Jack Norton
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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.
Known for
Credits
Cockeyed Cavaliers (1934)
as King's Physician
The Ghost Breakers (1940)
as Drunk (uncredited)
Going My Way (1944)
as Mr. Lilly (uncredited)
Jezebel (1938)
as Drunk (uncredited)
The Roaring Twenties (1939)
as Drunk at Henderson Club (uncredited)
Bob Hope's World of Comedy (1976)
as Self - Tribute Montage (archive footage)
The Story of Dr. Wassell (1944)
as 'Janssen' Passenger (uncredited)
The Naughty Nineties (1945)
as Drunk at the Gilded Cage (uncredited)
The Villain Still Pursued Her (1940)
as Drunk
Variety Girl (1947)
as Busboy at Brown Derby
The Spoilers (1942)
as Mr. Skinner
The Gilded Lily (1935)
as Photographer (uncredited)
Love Is a Headache (1938)
as Bartender (uncredited)
Hail the Conquering Hero (1944)
as Second Bandleader (uncredited)
Flame of Barbary Coast (1945)
as Byline Conners, Reporter San Francisco Star
The Palm Beach Story (1942)
as Second Member Ale and Quail Club
Captain Tugboat Annie (1945)
as Shiftless
Charlie Chan in The Chinese Cat (1944)
as Hotel Desk Clerk
Once Upon a Time (1944)
as Man In Barber Chair (uncredited)
Time Out for Romance (1937)
as Crapshooter
The Bank Dick (1940)
as A. Pismo Clam
Marked Woman (1937)
as Drunk
Rhythm and Weep (1946)
as Mr. Walsh
Finishing School (1934)
as Drunk (uncredited)
The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt (1939)
as Charlie Fenton - the Party Drunk (uncredited)
Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943)
as Customer in Bette Davis Number (uncredited)
Pacific Blackout (1941)
as Drunk
I Was a Burlesque Queen (1953)
as Jim Benson
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944)
as Country Club Man Ordering Champagne (uncredited)
Arsène Lupin Returns (1938)
as Hotel Manager (uncredited)
The Big Noise (1944)
as Drunk on Train
The Big Parade of Comedy (1964)
as Actor in 'The Girl from Missouri' (archive footage) (uncredited)
Make Your Own Bed (1944)
as Drunk
The Sin of Harold Diddlebock (1947)
as James R. Smoke
No Hands on the Clock (1941)
as Bartender at The Nugget Room
Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President (1939)
as Parker
The Falcon Strikes Back (1943)
as Second Hobo (uncredited)
So's Your Uncle (1943)
as Drunk
City of Chance (1940)
as Mr. Murphy
My Favorite Spy (1942)
as Orchid Room Drunk
Meet the Girls (1938)
as Fletcher
The Kansan (1943)
as Saloon Drunk
It Ain't Hay (1943)
as Drunk (uncredited)
Hold That Blonde! (1945)
as Drunk (uncredited)
Crazy House (1943)
as Drunk
One More Spring (1935)
as Drunk
Dr. Renault's Secret (1942)
as Mr. Austin
Opened by Mistake (1940)
as Al, the Bartender
Everybody's Doing It (1938)
as Harry The Drunk
Brooklyn Orchid (1942)
as Jonathan McFeeder
Malice in the Palace (1949)
as Emir of Schmoe (uncredited)
The Fleet's In (1942)
as Kellogg
My Dear Miss Aldrich (1937)
as First Drunk at Red Apple Inn (uncredited)
Shadows Over Chinatown (1946)
as Cosgrove
Louisiana Purchase (1941)
as Jester
Down the Ribber (1936)
Actor
Thanks for the Memory (1938)
as Bert Monroe
His Night Out (1935)
as Dr. Singer
Calling All Cars (1935)
as Duke Costello
The Super Snooper (1934)
Actor
Nocturne (1946)
as Charlie (uncredited)
The Way of All Flesh (1940)
as Barber
Two O'Clock Courage (1945)
as Drunk at Blue Room Bar (uncredited)
Fashion Model (1945)
as Herbert
Ride on Vaquero (1941)
Actor
A Guy, a Gal and a Pal (1945)
as Norton
Dr. Socrates (1935)
as Drunk in Park
The Preview Murder Mystery (1936)
as Comedy Director (Uncredited)
Dr. Broadway (1942)
as Drunk (uncredited)
Don't Bet on Blondes (1935)
as J. Mortimer 'Mousy' Slade
Strange Confession (1945)
as Jack
Woman Haters (1934)
as Justice of the Peace (uncredited)
Page Miss Glory (1935)
as Reporter (uncredited)
Society Smugglers (1939)
as Prentis
Stolen Harmony (1935)
as Phillips (uncredited)
The Farmer's Daughter (1940)
as Shimmy Conway
News Is Made at Night (1939)
as Drunk
Forgotten Faces (1936)
as Drunk
Broadway Gondolier (1935)
as Man on Ship with Pipe
The Women Men Marry (1937)
as Wilhelm Peebles (uncredited)
The Scarlet Clue (1945)
as Willie Rand
Hold That Kiss (1938)
as Mallory
Counsel on De Fence (1934)
Actor
Going Highbrow (1935)
as Sinclair
Man Alive (1945)
as William T. Lafferty
Taxi, Mister (1943)
as Reginald Van Nostrum - the Drunk
A Night at Earl Carroll's (1940)
as Alonzo Smith
Prairie Chickens (1943)
as Henry Lewis-Clark III
Grand Jury Secrets (1939)
as Doyle
Who's Looney Now (1936)
as Herbert Brown
Sweet Music (1935)
as Drunk (uncredited)
Moonlight in Havana (1942)
as George
Meet the Missus (1937)
as Mr. Norton
One Too Many (1934)
Actor
Ship Cafe (1935)
as Mr. Randall (uncredited)
Let's Make Music (1941)
as Drunk
Hired Husband (1947)
as Mr. Drinkwater
The Awful Tooth (1938)
as Dr. Schultz
Linda, Be Good (1947)
as Jim Benson
Foolish Hearts (1935)
as Jimmy
Fixing a Stew (1934)
as Pete