Person Details

Birthday:

Aliases: Roscoe Karnes

Gender: Male

Place of birth: San Bernardino, California, USA

Homepage:

Movie Involvements: 66

TV Involvements: 1


Most Famous Work

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 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. 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 in the Oscar-winning comedy It Happened One Night (1934), quickly followed by one of his best performances as the boozy press agent Owen O'Malley in Howard Hawks' 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. From 1950 to 1954, Karns played the title role in the popular DuMont Television Network series Rocky King, Inside Detective. His son, character actor Todd Karns, also appeared in that series. From 1959 to 1962, Karns was cast as 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 physician, and Abby Dalton as nurse Martha Hale. His final film was another Hawks comedy, Man's Favorite Sport?, in 1964. Karns was born in San Bernardino, California, and died in Los Angeles. Description above from the Wikipedia article Roscoe Karns, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia

Most Famous Work

Richard Diamond, Private Detective
Average
6
The Jazz Singer
Average
6

The Jazz Singer

(1927) Agent (uncredited)
Wings
Average
7

Wings

(1927) Lieutenant Cameron
The Ten Commandments
Average
7

The Ten Commandments

(1923) The Boy in the Rain (uncredited)
Alice in Wonderland
Average
6

Alice in Wonderland

(1933) Tweedledee
Old Acquaintance
Average
7

Old Acquaintance

(1943) Charlie Archer
They Drive by Night
Average
7

They Drive by Night

(1940) Irish McGurn
One Way Passage
Average
7

One Way Passage

(1932) S.S. Maloa Bartender (uncredited)

Acting

Year Character Movie/Tv
1964 Major Phipps
1962 Mr. Foley
1959 N/A
1958 'Windy' Woods
1957 Ed Church
1954 N/A
1948 Officer Carmody
Kangaroo
Lt. Hardy
Eustace Peabody
1947 Toby Gleeton
Bill Delaney
1946 Red Kelly
Stubby
Hobie Simmons
1944 Archie
Frankie Gimble
Lasses White
1943 Charlie Archer
Fields
Shorty
Roscoe Karns
Big-Time Morgan
1942 'Mac' McTurk
Al Devers
Phil Whittaker
Cassidy
1941 Charley Grady
Henry Warren
Arthur Dixon / Jerry Dixon
Alfred Harmon
Monahan
Joe Higgins
1940 Joe Higgins
Pete Larrabee
Irish McGurn
Willie Sands
Jeremiah Jenkins
McCue
1939 Mal Stamp
Felix Miller
Joe Drews
Rep Harrigan
1938 George Kent
Cuffy
Tom Benson aka Tommy Logan
Duncan
Austin Brown
1937 Sim Perkins
Joe Flynn
Sergeant Heath
Sim Perkins
Clarence Smith
1936 Reilly
Peter Cary
Calico Smith
Mopsy
1935 Chick Moran
Toots O'Grady
Carey
Johnson
Man in court room (uncredited)
Bud Keene
Nick Williams
1934 Monk
Sailor Burke
Owen O'Malley
Spud McGurke
Oscar Shapeley
1933 Tweedledee
Aloysius Lester
Snappy Downer
Blooey
Tony
McGinnis
Contest Radio Announcer
1932 Merritt - Reporter (uncredited)
Dannie
Private O'Brien
Brad - Rehearsal Director (uncredited)
Leo
S.S. Maloa Bartender (uncredited)
Harry Carter
Segall, reporter
Jim Davis
Dale
Gambler (uncredited)
Insp. Redding
1931 Frank - Twenty Questions player (uncredited)
'Scoop'
Arnie
Fred Geer
Stan Price
Sock McGuire
1930 Simmons
Blair
Scott
Gilbert
Bertram Shapiro
Bugs
1929 Johnny Dolan
Harry Bertrand
City Editor John Mack
Shipwrecked Radio Operator (uncredited)
1928 Dance Director
Sol Levy
Swatty
Lame Hoppy
Johnny Norton II
Hippo
Ray Hearn
Pvt. Terry
Man on Ship (uncredited)
Buddy
1927 Agent (uncredited)
Lieutenant Cameron
Benny Burnaway
1926 Party Guest
1924 Switch Hogan
1923 The Boy in the Rain (uncredited)
Hubert
1922 N/A
Jerry Woodward
1920 Sam Perkins
Dal Tucker
N/A
Year Character Movie/Tv

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