Jack Norton
Born
September 1, 1889
Died
October 15, 1958 (69 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
Brooklyn, New York, USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jack Norton (September 2, 1882 – October 15, 1958) was an American stage and film character actor who appeared in 184 films between 1934 and 1948, often playing drunks, although in real life he was a teetotaler.
Career
Jack Norton was born in Brooklyn, New York on September 2, 1882.
In his early career he had a vaudeville comedy act with his wife Lillian Healy. Norton made his Broadway debut in 1925 in that year's edition of Earl Carroll's Vanities, and also appeared in Florida Girl, which was produced and staged by Carroll.
Norton's first film work was for a musical short, School for Romance, in 1934, in which a young Betty Grable appeared, but his scenes were deleted. His work survived to reach the screen in his next assignment, The Super Snooper, a comedy short, and in his third film, his first full-length movie, Finishing School, which featured Frances Dee, Billie Burke, Ginger Rogers and Bruce Cabot, Norton played a drunk, setting the pattern for many of his future performances. Although he also played stone sober characters as well, he was best known for his inebriated characterizations, and he improved his work by following genuine drunks around, picking up behavioral tips.
Norton worked continuously and consistently, sometimes appearing in as many as 20 films in one year, although many of his performances went uncredited. One of the few times he was credited as part of the main cast was in 1945 for the film A Guy, a Gal and a Pal In the 1940s, Norton was part of Preston Sturges' unofficial "stock company" of character actors, appearing in five films written and directed by Sturges. He is perhaps best known to modern audiences as A. Pismo Clam, the drunken film director whom W.C. Fields is hired to replace in The Bank Dick (1940).
In 1947, Norton retired from films due to illness, his last appearance being in Alias a Gentlemen, which was released in 1948, although he did make some live television appearances in the early 1950s.
Jack Norton's final appearance would have been in the 1956 episode of The Honeymooners entitled "Unconventional Behavior", but age and infirmity had so overwhelmed him that he was literally written out of the show as it was being filmed, though Jackie Gleason saw to it that Norton was paid fully for the performance he was ready, willing, but unable to give.
Norton died on October 15, 1958 in Saranac Lake, New York at the age of 76. He is buried in Sacred Hearts Cemetery in Southampton, New York on Long Island.
The Big Parade of Comedy
Actor in 'The Girl from Missouri' (archive footage) (uncredited)
1964
I Was a Burlesque Queen
Jim Benson
1953
Malice in the Palace
Emir of Schmoe (uncredited)
1949
Linda, Be Good
Jim Benson
1947
Variety Girl
Busboy at Brown Derby
1947
Hired Husband
Mr. Drinkwater
1947
The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
James R. Smoke
1947
Nocturne
Charlie (uncredited)
1946
Rhythm and Weep
Mr. Walsh
1946
Shadows Over Chinatown
Cosgrove
1946
Captain Tugboat Annie
Shiftless
1945
Man Alive
William T. Lafferty
1945
Strange Confession
Jack
1945
The Naughty Nineties
Drunk at the Gilded Cage (uncredited)
1945
Flame of Barbary Coast
Byline Conners, Reporter San Francisco Star
1945
The Scarlet Clue
Willie Rand
1945
Two O'Clock Courage
Drunk at Blue Room Bar (uncredited)
1945
A Guy, a Gal and a Pal
Norton
1945
Fashion Model
Herbert
1945
The Big Noise
Drunk on Train
1944
The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek
Country Club Man Ordering Champagne (uncredited)
1944
Hail the Conquering Hero
Second Bandleader (uncredited)
1944
The Story of Dr. Wassell
'Janssen' Passenger (uncredited)
1944
Once Upon a Time
Man In Barber Chair (uncredited)
1944
Make Your Own Bed
Drunk
1944
Charlie Chan in The Chinese Cat
Hotel Desk Clerk
1944
Going My Way
Mr. Lilly (uncredited)
1944
Crazy House
Drunk
1943
Thank Your Lucky Stars
Customer in Bette Davis Number (uncredited)
1943
The Kansan
Saloon Drunk
1943
So's Your Uncle
Drunk
1943
Prairie Chickens
Henry Lewis-Clark III
1943
Taxi, Mister
Reginald Van Nostrum - the Drunk
1943
The Falcon Strikes Back
Second Hobo (uncredited)
1943
It Ain't Hay
Drunk (uncredited)
1943
Dr. Renault's Secret
Mr. Austin
1942
Moonlight in Havana
George
1942
The Palm Beach Story
Second Member Ale and Quail Club
1942
My Favorite Spy
Orchid Room Drunk
1942
The Spoilers
Mr. Skinner
1942
Dr. Broadway
Drunk
1942
Brooklyn Orchid
Jonathan McFeeder
1942
The Fleet's In
Kellogg
1942
Pacific Blackout
Drunk
1941
Louisiana Purchase
Jester
1941
No Hands on the Clock
Bartender at The Nugget Room
1941
Ride on Vaquero
1941
Let's Make Music
Drunk
1941
A Night at Earl Carroll's
Alonzo Smith
1940
The Bank Dick
A. Pismo Clam
1940
The Villain Still Pursued Her
Drunk
1940
The Way of All Flesh
Barber
1940
The Ghost Breakers
Drunk (uncredited)
1940
Opened by Mistake
Al, the Bartender
1940
The Farmer's Daughter
Shimmy Conway
1940
City of Chance
Mr. Murphy
1940
Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President
Parker
1939
The Roaring Twenties
Drunk at Henderson Club (uncredited)
1939
News Is Made at Night
Drunk
1939
Grand Jury Secrets
Doyle
1939
Society Smugglers
Prentis
1939
The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt
Charlie Fenton - the Party Drunk (uncredited)
1939
Thanks for the Memory
Bert Monroe
1938
Meet the Girls
Fletcher
1938
The Awful Tooth
Dr. Schultz
1938
Hold That Kiss
Mallory
1938
Jezebel
Drunk (uncredited)
1938
Arsène Lupin Returns
Hotel Manager (uncredited)
1938
Love Is a Headache
Bartender (uncredited)
1938
Everybody's Doing It
Harry The Drunk
1938
My Dear Miss Aldrich
First Drunk at Red Apple Inn (uncredited)
1937
The Women Men Marry
Wilhelm Peebles (uncredited)
1937
Meet the Missus
Mr. Norton
1937
Marked Woman
Drunk
1937
Time Out for Romance
Crapshooter
1937
Who's Looney Now
Herbert Brown
1936
Forgotten Faces
Drunk
1936
Down the Ribber
1936
The Preview Murder Mystery
Comedy Director (Uncredited)
1936
Foolish Hearts
Jimmy
1935
Ship Cafe
Mr. Randall (uncredited)
1935
Dr. Socrates
Drunk in Park
1935
His Night Out
Dr. Singer
1935
Page Miss Glory
Reporter (uncredited)
1935
Broadway Gondolier
Man on Ship with Pipe
1935
Don't Bet on Blondes
J. Mortimer 'Mousy' Slade
1935
Going Highbrow
Sinclair
1935
Stolen Harmony
Phillips (uncredited)
1935
Sweet Music
Drunk (uncredited)
1935
One More Spring
Drunk
1935
Calling All Cars
Duke Costello
1935
The Gilded Lily
Photographer (uncredited)
1935
One Too Many
1934
Fixing a Stew
Pete
1934
Counsel on De Fence
1934
Cockeyed Cavaliers
King's Physician
1934
Woman Haters
Justice of the Peace (uncredited)
1934
Finishing School
Drunk (uncredited)
1934
The Super Snooper
1934