Richard Lewis Wesson (November 19, 1922 – April 25, 1996) was a prolific character actor, comedian, comedy writer, and producer.

Biography

Dick Wesson was born on November 19, 1922, in Boston, Massachusetts. A comedian,

impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

and singer, Wesson appeared with his brother Gene in a comedy act titled "The Wesson Brothers". They had some hit records, such as "Oodles of Boodle" and "All Right Louie, Drop the Gun". In 1949, Wesson became a television series regular with

Jim Backus James Gilmore Backus (February 25, 1913 – July 3, 1989) was an American actor. Among his most famous roles were Thurston Howell III on the 1960s sitcom ''Gilligan's Island,'' the father of James Dean's character in '' Rebel Without a Cause, ...

in ''Hollywood House''. Making his film debut in '' Destination Moon'' (1950), Wesson signed a contract with

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

, leaving the studio in 1953. His films there included '' Breakthrough'', ''

Calamity Jane Martha Jane Canary (May 1, 1856 – August 1, 1903), better known as Calamity Jane, was an American American frontier, frontierswoman, Exhibition shooting, sharpshooter, sex worker, and storyteller. In addition to many exploits, she was known f ...

'' (1953), and '' The Desert Song''. Wesson played

comic relief Comic Relief is a British charity, founded in 1986 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Sir Lenny Henry in response to the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. The concept of Comic Relief was to get British comedians to make t ...

in all his films, frequently as an infantry soldier, as in ''

Force of Arms ''Force of Arms'' (reissued under the title ''A Girl for Joe'') is a 1951 romantic war drama film set in the Italian Campaign (World War II), Italian campaign of World War II, starring William Holden, Nancy Olson, and Frank Lovejoy. Directed ...

'' (1951), and in the

Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that bega ...

with ''

The Man Behind the Gun ''The Man Behind the Gun'' is a 1953 American Western film about the establishment of the city of Los Angeles. It was directed by Felix Feist and stars Randolph Scott.

'' (1952) and ''

The Charge at Feather River ''The Charge at Feather River'' is a 1953 American Western film directed by Gordon Douglas. It was originally released in 3D with many arrows, lances, and other weapons flying directly at the audience in several scenes. The movie is most nota ...

'' (1953). Wesson's best known role was as female impersonator Francis Fryer in ''Calamity Jane''. Wesson moved to television, appearing as

Jackie Cooper John Cooper Jr. (September 15, 1922 – May 3, 2011) was an American actor and director. He began his career performing in film as a child, and successfully transitioned to adult roles and directing in both film and television. At age nine, h ...

's ex-United States Marine Corps sidekick Rollo, on '' The People's Choice'' and as Frank Crenshaw in ''

The Bob Cummings Show ''The Bob Cummings Show'' (also known in reruns as ''Love That Bob'') is an American sitcom starring Bob Cummings, which was broadcast from January 2, 1955, to September 15, 1959. The program began with a half-season run on NBC, then ran for ...

''. Wesson began writing for ''The Bob Cummings Show'' and later ''

The Beverly Hillbillies ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor backwoods family ...

''. He appeared in ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' as a taxi driver and as a patient in the season 1 episode "The Clampetts Get Psychoanalyzed". He produced ''

My Sister Eileen ''My Sister Eileen'' is a series of autobiographical short stories by Ruth McKenney, originally published in ''The New Yorker'', which eventually inspired many other works: her 1938 book ''My Sister Eileen'', a My Sister Eileen (play), play, ...

'' and many episodes of ''

Petticoat Junction ''Petticoat Junction'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from September 1963 to April 1970. The series takes place at the Shady Rest Hotel, which is run by Kate Bradley; her three daughters Billie Jo, Bobbie Jo, an ...

'' as well as directed several episodes of each series. He portrayed Jack Reardon on the 1974 CBS situation comedy '' Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers''. Wesson later died of an aneurysm on April 25, 1996, in Rancho Mirage, California.

Filmography

Notes

External links

* * Great character actors http://www.playbrass.com/kingspud/sel_by_actor_index_2.php?actor_first=Dick&actor_last=Wesson * Wesson with

Sammy Davis Jr. Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, actor, comedian, dancer, and musician. At age two, Davis began his career in Vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the Will Mastin Trio, which t ...

on ''Hollywood House'' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbpcY0svdvU {{DEFAULTSORT:Wesson, Dick 1922 births 1996 deaths American male comedians American television directors American male television actors American male film actors Television writers from California American male television writers Male actors from Boston Male actors from Los Angeles 20th-century American male actors Comedians from Los Angeles Screenwriters from Massachusetts 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American male writers Deaths from aneurysm Comedians from Boston