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Raymond Walburn

April 27, 2024

Raymond Walburn (September 9, 1887 – July 26, 1969) was an American character actor of stage and screen who appeared in dozens of Hollywood movie comedies and an occasional dramatic role during the 1930s and 1940s.

Raymond Walburn
Third Finger, Left Hand trailer (1940)
Born(1887-09-09)September 9, 1887
Plymouth, Indiana, U.S.
DiedJuly 26, 1969(1969-07-26) (aged 81)
New York City, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1913–1958
Spouse(s)Gertrude Steinman
(m.?-1953; her death)
Jane Davis
(m.1955-1969; his death)

Stalwart character Raymond Walburn is one of those actors whose name may have slipped through memory over time, although whose valued contribution to 1930s - 1940s comedy films certainly warrants a reminder. He was the archetypal bombastic bumbler or supercilious stuffed shirt with the trademark bulging eyes, snub nose, arched brows and trimmed mustache.

He provided his patented brand of cheeky humor in nearly 100 "A" and "B" films during his career span.

Life and career edit

Born in Plymouth, Indiana, Walburn in the early 1900s moved to Oakland, California, following high school with his mother and began acting on stage, which was also his mother's profession.

There he was placed in an acting school associated with the Liberty Theatre, the principal stock company in Oakland, and made his professional stage debut at the age of 18, playing the Second Witch in "MacBeth." Following extensive touring in stock shows, he took his first Broadway bow in the opening of the most popular and successful "The Greyhound" in 1912.

After a long period of struggle and a number of theater misfires, his career was interrupted by military service in the United States Army in 1917-1918 where he served in a heavy artillery corps in France during World War I. This was shortly after his being cast as a replacement in the juvenile lead role in "Come Out of the Kitchen" starring Ruth Chatterton.

Following his discharge from military service he resumed his Broadway and stock show career and grew in stature throughout the 1920s. In 1924 he made his London, England, debut as Aubrey Piper in "The Show-Off," a role which keenly established his pompous image and brash, phony-baloney facade on stage and in later film. Over the decades Walburn's plus-sized comic vanity would become a repetitive scene-stealing tactic.

He performed in stock theater for only four years before being cast on Broadway, where he made his debut in Cordelia Blossom in 1914. Over a half century later, in 1965, Walburn acted in his final Broadway production, A Very Rich Woman.[1][2] During his long career, he also toured extensively, performing on stages throughout the United States and in other countries.[1]

Walburn did not make an impact in films until 1934 with the release of The Count of Monte Cristo starring Robert Donat. His filmography includes nearly 100 films, with his best known roles as a stereotypical bumbler and as a pompous snob. He could also be villainous, as he was when he played Baron Danglars in the 1934 film version of The Count of Monte Cristo, and was a favorite of such celebrated comedy directors as Preston Sturges and Frank Capra, with whom he made several appearances.

Outside of a couple of nondescript roles in silent films, Walburn did not take a serious stab at films until 1929, when he was cast supporting a Ruth Chatterton vehicle (again), this time playing her unfaithful husband in The Laughing Lady (1929). He did not return to films again, however, until five years later following a stage success in The Pursuit of Happiness (1933). From 1934 on he continued to be seen in film and was a main character staple for Columbia. For Frank Capra his highlights included Colonel Pettigrew, the race track tout, in Broadway Bill (1934); the ostentatious valet of Gary Cooper in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town' (1936); and the opportunistic Judge Alexander in the Spencer Tracy / Katharine Hepburn starrer State of the Union (1948). He also performed in Capra's pallid musical remake of Broadway Bill entitled Riding High (1950) with Bing Crosby, in which he recreated his Colonel Pettigrew shyster. As a Preston Sturges favorite, Walburn shined as the sarcastic and pompous Dr. Maxford in Christmas in July (1940); the windbag Mayor Noble in the classic Hail the Conquering Hero (1944); and as the boss who fires Harold Lloyd in The Sin of Harold Diddlebock (1947) [aka Mad Wednesday].

In post-war years, the by-now chunky-framed Walburn was given a great chance to show off by headlining his own "Henry" series of light comedy films. Playing patriarch Henry Latham in its debut Henry, the Rainmaker (1949), he was able to bounce off the droll antics of Walter Catlett's Mayor Colton character. Barbara Brown as his wife and young Gary Gray as son David were around for the entire series. He cavorted in five features ending with Father Takes the Air (1951). Walburn's last film was the rather uneventful western The Spoilers (1955). Following the death of his first wife Gertrude (affectionately known as Trudy), he more or less retired, but found happiness again when he married a family friend, Jane Davis.

In 1962, at the age of 74, he came out of his self-imposed retirement at the urging of Harold Prince to join Zero Mostel and company in the burlesque musical farce "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" playing a senile Roman citizen. He appeared in the show for 18 months, then went on to appear with Ruth Gordon in "A Very Rich Woman" in 1965.

Walburn died in New York City at the age of 81 in 1969 following an extended illness.


Complete filmography edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Alden, John (April 25, 1936). "Hollywood Mugs: Raymond Walburn -- A Hollywood Convert". Star Tribune. Minnesota, Minneapolis. p. 15. Retrieved October 23, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ . Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on October 23, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2019.

External links edit

April 27, 2024
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This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Raymond Walburn news newspapers books scholar JSTOR October 2019 Learn how and when to remove this template message Raymond Walburn September 9 1887 July 26 1969 was an American character actor of stage and screen who appeared in dozens of Hollywood movie comedies and an occasional dramatic role during the 1930s and 1940s Raymond WalburnThird Finger Left Hand trailer 1940 Born 1887 09 09 September 9 1887Plymouth Indiana U S DiedJuly 26 1969 1969 07 26 aged 81 New York City U S OccupationActorYears active1913 1958Spouse s Gertrude Steinman m 1953 her death Jane Davis m 1955 1969 his death Stalwart character Raymond Walburn is one of those actors whose name may have slipped through memory over time although whose valued contribution to 1930s 1940s comedy films certainly warrants a reminder He was the archetypal bombastic bumbler or supercilious stuffed shirt with the trademark bulging eyes snub nose arched brows and trimmed mustache He provided his patented brand of cheeky humor in nearly 100 A and B films during his career span Contents 1 Life and career 2 Complete filmography 3 References 4 External linksLife and career editBorn in Plymouth Indiana Walburn in the early 1900s moved to Oakland California following high school with his mother and began acting on stage which was also his mother s profession There he was placed in an acting school associated with the Liberty Theatre the principal stock company in Oakland and made his professional stage debut at the age of 18 playing the Second Witch in MacBeth Following extensive touring in stock shows he took his first Broadway bow in the opening of the most popular and successful The Greyhound in 1912 After a long period of struggle and a number of theater misfires his career was interrupted by military service in the United States Army in 1917 1918 where he served in a heavy artillery corps in France during World War I This was shortly after his being cast as a replacement in the juvenile lead role in Come Out of the Kitchen starring Ruth Chatterton Following his discharge from military service he resumed his Broadway and stock show career and grew in stature throughout the 1920s In 1924 he made his London England debut as Aubrey Piper in The Show Off a role which keenly established his pompous image and brash phony baloney facade on stage and in later film Over the decades Walburn s plus sized comic vanity would become a repetitive scene stealing tactic He performed in stock theater for only four years before being cast on Broadway where he made his debut in Cordelia Blossom in 1914 Over a half century later in 1965 Walburn acted in his final Broadway production A Very Rich Woman 1 2 During his long career he also toured extensively performing on stages throughout the United States and in other countries 1 Walburn did not make an impact in films until 1934 with the release of The Count of Monte Cristo starring Robert Donat His filmography includes nearly 100 films with his best known roles as a stereotypical bumbler and as a pompous snob He could also be villainous as he was when he played Baron Danglars in the 1934 film version of The Count of Monte Cristo and was a favorite of such celebrated comedy directors as Preston Sturges and Frank Capra with whom he made several appearances Outside of a couple of nondescript roles in silent films Walburn did not take a serious stab at films until 1929 when he was cast supporting a Ruth Chatterton vehicle again this time playing her unfaithful husband in The Laughing Lady 1929 He did not return to films again however until five years later following a stage success in The Pursuit of Happiness 1933 From 1934 on he continued to be seen in film and was a main character staple for Columbia For Frank Capra his highlights included Colonel Pettigrew the race track tout in Broadway Bill 1934 the ostentatious valet of Gary Cooper in Mr Deeds Goes to Town 1936 and the opportunistic Judge Alexander in the Spencer Tracy Katharine Hepburn starrerState of the Union 1948 He also performed in Capra s pallid musical remake of Broadway Bill entitledRiding High 1950 with Bing Crosby in which he recreated his Colonel Pettigrew shyster As a Preston Sturges favorite Walburn shined as the sarcastic and pompous Dr Maxford inChristmas in July 1940 the windbag Mayor Noble in the classicHail the Conquering Hero 1944 and as the boss who fires Harold Lloyd inThe Sin of Harold Diddlebock 1947 aka Mad Wednesday In post war years the by now chunky framed Walburn was given a great chance to show off by headlining his own Henry series of light comedy films Playing patriarch Henry Latham in its debut Henry the Rainmaker 1949 he was able to bounce off the droll antics of Walter Catlett s Mayor Colton character Barbara Brown as his wife and young Gary Gray as son David were around for the entire series He cavorted in five features ending with Father Takes the Air 1951 Walburn s last film was the rather uneventful western The Spoilers 1955 Following the death of his first wife Gertrude affectionately known as Trudy he more or less retired but found happiness again when he married a family friend Jane Davis In 1962 at the age of 74 he came out of his self imposed retirement at the urging of Harold Prince to join Zero Mostel and company in the burlesque musical farce A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum playing a senile Roman citizen He appeared in the show for 18 months then went on to appear with Ruth Gordon in A Very Rich Woman in 1965 Walburn died in New York City at the age of 81 in 1969 following an extended illness Complete filmography editThe Man Hunt 1916 short as Captain Steadwell The Tarantula 1916 as Saunders The Scarlet Runner 1916 serial as John Brown Our Other Lives 1916 short The Laughing Lady 1929 as Hector Lee The Great Flirtation 1934 as Henry Morgan The Defense Rests 1934 as Austin The Count of Monte Cristo 1934 as Danglars Lady by Choice 1934 as Front O Malley Jealousy 1934 as Phil Broadway Bill 1934 as Col Pettigrew Mills of the Gods 1934 as Willard Hastings Society Doctor 1935 as Dr Waverly Death Flies East 1935 as Evans I ll Love You Always 1935 as Charlie It s a Small World 1935 as Julius Clummerhorn Welcome Home 1935 as Giltedge Redheads on Parade 1935 as Augustus Twill She Married Her Boss 1935 as Franklin She Couldn t Take It 1935 as Party Guest uncredited Thanks a Million 1935 as Judge Culliman The Lone Wolf Returns 1935 as Jenkins The Great Ziegfeld 1936 as Sage Mr Deeds Goes to Town 1936 as Walter the butler Absolute Quiet 1936 as Governor Pruden The King Steps Out 1936 as Col Von Kempen The Three Wise Guys 1936 as Doc Brown They Met in a Taxi 1936 as Mr Roger Clifton Craig s Wife 1936 as Billy Birkmire Mr Cinderella 1936 as Peter Randolph Born to Dance 1936 as Captain Dingby Breezing Home 1937 as Clint Evans Let s Get Married 1937 as B B Harrington Thin Ice 1937 as Uncle Dornik It Can t Last Forever 1937 as Dr Fothergill High Wide and Handsome 1937 as Doc Watterson Broadway Melody of 1938 1937 as Herman Whipple Murder in Greenwich Village 1937 as The Senator Start Cheering 1938 as Dean Worthington Battle of Broadway 1938 as Homer C Bundy Professor Beware 1938 as Judge James G Parkhouse Marshall Gateway 1938 as Mr Benjamin McNutt Sweethearts 1938 as Orlando Let Freedom Ring 1939 as Underwood It Could Happen to You 1939 as J Hadden Quigley The Under Pup 1939 as Mr Layton Eternally Yours 1939 as Mr Harley Bingham Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence 1939 as Professor B Townsend Thayer Dark Command 1940 as Judge Buckner Millionaires in Prison 1940 as Bruce Vander Flowing Gold 1940 as Ellery Q Wildcat Chalmers Third Finger Left Hand 1940 as Mr Sherwood Christmas in July 1940 as Dr Maxford The San Francisco Docks 1940 as Adm Andy Tracy Bachelor Daddy 1941 as George Smith Puddin Head 1941 as Harold Montgomery Sr Kiss the Boys Goodbye 1941 as Top Rumson Confirm or Deny 1941 as H Cyrus Stuyvesant Rise and Shine 1941 as Colonel Bacon Louisiana Purchase 1941 as Col Davis Sr aka Polar Bear The Man in the Trunk 1942 as Jim Cheevers Lady Bodyguard 1943 as Avery Jamieson Dixie Dugan 1943 as J J Lawson The Desperadoes 1943 as Judge Cameron Dixie 1943 as Mr Cook Let s Face It 1943 as Julian Watson And the Angels Sing 1944 as Pop Angel Hail the Conquering Hero 1944 as Mayor Everett J Noble Arsenic and Old Lace 1944 as Drummer at baseball game uncredited Music in Manhattan 1944 as Professor Carl Roberti Heavenly Days 1944 as Mr Popham Honeymoon Abroad 1945 as Rollie Mack I ll Tell the World 1945 as H I Bailey The Cheaters 1945 as Willie Crawford Breakfast in Hollywood 1946 as Richard Cartwright Lover Come Back 1946 as J P Joe Winthrop Rendezvous with Annie 1946 as Everett Thorndyke Plainsman and the Lady 1946 as Judge Winters Affairs of Geraldine 1946 as Amos Hartwell The Sin of Harold Diddlebock 1947 as E J Waggleberry State of the Union 1948 as Judge Alexander Henry the Rainmaker 1949 as Henry Latham Leave It to Henry 1949 as Henry Latham Red Hot and Blue 1949 as Alex Ryan Creek Key to the City 1950 as Mayor Billy Butler Riding High 1950 as Prof Pettigrew Father Makes Good 1950 as Henry Latham Father s Wild Game 1950 as Henry Latham Short Grass 1950 as Doctor McKenna Father Takes the Air 1951 as Henry Latham Excuse My Dust 1951 as Mayor Fred Haskell Golden Girl 1951 as Cornelius She Couldn t Say No 1952 as Judge Hobart The Spoilers 1955 as Mr SkinnerReferences edit a b Alden John April 25 1936 Hollywood Mugs Raymond Walburn A Hollywood Convert Star Tribune Minnesota Minneapolis p 15 Retrieved October 23 2019 via Newspapers com Raymond Walburn Internet Broadway Database The Broadway League Archived from the original on October 23 2019 Retrieved October 23 2019 External links editRaymond Walburn at IMDb Raymond Walburn at the Internet Broadway Database nbsp Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Raymond Walburn amp oldid 1213403451, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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