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Frank Orth
Acting
Biography
Frank Orth was an American actor born in Philadelphia. He is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series “Boston Blackie”. By 1897, Orth was performing in vaudeville with his wife, Ann Codee, in an act called “Codee and Orth.” In 1909, he expanded into song writing, with songs such as “The Phone Bell Rang” and “Meet Me on the Boardwalk, Dearie.” His first contact with motion pictures was in 1928, when he was part of the first foreign-language shorts in sound produced by Warner Bros. He and his wife also appeared together in a series of two-reel comedies in the early 1930s. Orth's first major screen credit was in “Prairie Thunder,” a Dick…
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Frank Orth was an American actor born in Philadelphia. He is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series “Boston Blackie”. By 1897, Orth was performing in vaudeville with his wife, Ann Codee, in an act called “Codee and Orth.” In 1909, he expanded into song writing, with songs such as “The Phone Bell Rang” and “Meet Me on the Boardwalk, Dearie.” His first contact with motion pictures was in 1928, when he was part of the first foreign-language shorts in sound produced by Warner Bros. He and his wife also appeared together in a series of two-reel comedies in the early 1930s. Orth's first major screen credit was in “Prairie Thunder,” a Dick Foran western, in 1937. From then on, he was often cast as bartenders, pharmacists, and grocery clerks, and always distinctly Irish. He had a recurring role in the Dr. Kildare series of films and also in the Nancy Drew series as the befuddled Officer Tweedy. Among his better roles were the newspaper man Cary Grant telephones early in “His Girl Friday,” one of the quartet singing “Gary Owen” in “They Died with Their Boots On” (thereby giving Errol Flynn as Gen. Custer the idea of associating the tune with the 7th Cavalry), and as the little man carrying the sign reading “The End Is Near” throughout Colonel Effingham's Raid. However, Orth is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series “Boston Blackie.” A short, plump, round-faced man, often smoking a cigar, Orth as Faraday wore his own dark-rimmed spectacles, though rarely in feature films. In 1959, Orth retired from show business after throat surgery. His wife died in 1961 after around fifty years of marriage. Orth died on March 17, 1962. He is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills next to his wife.
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BODY OF WORK
Frank Orth's Filmography
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Here Come the Girls
as Mr. Hungerford
Houdini
as Mr. Hunter
Something to Live For
as Waiter (uncredited)
Double Dynamite
as Mr. Kofer
The Petty Girl
as Moody (process server)
Father of the Bride
as Joe
Cheaper by the Dozen
as Higgins (uncredited)
The Great Rupert
as Mr. Frank Dingle
Bride for Sale
as Police Sergeant (uncredited)
Red Light
as Wallace 'Wally' Stoner
Blondie's Secret
as Mr. Philpotts
The Girl from Manhattan
as Oscar Newsome
So This Is New York
as AJ Gluskoter
The Big Clock
as Burt
It Had to Be You
as Conductor Brown
The Gas House Kids in Hollywood
as Police Captain
Heartaches
as Mike Connelly, Vic's Agent
The Guilt of Janet Ames
as Danny
Born to Speed
as Breezy Bradley
Lady in the Lake
as Floyd Greer (Uncredited)
Wake Up and Dream
as Milkman
No Poster
It's Great to Be Young
as Franklin Johnson
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
as Hotel Clerk
The Bride Wore Boots
as Judge (uncredited)
Murder in the Music Hall
as Henderson
The Hoodlum Saint
as Chronicle Editor (uncredited)
Doll Face
as Peters
The Lost Weekend
as Opera Cloak Room Attendant
She Went to the Races
as Skelly
Tell It to a Star
as Augustus T. Goodman
Pillow to Post
as Clayfield Taxi Driver
Storm Over Lisbon
as Murgatroyd
Tall in the Saddle
as 'Shorty' Davis (uncredited)
Greenwich Village
as Ordway
The Impatient Years
as Counterman
Wilson
as Smith (uncredited)
Summer Storm
as Cafe Maitre d' at End (uncredited)
Roger Touhy, Gangster
as . Comic in Theater (uncredited)
Sweet Rosie O'Grady
as Taxi Driver
Coney Island
as Bartender
Hello, Frisco, Hello
as Lou, Bartender at Sharkey's
The Ox-Bow Incident
as Larry Kinkaid (uncredited)
The Meanest Man in the World
as Bartender (uncredited)
Springtime in the Rockies
as Bickel (uncredited)
Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant
as Mike Ryan
Orchestra Wives
as Rex Willet
Tales of Manhattan
as Secondhand Clothes Dealer
Footlight Serenade
as Mike
The Magnificent Dope
as Messenger
Henry and Dizzy
as Joe McGuire
My Gal Sal
as McGuiness
Rings on Her Fingers
as Kellogg
Roxie Hart
as Bar Client #2 (uncredited)
Dr. Kildare's Victory
as Mike Ryan
Right to the Heart
as Pete
Over My Dead Body
as Detective
Blue, White and Perfect
as Mr. Toby
They Died with Their Boots On
as Barfly (uncredited)
I Wake Up Screaming
as Cemetery Caretaker
Sergeant York
as Drummer (uncredited)
Broadway Limited
as Lou, Cafe Proprietor
The People Vs. Dr. Kildare
as Mike Ryan
Ride on Vaquero
as Auctioneer
The Strawberry Blonde
as Baxter - Livery Stable Owner (uncredited)
Come Live with Me
as Jerry
Let's Make Music
as Mr. Botts
Respect the Law
as Peter Brennan
Michael Shayne: Private Detective
as Steve
You, the People
as Soda Jerk
Dr. Kildare's Crisis
as Mike Ryan, Cafe Owner
Father Is A Prince
as Drugstore Proprieter
Gallant Sons
as Newspaper Foreman (uncredited)
Mexican Spitfire Out West
as Window Washer
Dr. Kildare Goes Home
as Mike Ryan (uncredited)
Boom Town
as Barber
Buyer Beware
as Smith (uncredited)
Pier 13
as Dead Pan Charlie
Gold Rush Maisie
as Harris
Brother Orchid
as Waiter at Fat Dutchy's (uncredited)
Florian
as Detective
La Conga Nights
as Dennis O'Brien
The Doctor Takes a Wife
as New York Editor (uncredited)
'Til We Meet Again
as Hong Kong Bartender (uncredited)
Dr. Kildare's Strange Case
as Mike
Know Your Money
as Tobacconist (uncredited)
His Girl Friday
as Duffy
The Secret of Dr. Kildare
as Mike
At the Circus
as Chef in Diner (uncredited)
Fast and Furious
as Captain Joe Burke
Dust Be My Destiny
as Wedding Witness on Stage (uncredited)
Thunder Afloat
as Old Sailor in Bilge Area (uncredited)
Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase
as Captain Tweedy
Stanley and Livingstone
as Newspaperman with Pills
Tell No Tales
as Vic - Bartender (uncredited)
Young Mr. Lincoln
as Loafer (uncredited)
Calling Dr. Kildare
as Mike Sullivan - Hospital Cafe Owner (uncredited)
Broadway Serenade
as Mr. Fellows
Within the Law
as Jim Jenks
Nancy Drew... Reporter
as Captain Tweedy (uncredited)
Fast and Loose
as Detective Hendricks (uncredited)
Idiot's Delight
as Benny Zinsser
Burn 'Em Up O'Connor
as Tim McKelvy
Comet Over Broadway
as Cab Driver (uncredited)
Nancy Drew… Detective
as Captain Tweedy
Young Dr. Kildare
as Mike Ryan (uncredited)
Mr. Chump
as Sheriff Frank Hinton
Think It Over
as Brown, Clothing Store Owner
Torchy Blane in Panama
as First Leopard (uncredited)
The Patient in Room 18
as Joe Higgins - Night Watchman
Missing Witnesses
as Gordon (uncredited)
The Footloose Heiress
as Justice Abner Cuttler
Prairie Thunder
as Wichita
The Devil's Saddle Legion
as Judge Barko
Talent Scout
as Burlesque Theatre Manager (uncredited)
Ever Since Eve
as Cocktail Waiter (uncredited)
Marry the Girl
as Bar owner
San Quentin
as Convict in Bunkhouse (uncredited)
Land Beyond the Law
as Shorty Long
Polo Joe
as Bert
Hot Money
as Hank Ford
Two Against the World
as Tommy - Bartender
Unwelcome Stranger
as Jackson
The Payoff
as Porter (uncredited)
No Poster
The Victim
as The Husband
No Poster
Taking Ways
