in its first season). Doberman was written as the most woebegone soldier. The actor originally hired for the part was
Maurice Brenner Morris Brenner (August 25, 1914 – August 25, 2005) was an American actor. He was best known for playing Pvt. Irving Fleischman in ''The Phil Silvers Show''. Life and career Brenner was born in Chicago, Illinois. He began his career in 1948, ...
, but Brenner was recast as Private Irving Fleischman. The show's creator
Nat Hiken Nathan Hiken (June 23, 1914 – December 7, 1968) was an American radio and television writer, producer, and songwriter who rose to prominence in the 1950s. Early years Hiken was born on June 23, 1914, in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Jewish p ...
's biography details the casting for the role and the effect that Gosfield had on him, the producer and Phil Silvers when he appeared in front of them: In 1959, Gosfield was nominated for a
Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for the show. DC Comics published eleven issues of a Private Doberman comic from 1957 to 1960. That same year, he again played Private Doberman in the television show ''Keep in Step'' and made his final appearance as the character, the following year, when he guest starred on ''
The Jack Benny Program ''The Jack Benny Program'', starring Jack Benny, is a radio-TV comedy series that ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th century American comedy. He played one role throughout his radio and televis ...
''.
Phil Silvers Phil Silvers (born Phillip Silver; May 11, 1911 – November 1, 1985) was an American entertainer and comedic actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah". His career as a professional entertainer spanned nearly sixty years. Silvers achieved major popu ...
, in his 1973 autobiography, said of Gosfield that he had a pomposity and condescension off-screen and "thought of himself as
Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one o ...
playing a short, plump man", Silvers continued: "He began to have delusions. He did not realize that the situations in which he worked, plus the sharp lines provided by Nat and the other writers, made him funny." For his part, Gosfield crowed, "Without me, the ''Bilko'' show would be nothing."


Later years

In 1961, Gosfield appeared in the film ''The Teenage Millionaire'' (1961). He also provided the voice for Benny the Ball on the cartoon series ''
Top Cat ''Top Cat'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and originally broadcast in prime time on the ABC network. It aired in a weekly evening time slot from September 27, 1961, to April 18, 1962, for a single season of ...
'' which was partially based on the Sergeant Bilko series. His last role was in the 1963 film '' The Thrill of It All'', playing a truck driver. In 1964, he unsuccessfully tested for the role of Uncle Fester in the TV series ''
The Addams Family ''The Addams Family'' is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 unrelated single-panel cartoons, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' over a ...
''.


Illness and death

On October 14, 1964, while he was performing in a
play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...
at a New York theatre, Gosfield kept losing his balance and repeatedly falling asleep. He was diagnosed as having critical hypertension and was given seven different medications, which he was told to take for the rest of his life. On October 19 1964, Gosfield died at age 51 at
Will Rogers Memorial Hospital Will Rogers Memorial Hospital is a historic tuberculosis sanatorium located at Saranac Lake in Essex County, New York. It was built in 1928 as the National Vaudeville lodge by the National Vaudeville Artists Association, who previously sent pati ...
in
Saranac Lake, New York Saranac Lake is a village in the state of New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,406, making it the largest community by population in the Adirondack Park. The village is named after Upper, Middle and Lower Saran ...
after suffering "a series of ailments including diabetes and heart trouble and other complications." Gosfield was buried at
Long Island National Cemetery Long Island National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in Suffolk County, New York. It is surrounded by a group of other separate cemeteries and memorial parks situated along Wellwood Avenue (County Road 3) – these include Pi ...
, Suffolk County,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
.


Filmography

*''
Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town ''Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town'' is a 1950 American comedy film directed by Charles Lamont. It is the second installment of Universal Pictures, Universal-International's ''Ma and Pa Kettle'' series starring Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride. Plot A ...
'' (1950) as New York Tour Ticket Seller (uncredited) *''
Guilty Bystander ''Guilty Bystander'' is a 1950 American crime drama directed by Joseph Lerner, and starring Zachary Scott and Faye Emerson. The film was shot on location entirely in New York City. It also marked the last motion picture screen appearances for ch ...
'' (1950) as Guard on Bridge (uncredited) *''
Teenage Millionaire ''Teenage Millionaire'' is a 1961 American comedy film directed by Lawrence Doheny and written by Lawrence Doheny and Harry Spalding. The film stars Jimmy Clanton, Rocky Graziano, ZaSu Pitts, Diane Jergens, Valerie Ziegler, Cheyenne Boyer, Gabri ...
'' (1961) as Ernie *'' The Thrill of It All'' (1963) as Truck Driver (final film role)


Television

*'' Studio One'' (1949, Episode: "The Glass Key") *'' The Clock'' (1949, Episode #1.25) *''
We the People The Preamble to the United States Constitution, beginning with the words We the People, is a brief introductory statement of the Constitution's fundamental purposes and guiding principles. Courts have referred to it as reliable evidence o ...
'' (1952, Episode - Episode dated 15 February 1952) as Himself *''The New Recruits'' (1955, TV Movie) as Pvt. Mulrooney *''
The Phil Silvers Show ''The Phil Silvers Show'', originally titled ''You'll Never Get Rich'', is a sitcom which ran on CBS from 1955 to 1959. A pilot titled "Audition Show" was made in 1955, but it was never broadcast. 143 other episodes were broadcast – all half-a ...
'' (1955-1959) as Pvt. Duane Doberman *''
The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television program, television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in Septembe ...
'' (1956-1958) as Pvt. Duane Doberman / Himself *''
The Steve Allen Plymouth Show ''The Steve Allen Show'' was an American variety show hosted by Steve Allen from June 1956 to June 1960 on NBC, from September 1961 to December 1961 on ABC,
'' (1958, Episode #3.34) as Himself - Guest *''The Phil Silvers Pontiac Special: Keep in Step'' (1959, TV Special) as Pvt. Duane Doberman *''Summer in New York'' (1960, TV Movie) *''
The Jack Benny Program ''The Jack Benny Program'', starring Jack Benny, is a radio-TV comedy series that ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th century American comedy. He played one role throughout his radio and televis ...
'' (1960, Episode: "Maurice Gosfield/Amateur Show") as Himself / Pvt. Duane Doberman *''
One Happy Family ''One Happy Family'' is an American sitcom television series where newlyweds Dick and Penny Cooper live with both her parents ("The Hogans") and grandparents ("The Hacketts") all in the same house together that aired from January 13 until June 23, ...
'' (1961, Episode: "Big Night") as Fred *'' The Detectives'' (1961, Episode: "Secret Assignment") as Angie *''
The Red Skelton Hour ''The Red Skelton Show'' is an American television comedy/variety show that aired from 1951 to 1971. In the decade prior to hosting the show, Richard "Red" Skelton had a successful career as a radio and motion pictures star. Although his televis ...
'' (1961, Episode: "San Fernando and the Kaaka Maami Island") as Millionaire *''
The Jim Backus Show ''The Jim Backus Show'' is a 39-episode American television sitcom that aired in broadcast syndication in 1960 and 1961. The series was also known as ''Hot Off the Wire''. Premise The program focuses on Backus in the role of Mike O'Toole, the edi ...
'' (1961, Episode: "Old Army Game") as Private Dilly Dillingham *''
Top Cat ''Top Cat'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and originally broadcast in prime time on the ABC network. It aired in a weekly evening time slot from September 27, 1961, to April 18, 1962, for a single season of ...
'' (1961-1962) as Benny the Ball (voice)


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gosfield, Maurice 1913 births 1964 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male voice actors American male stage actors American male television actors American male radio actors United States Army personnel of World War II Burials at Long Island National Cemetery Hanna-Barbera people Jewish American male actors Jewish American military personnel Male actors from Evanston, Illinois Male actors from New York City Male actors from Philadelphia United States Army soldiers 20th-century American Jews