That film was originallly restored to more scene with Charley Lane
102,, good for him! RIP!
I don’t remember him ever playing a bad guy.
Requiem aeterna dona eis Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescat in pacem. Amen.
Trivia
For prime displays of Lane’s acting forte, one may see him as the stage manager (billed as “Charles Levison”) in Howard Hawks’ Twentieth Century (1934), in which he played with John Barrymore, or as the tax assessor in Frank Capra’s You Can’t Take It with You (1938), pitted against - coincidentally enough - Lionel Barrymore. Thus may one learn who ordinarily got the better (or the worst) of whom! Years later Lane would again star with Lionel in It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), as mean Mr. Potter’s rent collector.
Perhaps remembered as Homer Bedloe, the scheming railwayman in TV’s “Petticoat Junction” (1963).
Made very frequent guest appearances on “I Love Lucy” (1951), almost always playing some sort of unfriendly bureaucrat with no patience for Lucy.
Was honored on March 16, 2005, at the TVLand Awards for his long career and his 100th birthday. When he received his award, he said in his still-booming voice, “In case anyone’s interested, I’m still available!”
January 30th was named “Charles Lane Day” by the Screen Actors Guild in 2005.
One of the founders of the television academy, he was honored at the Emmy Awards in 2005, on the occasion of his 100th birthday, as being its oldest surviving member.
As of 2006, he is one of the few remaining survivors of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
Starting on the stage in the late 1920s, he was a founding member of SAG at its first public meeting on October 8, 1933.
Enjoys listening to opera and playing golf.
Began his acting career performing Chekhov, Shakespeare and Noel Coward at the Pasadena Playhouse during the 1930’s.
Personal Quotes
“Having had so many small parts, there was a character I played that showed up all the time and people did get to know him, like an old friend.”
“They’d work you until midnight and get you back at seven in the morning. The actors were taking a terrible licking physically. Generally, as the case with any union, you form it because people are abused.” - regarding the formation of the Screen Actors Guild.
How well I remember him. Gosh, I thought he had passed away years ago. A great blast from the past. RIP
I wasn't sure who he was until I read this passage. Now of course we ALL know who he was. A wonderful actor...they don't make 'em like that anymore.
Thanks for a fine body of work - RIP!
RIP, Mr. Bedloe. The quintessential character actor.
Says something like...”I gotta go home and spend Christmas with my family in El Myra” in It’s A Wonderful Life???
We need to give Burt Mustin some sort of holiday. That guy was on TV forever, playing the rascally old guy...
Geez, I figured that guy died years ago.
Rest in peace.
Ping for later reading.
Here is a list of his credits:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0485272/
RIP Mr. Lane.
That's pretty much how my wife described him. And I told her the name because she couldn't think of it offhand.
I only found out when she came home today -- she'd read the obit in the paper.
I missed it. I'd seen stories for his 100th, 101st and 102nd birthday. Gob bless him.