Edgar Buchanan
William Edgar Buchanan II (March 20, 1903 – April 4, 1979) was an American actor with a long career in both film and television. He is most familiar today as Uncle Joe Carson from the Petticoat Junction,[1] Green Acres, and The Beverly Hillbillies television sitcoms of the 1960s.
Edgar Buchanan | |
|---|---|
Buchanan circa 1971 | |
| Born | William Edgar Buchanan II March 20, 1903 Humansville, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | April 4, 1979 (aged 76) Palm Desert, California, U.S. |
| Education | North Pacific College (DDS) |
| Occupation(s) | Dentist, actor, singer |
| Years active | 1939–1974 |
| Spouse | Mildred Marguerite Spence (m. 1928–1979) |
| Children | 1 |
Biography
Early life
The son of Dr. and Mrs. William Edgar Buchanan, he was born in Humansville, Missouri, on March 20, 1903.[2] He moved with his family to Oregon when he was seven.[3][4] In 1928, he earned a DDS degree from North Pacific College School of Dentistry, which later became Oregon Health & Science University School of Dentistry.[5] His wife Mildred (1907–1987) and he, classmates in dental school, were married in 1928, the year he graduated. They had one child, a son named Buck.[6] In 1939, they moved from Eugene, Oregon, to Altadena, California, where they relocated their dental practice. He joined the Pasadena Playhouse as an actor.[7] He appeared in his first film in 1939, at the age of 36, after which he turned his dentistry practice over to his wife. He was a member of Theta Chi fraternity[8] and a Freemason.[9]
Career
Buchanan appeared in more than 100 films, including Texas (1941), in which he played a dentist and appeared with William Holden and Glenn Ford and later in Penny Serenade (1941) with Irene Dunne and Cary Grant, Tombstone, the Town Too Tough to Die (1942), The Talk of the Town (1942) with Ronald Colman and Jean Arthur, The Man from Colorado (1948), Cheaper by the Dozen (1950), Shane (1953), She Couldn't Say No (1954), Ride the High Country (1962) with Randolph Scott and Joel McCrea, McLintock! (1963) with John Wayne, Move Over, Darling (1963) with Doris Day and James Garner, and Benji (1974).
Among the many television series in which he was cast as a guest star were Cimarron City, The Californians, and The Rifleman. Edgar appeared in six episodes of The Rifleman, playing Grandpa Fogerty in "The Long Goodbye" (episode 119) and Doc Burrage in the other five: "The Pet" (episode 15), "The Second Witness" (episode 23), "The Trade" (episode 24), "The Deadly Wait" (episode 26), and "The Angry Man" (episode 31).[10] In addition to several other widely varying roles on the series (running the gamut from sympathetic parts to vicious villains), he portrayed Jed Christianson in the episode "Duel at Sundown" on Maverick with James Garner and Clint Eastwood. He was on Leave It to Beaver (as both "Uncle Billy" and "Captain Jack"), The Twilight Zone, Riverboat (as Wingate Pardee in the 1960 episode, "Duel on the River"), Gunsmoke, Route 66, Bringing Up Buddy, Bus Stop, and The Lloyd Bridges Show.
Buchanan's roles as a regular cast member in television programs included Red Connors in the syndicated Western Hopalong Cassidy,[11] and J.J. Jackson in the CBS crime drama Cade's County.[1]
Buchanan appeared as Uncle Joe Carson in all 222 episodes of Petticoat Junction, the only actor from the show to do so, as well as in 17 episodes of Green Acres,[1]: 416 and three episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies. On Petticoat Junction, he took over as proprietor of the Shady Rest Hotel following the 1968 death of show star Bea Benaderet, who had played Kate Bradley; Buchanan had starred as second lead since the series' inception. In the 1966 episode "The All-Night Party" and in the 1969 episode "Kathy Jo's First Birthday Party", he appeared with his real-life son, Buck (who had a cameo as a party goer and an ice cream vendor, respectively). Another star from Petticoat Junction and he appeared together in the 1974 movie Benji; the other "star" was Higgins the dog, which portrayed the title character.
Buchanan appeared in multiple episodes of "Tales of Wells Fargo," starring Dale Robertson. He had the recurring role of a rascally ex-outlaw named Doc Dawson.
In 1967, Dot Records released "Phantom 309" (Dot #17047), a narration by Buchanan. The 45-rpm single was backed with "Cotton Picker".[12]
Death
Buchanan died from a stroke complicated by pneumonia in Palm Desert, California,[12] and was interred in the Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.[13]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | My Son Is Guilty | Dan, Bartender | |
| 1940 | Too Many Husbands | Det. Adolph McDermott | |
| Three Cheers for the Irish | Party Guest | Uncredited | |
| Tear Gas Squad | Cousin Andy, a Policeman | ||
| Escape to Glory | Charles Atterbee | ||
| The Seahawk | Ben Rollins | Uncredited | |
| When the Daltons Rode | Narrator / Old-timer | Uncredited | |
| Arizona | Judge Bogardus | ||
| 1941 | Penny Serenade | Applejack Carney | |
| Her First Beau | Elmer Tuttle | ||
| The Richest Man in Town | Pete Martin | ||
| Texas | Buford "Doc" Thorpe | ||
| You Belong to Me | Billings, Groundskeeper | ||
| 1942 | Tombstone, the Town Too Tough to Die | Curly Bill Brocious | |
| The Talk of the Town | Sam Yates | ||
| 1943 | City Without Men | Michael T. Mallory | |
| The Desperadoes | Uncle Willie McLeod | ||
| Good Luck, Mr. Yates | Jonesey Jones | ||
| Destroyer | Kansas Jackson | ||
| 1944 | Buffalo Bill | Sergeant Chips McGraw | |
| Bride by Mistake | Jonathan Connors | ||
| The Impatient Years | Judge | ||
| Strange Affair | Lt. Washburn | ||
| 1946 | The Fighting Guardsman | Pepe, bandit-valet | |
| Abilene Town | Sheriff 'Bravo' Trimble | ||
| The Bandit of Sherwood Forest | Friar Tuck | ||
| Perilous Holiday | George Richards | ||
| The Walls Came Tumbling Down | Rev. George Bradford | ||
| Renegades | Kirk Dembrow | ||
| If I'm Lucky | Darius J. Magonnagle | ||
| 1947 | The Sea of Grass | Jeff | |
| Framed | Jeff Cunningham | ||
| 1948 | The Swordsman | Angus MacArden | |
| The Wreck of the Hesperus | George Lockhart | ||
| The Black Arrow | Lawless | ||
| Adventures in Silverado | Dr. Hendersonn, aka The Monk | ||
| Best Man Wins | Jim Smiley | ||
| Coroner Creek | Sheriff O'Hea | ||
| The Untamed Breed | John Rambeau | ||
| The Man from Colorado | Doc Merroan | ||
| 1949 | The Walking Hills | Old Willy | |
| Red Canyon | Jonah Johnson | ||
| Lust for Gold | Wiser | ||
| Any Number Can Play | Ed | ||
| 1950 | Cheaper by the Dozen | Dr. Burton | |
| Cargo to Capetown | Sam Bennett | ||
| The Big Hangover | Uncle Fred Mahoney | ||
| Devil's Doorway | Zeke Carmody | ||
| 1951 | The Great Missouri Raid | Dr. Samuels | |
| Rawhide | Sam Todd | ||
| Cave of Outlaws | Dobbs | ||
| Silver City | Dutch Surrency | ||
| 1952 | The Big Trees | Walter 'Yukon' Burns | |
| Flaming Feather | Sgt. O'Rourke | ||
| Wild Stallion | John Wintergreen | ||
| Toughest Man in Arizona | Jim Hadlock | ||
| She Couldn't Say No | Ed Meeker | ||
| 1953 | The War of the Worlds | Square dance musician | Uncredited |
| It Happens Every Thursday | Jake | ||
| Shane | Fred Lewis | ||
| 1954 | Make Haste to Live | Sheriff Lafe | |
| Human Desire | Alec Simmons | ||
| Dawn at Socorro | Sheriff Cauthen | ||
| Destry | The Honorable Hiram J. Sellers, Mayor | ||
| 1955 | Rage at Dawn | Judge | |
| The Silver Star | Will "Bill" Dowdy | ||
| The Lonesome Trail | Dan Wells | ||
| Wichita | Doc Black | ||
| 1956 | Come Next Spring | Mr. Canary | |
| 1957 | Spoilers of the Forest | Tom Duncan | |
| 1958 | Day of the Bad Man | Sam Wyckoff | |
| The Sheepman | Milt Masters | ||
| 1959 | King of the Wild Stallions | Idaho | |
| It Started with a Kiss | Congressman Richard Tappe | ||
| Edge of Eternity | Sheriff Edwards | ||
| Hound-Dog Man | Doc Cole | ||
| Stump Run | Buck Gaskin | ||
| 1960 | Four Fast Guns | Dipper | |
| Cimarron | Judge Neal Hefner | ||
| Chartroose Caboose | Woody Watts | ||
| 1961 | Tammy Tell Me True | Judge Carver | |
| Devil's Partner | Don Lucas | ||
| The Comancheros | Judge Thaddeus Jackson Breen | ||
| 1962 | Ride the High Country | Judge Tolliver | |
| 1963 | Donovan's Reef | Boston Attorney Francis X. O'Brien | |
| A Ticklish Affair | Captain Martin | ||
| McLintock! | Bunny Dull | ||
| Move Over, Darling | Judge Bryson | ||
| 1965 | The Rounders | Vince Moore | |
| The Man from Button Willow | Sorry | Voice | |
| 1966 | Gunpoint | Bull | |
| 1967 | Welcome to Hard Times | Brown | |
| 1969 | Angel in My Pocket | Axel Gresham | |
| 1974 | Benji | Bill | (final film role) |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Make Room for Daddy | Captain Chris | Episode: "The Sea Captain" |
| 1954 | Crown Theatre with Gloria Swanson | Uncle Harry | Episode: "Uncle Harry" |
| 1952–1954 | Hopalong Cassidy | Red Connors | |
| 1955 | Ford Theatre | Papa Mumby | Episode: "The Mumbysa" |
| Screen Directors Playhouse | Sub Royal | Episode: "The Bush Roper" | |
| 1953, 1955 | Cavalcade of America | Horace Greeley / Doc Mathew | 4 episodes |
| 1956 | Judge Roy Bean | Judge Roy Bean | |
| Strange Stories | Episode: "Con Game" | ||
| Crossroads | Bart Alden | Episode: "The Lamp of Father Cataldo" | |
| 1957 | Whirlybirds | Burton | Episode: "The Perfect Crime" |
| The Christophers | John Augustus | Episode: "Sentence Deferred" | |
| Climax! | Spencer | 2 episodes | |
| 1958 | The Adventures of Jim Bowie | Ringtail | Episode: "Deaf Smith" |
| The Restless Gun | Ethan Greenfield / Sheriff Jeb Barnes | 2 Episodes: "Aunt Emma" & "The Gold Star" | |
| Studio One | Dan Ferris | Episode: "Birthday Present" | |
| The Gale Storm Show | Jasper Stokes | Episode: "Hayride Ahoy" | |
| 26 Men | Episode: "Cross and Doublecross" | ||
| Cimarron City | Shanty | Episode: "Kid on a Calico Horse" | |
| 1959 | Lawman | Jess Miller | Episode: "The Captives" |
| Trackdown | Tully Saxon | Episode: "The Trick" | |
| Wanted Dead or Alive | Pop Michaels / Chester Blake | 2 episodes | |
| Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Pops | Episode: "Coyote Moon" | |
| The Deputy | Isbel | Episode: "Man of Peace" | |
| Whirlybirds | Burton | Episode: "The Perfect Crime" | |
| 1955–1959 | General Electric Theater | ||
| 1958, 1959 | The Californians | Dutch / Major | 2 episodes |
| 1960 | Bronco | Pop Owens | Episode: "Winter Kill" |
| Bat Masterson | Cactus Charlie | Episode: "Debt of Honor" | |
| Assignment: Underwater | Charlie Noble | Episode: "Charlie Noble's Pearl" | |
| Stagecoach West | Lum Jensen | Episode: "Red Sand" | |
| Outlaws | Nulty | 2 episodes | |
| Route 66 | Jack McConkle | Episode: "The Beryllium Eater" | |
| Riverboat | Wingate Pardee | Episode: "Duel on the River" | |
| 1957, 1960 | Wagon Train | The Tramp / Ben Mattox | 2 episodes |
| 1961 | Klondike | Sam Perkins | Episode: "The Golden Burro" |
| National Velvet | Grandpa Harwell | 2 episodes | |
| The Barbara Stanwyck Show | Judge Franklin | Episode: "A Man's Game" | |
| The Tall Man | Archie Keogh | Episode: "The Judas Palm" | |
| The New Bob Cummings Show | Episode: "The Oxtail Incident" | ||
| Bus Stop | Judge Neal | Episode: "The Man from Bootstrap" | |
| The Andy Griffith Show | Henry Wheeler | Episode: "Aunt Bee's Brief Encounter" | |
| 1960-1961 | Bonanza | Hallelujah Hicks / John Henry Hill | 2 episodes |
| 1957–1961 | Tales of Wells Fargo | Bob Dawson / Doc Dawson | 6 episodes |
| 1958–1961 | Maverick | Daddy Forge / Jed Christianson / Colonel Hamilton / Sheriff Hadley / Red Daniels | 5 episodes |
| The Rifleman | Doc Burrage / Grandpa Fogarty | ||
| 1962 | The Twilight Zone | Doc Bolton | Episode: "The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank" |
| Thriller | Doc O'Connor | Episode: 'Til Death Do Us Part | |
| Alcoa Premiere | Crab Holman | Episode: "Flashing Spikes" | |
| Stoney Burke | Dawes | Episode: "Fight Night" | |
| Have Gun – Will Travel | Cardiff | Episode: "Man in an Hourglass" | |
| The Wide Country | Uncle Walt Guthrie | Episode: "Good Old Uncle Walt" | |
| Dennis the Menace | Mr. Meekin | Episode: "Dennis and the Hermit" | |
| 1958, 1962 | Perry Mason | Andy Templet / Judge Edward Daley | 2 episodes |
| 1960–1962 | Laramie | Tully Casper Cletus McBain | 4 episodes |
| 1962-1963 | The Lloyd Bridges Show | Doc / Tyree | 2 episodes |
| Gunsmoke | Dan Witter / Dan York | 2 episodes | |
| Dr. Kildare | Steve Devitt / Judge Manning | 2 episodes | |
| 1957–1963 | Leave It to Beaver | Captain Jack / William 'Uncle Billy' Cleaver | 3 episodes |
| 1965 | Luke and the Tenderfoot | Luke Herkimer | |
| 1968 | Something for a Lonely Man | Old Man Wolenski | TV movie |
| The Beverly Hillbillies | Uncle Joe Carson | 3 episodes | |
| 1969 | The Over-the-Hill Gang | Jason Fitch | TV movie |
| 1965–1969 | Green Acres | Uncle Joe Carson | There were many crossovers from Petticoat Junction cast members in the series |
| 1970 | The Name of the Game | Felson | Episode: "Little Bear Died Running" |
| The Mod Squad | Hargis | Episode: "Welcome to the Human Race, Levi Frazee!" | |
| The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again | Jason Fitch | TV movie | |
| 1963–1970 | Petticoat Junction | Joseph P. "Uncle Joe" Carson | |
| 1971 | "The Men From Shiloh" (rebranded name of The Virginian) | Teddy Birdwell | Episode: "The Legacy of Spencer Flats" |
| Yuma | Mules McNeil | TV movie | |
| 1971–1972 | Cade's County | J.J. Jackson | |
| 1972 | The Partridge Family | Judge McElwreath | Episode: "M is for Many Things" |
| 1973 | Love, American Style | Segment: Love and the Family Hour |
References
- ^ a b c Terrace, Vincent (January 10, 2014). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). McFarland. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
- ^ "Rites pending for actor Edgar Buchanan, 76". Chicago Tribune. United Press International. April 5, 1979. p. 51. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Buck Comes Home". The Eugene Guard. May 18, 1959. p. 11. Retrieved July 28, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Edgar Buchanan, Actor, Matineeclassics.com; retrieved March 10, 2013. December 19, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Edgar Buchanan: the frontier dentist who played one on TV". Oregon Health & Science University. July 12, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
- ^ "Actor Edgar Buchanan, TV's 'Uncle Joe,' Is Dead". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. April 5, 1979. p. 12. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
- ^ Monush, Barry (2003). Screen World Presents the Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors: From the silent era to 1965. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 96. ISBN 978-1-5578-3551-2. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
- ^ The Rattle of Theta Chi. Theta Chi Fraternity Inc. 1942. p. 13. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
- ^ Karg, Barb; Sutherland, Rick (May 18, 2010). Secret America: The Hidden Symbols, Codes and Mysteries of the United States. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4405-0723-6.
- ^ "Secrets Of TV's The Rifleman: More Than Just Guns And Good Times". Trend-chaser.com. p. 66. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
- ^ Erickson, Hal (1989). Syndicated Television: The First Forty Years, 1947-1987. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 97. ISBN 978-0-8995-0410-0.
- ^ a b Leszczak, Bob (2015). From Small Screen to Vinyl: A Guide to Television Stars Who Made Records, 1950-2000. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 35–36. ISBN 978-1-4422-4274-6. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
- ^ Ellenburger, Alan R. (May 1, 2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-5019-0.
Further reading
- Maltin, Leonard (2015) [First published 1969]. "Edgar Buchanan". The Real Stars : Profiles and Interviews of Hollywood's Unsung Featured Players (softcover) (Sixth / eBook ed.). Great Britain: CreateSpace Independent. pp. 13–37. ISBN 978-1-5116-4485-3.
External links
- Edgar Buchanan at IMDb
- at the TCM Movie Database
- Edgar Buchanan at AllMovie
- Edgar Buchanan at Find a Grave