fbpx
Wikipedia

George E. Stone

January 01, 1970

George E. Stone (born Gerschon Lichtenstein; May 18, 1903 – May 26, 1967) was a Polish-born American character actor in films, radio, and television.

George E. Stone
Stone in Bullets or Ballots (1936)
Born
Gerschon Lichtenstein

(1903-05-18)May 18, 1903
Łódź, Congress Poland
DiedMay 26, 1967(1967-05-26) (aged 64)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeMount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery
OccupationActor
Years active1925–1962
Spouses
Ida Pleet
​
​
(m. 1937; div. 1938)​
Marjorie Ramey
​
​
(m. 1946; div. 1948)​

Life and career edit

 
Director Frank Borzage (center) on the battlefield set of 7th Heaven with cast members (from left) Charles Farrell, George E. Stone (reclining), Émile Chautard and David Butler (1927)
 
Poster for The Big Brain (1933) starring Stone (lower left)

Stone was born Gerschon Lichtenstein in Łódź,[1][2][3] Congress Poland, into a Jewish family. He sailed from the Port of Hamburg, Germany, as a steerage passenger on board the S/S President Grant, which arrived at the Port of New York on May 29, 1913; at Ellis Island, he passed federal immigrant inspection with his two sisters and a brother.[citation needed]

As an actor, Stone first attracted attention (as "Georgie Stone") in the 1927 silent film 7th Heaven, where he played the local street thug The Sewer Rat; audiences remembered his slight build and very expressive face. He made a successful transition to talking pictures in Warner Bros.' Tenderloin, speaking in a pleasant, slightly nasal tenor. Stone was then typecast in streetwise roles, often playing a Runyonesque mobster or a gangland boss's assistant, notably as Rico Bandello's right-hand man Otero in the gangster classic Little Caesar (1931). He adopted a dapper pencil moustache for these screen roles. One of his most famous appearances was in the classic musical 42nd Street (1933), in which wiseguy Stone assesses a promiscuous chorus girl: "She only said 'no' once, and then she didn't hear the question!" His one starring film (as George E. Stone) was the Universal Pictures gangster comedy The Big Brain (1933).

In 1939, comedy producer Hal Roach hired Stone for his film The Housekeeper's Daughter. It was a difficult role: Stone had to play a mentally impaired murderer in a sweet natured and sympathetic manner. Stone went clean-shaven, emphasizing a boyish, innocent look, and played the part so sensitively that Roach often cast him in other films. In 1942, Stone burlesqued Hirohito in Roach's wartime comedy The Devil with Hitler.[4] Stone repeated his Japanese characterization, this time dramatically, in the 1942 film Little Tokyo, U.S.A.; he played the Japanese agent, Kingoro.

George E. Stone's most familiar role was "The Runt", loyal sidekick to adventurous ex-criminal Boston Blackie in Columbia Pictures' action-comedy series. Stone was supposed to perform with Chester Morris in the first film of the series, Meet Boston Blackie, but was sidelined by a virus. Actor Charles Wagenheim filled in for him, and Stone joined the series in the second entry, Confessions of Boston Blackie. Stone's performances in the Blackies were well received, and he enthusiastically played scenes for laughs, doing dialects, disguising in women's clothes, posing as a child, or reacting in wide-eyed amazement or frustration to each story's twists and turns. Both Chester Morris and George E. Stone reprised their screen roles for one year in the Boston Blackie radio series. Illness struck Stone again in 1948, forcing him to bow out of the last Boston Blackie picture, Boston Blackie's Chinese Venture (released in 1949); he was replaced by Sid Tomack.

Even in his smallest roles, Stone made an impression. In the 1945 newspaper-themed feature Midnight Manhunt, he plays a murder victim who doesn't say a word but expires eloquently. Another tiny role has Stone contributing to the perennial holiday favorite Miracle on 34th Street – but not in the film. He appears in the coming-attractions trailer, as an openly cynical screenwriter confronted by a bossy movie producer.

Stone made guest appearances in movies and television through the 1950s, in situation comedies (The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show) and action-adventure shows (Adventures of Superman, as mob leader "Big George"). When it came to playing tough guys, Stone could be just as convincing as the biggest, brawniest men. In the feature film The Man with the Golden Arm, Stone is the vindictive mobster who has been cheated at cards, and attacks dealer Frank Sinatra's friend Arnold Stang in a brutal fistfight.

Stone's vision deteriorated in the late 1950s, limiting him to walk-on roles or undemanding character parts. He played nervous stool pigeon "Toothpick Charlie" in Billy Wilder's comedy hit Some Like It Hot, and became a TV regular in the popular Perry Mason series, appearing in 44 episodes in the minor role of the court clerk, and two additional episodes in other roles.

One of Stone's closest friends was reporter-humorist Damon Runyon. Stone often appeared in movie adaptations of Runyon's work, including the musical Guys and Dolls. In Stone's last film, Pocketful of Miracles (1961), directed by Frank Capra, he played the uncredited role of a blind beggar.

Illness and death edit

Throughout his career, Stone was sidelined by illness. In 1936, he had pneumonia and lost out on a film role. Later illnesses forced him to miss the first and the last of the Boston Blackie pictures. In the early 1950s he began losing his sight to the point of almost total blindness in both eyes. He told The Daily Mirror in November 1958, “To me, it meant the end of everything I’d taken for granted.” In 1958, he underwent surgery to save his sight.[5] In fact, his sight was so limited by the time that he played the court clerk on Perry Mason that he had to be led around the set by his co-stars.[6]

After suffering a major stroke in 1966 which left him bedridden and unable to speak, Stone spent the majority of his last year of life at the Motion Picture Country Home until he died May 26, 1967. His resting place is at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery.[citation needed]

Recognition edit

For his contributions to motion pictures, Stone received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 8, 1960. The star is located at 6932 Hollywood Boulevard,[7] between North Orange Drive and North Highland Avenue, across the street from Grauman's Chinese Theatre, now known as TCL Chinese Theatre.

Selected filmography edit

References edit

  1. ^ Ellenberger, Allan R. (May 1, 2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. p. 187. ISBN 978-0-7864-5019-0.
  2. ^ Parish, James Robert (1978). Hollywood Character Actors. Arlington House. p. 467. ISBN 978-0870003844.
  3. ^ Clarke, Joseph F. (1977). Pseudonyms: The Names Behind the Names. Thomas Nelson Publishers. p. 155. ISBN 9780840765673.
  4. ^ "' The Devil With Hitler,' a Hal Roach Offering at the Globe -- 'Get Hep to Love' Opens at the Palace". New York Times. October 19, 1942. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  5. ^ Mallory, Mary (March 2, 2015). "Hollywood Heights: George E. Stone, Hollywood's Two-Bit Hood". The Daily Mirror.
  6. ^ "George E. Stone Biography". Movies.com. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  7. ^ "George E. Stone" Hollywood Walk of Fame

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to George E. Stone.

January 01, 1970
george, stone, born, gerschon, lichtenstein, 1903, 1967, polish, born, american, character, actor, films, radio, television, stone, bullets, ballots, 1936, borngerschon, lichtenstein, 1903, 1903Łódź, congress, polanddiedmay, 1967, 1967, aged, angeles, californ. George E Stone born Gerschon Lichtenstein May 18 1903 May 26 1967 was a Polish born American character actor in films radio and television George E StoneStone in Bullets or Ballots 1936 BornGerschon Lichtenstein 1903 05 18 May 18 1903Lodz Congress PolandDiedMay 26 1967 1967 05 26 aged 64 Los Angeles California U S Resting placeMount Sinai Memorial Park CemeteryOccupationActorYears active1925 1962SpousesIda Pleet m 1937 div 1938 wbr Marjorie Ramey m 1946 div 1948 wbr Contents 1 Life and career 2 Illness and death 3 Recognition 4 Selected filmography 5 References 6 External linksLife and career edit nbsp Director Frank Borzage center on the battlefield set of 7th Heaven with cast members from left Charles Farrell George E Stone reclining Emile Chautard and David Butler 1927 nbsp Poster for The Big Brain 1933 starring Stone lower left Stone was born Gerschon Lichtenstein in Lodz 1 2 3 Congress Poland into a Jewish family He sailed from the Port of Hamburg Germany as a steerage passenger on board the S S President Grant which arrived at the Port of New York on May 29 1913 at Ellis Island he passed federal immigrant inspection with his two sisters and a brother citation needed As an actor Stone first attracted attention as Georgie Stone in the 1927 silent film 7th Heaven where he played the local street thug The Sewer Rat audiences remembered his slight build and very expressive face He made a successful transition to talking pictures in Warner Bros Tenderloin speaking in a pleasant slightly nasal tenor Stone was then typecast in streetwise roles often playing a Runyonesque mobster or a gangland boss s assistant notably as Rico Bandello s right hand man Otero in the gangster classic Little Caesar 1931 He adopted a dapper pencil moustache for these screen roles One of his most famous appearances was in the classic musical 42nd Street 1933 in which wiseguy Stone assesses a promiscuous chorus girl She only said no once and then she didn t hear the question His one starring film as George E Stone was the Universal Pictures gangster comedy The Big Brain 1933 In 1939 comedy producer Hal Roach hired Stone for his film The Housekeeper s Daughter It was a difficult role Stone had to play a mentally impaired murderer in a sweet natured and sympathetic manner Stone went clean shaven emphasizing a boyish innocent look and played the part so sensitively that Roach often cast him in other films In 1942 Stone burlesqued Hirohito in Roach s wartime comedy The Devil with Hitler 4 Stone repeated his Japanese characterization this time dramatically in the 1942 film Little Tokyo U S A he played the Japanese agent Kingoro George E Stone s most familiar role was The Runt loyal sidekick to adventurous ex criminal Boston Blackie in Columbia Pictures action comedy series Stone was supposed to perform with Chester Morris in the first film of the series Meet Boston Blackie but was sidelined by a virus Actor Charles Wagenheim filled in for him and Stone joined the series in the second entry Confessions of Boston Blackie Stone s performances in the Blackies were well received and he enthusiastically played scenes for laughs doing dialects disguising in women s clothes posing as a child or reacting in wide eyed amazement or frustration to each story s twists and turns Both Chester Morris and George E Stone reprised their screen roles for one year in the Boston Blackie radio series Illness struck Stone again in 1948 forcing him to bow out of the last Boston Blackie picture Boston Blackie s Chinese Venture released in 1949 he was replaced by Sid Tomack Even in his smallest roles Stone made an impression In the 1945 newspaper themed feature Midnight Manhunt he plays a murder victim who doesn t say a word but expires eloquently Another tiny role has Stone contributing to the perennial holiday favorite Miracle on 34th Street but not in the film He appears in the coming attractions trailer as an openly cynical screenwriter confronted by a bossy movie producer Stone made guest appearances in movies and television through the 1950s in situation comedies The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show and action adventure shows Adventures of Superman as mob leader Big George When it came to playing tough guys Stone could be just as convincing as the biggest brawniest men In the feature film The Man with the Golden Arm Stone is the vindictive mobster who has been cheated at cards and attacks dealer Frank Sinatra s friend Arnold Stang in a brutal fistfight Stone s vision deteriorated in the late 1950s limiting him to walk on roles or undemanding character parts He played nervous stool pigeon Toothpick Charlie in Billy Wilder s comedy hit Some Like It Hot and became a TV regular in the popular Perry Mason series appearing in 44 episodes in the minor role of the court clerk and two additional episodes in other roles One of Stone s closest friends was reporter humorist Damon Runyon Stone often appeared in movie adaptations of Runyon s work including the musical Guys and Dolls In Stone s last film Pocketful of Miracles 1961 directed by Frank Capra he played the uncredited role of a blind beggar Illness and death editThroughout his career Stone was sidelined by illness In 1936 he had pneumonia and lost out on a film role Later illnesses forced him to miss the first and the last of the Boston Blackie pictures In the early 1950s he began losing his sight to the point of almost total blindness in both eyes He told The Daily Mirror in November 1958 To me it meant the end of everything I d taken for granted In 1958 he underwent surgery to save his sight 5 In fact his sight was so limited by the time that he played the court clerk on Perry Mason that he had to be led around the set by his co stars 6 After suffering a major stroke in 1966 which left him bedridden and unable to speak Stone spent the majority of his last year of life at the Motion Picture Country Home until he died May 26 1967 His resting place is at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery citation needed Recognition editFor his contributions to motion pictures Stone received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 8 1960 The star is located at 6932 Hollywood Boulevard 7 between North Orange Drive and North Highland Avenue across the street from Grauman s Chinese Theatre now known as TCL Chinese Theatre Selected filmography editSeventh Heaven 1927 Sewer Rat Brass Knuckles 1927 Velvet Smith San Francisco Nights 1928 Flash Hoxy Turn Back the Hours 1928 Limey Tenderloin 1928 Sparrow The Crimson City 1928 Slinkey Walking Back 1928 Crook uncredited Clothes Make the Woman 1928 Assistant Director The Racket 1928 Joe Scarsi Beautiful But Dumb 1928 Tad State Street Sadie 1928 Slinky Naughty Baby 1928 Tony Caponi Weary River 1929 Blackie The Redeeming Sin 1929 A Sewer Rat Two Men and a Maid 1929 Shorty The Girl in the Glass Cage 1929 Carlos Melody Lane 1929 Danny Skin Deep 1929 Dippy Under a Texas Moon 1930 Pedro The Medicine Man 1930 Steve Little Caesar 1931 Otero Cimarron 1931 Sol Levy The Front Page 1931 Earl Williams Maid to Order 1931 Five Star Final 1931 Ziggie Feinstein The Spider 1931 Dr Blackstone Sob Sister 1931 Johnnie the Sheik The Woman from Monte Carlo 1932 Le Duc Taxi 1932 Skeets The World and the Flesh 1932 Rutchkin The Last Mile 1932 Joe Berg Cell 1 The Phantom of Crestwood 1932 The Cat File 113 1933 Verduet The Vampire Bat 1933 Kringen 42nd Street 1933 Andy Lee Sailor Be Good 1933 Murphy Song of the Eagle 1933 Gus Emergency Call 1933 Sammie Miller The Wrecker 1933 Sam Shapiro The Big Brain 1933 Max Werner He Couldn t Take It 1933 Sammy Kohn Sing Sinner Sing 1933 Spats Penthouse 1933 Murtoch Ladies Must Love 1933 Joey King for a Night 1933 Hymie Frontier Marshal 1934 David Abe Ruskin Viva Villa 1934 Emilio Chavito Return of the Terror 1934 Soapy McCoy The Dragon Murder Case 1934 Tatum Embarrassing Moments 1934 Louie Secret of the Chateau 1934 Armand One Hour Late 1934 Benny Million Dollar Baby 1934 Joe Lewis Hold Em Yale 1935 Bennie South Street Public Hero No 1 1935 Butch Make a Million 1935 Larkey Moonlight on the Prairie 1935 Small Change Frisco Kid 1935 Solly Freshman Love 1936 E Prendergast Biddle Man Hunt 1936 Silk Boulder Dam 1936 Man Aiding Ann uncredited Bullets or Ballots 1936 Wires Kagel Rhythm on the Range 1936 Shorty Anthony Adverse 1936 Sancho Jailbreak 1936 Weeper Back to Nature 1936 Mr Sweeney uncredited Here Comes Carter 1936 Boots Burnett The Captain s Kid 1936 Steve Polo Joe 1936 First Loafer King of Hockey 1936 Nick Torga Don t Get Me Wrong 1937 Chuck Clothes and the Woman 1937 Count Bernhardt Back in Circulation 1937 Mac Alcatraz Island 1937 Tough Tony Burke The Adventurous Blonde 1937 Pete A Slight Case of Murder 1938 Kirk Mr Moto s Gamble 1938 Connors Over the Wall 1938 Gyp You and Me 1938 Patsy Submarine Patrol 1938 Seaman Irving Goldfarb Long Shot 1939 Danny Welch You Can t Get Away with Murder 1939 Toad The Housekeeper s Daughter 1939 Benny The Night of Nights 1939 Sammy Kayn I Take This Woman 1940 Sid Island of Doomed Men 1940 Siggy Cherokee Strip 1940 Abe Gabbert Slightly Tempted 1940 Petey North West Mounted Police 1940 Johnny Pelang The Face Behind the Mask 1941 Dinky Road Show 1941 Indian Broadway Limited 1941 Lefty Last of the Duanes 1941 Euchre Confessions of Boston Blackie 1941 The Runt The Lone Star Ranger 1942 Euchre The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine 1942 Mousey Alias Boston Blackie 1942 The Runt Little Tokyo U S A 1942 Kingoro Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood 1942 The Runt After Midnight with Boston Blackie 1943 The Runt The Chance of a Lifetime 1943 The Runt Timber Queen 1944 Squirrel Roger Touhy Gangster 1944 Ice Box Hamilton My Buddy 1944 Pete One Mysterious Night 1944 The Runt Boston Blackie Booked on Suspicion 1945 The Runt Scared Stiff 1945 Mink Boston Blackie s Rendezvous 1945 The Runt Midnight Manhunt 1945 Joe Wells Doll Face 1945 Stage Manager Shock 1946 Cab Driver uncredited A Close Call for Boston Blackie 1946 The Runt Sentimental Journey 1946 Toy Hawker uncredited The Phantom Thief 1946 The Runt Suspense 1946 Max Boston Blackie and the Law 1946 The Runt Abie s Irish Rose 1946 Isaac Cohen Daisy Kenyon 1947 Waiter uncredited Trapped by Boston Blackie 1948 The Runt The Untamed Breed 1948 Pablo Dancing in the Dark 1949 Film Cutter uncredited A Girl in Every Port 1952 Skeezer Bloodhounds of Broadway 1952 Ropes McGonigle Tonight We Sing 1953 Impresario uncredited Pickup on South Street 1953 Willie Police Desk Clerk uncredited The Robe 1953 Gracchus uncredited Combat Squad 1953 Medic Brown The Miami Story 1954 Louie Mott Broken Lance 1954 Paymaster uncredited Woman s World 1954 Executive Reception Guest uncredited The Steel Cage 1954 Solly Convict Chef segment The Chef 3 Ring Circus 1954 Little Boy s Father uncredited New York Confidential 1955 Darlene s Agent uncredited Guys and Dolls 1955 Society Max The Man With the Golden Arm 1955 Sam Markette Alfred Hitchcock Presents 1956 Season 1 Episode 15 The Big Switch Barney The Conqueror 1956 Sibilant Sam uncredited Slightly Scarlet 1956 Roos uncredited Jungle Hell 1956 Mr Trosk Sierra Stranger 1957 Barfly Dan Calypso Heat Wave 1957 Books The Tijuana Story 1957 Pino The Story of Mankind 1957 Waiter Baby Face Nelson 1957 Mr Hall Bank Manager Some Came Running 1958 Slim uncredited Night of the Quarter Moon 1959 Detective uncredited Some Like It Hot 1959 Toothpick Charlie Alias Jesse James 1959 New York Bar Gibson Girl Fan uncredited Bells Are Ringing 1960 Blind Bookie uncredited Ocean s 11 1960 Proprietor uncredited Pocketful of Miracles 1961 Shimkey uncredited References edit Ellenberger Allan R May 1 2001 Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries A Directory McFarland p 187 ISBN 978 0 7864 5019 0 Parish James Robert 1978 Hollywood Character Actors Arlington House p 467 ISBN 978 0870003844 Clarke Joseph F 1977 Pseudonyms The Names Behind the Names Thomas Nelson Publishers p 155 ISBN 9780840765673 The Devil With Hitler a Hal Roach Offering at the Globe Get Hep to Love Opens at the Palace New York Times October 19 1942 Retrieved May 6 2022 Mallory Mary March 2 2015 Hollywood Heights George E Stone Hollywood s Two Bit Hood The Daily Mirror George E Stone Biography Movies com Retrieved March 17 2020 George E Stone Hollywood Walk of FameExternal links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to George E Stone George E Stone at IMDb George E Stone at the Internet Broadway Database nbsp George E Stone at Virtual History Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title George E Stone amp oldid 1219938462, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.