Earle Hodgins (October 6, 1893 – April 14, 1964) was an American actor.[1]
Earle Hodgins | |
|---|---|
 Earle Hodgins in Oh, Susanna! | |
| Born | October 6, 1893 Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. |
| Died | April 14, 1964 (aged 70) Hollywood, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1932–1963 |
| Spouse | Sue Hanley |
Career
Early in his career, Hodgins was active in stock theater, including working in the Ralph Cloninger troupe of Salt Lake City, Utah, the Siegel Stock company of Seattle, Washington,[2] and the Allen Players at the Empress Theatre in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.[3]
He appeared in more than 330 films and television shows between 1932 and 1963. He specialized in playing fast-talking con men—often in westerns, such as The Lone Ranger, Judge Roy Bean, The Cisco Kid, The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, Rawhide, Maverick (in the episode "Shady Deal at Sunny Acres" with James Garner and Jack Kelly), Lawman, The Rifleman, Cheyenne, Have Gun – Will Travel, Gunsmoke (In a recurring role as the town judge, plus in the title role in “Uncle Oliver”, where he ambushes and shoots “Chester”), and Hopalong Cassidy. In 1959 Hodgins appeared as Mr. Fane on Lawman in the episode "The Outsider." In the 1960–1961 season, he appeared in three episodes of Joanne Dru's ABC sitcom, Guestward, Ho! as the aging ranch wrangler known as "Lonesome." In one of those episodes, "Lonesome's Gal", he was cast opposite ZaSu Pitts. Thereafter, the two died within a year of each other.
Hodgins' other television roles were as carnival barkers, medicine-show salesmen, and the like. He was known for shooing away obstreperous children from his stage, snapping at them, "Get away, son, ya bother me".
Hodgins married Sue Hanley, who was described in an article of the Salt Lake Telegram as "a Seattle society girl."[2]
Hodgins was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[4]
Selected filmography
- The Circus Clown (1934) (First credited film role)
- Paradise Canyon (1935)
- The Cyclone Ranger (1935)
- Aces and Eights (1936)
- Oh, Susanna! (1936)
- Border Caballero (1936)
- Ticket to Paradise (1936)
- I Cover the War (1937)
- Range Defenders (1937)
- Heroes of the Alamo (1937)
- A Lawman Is Born (1937)
- Round-Up Time in Texas (1937)
- Sky Racket (1937)
- Nation Aflame (1937)
- Texas Trail (1937)
- Outlaws of the Prairie (1937)
- Roaring Six Guns (1937)
- The Purple Vigilantes (1938)
- The Old Barn Dance (1938)
- Barefoot Boy (1938)
- Call the Mesquiteers (1938)
- Lawless Valley (1938)
- The Rangers' Round-Up (1938)
- Long Shot (1939)
- Law and Order (1940)
- The Range Busters (1940)
- The Sagebrush Family Trails West (1940)
- Under Texas Skies (1940)
- Scattergood Baines (1941)
- Red River Robin Hood (1942)
- The Bashful Bachelor (1942)
- Inside the Law (1942)
- Hoppy Serves a Writ (1943)
- The San Antonio Kid (1944)
- The Utah Kid (1944)
- Mystery of the River Boat (1944)
- Oregon Trail (1945)
- Gun Smoke (1945)
- Unexpected Guest (1947)
- Oregon Trail Scouts (1947)
- Vigilantes of Boomtown (1947)
- Borrowed Trouble (1948)
- Oklahoma Badlands (1948)
- Henry, the Rainmaker (1949)
- Jiggs and Maggie in Jackpot Jitters (1949)
- Up in Smoke (1957)
- Saintly Sinners (1962) (Last credited film role)
Selected television
| 1958 | "Have Gun-Will Travel" | Leadhead Kane | S1 E33 "The Silver Queen" |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Front Page Detective | Season 1, Episode 20, "Recipe for Murder" (First credited television role) | |
| 1952 | Sky King | Worthless Jones | Season 1, Episode 10, "The Man Who Forgot" |
| 1953 | Death Valley Days | Micah Bisbee | Season 2, Episode 4, "Which Side of the Fence" |
| 1954 | Hopalong Cassidy | Picture Pete | Season 2, Episode 15, "Copper Hills" |
| 1955 | The Lone Ranger | Barnaby Boggs | Season 4, Episode 40, "The Swami" |
| 1956 | The Cisco Kid | Orlando the Magician | Season 6, Episode 25, "Magician of Jamesville" |
| 1957 | Gunsmoke | Title Role | Season 2, Episode 35, "Uncle Oliver" |
| 1957 | Maverick | Johnson | Season 1, Episode 7, "Relic of Fort Tejon" |
| 1958 | Decision | Undertaker | Season 1, Episode 4, "The Tall Man" |
| 1958 | The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok | Tobias Riddle | Season 8, Episode 13, "Counterfeit Ghost" |
| 1959 | The Rifleman | Auctioneer | Season 1, Episode 33, "The Money Gun" |
| 1959 | Tales of Wells Fargo | Pop Shannon | Season 3, Episode 22, "Lola Montez" |
| 1959 | Have Gun - Will Travel | Colonel Jeremiah Pike | Season 2, Episode 20, "Juliet" |
| 1960 | Death Valley Days | Deacon | Season 8, Episode 35, "Pete Kitchen's Wedding Night" |
| 1961 | Gunsmoke | Tubby | Season 7, Episode 8, "Chesterland" |
| 1961 | Bus Stop | Chet | Season 1, Episode 1, "Afternoon of a Cowboy" |
| 1962 | Gunsmoke | Dobie | Season 8, Episode 3, "Quint Asper Comes Home" |
| 1962 | Mister Ed | Side Show Barker | Season 2, Episode 19, "Ed's Word of Honor" |
| 1962 | The Twilight Zone | Agee | Season 3, Episode 21, "Kick the Can" |
| 1962 | The Donna Reed Show | Mr. Coxley | Season 4, Episode 29, "Explorer's Ten" |
| 1963 | Gunsmoke | Judge | Season 8, Episode 27, "Two of a Kind" (Last credited television role) |