Frank Orth

Frank Orth

  • Birthday: 1880-02-20
  • Deathday: 1962-03-17
  • Place of birth: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
  • Also know as: Frank Kaiser Orth

Biography

Frank Orth was an American actor born in Philadelphia. He is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series “Boston Blackie”. By 1897, Orth was performing in vaudeville with his wife, Ann Codee, in an act called “Codee and Orth.” In 1909, he expanded into song writing, with songs such as “The Phone Bell Rang” and “Meet Me on the Boardwalk, Dearie.” His first contact with motion pictures was in 1928, when he was part of the first foreign-language shorts in sound produced by Warner Bros. He and his wife also appeared together in a series of two-reel comedies in the early 1930s. Orth's first major screen credit was in “Prairie Thunder,” a Dick Foran western, in 1937. From then on, he was often cast as bartenders, pharmacists, and grocery clerks, and always distinctly Irish. He had a recurring role in the Dr. Kildare series of films and also in the Nancy Drew series as the befuddled Officer Tweedy. Among his better roles were the newspaper man Cary Grant telephones early in “His Girl Friday,” one of the quartet singing “Gary Owen” in “They Died with Their Boots On” (thereby giving Errol Flynn as Gen. Custer the idea of associating the tune with the 7th Cavalry), and as the little man carrying the sign reading “The End Is Near” throughout Colonel Effingham's Raid. However, Orth is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series “Boston Blackie.” A short, plump, round-faced man, often smoking a cigar, Orth as Faraday wore his own dark-rimmed spectacles, though rarely in feature films. In 1959, Orth retired from show business after throat surgery. His wife died in 1961 after around fifty years of marriage. Orth died on March 17, 1962. He is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills next to his wife.

Filmography

Taking Ways

1930

As

Respect the Law

1941

As Peter Brennan

The Great Rupert

1950

As Mr. Frank Dingle

Over My Dead Body

1942

As Detective

Born to Speed

1947

As Breezy Bradley

Prairie Thunder

1937

As Wichita

Nancy Drew… Detective

1938

As Captain Tweedy

Think It Over

1938

As Brown, Clothing Store Owner

Tell It to a Star

1945

As Augustus T. Goodman

Mr. Chump

1938

As Sheriff Frank Hinton

Land Beyond the Law

1937

As Shorty Long

Heartaches

1947

As Mike Connelly, Vic's Agent

It's Great to Be Young

1946

As Franklin Johnson

The Magnificent Dope

1942

As Messenger

The Petty Girl

1950

As Moody (process server)

Hot Money

1936

As Hank Ford

Double Dynamite

1951

As Mr. Kofer

Pillow to Post

1945

As Clayfield Taxi Driver

The Footloose Heiress

1937

As Justice Abner Cuttler

Know Your Money

1940

As Tobacconist (uncredited)

Unwelcome Stranger

1935

As Jackson

Storm Over Lisbon

1944

As Murgatroyd

Blondie's Secret

1948

As Mr. Philpotts

Footlight Serenade

1942

As Mike

Pier 13

1940

As Dead Pan Charlie

It Had to Be You

1947

As Train Conductor

La Conga Nights

1940

As Dennis O'Brien

The Girl from Manhattan

1948

As Oscar Newsome

The Lost Weekend

1945

As Opera Cloak Room Attendant

Here Come the Girls

1953

As Mr. Hungerford

Burn 'Em Up O'Connor

1939

As Tim McKelvy

She Went to the Races

1945

As Skelly

Coney Island

1943

As Bartender

The Gas House Kids in Hollywood

1947

As Police Captain

My Gal Sal

1942

As McGuiness

Buyer Beware

1940

As Smith (uncredited)

Come Live with Me

1941

As Jerry

Houdini

1953

As Mr. Hunter

Doll Face

1945

As Peters

Fast and Furious

1939

As Joe Burke

Polo Joe

1936

As Bert

Blue, White, and Perfect

1942

As Mr. Toby

Dr. Kildare's Crisis

1940

As Mike Ryan, Cafe Owner

Dr. Kildare's Victory

1942

As Mike Ryan

Murder in the Music Hall

1946

As Henderson

Hello, Frisco, Hello

1943

As Lou, Bartender at Sharkey's

Sweet Rosie O'Grady

1943

As Taxi Driver

Greenwich Village

1944

As Ordway

Red Light

1949

As Wallace 'Wally' Stoner

The Devil's Saddle Legion

1937

As Judge Barko

Orchestra Wives

1942

As Rex Willet

I Wake Up Screaming

1941

As Cemetery Caretaker

Wake Up and Dream

1946

As Milkman

The Impatient Years

1944

As Counterman

Gold Rush Maisie

1940

As Harris

Broadway Limited

1941

As Lou, Cafe Proprietor

The Big Clock

1948

As Burt

The Patient in Room 18

1938

As Joe Higgins - Night Watchman

Mexican Spitfire Out West

1940

As Window Washer

The Bride Wore Boots

1946

As Judge

Broadway Serenade

1939

As Mr. Fellows

At the Circus

1939

As Chef in Diner (uncredited)

Father Is A Prince

1940

As Drugstore Proprieter

Bride for Sale

1949

As Police Sergeant

His Girl Friday

1940

As Duffy

Within the Law

1939

As Jim Jenks

Two Against the World

1936

As Tommy - Bartender

The People Vs. Dr. Kildare

1941

As Mike Ryan

Marry the Girl

1937

As Bar owner

Boom Town

1940

As Barber

Henry and Dizzy

1942

As Joe McGuire

Cheaper by the Dozen

1950

As Higgins (uncredited)

The Secret of Dr. Kildare

1939

As Mike Sullivan

You, the People

1940

As Soda Jerk

Dr. Kildare's Strange Case

1940

As Mike Ryan, Sullivan's Hospital Cafe

Roger Touhy, Gangster

1944

As . Comic in Theater (uncredited)

Roxie Hart

1942

As Bar Client #2 (uncredited)

Springtime in the Rockies

1942

As Bickel (uncredited)

Ride on Vaquero

1941

As Auctioneer

Tales of Manhattan

1942

As Secondhand Clothes Dealer (Rogers sequence)

Summer Storm

1944

As Cafe Maitre d' at End (uncredited)

San Quentin

1937

As Convict in Bunkhouse (uncredited)

Fast and Loose

1939

As Detective Hendricks

The Payoff

1935

As Porter (uncredited)

Talent Scout

1937

As Burlesque Theatre Manager (uncredited)

Calling Dr. Kildare

1939

As Mike Sullivan - Hospital Cafe Owner (uncredited)

Ever Since Eve

1937

As Cocktail Waiter (uncredited)

Young Dr. Kildare

1938

As Mike Ryan (uncredited)

Dr. Kildare Goes Home

1940

As Mike Ryan (uncredited)

Stanley and Livingstone

1939

As Newspaperman with Pills

The Ox-Bow Incident

1943

As Larry Kinkaid (uncredited)

Lady in the Lake

1946

As Floyd Greer (Uncredited)

Torchy Blane in Panama

1938

As First Leopard (uncredited)

Gallant Sons

1940

As Newspaper Foreman (uncredited)

'Til We Meet Again

1940

As Hong Kong Bartender (uncredited)

Wilson

1944

As Smith (uncredited)

Young Mr. Lincoln

1939

As Loafer (uncredited)

The Hoodlum Saint

1946

As Chronicle Editor (uncredited)

Comet Over Broadway

1938

As Cab Driver (uncredited)

Idiot's Delight

1939

As Benny Zinsser

The Doctor Takes a Wife

1940

As New York Editor

Tell No Tales

1939

As Vic - Bartender (uncredited)

Thunder Afloat

1939

As Old Sailor in Bilge Area (uncredited)

Dust Be My Destiny

1939

As Wedding Witness on Stage (uncredited)

Brother Orchid

1940

As Waiter at Fat Dutchy's (uncredited)

Nancy Drew... Reporter

1939

As Captain Tweedy (uncredited)

Missing Witnesses

1937

As Gordon (uncredited)

Florian

1940

As Detective

Something to Live For

1952

As Waiter (uncredited)

Sergeant York

1941

As Drummer (uncredited)

They Died with Their Boots On

1941

As Barfly (uncredited)

Production

The Mummy's Curse

1944

As Songs

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