Francis "Dink" Trout (June 18, 1898 – March 26, 1950) was an American actor, voice artist and radio personality.

Biography

Early years

Trout was born in 1898 in Illinois. He attended the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

Radio

In 1927, Trout had his own musical program on WOR in Newark, New Jersey. Much of his career involved playing characters in American radio shows. He was heard as Waldo Binney on ''

The Life of Riley ''The Life of Riley'' is an American radio situation comedy series of the 1940s that was adapted into a 1949 feature film, as well as two different television series, and a comic book. Radio series The radio program initially aired on the B ...

'', as Mr. Anderson on ''

The Dennis Day Show ''The RCA Victor Show'' is a 1950s American television program broadcast on NBC that eventually became ''The Dennis Day Show''. It began on November 23, 1951, and ended on August 2, 1954. ''The RCA Victor Show'' With Ezio Pinza ''The RCA Victor ...

'' and as Luke Spears on ''

Lum and Abner ''Lum and Abner'' was an American network radio comedy program created by Chester Lauck and Norris Goff that was produced from 1931 to 1954. Modeled on life in the small town of Waters, Arkansas, near where Lauck and Goff grew up, the show pr ...

''. He was also heard in ''

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'' is an American television sitcom that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from October 3, 1952, to April 23, 1966, and starred the real-life Nelson family. After a long run on radio, the show was b ...

'', the ''Cass Daley Show'', ''The Nebbs'',Sies, Luther F. (2014). ''Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition, Volume 1''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 705. and ''The Jim Backus Show''.

Stage

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 Stre ...

, Trout had the role of Zappo in ''The Wild Rose'' (1926).

Music

Trout played marimba and trombone for

Ben Bernie Benjamin Anzelevitz, known professionally as Ben Bernie (May 30, 1891 – October 20, 1943),DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P ...

and his orchestra.

Film

In 1936 Trout made his first (uncredited) film appearance in ''

Under Your Spell ''Under Your Spell'' is a 1936 American romantic comedy film with music directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay by Frances Hyland and Saul Elkins is based on a story by Sy Bartlett and Bernice Mason. It was a remake of the American Spanish-l ...

''. Later in 1941 he appeared in ''

Scattergood Baines ''Scattergood Baines'' is a 1941 American comedy drama film directed by Christy Cabanne and starring Guy Kibbee, Carol Hughes and John Archer. It is based on a novel by Clarence Budington Kelland. The character of Scattergood was also popular d ...

'' as Plinky Pickett. Trout reprised this role for the next two films in the ''Scattergood Baines'' chronology. He made several other film appearances throughout his life, though he was generally uncredited. In 1947 he voiced the title character in Disney's '' Bootle Beetle'', a character he continued to voice for the next three years. He also played Phink, the pressure cooker salesman in the unaired

Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short-subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical, farce, and slapstick comedy. Six total ...

TV pilot, ''

Jerks of All Trades ''Jerks of All Trades'' (identified on the title card only as ''“The Three Stooges”'') is the title of an American television pilot filmed on October 12, 1949. It was The Three Stooges' first and only pilot made with Shemp Howard in the rol ...

''. His final performance was as the voice of the

King of Hearts The king of hearts is a playing card in the standard 52-card deck. King of Hearts may also refer to: Games * The king of hearts has five sons, card game that may have been a precursor to Cluedo Books * King of Hearts (Alice's Adventures in ...

in ''

Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...

'', which was released over a year after his death.

Death

One year before the release of ''

'', Trout died after having had major surgery in

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) * Hollywood ...

, on March 26, 1950, at the age of 51.

Filmography

* ''

'' (1936) - Small Man (uncredited) * ''

'' (1941) - Pliny Pickett * '' Scattergood Baines Pulls the Strings'' (1941) - Pliny Pickett * ''

Miss Polly ''Miss Polly'' is a 1941 American comedy film produced as part of Hal Roach's Hal Roach's Streamliners, Streamliners series. It was directed by Fred Guiol, written by Eugene Conrad and Edward E. Seabrook and stars ZaSu Pitts, Slim Summerville, Ka ...

'' (1941) - Postman Wilbur Boggs * '' Cinderella Swings It'' (1943) - Pliny Pickett * ''

Gildersleeve's Bad Day ''Gildersleeve's Bad Day'' is a 1943 American comedy film directed by Gordon Douglas from a screenplay by Jack Townley. The picture was the second in the Gildersleeve's series produced and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures, based on the popula ...

'' (1943) - Otis (uncredited) * '' It's a Great Life'' (1943) - Little Man (uncredited) * '' Food and Magic'' (1943, Documentary short) - Meek Butcher Customer (uncredited) * ''

Up in Arms ''Up in Arms'' is a 1944 musical film directed by Elliott Nugent and starring Danny Kaye and Dinah Shore. It was nominated for two Academy Awards in 1945. Plot Danny Weems works as an elevator operator in a New York Medical building, so he can b ...

'' (1944) - Startled Man in Cable Car (uncredited) * ''

The Doughgirls ''The Doughgirls'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by James V. Kern based on the 1942 hit Broadway play written by Joseph Fields. The film works around three newlywed couples, focusing on the Halstead couple, played by Jane Wyman and J ...

'' (1944) - Young Husband (uncredited) * ''

Irish Eyes Are Smiling ''Irish Eyes Are Smiling'' is a 1944 United States musical film that chronicles the life of popular Irish song composer Ernest R. Ball. The screenplay by Earl Baldwin and John Tucker Battle is based on a story by E. A. Ellington. The film was ...

'' (1944) - Meek Husband (uncredited) * '' A Tree Grows in Brooklyn'' (1945) - Undetermined (uncredited) * ''

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

'' (1945) - Bedai the Potter (uncredited) * ''

The Horn Blows at Midnight ''The Horn Blows at Midnight'' is a 1945 comedy fantasy film directed by Raoul Walsh, and starring Jack Benny. Following its poor box-office, Benny often exploited the film's failure for laughs over the next 20 years in his radio and television ...

'' (1945) - Trumpet Player (uncredited) * '' Notorious'' (1946) - Court Clerk (uncredited) * '' Bootle Beetle'' (1947, short) - Bootle Beetle (voice) * ''

So Dear to My Heart ''So Dear to My Heart'' is a 1948 American live-action/animated comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Its world premiere was in Chicago, Illinois, on November 29, 1948. Like 1946's ''Song of the South'', ...

'' (1948) - Bob Peters - Station Agent (uncredited) * '' Sea Salts'' (1949, short) - 'Mac' Bootle Beetle (voice, uncredited) * ''

'' (1949, TV pilot) - Mr. Phink * ''

The Greener Yard ''The Greener Yard'' is a 1949 animated short film featuring Donald Duck. It was released by Walt Disney Productions. Plot Bootle Beetle lives next door to Donald Duck. He explains to a younger beetle the dangers of Donald's garden by telling ...

'' (1949, short) - Bootle Beetle (voice) * ''

Morris the Midget Moose ''Morris the Midget Moose'' is a Walt Disney animated short, based on a 1945 picture book published by G.P. Putnam's sons, written and illustrated by Frank Owen, originally released to theaters on November 24, 1950, from Walt Disney Productions, ...

'' (1950, short) - Old Bootle Beetle / Balsam (voice, posthumous release, uncredited) * ''

'' (1951) -

(voice) (posthumous release, final film role)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Trout, Dink 1898 births 1950 deaths American radio personalities American male film actors American male radio actors American male voice actors Male actors from Illinois People from Beardstown, Illinois University of Illinois alumni 20th-century American male actors