Summary
Richard Lewis Wesson (November 19, 1922 – April 25, 1996) was a prolific character actor, comedian, comedy writer, and producer.
Dick Wesson | |
|---|---|
 Trailer for Destination Moon (1950) | |
| Born | Richard Lewis Wesson November 19, 1922 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | April 25, 1996 (aged 73) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1950–1982 |
| Spouse | Wini Walsh Wesson |
| Children | 2 |
Biography edit
Dick Wesson was born on November 19, 1922, in Boston, Massachusetts. A comedian, impressionist and singer, Wesson appeared with his brother Gene in a comedy act titled "The Wesson Brothers". They had some hit records, such as "Oodles of Boodle" and "All Right Louie, Drop the Gun".[1]
In 1949, Wesson became a television series regular with Jim Backus in Hollywood House. Making his film debut in Destination Moon (1950),[2] Wesson signed a contract with Warner Bros., leaving the studio in 1953. His films there included Breakthrough, Calamity Jane (1953), and The Desert Song.[3] Wesson played comic relief in all his films, frequently as an infantry soldier, as in Force of Arms (1951), and in the Old West with The Man Behind the Gun (1952) and The Charge at Feather River (1953). Wesson's best known role was as female impersonator Francis Fryer in Calamity Jane.
Wesson moved to television, appearing as Jackie Cooper's ex-United States Marine Corps sidekic Rollo, on The People's Choice[4]: 822-823 and as Frank Crenshaw in The Bob Cummings Show.[4] Wesson began writing for The Bob Cummings Show and later The Beverly Hillbillies. He appeared in The Beverly Hillbillies as a taxi driver and as a patient in the season 1 episode "The Clampetts Get Psychoanalyzed". He produced My Sister Eileen and many episodes of Petticoat Junction as well as directed several episodes of each series.[citation needed] He portrayed Jack Reardon on the 1974 CBS situation comedy Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers.[4]: 818
Wesson later died of an aneurysm on April 25, 1996, in Rancho Mirage, California.[5]
Filmography edit
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1950 | Destination Moon | Joe Sweeney | |
| 1950 | Breakthrough | Pvt. Sammy Hansen | |
| 1951 | Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison | Tinker | |
| 1951 | Force of Arms | Kleiner | |
| 1951 | Jim Thorpe – All-American | Ed Guyac | |
| 1951 | Sunny Side of the Street | Dave Gibson | |
| 1951 | Starlift | Sgt. Mike Nolan | |
| 1952 | About Face | Dave Crouse | |
| 1953 | The Man Behind the Gun | Sgt. 'Monk' Walker | |
| 1953 | The Desert Song | Benjamin 'Benjy' Kidd | |
| 1953 | The Charge at Feather River | Pvt. Cullen | |
| 1953 | Calamity Jane | Francis Fryer | |
| 1955 | Paris Follies of 1956 | Chuck Russell | |
| 1961 | The Errand Boy | The A.D. | |
| 1977 | Rollercoaster | Tourist Father | |
Notes edit
- ^ "Savoy Records Discography: 1949".
- ^ "Wesson Chosen For Thorpe Film". Valley Times. California, North Hollywood. August 18, 1950. p. 18. Retrieved April 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Dick Wesson Ends Warner's Contract". Valley Times. California, North Hollywood. March 26, 1953. p. 10. Retrieved April 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. pp. 630–631. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
- ^ "'Obituaries/Funeral Announcements'". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. May 3, 1996. p. 22. Retrieved May 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
External links edit
- Dick Wesson at IMDb
- Great character actors http://www.playbrass.com/kingspud/sel_by_actor_index_2.php?actor_first=Dick&actor_last=Wesson
- Wesson with Sammy Davis Jr. on Hollywood House https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbpcY0svdvU