Lewis Lord Russell
Encyclopedia
Lewis Lord Russell was an American
actor of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s who starred in a number of vaudeville
shows, Broadway
dramas, and Hollywood films, including The Lost Weekend
(1945) and the Marx Brothers
film, A Night in Casablanca
(1946).
, USA, to British immigrants Samuel and Martha Jane (Wood) Lord, he was the only child of nine born in the United States and, curiously, the only one who developed an English accent. His father was an Illinois coal miner. After running away from home as a teenager, he began his life in the restaurant business, becoming an avid cook and eventually owning two restaurants. He also designed rugs and tapestries and worked as a tailor in New York, creating elaborate costumes for the stage.
" was well-known to vaudevillians who tested out their routines and sketches in front of the demanding and often difficult-to-please Peoria crowds.
Billing himself as an actor from London
, Russell broke into the Broadway scene and starred as "The Squire" in the Broadway production of Emlyn Williams's The Corn is Green (1943) with leading lady Ethel Barrymore at the Martin Beck Theatre in New York. He also toured with actress Glenda Farrell for several years in the New Rochelle Circuit. According to legend, he declined the starring role in The Man who Came to Dinner (1942) with Bette Davis, and created the role of the janitor in My Sister Eileen (1942/1955). He played Pancho Villa and had several starring roles in silent pictures, acting at least once opposite Pola Negri. He also played Jane Wyman’s concerned father, Charles St. James, in The Lost Weekend, Ray Milland’s most popular film.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s who starred in a number of 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...
shows, 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...
dramas, and Hollywood films, including The Lost Weekend
The Lost Weekend
The Lost Weekend is a 1945 American drama film directed by Billy Wilder and starring Ray Milland and Jane Wyman. The film was based on a novel of the same title by Charles R...
(1945) and the Marx Brothers
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
film, A Night in Casablanca
A Night in Casablanca
A Night in Casablanca was the twelfth Marx Brothers movie, starring Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, and Harpo Marx. The picture was directed by Archie Mayo and written by Joseph Fields and Roland Kibbee, and is generally considered one of the better of the Marx Brothers' later films.-Plot:Set in...
(1946).
Early life and work
Born "George Lewis Lord" in Farmington, IllinoisFarmington, Illinois
Farmington is a city in the northeast corner of Fulton County, Illinois, United States. It is north of Canton and Lewistown, west of Peoria and Bloomington, and east of Galesburg and Macomb. The population was 2,601 at the 2000 census. The public school system is Farmington Central Community Unit...
, USA, to British immigrants Samuel and Martha Jane (Wood) Lord, he was the only child of nine born in the United States and, curiously, the only one who developed an English accent. His father was an Illinois coal miner. After running away from home as a teenager, he began his life in the restaurant business, becoming an avid cook and eventually owning two restaurants. He also designed rugs and tapestries and worked as a tailor in New York, creating elaborate costumes for the stage.
Career
As a vaudeville actor, Russell toured the USA and played at the Palace Theater in Peoria, Illinois, at a time when the phrase "Will it play in Peoria?Will it play in Peoria?
The saying, "Will it play in Peoria?" is traditionally used to ask whether a given product, person, promotional theme, or event will appeal to mainstream America, or across a broad range of demographic and psychographic groups....
" was well-known to vaudevillians who tested out their routines and sketches in front of the demanding and often difficult-to-please Peoria crowds.
Billing himself as an actor from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Russell broke into the Broadway scene and starred as "The Squire" in the Broadway production of Emlyn Williams's The Corn is Green (1943) with leading lady Ethel Barrymore at the Martin Beck Theatre in New York. He also toured with actress Glenda Farrell for several years in the New Rochelle Circuit. According to legend, he declined the starring role in The Man who Came to Dinner (1942) with Bette Davis, and created the role of the janitor in My Sister Eileen (1942/1955). He played Pancho Villa and had several starring roles in silent pictures, acting at least once opposite Pola Negri. He also played Jane Wyman’s concerned father, Charles St. James, in The Lost Weekend, Ray Milland’s most popular film.
Later life
He designed his own home in Pasadena, CA, where he kept house, Ernest Hemingway-style, with his two dozen cats. He died in Reseda, California at the age of 72.Broadway
- The Corn Is Green (May 3, 1943 – June 19, 1943) as The Squire
- Cuckoos on the Hearth (September 16, 1941 – January 3, 1942) as Zadoc Grimes
- Return Engagement (November 1, 1940 – November 7, 1940) as Baldy Bemis
- Bright Rebel (December 27, 1938 – January 1939) as Lord Melbourne
- Abe Lincoln in Illinois (October 15, 1938 – December 1939) as Judge Bowling Green
- London Assurance (February 18, 1937 – February 1937) as Max Harkaway
- Dead End (October 28, 1935 – June 12, 1937) as Medical Examiner
Film
- The Naked HillsThe Naked Hills- Cast :*David Wayne as Tracy Powell*Keenan Wynn as Sam Wilkins*James Barton as Jimmo McCann*Marcia Henderson as Julie*Jim Backus as Willis Haver*Denver Pyle as Bert Killian / Narrator*Myrna Dell as Aggie*Lewis L...
(1956) as Baxter - The King's ThiefThe King's ThiefThe King's Thief is a 1955 swashbuckling adventure film directed by Robert Z. Leonard. Released on August 5, 1955, the film takes place in London at the time of Charles II and stars Ann Blyth, Edmund Purdom, David Niven, and George Sanders.-Plot:...
(1955) as Gentleman - "Adventures of SupermanAdventures of Superman (TV series)Adventures of Superman is an American television series based on comic book characters and concepts created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The show is the first television series to feature Superman and began filming in 1951 in California...
: Five Minutes to Doom" TV episode as W.T. Wayne (1 episode, 1953) / also titled Superman (Australia) - Sangaree (1953) as Capt. Bronson
- Against All FlagsAgainst All FlagsAgainst All Flags is a 1952 American pirate film starring Errol Flynn as Brian Hawke, Maureen O'Hara as Prudence "Spitfire" Stevens and Anthony Quinn as Roc Brasiliano...
(1952) as Oxford - Miserables, Les (1952) as Waiter
- "China Smith: Shanghai Clipper" (????) TV episode as Lord Radcliffe (1 episode)
- "Front Page Detective: Seven Seas to Danger" TV episode as Dr. Oscar Grandell (1 episode, 1952)
- Corky of Gasoline Alley (1951) as Hull / also titled Corky of Gasoline Alley (UK)
- When the Redskins Rode (1951) as Gov. Dinwiddie
- The Underworld StoryThe Underworld StoryThe Underworld Story is a 1950 American film noir starring Dan Duryea, Herbert Marshall, and Gale Storm. Howard Da Silva plays the loud-mouthed gangster Carl Durham, one of his last roles before becoming blacklisted....
(1950) as Calvin - Kiss the Blood Off My HandsKiss the Blood Off My HandsKiss the Blood Off My Hands is a 1948 film noir, directed by Norman Foster. It stars Burt Lancaster, Joan Fontaine and Robert Newton.-Plot:...
(1948) as Tom Widgery / also titled Blood on My Hands (UK) - My Dog Rusty (1948) as Mayor Fulderwilder
- The Prince of Thieves (1948) as Sir Fitz-Alwin
- I Wonder Who's Kissing Her NowI Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now"I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now" is a popular song. The music was written by Joseph E. Howard and Harold Orlob, the lyrics by Will M. Hough and Frank R. Adams. The song was published in 1909...
(1947) as T.J. Milford - The Trouble with WomenThe Trouble with Women"The Trouble with Women" is the twenty third episode of the popular 1969 ITC British television series Randall and Hopkirk starring Mike Pratt, Kenneth Cope and Annette Andre. The episode was first broadcast on 28 February 1970 on the ITV. Directed by Jeremy Summers.-Synopsis:Jeff is hired by a...
(1947) as Dr. Wilmer Dawson - Jewels of Brandenburg (1947) as Roger Hamilton
- BacklashBacklash (1947 film)Backlash is an American crime film noir directed by Eugene Forde. The drama features Jean Rogers, Larry J. Blake, John Eldredge and Richard Travis.-Cast:* Jean Rogers as Catherine Morland* Richard Travis as Richard Conroy...
(1947) - Ladies' Man (1947) as David Harmon
- Cross My HeartCross My HeartCross My Heart may refer to:*""Cross My Heart" , a 2010 song by Skepta*Cross My Heart: An Introduction to Phil Ochs, a compilation album of songs by Phil Ochs*"Cross My Heart" , a 1967 song by Phil Ochs...
(1946) as Judge - Monsieur BeaucaireMonsieur Beaucaire (1946 film)Monsieur Beaucaire is a 1946 comedy film starring Bob Hope as the title character, the barber of King Louis XV of France. It is loosely based on the novel of the same name by Booth Tarkington.-Cast:*Bob Hope as Monsieur Beaucaire*Joan Caulfield as Mimi...
(1946) as Chief Justice - If I'm Lucky (1946) as P.H. Gillingwater
- She Wrote the Book (1946)as George Dixon
- A Night in CasablancaA Night in CasablancaA Night in Casablanca was the twelfth Marx Brothers movie, starring Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, and Harpo Marx. The picture was directed by Archie Mayo and written by Joseph Fields and Roland Kibbee, and is generally considered one of the better of the Marx Brothers' later films.-Plot:Set in...
(1946), a Marx Bros. film, as Governor Galoux - One Way to Love (1946) as Roger Winthrop
- She Wouldn't Say Yes (1945) as Colonel Brady
- The Lost Weekend (1945) as Charles St. James
- Hold That BlondeHold that BlondeHold that Blonde is a 1942 film directed by George Marshall. It stars Eddie Bracken and Veronica Lake.-Cast:*Eddie Bracken as Ogden Spencer Trulow III*Veronica Lake as Sally Martin*Albert Dekker as Insp Callahan*Frank Fenton as Mr. Phillips...
(1945) as Henry Carteret - You Came AlongYou Came AlongYou Came Along is a 1945 romance film set in World War II with a screenplay by Ayn Rand. It starred Robert Cummings and, in her film debut, Lizabeth Scott. Robert Cummings' character has the same name of his character on his 1950's television show Love That Bob.-Cast:*Robert Cummings as Major Bob...
(1945) as Chairman - Molly and MeMolly and MeMolly and Me is a 1945 American comedy film directed by Lewis Seiler and released by 20th Century Fox. The screenplay was based on the novel written by Frances Marion and adapted by Roger Burford...
(1945) as Sir Arthur Burroughs - The Affairs of SusanThe Affairs of SusanThe Affairs of Susan is a 1945 comedy film starring Joan Fontaine, Walter Abel, George Brent, Dennis O'Keefe and Don DeFore. The plot concerns Susan , who is about to be married. Complications set in when her fiance gives a party to celebrate, and he talks to three former beaus of Susan, each of...
(1945) as Mr. Cusp