James Nusser (May 3, 1905 – June 8, 1979) was an American film and television actor. He was known for playing the recurring role of

town drunk The town drunk (also called a tavern fool) is a stock character in Anglo-Saxon culture, almost always male, who is drunk more often than exhibiting sobriety. The town drunk is frequently depicted in a humorous light, often portrayed as a harmles ...

Louis Pheeters in the American

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

television series ''

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 ...

'' from 1961 to 1970. Nusser was born in

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. He appeared in television programs including ''

I Married Joan ''I Married Joan'' is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from 1952 to 1955. It stars actress Joan Davis as the manic, scatterbrained wife of a mild-mannered community judge (Jim Backus). Synopsis The show, whose syndicated opening makes the ...

'', ''

Sergeant Preston of the Yukon ''Challenge of the Yukon'' is an American radio adventure series that began on Detroit, Michigan, Detroit's WXYT (AM), WXYZ and is an example of a Northern (genre), Northern genre story. The series was first heard on January 3, 1939. The title ...

'', ''

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 four short stories, all of which involve a ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', '' The Fugitive'', '' The Virginian'', ''

The Wild Wild West ''The Wild Wild West'' is an American Western (genre), Western, spy film, spy, and science fiction on television, science fiction television series that ran on the CBS television network for four seasons from September 17, 1965, to April 11, 19 ...

'', ''

Mannix ''Mannix'' is an American detective television series that originally aired for eight seasons on CBS from September 16, 1967, to March 13, 1975. The show was created by Richard Levinson and William Link, and developed by executive producer ...

'' and ''

Cannon A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during th ...

'', and also in films such as ''

Bonzo Goes to College ''Bonzo Goes to College'' is a 1952 American comedy film directed by Frederick De Cordova and starring Maureen O'Sullivan, Edmund Gwenn, Charles Drake, Gigi Perreau, Gene Lockhart, and Bonzo. It is a sequel to the 1951 film ''Bedtime for Bonzo' ...

'', '' One Girl's Confession'', '' It Should Happen to You'', ''

Hell Canyon Outlaws ''Hell Canyon Outlaws'' is a 1957 American Western film directed by Paul Landres and written by Allan Kaufman and Max Glandbard. The film stars Dale Robertson, Brian Keith, Rossana Rory, Dick Kallman, Don Megowan and Mike Lane. The film was rel ...

'', ''

The Rare Breed ''The Rare Breed'' is a 1966 American Western film directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and starring James Stewart, Maureen O'Hara and Brian Keith in Panavision. Loosely based on the life of rancher Col. John William Burgess, the film follows Martha ...

'', '' Hillbillys in a Haunted House'', '' Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?'', ''

Hail, Hero! ''Hail, Hero!'' is a 1969 drama film directed by David Miller, starring Michael Douglas, Deborah Winters and Peter Strauss. David Manber wrote the screenplay based on the novel by John Weston. The picture was produced by Harold D. Cohen and ...

'' and ''

Cahill U.S. Marshal ''Cahill U.S. Marshal'' is a 1973 American Western (genre), Western film in Technicolor starring John Wayne as a driven lawman in a black hat. The film was directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and filmed on location in Durango, Mexico. The supportin ...

''. Nusser died on June 8, 1979, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 74. He was buried in

Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery is a cemetery located at 10621 Victory Boulevard, straddling the border between the Los Angeles neighborhood of North Hollywood and Burbank, California. The cemetery's East entrance features the Portal of the Fo ...

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nusser, James 1905 births 1979 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors Burials at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery Male actors from Ohio Western (genre) television actors