Paul Douglas Fleischer (April 11, 1907 − September 11, 1959), known professionally as Paul Douglas, was an American actor.

Early years

Douglas was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Pennsylvania, the son of Margaret (Douglas) and William Paul Fleischer. He attended

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

and participated in dramatics as a student there.

Career

Before becoming an actor, Douglas spent 20 years in the

20th Century-Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film production and distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Com ...

newsreel A newsreel is a form of short documentary film, containing news, news stories and items of topical interest, that was prevalent between the 1910s and the mid 1970s. Typically presented in a Movie theater, cinema, newsreels were a source of cu ...

department as a narrator and writer of captions. He had also been a narrator for several

Vitaphone Vitaphone was a sound film system used for feature films and nearly 1,000 short subjects made by Warner Bros. and its sister studio First National Pictures, First National from 1926 to 1931. Vitaphone is the last major analog sound-on-disc sys ...

short films. Douglas made his Broadway debut in 1936 as the radio announcer in Doty Hobart and Tom McKnight's ''Double Dummy'' at the

John Golden Theatre The John Golden Theatre, formerly the Theatre Masque and Masque Theater, is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 252 West 45th Street (George Abbott Way) in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York ...

. In 1946, he won both a Theatre World Award and a

Clarence Derwent Award The Clarence Derwent Awards are theatre awards given annually by the Actors' Equity Association on Broadway in the United States and by Equity, the performers' union, in the West End in the United Kingdom. Clarence Derwent (23 March 1884 – 6 ...

for his portrayal of Harry Brock in

Garson Kanin Garson Kanin (November 24, 1912 – March 13, 1999) was an American writer and director of plays and films. Early life Garson Kanin was born in Rochester, New York; his Jewish family later relocated to Detroit then to New York City. He at ...

's '' Born Yesterday''. Douglas began appearing in films in

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025 * January 2 – Luis ...

. He may be best remembered for two baseball comedy movies, '' It Happens Every Spring'' (1949) and '' Angels in the Outfield'' (1951). He also played

Richard Widmark Richard Weedt Widmark (December 26, 1914March 24, 2008) was an American film, stage, and television actor and producer. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, ''Kiss of Death (1947 film ...

's police partner in the

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...

thriller '' Panic in the Streets'', frustrated newlywed Porter Hollingsway in '' A Letter to Three Wives'' (1949), Sgt. Kowalski in '' The Big Lift'' (1950), a con man-turned-monk in '' When in Rome'' (1952), businessman Calvin B. Marshall in '' The Maggie'' (1954) and businessman Josiah Walter Dudley in '' Executive Suite'' (1954). He starred in '' Clash by Night'' in 1952 with Barbara Stanwyck. Douglas was the host of the 22nd annual

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

in March 1950. Continuing in radio, he was the announcer for ''The

Ed Wynn Isaiah Edwin Leopold (November 9, 1886 – June 19, 1966), better known as Ed Wynn, was an American actor and comedian. He began his career in vaudeville in 1903 and was known for his ''Perfect Fool'' comedy character, his pioneering radio show ...

Show'' and the first host of NBC Radio's '' The Horn & Hardart Children's Hour''. In April 1959, Douglas appeared on '' The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show'' as Lucy Ricardo's television morning show cohost in the episode "Lucy Wants a Career." In 1955, Douglas appeared in the play '' The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial'', but his union placed him on probation for allegedly saying "The South stinks. It's a land of sowbelly and segregation," which offended Southern audiences. Douglas claimed that he was misquoted. Douglas was originally cast in the 1960 episode of ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television series created by Rod Serling in which characters find themselves dealing with often disturbing or unusual events, an experience described ...

'' called " The Mighty Casey", a role written for him by

Rod Serling Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter and television producer best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his Anthology series, anthology television series ''The Twilight Zone (1 ...

based on Douglas's character in ''Angels in the Outfield''. Douglas died the day after production of the episode had been completed. He had been in the last stages of illness during filming, and his severe physical state was apparent on film; the crew incorrectly assumed that his condition was the result of heavy drinking. The comedic episode was deemed unfit for broadcast, but it was resurrected some months later with Douglas's scenes reshot with

Jack Warden Jack Warden (born John Warden Lebzelter Jr.; September 18, 1920July 19, 2006) was an American actor who worked in film and television. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for ''Shampoo (film), Shampoo'' (1975) and '' ...

Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an American filmmaker and screenwriter. His career in Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and ver ...

, who had directed Douglas's wife Jan Sterling in '' Ace in the Hole'' (1951), had cast Douglas in the role of Mr. Sheldrake, the boss of the character played by

Jack Lemmon John Uhler Lemmon III (February 8, 1925 – June 27, 2001) was an American actor. Considered proficient in both dramatic and comic roles, he was known for his anxious, middle-class everyman screen persona in comedy-drama films. He received num ...

and the lover of the character played by

Shirley MacLaine Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty; April 24, 1934) is an American actress and author. With a career spanning over 70 years, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Shirley MacLaine, numerous accolades, including a ...

, in '' The Apartment'' (1960). After Douglas's death, the role was recast with

Fred MacMurray Frederick Martin MacMurray (August 30, 1908 – November 5, 1991) was an American actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films and a successful television series in a career that spanned nearly a half-century. His career as a major film le ...

Personal life

Douglas was married five times and divorced four times. His first wife was Susie Wells and he married his second wife Elizabeth Farnum in 1931. His third marriage to Geraldine "Gerri" Higgins was short, lasting from 1940-1941. In 1942, Douglas married actress

Virginia Field Virginia Field (born Margaret St. John Field (sometimes mis-transcribed Margaret Cynthia Field); 4 November 1917 – 2 January 1992) was a British-born film actress. Early years Virginia was an only child, born in London. Her father was Sir J ...

, with whom he had a daughter, Margaret.Katz, Ephraim (1979). ''The Film Encyclopedia: The Most Comprehensive Encyclopedia of World Cinema in a Single Volume''. Perigee Books. . pp. 355–356. The couple divorced in 1946. On May 12, 1950, Douglas married Jan Sterling, who became his widow. They had a son, Adams, born October 20, 1955.

Death

Douglas died of a heart attack at his home in

Hollywood, California Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...

on September 11, 1959 at the age of 52.

Filmography

*''P's and Cues'' (1935, Short) - Narrator *''Calling All Tars'' (1936, Short) - Semaphore Signalman (uncredited) *'' Margin for Error'' (1943) - Policeman at Front Desk (uncredited) *'' A Letter to Three Wives'' (1949) - Porter Hollingsway *'' It Happens Every Spring'' (1949) - Monk Lanigan *'' Everybody Does It'' (1949) - Leonard Borland aka Logan Bennett *'' The Big Lift'' (1950) - Hank Kowalski *''

Love That Brute ''Love That Brute'' is a 1950 American comedy crime film directed by Alexander Hall and starring Paul Douglas and Jean Peters. The film is a remake of '' Tall, Dark and Handsome'', a 1941 film also distributed by 20th Century Fox. Plot In 192 ...

'' (1950) - E.L. 'Big Ed' Hanley *'' Panic in the Streets'' (1950) - Captain Tom Warren *'' Fourteen Hours'' (1951) - Police Officer Charlie Dunnigan *'' The Guy Who Came Back'' (1951) - Harry Joplin *''

Rhubarb Rhubarb is the fleshy, edible stalks ( petioles) of species and hybrids (culinary rhubarb) of ''Rheum'' in the family Polygonaceae, which are cooked and used for food. The plant is a herbaceous perennial that grows from short, thick rhizomes. ...

'' (1951) - Man on Park Bench (uncredited) *'' Angels in the Outfield'' (1951) - Aloysius X. 'Guffy' McGovern *'' When in Rome'' (1952) - Joe Brewster *'' Clash by Night'' (1952) - Jerry D'Amato *'' We're Not Married!'' (1952) - Hector C. Woodruff *'' Never Wave at a WAC'' (1953) - Andrew McBain *'' Forever Female'' (1953) - E. Harry Phillips *''Calling Scotland Yard: Falstaff's Fur Coat'' (1954, Short) - Commentator *''Calling Scotland Yard: The Missing Passenger'' (1954, Short) - Commentator *''Calling Scotland Yard: The Final Twist'' (1954, Short) - Commentator *''Calling Scotland Yard: Present for a Bride'' (1954, Short) - Commentator *'' Executive Suite'' (1954) - Josiah Walter Dudley *'' The Maggie'' (1954) - Calvin B. Marshall, the American *''Calling Scotland Yard: The Javanese Dagger'' (1954, Short) - Commentator *''Calling Scotland Yard: The Sable Scarf'' (1954, Short) - Commentator *''

Green Fire ''Green Fire'' is a 1954 American CinemaScope and Eastmancolor adventure film, adventure drama (film and television), drama film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by Andrew Marton and produced by Armand Deutsch, with original musi ...

'' (1954) - Vic Leonard *'' Joe MacBeth'' (1955) - Joe MacBeth *'' The Gamma People'' (1956) - Mike Wilson *'' The Leather Saint'' (1956) - Gus MacAuliffe *'' The Solid Gold Cadillac'' (1956) - Edward L. McKeever *'' Born Yesterday'' (1956, TV Movie) - Harry Brock *'' This Could Be the Night'' (1957) - Rocco *''

Beau James ''Beau James'' is a 1957 American drama film directed by Melville Shavelson and starring Bob Hope, Vera Miles, Paul Douglas (actor), Paul Douglas and Alexis Smith. It is based on a non-fiction book of the same name by Gene Fowler. The film featu ...

'' (1957) - Chris Nolan *'' Fortunella'' (1958) - Professor Golfiero Paganica *'' Suspicion (TV series)'' (1958) - Comfort for the Grave - Vincente Polito *'' The Mating Game'' (1959) - Pop Larkin *''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

'' (1959) (Season 4 Episode 35: "Touché") - Bill Fleming *'' The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour'' (1959) - as himself

Radio appearances

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Paul 1907 births 1959 deaths Male actors from Philadelphia American male film actors American male television actors Clarence Derwent Award winners Male actors from Greater Los Angeles Theatre World Award winners 20th Century Studios contract players 20th-century American male actors