Clem Bevans
Encyclopedia
Clem Bevans was a character actor best remembered for playing eccentric, grumpy old men.
Bevans had a very long career, starting in vaudeville
in 1900 in an act with Grace Emmett. He progressed to burlesque
, Broadway
, and even light opera, before making his film debut at the age of 55 in Way Down East (1935). His portrayal was so good, he became stereotype
d and played mostly likable old codgers for the rest of his life. However, he did occasionally play against type, for example as a Nazi spy in Alfred Hitchcock
's Saboteur
(1942). He also made some television appearances, including The Twilight Zone
episode "Hocus-Pocus and Frisby
" (1962) as Pete (Season 3 - Episode 30).
His role in Disneyland's TV miniseries Davy Crockett
was Captain Cobb.
Bevans had a very long career, starting in vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
in 1900 in an act with Grace Emmett. He progressed to burlesque
Burlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
, Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, and even light opera, before making his film debut at the age of 55 in Way Down East (1935). His portrayal was so good, he became stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
d and played mostly likable old codgers for the rest of his life. However, he did occasionally play against type, for example as a Nazi spy in Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
's Saboteur
Saboteur (film)
Saboteur is a 1942 Universal film directed by Alfred Hitchcock with a screenplay written by Peter Viertel, Joan Harrison, and Dorothy Parker. The movie stars Priscilla Lane, Robert Cummings, and Norman Lloyd...
(1942). He also made some television appearances, including The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
episode "Hocus-Pocus and Frisby
Hocus-Pocus and Frisby
"Hocus-Pocus and Frisby" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:Frisby has a general store/gas station in a small town, and the townsfolk know him well for the tall tales he spins of his experiences, from his heroism in war to his inventions to his...
" (1962) as Pete (Season 3 - Episode 30).
His role in Disneyland's TV miniseries Davy Crockett
Davy Crockett (TV miniseries)
Davy Crockett is a five part serial which aired on ABC in one-hour episodes on the Disneyland series. The series stars Fess Parker as real-life frontiersman Davy Crockett and Buddy Ebsen as his fictional best friend, George Russel....
was Captain Cobb.
Partial filmography
- Way Down East (1935)
- Idol of the CrowdsIdol of the CrowdsIdol of the Crowds is a 1937 drama film starring John Wayne as an ice hockey player.-Cast:* John Wayne as Johnny Hansen* Sheila Bromley as Helen Dale* Charles Brokaw as Jack Irwin* Bill Burrud as Bobby* Jane Johns as Peggy...
(1937) - Of Human HeartsOf Human HeartsOf Human Hearts is a 1938 film directed by Clarence Brown and starring Walter Huston, James Stewart and Beulah Bondi. Bondi was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress....
(1938) - ZenobiaZenobia (film)Zenobia is a 1939 comedy film starring Oliver Hardy, Harry Langdon, Billie Burke, Alice Brady, James Ellison, Jean Parker, June Lang, Stepin Fetchit, and Hattie McDaniel...
(1939) - Thunder AfloatThunder AfloatThunder Afloat is a 1939 World War I naval film starring Wallace Beery and Chester Morris. The movie was directed by George B. Seitz.-Cast:*Wallace Beery as Pop Thorson*Chester Morris as Rocky Blake*Douglass Dumbrille as District Commander...
(1939) - Young Tom EdisonYoung Tom EdisonYoung Tom Edison is a 1940 biographical film about the early life of inventor Thomas Edison, with Mickey Rooney in the title role.-Cast:*Mickey Rooney as Thomas Edison*Fay Bainter as Nancy Edison*George Bancroft as Samuel Edison...
(1940) - Abe Lincoln in IllinoisAbe Lincoln in Illinois (film)Abe Lincoln in Illinois is a 1940 biographical film which tells the story of the life of Abraham Lincoln from his departure from Kentucky until his election as President of the United States....
(1940) - Sergeant YorkSergeant YorkSergeant York is a 1941 biographical film about the life of Alvin York, the most-decorated American soldier of World War I. It was directed by Howard Hawks and was the highest-grossing film of the year....
(1941) - The Smiling GhostThe Smiling GhostThe Smiling Ghost is a film directed by Lewis Seiler in the mystery comedy genre popular in the 1940s.-Plot:The elderly Mrs. Bentley and her lawyer see a newspaper ad from an unemployed and unmarried engineer seeking work doing “anything legal.” The lawyer calls the engineer, Alexander “Lucky”...
(1941) - Fly-by-Night (1942)
- SaboteurSaboteur (film)Saboteur is a 1942 Universal film directed by Alfred Hitchcock with a screenplay written by Peter Viertel, Joan Harrison, and Dorothy Parker. The movie stars Priscilla Lane, Robert Cummings, and Norman Lloyd...
(1942) - Tombstone, the Town Too Tough to DieTombstone, the Town Too Tough to DieTombstone: The Town Too Tough to Die is a Western film released in 1942, starring Richard Dix and Kent Taylor, and directed by William McGann.-Plot:...
(1942) - Captains of the CloudsCaptains of the CloudsCaptains of the Clouds is a 1942 Warner Bros. war film in Technicolor, directed by Michael Curtiz and starring James Cagney. It was produced by William Cagney , with Hal B. Wallis as executive producer. The screenplay was written by Arthur T. Horman, Richard Macaulay and Norman Reilly Raine,...
(1942) - The Human ComedyThe Human Comedy (film)The Human Comedy is a 1943 drama film directed by Clarence Brown and adapted by Howard Estabrook. It is often thought to be based on the William Saroyan novel of the same name, but actually Saroyan wrote the screenplay first, was fired from the movie project, and quickly wrote the novel and...
(1943) - Wake Up and DreamWake Up and Dream (film)Wake Up and Dream is a Technicolor film unrelated to the 1930s musical of the same name. It was directed by Lloyd Bacon and written by Elick Moll based on the novel by Robert Nathan...
(1946) - The Yearling (1946)
- The PalefaceThe PalefaceThe Paleface is a 1948 comedy Western directed by Norman Z. McLeod, starring Bob Hope as "Painless Potter" and Jane Russell as Calamity Jane. In the film, Hope sings the song Buttons and Bows, which became his greatest hit by far when it came to record sales. The song also won the Academy Award...
(1948) - Portrait of JenniePortrait of JenniePortrait of Jennie is a 1948 fantasy film based on the novella by Robert Nathan. The film was directed by William Dieterle and produced by David O. Selznick. It stars Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotten.-Plot:...
(1948) - Streets of LaredoStreets of Laredo (film)Streets of Laredo is a 1949 western film starring William Holden, Macdonald Carey and William Bendix as three outlaws who rescue a young girl, played by Mona Freeman...
(1949) - Tell It to the JudgeTell It to the JudgeTell It to the Judge is a 1949 romantic comedy film starring Rosalind Russell as a divorcee who tries to get her ex-husband, played by Robert Cummings, back.-Cast:*Rosalind Russell as Marsha Meredith*Robert Cummings as Peter B...
(1949) - HarveyHarvey (film)Harvey is a 1950 film based on Mary Chase's play of the same name, directed by Henry Koster, and starring James Stewart and Josephine Hull. The story is about a man whose best friend is a pooka named Harvey—in the form of a six-foot, three-and-one-half-inch tall invisible rabbit.-Plot:Elwood P...
(1950) - Hangman's KnotHangman's KnotHangman's Knot is a 1952 western movie written and directed by Roy Huggins and starring Randolph Scott and Donna Reed.-Plot:Matt Stewart leads an ambush and robbery of a military gold train. It is 1865 in Nevada and Major Stewart's band is a unit of Rebels...
(1952) - Davy Crockett and the River PiratesDavy Crockett and the River PiratesDavy Crockett and the River Pirates is a 1956 live-action Walt Disney adventure film starring Fess Parker as Davy Crockett. It was shot in Cave-In-Rock, Illinois...
(1956) - Overland Express (Gunsmoke TV series, Season 3 Episode 38)|Fly (1958)