Roscoe Karns (September 7, 1891 – February 6, 1970) was an American actor who appeared in nearly 150 films between 1915 and 1964. He specialized in cynical, wise-cracking (and often tipsy) characters, and his rapid-fire delivery enlivened many comedies and crime thrillers in the 1930s and 1940s.

Acting career

Karns began acting with a San Diego stock company when he was still in high school. "I’ve never earned a dime outside of show business. I can't even claim having a newspaper route as a kid," he claimed.The Actor Hollywood Forgot: Roscoe Karns Has Outlasted All Other TV Detectives, ''TV Guide'', July 31, 1953, pages 20 to 22. Though he appeared in numerous silent films, such as '' Wings'' and '' Beggars of Life'', his career didn't really take off until sound arrived. Arguably his best-known film role was the annoying bus passenger Oscar Shapeley, who tries to pick up

Claudette Colbert Claudette Colbert (koʊlˈbɛər/ kohl-BAIR, born Émilie "Lily" Claudette Chauchoin (ʃoʃwɛ̃/ show-shwan); September 13, 1903 – July 30, 1996) was an American actress. Colbert began her career in Broadway theater, Broadway productions dur ...

in the

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

-winning comedy ''

It Happened One Night ''It Happened One Night'' is a 1934 American pre-Code romantic comedy film with elements of screwball comedy directed and co-produced by Frank Capra, in collaboration with Harry Cohn, in which a pampered socialite ( Claudette Colbert) tr ...

'', (1934)Roscoe Karns, Actor, Dies at 77; TV Navy Doctor in ‘Hennesey’, ''New York Times'', February 8, 1970, page 8 quickly followed by one of his best performances as the boozy press agent Owen O'Malley in

Howard Hawks Howard Winchester Hawks (May 30, 1896December 26, 1977) was an American film director, Film producer, producer, and screenwriter of the Classical Hollywood cinema, classic Hollywood era. Critic Leonard Maltin called him "the greatest American ...

' '' Twentieth Century''. (Six years later, he co-starred as one of the reporters in another Hawks classic, '' His Girl Friday''.) In 1937, Paramount teamed him with Lynne Overman as a pair of laconic private eyes in two B comedy-mysteries, '' Murder Goes to College'' and '' Partners in Crime''. By the late 1940s Karns was finding it difficult to obtain movie roles, and was considering retiring, but he contacted a friend who worked for the

DuMont Television Network The DuMont Television Network (also the DuMont Network, DuMont Television, DuMont/Du Mont, or (incorrectly) Dumont ) was one of America's pioneer commercial television networks, rivaling NBC and CBS for the distinction of being first overall in ...

, and he was asked to consider coming to New York City to act on television. From 1950 to 1954, Karns played the title role in the popular

series '' Rocky King, Inside Detective''. His son, character actor Todd Karns, also appeared in that series. From 1959 to 1962, Karns was cast as Captain (then Admiral) Walter Shafer in seventy-three of the ninety-five episodes of the CBS military sitcom/drama series, '' Hennesey'', starring Jackie Cooper in the title role of a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

physician, and Abby Dalton as nurse Martha Hale. His final film was another Hawks comedy, '' Man's Favorite Sport?'', in 1964.

Personal life

Roscoe Karns was born September 7, 1891, in San Bernardino, California. He married Mary M. Frasco in 1920, and was the father of two children – Mary Karns Hart, and Roscoe Todd Karns, Jr. He was admitted to St. Vincent's Hospital, in Los Angeles, on December 18, 1969Veteran Actor Roscoe Karns Dies At 76, ''The Sacramento Bee'', February 8, 1970, page 6 and died at the hospital on February 6, 1970.

Filmography

* ''Mr. Carlson of Arizona'' (1915, Short) * ''From Champion to Tramp'' (1915, Short) – The Girl's Father * ''A Western Governor's Humanity'' (1915, Short) * ''Beans for Two'' (1918, Short) – Jimmy's Friend * ''Know Thy Wife'' (1918, Short) – Steve – Bob's Chum * ''Brides for Two'' (1919, short) * ''Sally's Blighted Career'' (1919, Short) * ''Oh, Susie, Be Careful'' (1919, Short) * ''

Poor Relations ''Poor Relations'' is a 1919 American silent film, silent drama film directed by King Vidor. Produced by the Brentwood Corporation, the film starred Vidor’s wife Florence Vidor and featured comedienne ZaSu Pitts. The picture is the final of ...

'' (1919) – Henry * '' The Family Honor'' (1920) – Dal Tucker * '' Life of the Party'' (1920) – Sam Perkins * ''The Man Tamer'' (1921) – Bradley P. Caldwell Jr * ''Too Much Married'' (1921) – Bob Holiday * '' Her Own Money'' (1922) – Jerry Woodward * '' The Trouper'' (1922) – Neal Selden * '' Afraid to Fight'' (1922) – Bertie * '' Conquering the Woman'' (1922) – Shorty Thompson * '' Other Men's Daughters'' (1923) – Hubert * ''Down to the Ship to See'' (1923, Short) – Jack * '' The Ten Commandments'' (1923) – The Boy in the Rain (uncredited) * ''Bluff'' (1924) – Jack Hallowell * '' The Midnight Express'' (1924) – Switch Hogan * '' The Foolish Virgin'' (1924) – Chuck Brady * '' The Overland Limited'' (1925) – Patrick Henry Madden * '' Dollar Down'' (1925) – Gene Meadows * '' You'd Be Surprised'' (1926) – Party Guest (uncredited) * '' Ritzy'' (1927) – Smith's Valet * '' Wings'' (1927) – Lieutenant Cameron * ''

Ten Modern Commandments ''Ten Modern Commandments'' is a 1927 American silent romantic comedy-drama film that starred Esther Ralston and was distributed through Paramount Pictures. It is based on an original screen story and was directed by Dorothy Arzner. Plot Ca ...

'' (1927) – Benny Burnaway * ''

The Jazz Singer ''The Jazz Singer'' is a 1927 American part-talkie musical drama film directed by Alan Crosland and produced by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the first feature-length motion picture with both synchronized recorded music and lip-synchronous ...

'' (1927) – Agent (uncredited) * '' Beau Sabreur'' (1928) – Buddy * '' The Trail of '98'' (1928) – Man on Ship (uncredited) * '' Something Always Happens'' (1928) – George * '' The Desert Bride'' (1928) – Pvt. Terry * '' The Vanishing Pioneer'' (1928) – Ray Hearn * ''

Warming Up 'Warming up' is a part of stretching and preparation for physical exertion or a performance by exercising or practicing gently beforehand, usually undertaken before a performance or practice. Athletes, singers, actors and others warm up before s ...

'' (1928) – Hippo * '' Jazz Mad'' (1928) – Sol Levy * '' Win That Girl'' (1928) – Johnny Norton II * '' Beggars of Life'' (1928) – Lame Hoppy * '' Moran of the Marines'' (1928) – Swatty * '' Object: Alimony'' (1928) – Al Bryant * ''

The Shopworn Angel ''The Shopworn Angel'' is a 1938 American drama film directed by H. C. Potter and starring Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart and Walter Pidgeon. The MGM release featured the second screen pairing of Margaret Sullavan and James Stewart followi ...

'' (1928) – Dance Director * ''

The Flying Fleet ''The Flying Fleet'' is a 1929 synchronized sound romantic drama film directed by George Hill (director), George W. Hill and starring Ramon Novarro, Ralph Graves, and Anita Page. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchr ...

'' (1929) – Shipwrecked Radio Operator (uncredited) * ''Copy'' (1929 short) – City Editor John Mack * '' This Thing Called Love'' (1929) – Harry Bertrand * '' New York Nights'' (1929) – Johnny Dolan * '' Troopers Three'' (1930) – Bugs * ''

Safety in Numbers Safety in numbers is the hypothesis that, by being part of a large physical group or mass, an individual is less likely to be the victim of a mishap, accident, attack, or other bad event. Some related theories also argue (and can show statistica ...

'' (1930) – Bertram Shapiro * '' The Little Accident'' (1930) – Gilbert * '' Man Trouble'' (1930) – Scott * '' The Costello Case'' (1930) – Blair * '' The Gorilla'' (1930) – Simmons * '' Dirigible'' (1931) – Sock McGuire * '' Many a Slip'' (1931) – Stan Price * '' Laughing Sinners'' (1931) – Fred Geer * ''

Pleasure Pleasure is experience that feels good, that involves the enjoyment of something. It contrasts with pain or suffering, which are forms of feeling bad. It is closely related to value, desire and action: humans and other conscious animals find ...

'' (1931) – Arnie * '' Left Over Ladies'' (1931) – 'Scoop' * '' Ladies of the Big House'' (1931) – Frank – Twenty Questions player (uncredited) * ''

High Pressure In science and engineering the study of high pressure examines its effects on materials and the design and construction of devices, such as a diamond anvil cell, which can create high pressure. ''High pressure'' usually means pressures of thousan ...

'' (1932) – Telephone salesman (uncredited) * '' Stowaway'' (1932) – Insp. Redding * '' Play Girl'' (1932) – Gambler (uncredited) * '' The Roadhouse Murder'' (1932) – Jeff Dale * '' Week-End Marriage'' (1932) – Jim Davis * '' Two Against the World'' (1932) – Segall, reporter * '' The Crooked Circle'' (1932) – Harry Carter * '' One Way Passage'' (1932) – S.S.Maloa Bartender (uncredited) * '' Night After Night'' (1932) – Leo * '' They Call It Sin'' (1932) – Brandt – Rehearsal Director (uncredited) * '' If I Had a Million'' (1932) – Private O'Brien * '' Under-Cover Man'' (1932) – Dannie * '' Lawyer Man'' (1932) – Merritt – Reporter (uncredited) * '' Grand Slam'' (1933) – Contest Radio Announcer * '' Today We Live'' (1933) – McGinnis * '' A Lady's Profession'' (1933) – Tony * '' Gambling Ship'' (1933) – Blooey * '' One Sunday Afternoon'' (1933) – Snappy Downer * '' The Women in His Life'' (1933) – Lester * ''

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 ...

'' (1933) – Tweedledee * '' Search for Beauty'' (1934) – Newspaper Reporter (scenes deleted) * ''

'' (1934) – Oscar Shapeley * '' Come On Marines!'' (1934) – Spud McGurke * '' Twentieth Century'' (1934) – O'Malley * '' Shoot the Works'' (1934) – Sailor Burke * '' Elmer and Elsie'' (1934) – Rocky Cott * '' I Sell Anything'' (1934) – Monk * '' Wings in the Dark'' (1935) – Nick Williams * '' Red Hot Tires'' (1935) – Bud Keene * '' Four Hours to Kill!'' (1935) – Johnson * '' Alibi Ike'' (1935) – Carey * '' Front Page Woman'' (1935) – Toots O'Grady * '' Two-Fisted'' (1935) – Chick Moran * '' Woman Trap'' (1936) – Mopsy * '' Border Flight'' (1936) – Calico Smith * '' Three Cheers for Love'' (1936) – Doc "Short Circuit" Wilson * '' Three Married Men'' (1936) – Peter Cary * '' Cain and Mabel'' (1936) – Reilly * '' Clarence'' (1937) – Clarence Smith * '' Murder Goes to College'' (1937) – Sim Perkins * '' Night of Mystery'' (1937) – Sgt. Heath * '' On Such a Night'' (1937) – Joe Flynn * '' Partners in Crime'' (1937) – Sim Perkins * '' Scandal Street'' (1938) – Austin Brown * '' Dangerous to Know'' (1938) – Duncan * '' Tip-Off Girls'' (1938) – Tom Benson aka Tommy Logan * '' You and Me'' (1938) – Cuffy * '' Thanks for the Memory'' (1938) – George Kent * '' King of Chinatown'' (1939) – 'Rip' Harrigan * '' Dancing Co-Ed'' (1939) – Joe Drews * '' Everything's on Ice'' (1939) – Felix Miller * '' That's Right—You're Wrong'' (1939) – Mal Stamp * '' His Girl Friday'' (1940) – Reporter McCue * '' Double Alibi'' (1940) – Jeremiah Jenkins * '' Saturday's Children'' (1940) – Willie Sands * '' They Drive by Night'' (1940) – "Irish" McGurn * '' Ladies Must Live'' (1940) – Pete H. 'Pighead' Larrabee * '' Meet the Missus'' (1940) – Joe Higgins * '' Petticoat Politics'' (1941) – Joe Higgins * '' Footsteps in the Dark'' (1941) – Monahan * ''Black Eyes and Blues'' (1941 short) – Alfred Harmon * '' The Gay Vagabond'' (1941) – Arthur Dixon, Jerry Dixon * ''Half Shot at Sunrise'' (1941, Short) – Henry Warren * '' Road to Happiness'' (1942) – Charley Grady * '' A Tragedy at Midnight'' (1942) – Det. Lt. Cassidy * '' Woman Of The Year'' (1942) – Phil Whittaker * '' Yokel Boy'' (1942) – Al Devers * '' You Can't Escape Forever'' (1942) – 'Mac' McTurk * ''My Son, the Hero'' (1943) – Big-Time Morgan * '' Stage Door Canteen'' (1943) – Himself * '' Riding High'' (1943) – Shorty (uncredited) * '' His Butler's Sister'' (1943) – Fields * '' Old Acquaintance'' (1943) – Charlie Archer * '' The Navy Way'' (1944) – Frankie Gimble * '' Hi, Good Lookin'!'' (1944) – Archie * '' Minstrel Man'' (1944) – Roscoe * ''

One Way to Love ''One Way to Love'' is a 1946 American comedy film directed by Ray Enright and starring Willard Parker, Marguerite Chapman, Chester Morris and Janis Carter. It was produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The plot has some similarities to Co ...

'' (1946) – Hobie Simmons * '' I Ring Doorbells'' (1946) – Stubby * ''

Avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a Grade (slope), slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be triggered spontaneously, by factors such as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, othe ...

'' (1946) – Red Kelly * '' Down Missouri Way'' (1946) – Press Agent * '' Vigilantes of Boomtown'' (1947) – Billy Delaney * '' That's My Man'' (1947) – Toby Gleeton * '' The Inside Story'' (1948) – Eustace Peabody * '' Devil's Cargo'' (1948) – Lt. Hardy * '' Speed to Spare'' (1948) – Kangaroo * '' Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven'' (1948) – Carmody * '' Onionhead'' (1958) – 'Windy' Woods * '' Man's Favorite Sport?'' (1964) – Major Phipps

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Karns, Roscoe 1891 births 1970 deaths Male actors from California American male film actors American male silent film actors American male television actors Actors from San Bernardino, California 20th-century American male actors Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery