Posted on 01/25/2005 6:16:31 PM PST by Borges
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Most moviegoers and TV viewers wouldn't know his name. But they've seen him often enough. During a 60-year career, Charles Lane appeared in about 800 feature films and TV shows.
He brought to the screen a formidable presence with his long, dour, bespectacled face and leathery, slightly nasal voice. He was routinely cast as a judge, lawyer, capitalist or some other authority figure.
He could be mean, even sadistic, though often with a soft spot in his heart. And although he turns 100 on Wednesday, the voice still commands attention.
Lane received a pre-birthday visitor at his Brentwood home, which he and his late wife, Ruth, bought for $46,000 in 1964 and is now worth more than $1 million.
He had been a horse jumper and an expert golfer, and there's a wall full of trophies to prove it. He seemed dressed for another 18 holes: jaunty cap, cardigan sweater, checkered shirt, chinos.
He claimed a faulty memory, yet he could recount plenty of anecdotes about his days working with leading stars and directors. "Look at this," he said, producing a nearly completed crossword puzzle. "I do this every day. My doctor says it's good for my memory."
Getting typed as the irascible voice of authority, he declared firmly, "was a pain in the ... You did something that was pretty good, and the picture was pretty good. That pedigreed you into that type of part, which I thought was stupid, and unfair, too. It didn't give me a chance, but it made the casting easier for the studio."
Born and raised in San Francisco, Lane started out in the insurance business while also dabbling in local theater. A well-known actor of the time persuaded him to train at the storied Pasadena Playhouse, which in those days was a source of new talent for the burgeoning film industry down the road.
So before long, Lane was in the movies, playing opposite the likes of Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney in 1931's "Smart Money."
Studio work for supporting players was tough in those pre-union years. Lane could act in four different movies in one day, delivering two lines and moving on to the next set. "And I was being paid $35 a day," he muttered. "When the Screen Actors Guild was being organized, I was one of the first to join."
With 1934's "Broadway Bill," Lane began an association with Frank Capra that lasted through nine movies, including such classics as "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (Lane played a nosy newsman) and "It's a Wonderful Life" (as the rent collector).
He considered Capra "the outstanding motion picture maker of my time," and Capra's feelings toward him are evidenced in a framed letter in Lane's bedroom. "Well, Charlie," Capra wrote, "you've been my No. 1 crutch."
Lane also had a long friendship with Lucille Ball, with whom he appeared on "I Love Lucy" and her later shows.
"She was a chorus girl at RKO, and I did a number of musicals there," he recalled. "We got to be friends, and I had lunch with her every day."
Lane had great respect for her professionalism on the "Lucy" shows, and for husband, Desi Arnaz, as well. His eyes lit up as he recalled the famed episode in which Lucy gave birth to Little Ricky, and Arnaz and Lane performed a sequence in the waiting room. "This old guy who is expecting his 10th child or something, and this nervous young man who's expecting his first. It was a marvelous scene, and Desi was a fine actor."
The show appeared Jan. 19, 1953, and it drew the biggest TV audience up to that time, with Ball giving birth to her real son, Desiderio IV, that evening.
Lane went on to appear in many other sitcoms, notably as railroad magnate Homer Bedloe in "Petticoat Junction."
All interviews with centenarians must include the obligatory question: "Why have you lived so long?"
"I have no idea," he replied.
His son, Tom Lane, noted his father smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 70 years.
"One day about 15 years ago, he was short of breath, and we took him to (the hospital)," Tom explained. "After he was examined, a doctor asked him if he had stopped smoking. Dad answered 'yes.' When? `About 45 minutes ago.' And he hasn't smoked since."
He was in:
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
"The Winds of War" (1983)
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)
You Can't Take It with You (1938)
Twentieth Century (1934)
"War and Remembrance" (1988)
Ball of Fire (1941)
The Music Man (1962)
42nd Street (1933)
The Ultimate Actor! Happy 100, Glad your still with us!
When is your next movie??
I know that face ... happy 100th, sir!
God bless you, Charlie!
..and who can forget "the Ghost and Mr. Chicken"?
Happy 100th Mr. Lane, thanks for your work.
Oh, that guy...well done sir!
Didn't know who he was until this line.
Happy birthday Mr. Lane.
FMCDH(BITS)
He was one of the great putdowners in the movies and on TV. With impeccable timing and an expressive unique voice, and if given the right material, his responses were awesomely funny.
For him "It's A wonderful Life" was more than a film he acted in. Married for more than 70 years. God bless you, Sir.
Happy birthday to Mr. Lane ! One of the few actors who consistently rises above the material given to him.
I figured he died sometime around 1971!
Happy birthday!
I guess he and Richard Jaeckel must have vied for "the most." Seriously, true professionalism is a treat, and this guy was believable.
Great post about a memorable actor...thanks for posting!
About 25,000 packs of cigs. Somebody should seriously bottle this man's DNA.
Wow!I didn't know he was still around. Happy Birthday Mr.Lane!
Back then!!
That seems like a good salary back in the '30's.
Thanks for posting this. Everyone must certainly recognize Charles Lane from all of his roles on TV and in the movies. It's great to know that he is still with us.
He was in a gazillion episodes of BEWITCHED...
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