Roscoe Karns

Roscoe Karns

Date of Birth:

Sep 06, 1891

Place of Birth:

San Bernardino, California, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Roscoe Karns (September 7, 1891 – February 6, 1970) was an American actor who appeared in nearly 150 films between 1915 and 1964. He specialized in cynical, wise-cracking (and often tipsy) characters, and his rapid-fire delivery enlivened many comedies and crime thrillers in the 1930s and 1940s.  Though he appeared in numerous silent films, such as Wings and Beggars of Life, his career didn't really take off until sound arrived. Arguably his best-known film role was the annoying bus passenger Oscar Shapeley, who tries to pick up Claudette Colbert in the Oscar-winning comedy It Happened One Night (1934), quickly followed by one of his best performances as the boozy press agent Owen O'Malley in Howard Hawks' Twentieth Century. (Six years later, he co-starred as one of the reporters in another Hawks classic, His Girl Friday.) In 1937, Paramount teamed him with Lynne Overman as a pair of laconic private eyes in two B comedy-mysteries, Murder Goes to College and Partners in Crime. From 1950 to 1954, Karns played the title role in the popular DuMont Television Network series Rocky King, Inside Detective. His son, character actor Todd Karns, also appeared in that series.

From 1959 to 1962, Karns was cast as Admiral Walter Shafer in seventy-three of the ninety-five episodes of the CBS military sitcom/drama series, Hennesey, starring Jackie Cooper in the title role of a United States Navy physician, and Abby Dalton as nurse Martha Hale.

His final film was another Hawks comedy, Man's Favorite Sport?, in 1964.

Karns was born in San Bernardino, California, and died in Los Angeles.  Description above from the Wikipedia article Roscoe Karns, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia

filmography:

Wings Wings

1927

Ladies of the Big House Ladies of the Big House

1931

Road to Happiness Road to Happiness

1941

Minstrel Man Minstrel Man

1944

Woman Trap Woman Trap

1936

Stage Door Canteen Stage Door Canteen

1943

Onionhead Onionhead

1958

Gambling Ship Gambling Ship

1933

Grand Slam Grand Slam

1933

Play Girl Play Girl

1932

The Vanishing Pioneer The Vanishing Pioneer

1928

Jazz Mad Jazz Mad

1928

They Call It Sin They Call It Sin

1932

Stowaway Stowaway

1932

Clarence Clarence

1937

You'd Be Surprised You'd Be Surprised

1926

Everything's on Ice Everything's on Ice

1939

I Ring Doorbells I Ring Doorbells

1946

Dancing Co-Ed Dancing Co-Ed

1939

Old Acquaintance Old Acquaintance

1943

The Gorilla The Gorilla

1930

The Life of the Party The Life of the Party

1920

Dirigible Dirigible

1931

The Jazz Singer The Jazz Singer

1927

The Trail of '98 The Trail of '98

1928

The Roadhouse Murder The Roadhouse Murder

1932

Yokel Boy Yokel Boy

1942

The Gay Vagabond The Gay Vagabond

1941

Under-Cover Man Under-Cover Man

1932

His Butler's Sister His Butler's Sister

1943

Border Flight Border Flight

1936

Week-End Marriage Week-End Marriage

1932

On Such a Night On Such a Night

1937

Win That Girl Win That Girl

1928

This Thing Called Love This Thing Called Love

1929

Her Own Money Her Own Money

1922

Ten Modern Commandments Ten Modern Commandments

1927

Partners in Crime Partners in Crime

1937

King of Chinatown King of Chinatown

1939

Other Men's Daughters Other Men's Daughters

1923

The Woman in Red The Woman in Red

1935

Petticoat Politics Petticoat Politics

1941

The Family Honor The Family Honor

1920

Dangerous to Know Dangerous to Know

1938

Moran of the Marines Moran of the Marines

1928

Many a Slip Many a Slip

1931

Meet the Missus Meet the Missus

1940

Left Over Ladies Left Over Ladies

1931

Little Accident Little Accident

1930

Warming Up Warming Up

1928

Black Eyes and Blues Black Eyes and Blues

1941

Half Shot at Sunrise Half Shot at Sunrise

1941

The Costello Case The Costello Case

1930

Beau Sabreur Beau Sabreur

1928

The Trouper The Trouper

1922

Beggars of Life Beggars of Life

1928

The Desert Bride The Desert Bride

1928

Scandal Street Scandal Street

1938

The Midnight Express The Midnight Express

1924

The Flying Fleet The Flying Fleet

1929

Red Hot Tires Red Hot Tires

1935

Four Hours to Kill! Four Hours to Kill!

1935

If I Had a Million If I Had a Million

1932

Today We Live Today We Live

1933

Laughing Sinners Laughing Sinners

1931

Double Alibi Double Alibi

1940

A Lady's Profession A Lady's Profession

1933

Alibi Ike Alibi Ike

1935

Saturday's Children Saturday's Children

1940

Avalanche Avalanche

1946

That's Right - You're Wrong That's Right - You're Wrong

1939

A Tragedy at Midnight A Tragedy at Midnight

1942

New York Nights New York Nights

1929

One Sunday Afternoon One Sunday Afternoon

1933

Front Page Woman Front Page Woman

1935

Night After Night Night After Night

1932

Wings in the Dark Wings in the Dark

1935

Alice in Wonderland Alice in Wonderland

1933

Man Trouble Man Trouble

1930

The Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments

1923

Twentieth Century Twentieth Century

1934

His Girl Friday His Girl Friday

1940

Woman of the Year Woman of the Year

1942

The Navy Way The Navy Way

1944

You Can't Escape Forever You Can't Escape Forever

1942

Man's Favorite Sport? Man's Favorite Sport?

1964

Devil's Cargo Devil's Cargo

1948

They Drive by Night They Drive by Night

1940

You and Me You and Me

1938

Footsteps in the Dark Footsteps in the Dark

1941

The Inside Story The Inside Story

1948

Cain and Mabel Cain and Mabel

1936

Come On, Marines! Come On, Marines!

1934

That's My Man That's My Man

1947

The Shopworn Angel The Shopworn Angel

1928

The Crooked Circle The Crooked Circle

1932

Tip-Off Girls Tip-Off Girls

1938

Lawyer Man Lawyer Man

1932

Murder Goes to College Murder Goes to College

1937

One Way to Love One Way to Love

1946

Copy Copy

1929

Hi, Good Lookin'! Hi, Good Lookin'!

1944

Vigilantes of Boomtown Vigilantes of Boomtown

1947

One Way Passage One Way Passage

1932

The Women in His Life The Women in His Life

1933

Troopers Three Troopers Three

1930

I Sell Anything I Sell Anything

1934

Pleasure Pleasure

1931

Shoot the Works Shoot the Works

1934

Thanks for the Memory Thanks for the Memory

1938

My Son, The Hero My Son, The Hero

1943

Two Against the World Two Against the World

1932

Safety in Numbers Safety in Numbers

1930

Speed to Spare Speed to Spare

1948

Riding High Riding High

1943

Three Married Men Three Married Men

1936

Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven

1948

Ladies Must Live Ladies Must Live

1940

Night of Mystery Night of Mystery

1937

Two-Fisted Two-Fisted

1935

It Happened One Night It Happened One Night

1934

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