Frank S. Ferguson (December 25, 1899 – September 12, 1978) was an American
character actor
A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...
with hundreds of appearances in both film and television.
Background
Ferguson was born in Ferndale, California, the younger of two children of W. Thomas Ferguson, a native Scottish merchant, and his American wife Annie Boynton. He graduated from Ferndale Union High School in 1917. He earned a bachelor's degree in speech and drama at the University of California and a master's degree from Cornell University. He also taught at UCLA and Cornell.
As a young man, he became connected with Gilmor Brown, the founder and director of the Pasadena Community Playhouse, and became one of its first directors. He directed as well as acted in many plays there.Alexander, Diane. ''Playhouse'', Los Angeles, California: Dorleac-MacLeish, 1984 He also taught at the Playhouse.
He made his film debut in 1939 in ''Gambling on the High Seas'' (released in 1940), and appeared in nearly 200 feature films and hundreds of TV episodes subsequently.
Career
In 1948, Ferguson appeared as "McDougal" – the quickly agitated owner of "McDougal's House of Horrors" – in the Universal comedy horror film " Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein". In 1952, he had an uncredited role as a jailer in the film '' Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair''. He also appeared in episodes 149, 173, and 178 of " The Lone Ranger".
In 1952, Ferguson played the part of a music professor at
Pomona College
Pomona College ( ) is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalists ...
in the second of two short films starring Jascha Heifetz, produced by Rudolph Polk and Bernard Luber. The set-up was that Heifetz and his accompanist, Emanuel Bay, had visited the college in order to see a collection of music/music scores. As they are leaving, the professor catches them and asks if Heifetz will come to his class and say a few words. He does, but when there are no questions immediately, he starts to leave. Suddenly there are some questions, and then it turns into a recital.
Ferguson's had a well-known role as the Swedish
ranch
A ranch (from /Mexican Spanish) is an area of landscape, land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of farm. These terms are most often ap ...
television series
A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...
novel
A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...
of the same name. He appeared with Gene Evans, Johnny Washbrook and Anita Louise. At this time, Ferguson also portrayed the Calverton
veterinarian
A veterinarian (vet) or veterinary surgeon is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, veterinarians also play a role in animal r ...
in the first several seasons of CBS's '' Lassie''.
In 1964–1965, Ferguson portrayed Pa Stockdale in the ABC-TV comedy ''No Time for Sergeants''.
Ferguson played three different characters on ''
The Andy Griffith Show
''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American sitcom television series that was aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color.
The series ...
, three different characters on
Laramie (TV series)
''Laramie'' is an American Western television series that aired on NBC from September 15, 1959 to May 21, 1963. A Revue Studios production, the program originally starred John Smith as Slim Sherman, owner of the Sherman Ranch, along with his ...
'', two different characters on '' Petticoat Junction'', four different characters on ''
Bonanza
''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...
'', four different characters on '' Perry Mason'' (including three episodes as a sheriff), and four different characters on the ABC/WB western, '' Maverick''. He guest starred on other series, including the syndicated ''
Gunsmoke
''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...
'', ''
Cheyenne
The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for th ...
Bat Masterson
Bartholemew William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (November 26, 1853 – October 25, 1921) was a U.S. Army scout, lawman, professional gambler, and journalist known for his exploits in the late 19th and early 20th-century American Old West. He was bo ...
'', ''
Whirlybirds
''Whirlybirds'' (sometimes called ''The Whirlybirds'' or ''Copter Patrol'') is a Television syndication, syndicated American Dramatic programming, drama/adventure television series, which aired for 111 episodes — broadcast from February ...
The Restless Gun
''The Restless Gun'' is an American Westerns on television, Western television series that appeared on NBC between 1957 and 1959, with John Payne (actor), John Payne in the role of Vint Bonner, a wandering cowboy in the era after the American Ci ...
Mr. Novak
''Mr. Novak'' is an American television drama (film and television), drama television series starring James Franciscus in the title role as a high school teacher. The series aired on NBC for two seasons, from 1963 to 1965. It won a Peabody Award ...
The Rifleman
''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television series starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show ...
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
''Mr. Smith Goes to Washington'' is a 1939 American political comedy-drama film directed by Frank Capra, starring Jean Arthur and James Stewart, and featuring Claude Rains and Edward Arnold. The film is about a naive, newly appointed United ...
''; and CBS's ''
General Electric Theater
''General Electric Theater'' is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations.
Radio
After an audition show ...
'' (hosted by
Ronald W. Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party and became an important figure in ...
Rory Calhoun
Rory Calhoun (born Francis Timothy McCown, August 8, 1922April 28, 1999) was an American film and television actor. He starred in numerous Westerns in the 1950s and 1960s, and appeared in supporting roles in films such as ''How to Marry a Millio ...
. Ferguson appeared twice in 1956 as Henry Murdock (a name similar to his character in ''The Pride of the Family'') on the syndicated western-themed
crime drama
Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...
, ''
Sheriff of Cochise
''The Sheriff of Cochise'' is an American police crime drama television series of 79 black-and-white episodes broadcast from 1956 to 1958. The show has two seasons of 39 episodes, and there is an additional standalone episode. Each episode run ...
''.
He guest starred in all three of Rod Cameron's crime series, '' City Detective'' (1955), '' State Trooper'' (in the 1957 episode "No Blaze of Glory", the story of a presumed
arson
Arson is the act of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, watercr ...
case with a surprise ending, co-starring
Vivi Janiss
Vivi Janis (born Vivian Audrey Jamison; May 29, 1911 – September 7, 1988) was an American actress, known for such films as ''The Phantom from 10,000 Leagues'' (1955), ''Man on the Prowl (film), Man on the Prowl'' (1957), and ''First, You Cry'' ...
as his wife) and '' Coronado 9'' (1960). He also guest starred, in the role of a
hobo
A hobo is a migrant worker in the United States. Hoboes, tramps, and bums are generally regarded as related, but distinct: a hobo travels and is willing to work; a tramp travels, but avoids work if possible; a bum neither travels nor works.
Et ...
Beaver befriends, during the final season of ABC's ''
Leave It to Beaver
''Leave It to Beaver'' is an American television sitcom that follows the misadventures of a suburban boy, his family and his friends. It starred Barbara Billingsley, Hugh Beaumont, Tony Dow and Jerry Mathers.
CBS first broadcast the show ...
'' sitcom in 1963.
Ferguson played the role of Eli Carson in the primetime ABC serial '' Peyton Place'' and reprised the role in the later daytime version ''
Return to Peyton Place
''Return to Peyton Place'' is a 1959 novel by Grace Metalious, a sequel to her best-selling 1956 novel '' Peyton Place''.
Plot summary
After the phenomenal success of her first novel, Metalious hastily penned a sequel centering on the life an ...
.'' Ferguson also appeared in an episode of ''
Green Acres
''Green Acres'' is an American television absurdist sitcom starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a couple who move from New York City to a country farm. Produced by Filmways as a sister show to ''Petticoat Junction'', the series was first br ...
'' in 1969.
Death
Ferguson died in Los Angeles of
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...
Reap the Wild Wind
''Reap the Wild Wind'' is a 1942 American adventure film produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Ray Milland, John Wayne, and Paulette Goddard, with a supporting cast featuring Raymond Massey, Robert Preston (actor), Robert Pres ...
'' (1942) as Snaith (uncredited)
* '' Broadway'' (1942) as Reporter (uncredited)
* '' My Gal Sal'' (1942) as Loud Customer (uncredited)
* '' This Gun for Hire'' (1942) as Albert Baker
* '' Grand Central Murder'' (1942) as Det. Mike McAdams (uncredited)
* ''
Spy Ship
A spy ship or reconnaissance vessel is a dedicated ship intended to gather intelligence, usually by means of sophisticated electronic eavesdropping. In a wider sense, any ship intended to gather information could be considered a spy ship.
Sp ...
Mission to Moscow
Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to:
Geography Australia
*Mission River (Queensland)
Canada
* Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality
* Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood
* ...
'' (1943) as American Newsman (uncredited)
* ''
Pilot No. 5
''Pilot #5'' (a.k.a. ''Destination Tokyo,'' ''Skyway to Glory'', and ''The Story of Number Five'') is a 1943 black-and-white World War II propaganda film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, produced by B.P. Fineman, directed by George Sidney, that stars ...
'' (1943) as Mr. Tully (uncredited)
* '' Salute to the Marines'' (1943) as Pvt. Williams (uncredited)
* '' Thrill of a Romance'' (1945) as 1st Hotel Monte Belva Clerk (uncredited)
* '' Secrets of a Sorority Girl'' (1945) as Justin Farley
* '' The Dolly Sisters'' (1945) as Reporter at Boat Docking (uncredited)
* '' O.S.S.'' (1946) as Electronics Engineer (uncredited)
* '' Blonde for a Day'' (1946) as Walter Bronson
* '' The Searching Wind'' (1946) as Embassy Attendant (uncredited)
* '' Night and Day'' (1946) as Tina's Father (uncredited)
* '' Canyon Passage'' (1946) as Preacher (uncredited)
* '' Little Miss Big'' (1946) as Dr. Raymond (uncredited)
* '' If I'm Lucky'' (1946) as Statistician (scenes deleted)
* '' Lady Chaser'' (1946) as Attorney J. T. Vickers
* ''
Swell Guy
''Swell Guy'' is a 1946 American drama film directed by Frank Tuttle and starring Sonny Tufts, Ann Blyth and Ruth Warwick. It was distributed by Universal Pictures. The film's screenplay by Richard Brooks is based on the 1921 play ''The Hero'' ...
'' (1946) as Eddie (uncredited)
* '' Cross My Heart'' (1946) as Reporter (uncredited)
* '' The Man I Love'' (1947) as Army Doctor (uncredited)
* ''
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
Welcome Stranger
Welcome Stranger is the name of the largest alluvial gold nugget ever discovered. It was unearthed by Cornwall, Cornish miners John Deason and Richard Oates on 5February 1869 in Moliagul, 9 miles north-west of Dunolly, Victoria, Dunolly in Vi ...
T-Men
''T-Men'' is a 1947 semidocumentary and police procedural style film noir about United States Treasury agents. The film was directed by Anthony Mann and shot by noted noir cameraman John Alton. The production features Dennis O'Keefe, Mary M ...
'' (1947) as Secret Service Man (uncredited)
* ''
Road to Rio
''Road to Rio'' is a 1947 American musical film, musical comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod and starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour. Written by Edmund Beloin and Jack Rose (screenwriter), Jack Rose, the film is about two i ...
'' (1947) as Texas Posse Member (uncredited)
* '' The Bride Goes Wild'' (1948) as Reporter (uncredited)
* '' The Inside Story'' (1948) as Eph – Editor of The Bugle
* ''
The Miracle of the Bells
''The Miracle of the Bells'' is a 1948 American drama film directed by Irving Pichel, written by Quentin Reynolds and Ben Hecht, and produced by RKO. It stars Fred MacMurray, Alida Valli, Frank Sinatra and Lee J. Cobb.
The film is based on the 1 ...
'' (1948) as Dolan
* '' Fort Apache'' (1948) as Newspaperman (uncredited)
* '' The Hunted'' (1948) as Paul Harrison
* '' Fighting Father Dunne'' (1948) as M.R. Colpeck (uncredited)
* ''
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
''Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein'' is a 1948 American horror comedy film directed by Charles Barton (director), Charles Barton. The film features Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi), who has partnered with Dr. Sandra Mornay (Lenore Aubert) in or ...
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern German ...
Caught
Caught is a method of dismissing a batsman in cricket. A batsman is out caught if the batsman hits the ball, from a legitimate delivery, with the bat, and the ball is caught by the bowler or a fielder before it hits the ground.
If the catch ...
'' (1949) as Dr. Hoffman
* ''
Homicide
Homicide is an act in which a person causes the death of another person. A homicide requires only a Volition (psychology), volitional act, or an omission, that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from Accident, accidenta ...
The Lawless
''The Lawless'' is a 1950 American film noir directed by Joseph Losey and featuring Macdonald Carey, Gail Russell and Johnny Sands.
A crusading newspaper editor in California becomes concerned about the plight of the state's fruit pickers, mostl ...
'' (1950) as Carl Green
* '' The Furies'' (1950) as Dr. Grieve
* '' Right Cross'' (1950) as Dr. George Esmond (uncredited)
* ''
He's a Cockeyed Wonder
''He's a Cockeyed Wonder'' is a 1950 American comedy film directed by Peter Godfrey and written by Jack Henley. The film stars Mickey Rooney, Terry Moore, William Demarest, Charles Arnt, Ross Ford and Ned Glass. The film was released on Dec ...
'' (1950) as Sheriff Oliver (uncredited)
* ''
Under Mexicali Stars
''Under Mexicali Stars'' is a 1950 American Western film directed by George Blair, written by Robert Creighton Williams and starring Rex Allen, Dorothy Patrick, Roy Barcroft, Buddy Ebsen, Percy Helton and Walter Coy. It was released on Novem ...
The Barefoot Mailman
''The Barefoot Mailman'' is a 1951 American historical comedy adventure film directed by Earl McEvoy and starring Robert Cummings, Terry Moore and Jerome Courtland. It was distributed by Columbia Pictures. The film was based on the 1943 novel ...
'' (1951) as Doc Bethune (uncredited)
* ''
Elopement
Elopement is a marriage which is conducted in a sudden and secretive fashion, sometimes involving a hurried flight away from one's place of residence together with one's beloved with the intention of getting married without parental approval. A ...
Boots Malone
''Boots Malone'' is a 1952 American drama film directed by William Dieterle. It stars William Holden as a down-on-his-luck sports agent and Johnny Stewart as a rich runaway who wants to become a jockey.
Plot
Down on his luck, jockey agent "Boots ...
'' (1952) as Detective Agency Head (uncredited)
* ''
The Cimarron Kid
''The Cimarron Kid'' is a 1952 American western film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Audie Murphy, Beverly Tyler and Yvette Duguay. It was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures.
Plot
Bill Doolin (Audie Murphy) is released f ...
'' (1952) as Prison Warden (uncredited)
* '' Bend of the River'' (1952) as Tom Grundy
* '' Rancho Notorious'' (1952) as Preacher
* ''
Rodeo
Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...
The Iron Mistress
''The Iron Mistress'' is a 1952 American Western film directed by Gordon Douglas and starring Alan Ladd and Virginia Mayo. It ends with Bowie's marriage to Ursula de Veramendi and does not deal with his death at the Battle of the Alamo in 1836.
...
Star of Texas
A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by self-gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night; their immense distances from Earth make them appear as fixed points of ...
'' (1953) as Marshal Bullock
* ''
The I Don't Care Girl
''The I Don't Care Girl'' is a 1953 American biographical film directed by Lloyd Bacon and starring Mitzi Gaynor. It is a biography of entertainer Eva Tanguay.The Stars Are Singing'' (1953) as Doorman (uncredited)
* ''
The Blue Gardenia
''The Blue Gardenia'' is a 1953 American film noir starring Anne Baxter, Richard Conte, and Ann Sothern. Directed by Fritz Lang from a screenplay by Charles Hoffman, it is based on the novella ''The Gardenia'' by Vera Caspary.
An indepe ...
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
''The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms'' is a 1953 American independent monster film directed by Eugène Lourié, with stop motion animation by Ray Harryhausen. It is partly based on Ray Bradbury's 1951 short story of the same name, which was later ...
'' (1953) as Dr. Morton
* '' Hannah Lee'' (1953) as John Britton
* '' So This Is Love'' (1953) as High School Commencement Speaker (uncredited)
* '' Big Leaguer'' (1953) as Wally Mitchell
* '' City of Bad Men'' (1953) as Easterner at Training Camp (uncredited)
* '' Main Street to Broadway'' (1953) as Mr. Cope in Fantasy Sequence
* '' So Big'' (1953) as Ed (uncredited)
* '' Wicked Woman'' (1953) as Bill Porter
* '' Texas Bad Man'' (1953) as Gil
* '' Dragonfly Squadron'' (1954) as Col. Conners (uncredited)
* ''
Riding Shotgun
"Riding shotgun" was a phrase used to describe the bodyguard who rides alongside a stagecoach driver, typically armed with a break-action shotgun, called a coach gun, to ward off bandits or hostile Native Americans. In modern use, it refers to ...
'' (1954) as Townsman (uncredited)
* ''
Johnny Guitar
''Johnny Guitar'' is a 1954 American independent Western film directed by Nicholas Ray and starring Joan Crawford, Sterling Hayden, Mercedes McCambridge, Ernest Borgnine, and Scott Brady. It was produced and distributed by Republic Pictures. ...
'' (1954) as Marshal Williams
* '' The Outcast'' (1954) as Chad Polsen
* '' The Shanghai Story'' (1954) as Mr. Haljerson
* '' A Star Is Born'' (1954) as Judge George J. Barnes (uncredited)
* '' Drum Beat'' (1954) as Mr. Dyar
* '' Black Tuesday'' (1954) as Police Inspector Hailey (uncredited)
* '' Young at Heart'' (1954) as Bartell
* '' The Violent Men'' (1955) as Mahoney (uncredited)
* ''
Battle Cry
A battle cry or war cry is a yell or chant taken up in battle, usually by members of the same combatant group.
Battle cries are not necessarily articulate (e.g. "Eulaliaaaa!", "Alala"..), although they often aim to invoke patriotic or religio ...
'' (1955) as Mr. Hector Walker
* '' New York Confidential'' (1955) as Dr. Ludlow
* ''
The Eternal Sea
''The Eternal Sea'' (aka ''The Admiral Hoskins Story'') is a 1955 American biographical war film directed by John H. Auer and starring Sterling Hayden, Alexis Smith and Ben Cooper. The film follows the career of Captain John Hoskins, who lose ...
Trial
In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, w ...
Revolt in the Big House
''Revolt in the Big House'' is a 1958 American film noir directed by R. G. Springsteen and starring Gene Evans, Robert Blake (actor), Robert Blake and Timothy Carey.
Portions of the film were shot on location at Folsom State Prison in California. ...
'' (1958) as Gannon's Lawyer (uncredited)
* '' Andy Hardy Comes Home'' (1958) as Mayor Benson
* ''
The Restless Gun
''The Restless Gun'' is an American Westerns on television, Western television series that appeared on NBC between 1957 and 1959, with John Payne (actor), John Payne in the role of Vint Bonner, a wandering cowboy in the era after the American Ci ...
'' (1958) as Sheriff - Episode "Remember the Dead"
* '' The Big Night'' (1960) as Dave
* '' Raymie'' (1960) as Rex
* ''
Sunrise at Campobello
''Sunrise at Campobello'' is a 1960 American biographical film telling the story of the struggles of future President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt and his family when Roosevelt was stricken with paralysis at the age of 39 in Augus ...
'' (1960) as Dr. Bennett
* ''
Pocketful of Miracles
''Pocketful of Miracles'' is a 1961 American comedy film starring Glenn Ford and Bette Davis, produced and directed by Frank Capra, filmed in Panavision. The screenplay by Hal Kanter and Harry Tugend was based on Robert Riskin's screenplay f ...
Those Calloways
''Those Calloways'' is a 1964 American family drama film, adapted from the 1950 children's novel ''Swiftwater'' by Paul Annixter. The film was produced by Walt Disney and directed by Norman Tokar. It was the last credit for veteran film composer ...
'' (1965) as Doctor (uncredited)
* '' The Great Sioux Massacre'' (1965) as Gen. Alfred Howe Terry (final film)