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Paul Douglas (actor)
Encyclopedia
Paul Douglas was an American actor, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
as Paul Douglas Fleischer.
debut in 1936 as the Radio Announcer in Doty Hobart and Tom McKnight's Double Dummy at the John Golden Theatre
. In 1946 he won both a Theatre World Award
and a Clarence Derwent Award
for his portrayal of Herry Brock in Garson Kanin
's Born Yesterday
.
Douglas began appearing in films in 1949
. He may be best remembered for two baseball comedy movies, Angels in the Outfield
(1951) and It Happens Every Spring
(1949). He also played Richard Widmark
's police partner in the 1950
thriller Panic in the Streets
, frustrated newlywed Porter Hollingsway in A Letter to Three Wives
(1949), Sgt. Kowalski in The Big Lift
(1950), businessman Josiah Walter Dudley in Executive Suite
(1954) and a con man turned monk in When in Rome
(1952). Douglas was host of the 22nd annual Academy Awards
in March 1950. He also worked on radio as the announcer for The Ed Wynn
Show, and he was the first host of NBC Radio's The Horn & Hardart Children's Hour. In April 1959 Douglas appeared in The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour
as Lucy Ricardo's television morning show boss in the episode "Lucy Wants a Career".
Douglas was originally cast in the 1960 episode of The Twilight Zone
called "The Mighty Casey
", a role written for him by Rod Serling
based on his character in Angels in the Outfield, but Douglas died the same week after production of the episode had been completed. His role was taken over by Jack Warden
, and most of the episode was refilmed several months later.
He was married five times, last to actress Jan Sterling
from 1950 until his death. They had a son, Adams Douglas (1955–2003).
Paul Douglas died of a heart attack in Hollywood, California on September 11, 1959, at the age of 52. Film director
Billy Wilder
and his longtime co-writer I. A. L. ('Izzy') Diamond
had just offered him the role of Jeff Sheldrake in the 1960
movie The Apartment
that went to Fred MacMurray
instead. Wilder later said: "I saw him and his wife, Jan Sterling, at a restaurant, and I realized he was perfect, and I asked him right there in the parking lot. About two days before we were to start, he had a heart attack and died. Iz and I were shattered."
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
as Paul Douglas Fleischer.
Career
Douglas began his career as a stage actor. He made his BroadwayBroadway 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...
debut in 1936 as the Radio Announcer in Doty Hobart and Tom McKnight's Double Dummy at the John Golden Theatre
John Golden Theatre
The John Golden Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 252 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan. Designed in a Moorish style along with the adjacent Royale Theatre by architect Herbert J. Krapp for Irwin Chanin, it opened as the Theatre Masque on February 24 1927 with the play Puppets of Passion...
. In 1946 he won both a Theatre World Award
Theatre World Award
The Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway.-History:...
and a Clarence Derwent Award
Clarence Derwent Awards
The Clarence Derwent Awards are theatre awards given annually by the Actors' Equity Association on Broadway in the United States and by Equity, the performers union, in the West End in the United Kingdom....
for his portrayal of Herry Brock in Garson Kanin
Garson Kanin
Garson Kanin was a prolific American writer and director of plays and films.-Film and stage career:...
's Born Yesterday
Born Yesterday
Born Yesterday is a play written by Garson Kanin which premiered on Broadway in 1946, starring Judy Holliday as Billie Dawn. The play was adapted intoa successful 1950 film of the same name.- Plot :...
.
Douglas began appearing in films in 1949
1949 in film
The year 1949 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello...
. He may be best remembered for two baseball comedy movies, Angels in the Outfield
Angels in the Outfield (1951 film)
Angels in the Outfield is a 1951 American black-and-white film starring Paul Douglas and Janet Leigh, directed by Clarence Brown, and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...
(1951) and It Happens Every Spring
It Happens Every Spring
It Happens Every Spring is a 1949 comedy film starring Ray Milland directed by Lloyd Bacon. The story of a baseball pitcher is completely fictitious, and the main character King Kelly is not based on or related to the actual player....
(1949). He also played Richard Widmark
Richard Widmark
Richard Weedt Widmark was an American film, stage and television actor.He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, Kiss of Death...
's police partner in the 1950
1950 in film
The year 1950 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 15 - Walt Disney Studios' animated film Cinderella debuts.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:*Ambush...
thriller Panic in the Streets
Panic in the Streets (film)
Panic in the Streets is a 1950 film noir directed by Elia Kazan. It was shot exclusively on location in New Orleans, Louisiana and features numerous New Orleans citizens in speaking and non-speaking roles....
, frustrated newlywed Porter Hollingsway in A Letter to Three Wives
A Letter to Three Wives
A Letter to Three Wives is a 1949 film which tells the story of a woman who mails a letter to three women, telling them she has left town with the husband of one of them. It stars Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell, Ann Sothern, Kirk Douglas, Paul Douglas in his film debut, Jeffrey Lynn, and Thelma Ritter...
(1949), Sgt. Kowalski in The Big Lift
The Big Lift
The Big Lift is a 1950 drama film shot on location in the city of Berlin, Germany, that tells the story of "Operation Vittles", the 1948-1949 Berlin Airlift, through the experiences of two U.S...
(1950), businessman Josiah Walter Dudley in Executive Suite
Executive Suite
Executive Suite is a 1954 MGM drama film depicting the transfer of power in a corporation in trouble. The film stars William Holden, Barbara Stanwyck, Fredric March, and Walter Pidgeon. It was directed by Robert Wise and produced by John Houseman from a screenplay by Ernest Lehman based on the...
(1954) and a con man turned monk in When in Rome
When in Rome (1952 film)
When in Rome is a film starring Van Johnson, Paul Douglas, and Joseph Calleia. The film was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and was based on a story by Robert Buckner, Dorothy Kingsley, and Charles Schnee. When in Rome was one of the last films directed by famed MGM director Clarence Brown.-Plot...
(1952). Douglas was host of the 22nd annual Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
in March 1950. He also worked on radio as the announcer for The Ed Wynn
Ed Wynn
Ed Wynn was a popular American comedian and actor noted for his Perfect Fool comedy character, his pioneering radio show of the 1930s, and his later career as a dramatic actor....
Show, and he was the first host of NBC Radio's The Horn & Hardart Children's Hour. In April 1959 Douglas appeared in The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour
The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour
The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour is a CBS television situation comedy. The show is a collection of occasional specials rather than a regular series and originally served as part of Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse...
as Lucy Ricardo's television morning show boss in the episode "Lucy Wants a Career".
Douglas was originally cast in the 1960 episode of The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
called "The Mighty Casey
The Mighty Casey
"The Mighty Casey" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.The episode title is a reference to the baseball poem "Casey at the Bat".-Synopsis:...
", a role written for him by Rod Serling
Rod Serling
Rodman Edward "Rod" Serling was an American screenwriter, novelist, television producer, and narrator best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone. Serling was active in politics, both on and off the screen and helped form...
based on his character in Angels in the Outfield, but Douglas died the same week after production of the episode had been completed. His role was taken over by Jack Warden
Jack Warden
Jack Warden was an American character actor.-Early life:Warden was born John Warden Lebzelter in Newark, New Jersey, the son of Laura M. and John Warden Lebzelter, who was an engineer and technician. He was of Irish and Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry...
, and most of the episode was refilmed several months later.
He was married five times, last to actress Jan Sterling
Jan Sterling
Jan Sterling was an American actress.Most active in films during the 1950s, Sterling received a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in The High and the Mighty , and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the same performance...
from 1950 until his death. They had a son, Adams Douglas (1955–2003).
Paul Douglas died of a heart attack in Hollywood, California on September 11, 1959, at the age of 52. Film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder was an Austro-Hungarian born American filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, artist, and journalist, whose career spanned more than 50 years and 60 films. He is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Hollywood's golden age...
and his longtime co-writer I. A. L. ('Izzy') Diamond
I. A. L. Diamond
I.A.L. Diamond was a comedy writer in Hollywood from the 1940s through the 1980s.-Early life:He was born Iţec Domnici in Ungheni, Iaşi County, Bessarabia, Romania, present day Moldova, was referred to as "Iz" in Hollywood, and was known to quip that his initials stood for "Interscholastic Algebra...
had just offered him the role of Jeff Sheldrake in the 1960
1960 in film
The year 1960 in film involved some significant events, with Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho the top-grossing release in the U.S.-Events:* April 20 - for the first time since coming home from military service in Germany, Elvis Presley returns to Hollywood, California to film G.I...
movie The Apartment
The Apartment
The Apartment is a 1960 American comedy-drama film produced and directed by Billy Wilder, and starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray. It was Wilder's follow-up to the enormously popular Some Like It Hot and, like its predecessor, was a commercial and critical hit, grossing $25...
that went to Fred MacMurray
Fred MacMurray
Frederick Martin "Fred" MacMurray was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 movies and a successful television series during a career that spanned nearly a half-century, from 1930 to the 1970s....
instead. Wilder later said: "I saw him and his wife, Jan Sterling, at a restaurant, and I realized he was perfect, and I asked him right there in the parking lot. About two days before we were to start, he had a heart attack and died. Iz and I were shattered."
Filmography
- Calling All Tars (1935) (uncredited)
- A Letter to Three WivesA Letter to Three WivesA Letter to Three Wives is a 1949 film which tells the story of a woman who mails a letter to three women, telling them she has left town with the husband of one of them. It stars Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell, Ann Sothern, Kirk Douglas, Paul Douglas in his film debut, Jeffrey Lynn, and Thelma Ritter...
(1949) - It Happens Every SpringIt Happens Every SpringIt Happens Every Spring is a 1949 comedy film starring Ray Milland directed by Lloyd Bacon. The story of a baseball pitcher is completely fictitious, and the main character King Kelly is not based on or related to the actual player....
(1949) - Everybody Does ItEverybody Does ItEverybody Does It is a 1949 comedy film starring Paul Douglas, Linda Darnell and Celeste Holm.In the film, a businessman's wife tries to become an opera star, failing miserably due to her lack of talent...
(1949) - The Big LiftThe Big LiftThe Big Lift is a 1950 drama film shot on location in the city of Berlin, Germany, that tells the story of "Operation Vittles", the 1948-1949 Berlin Airlift, through the experiences of two U.S...
(1950) - Love That BruteLove That BruteLove That Brute is a 1950 comedy-crime film directed by Alexander Hall. The film is a remake of Tall, Dark and Handsome, a 1941 film also distributed by 20th Century Fox.-Plot:...
(1950) - Panic in the StreetsPanic in the Streets (film)Panic in the Streets is a 1950 film noir directed by Elia Kazan. It was shot exclusively on location in New Orleans, Louisiana and features numerous New Orleans citizens in speaking and non-speaking roles....
(1950) - Fourteen HoursFourteen HoursFourteen Hours is a 1951 drama film directed by Henry Hathaway, which tells the story of a New York police officer trying to stop a despondent man from jumping to his death from the fifteenth floor of a hotel....
(1951) - The Guy Who Came BackThe Guy Who Came BackThe Guy Who Came Back is a 1951 film made by 20th Century Fox, directed by Joseph M. Newman, and starring by Paul Douglas, Joan Bennett and Linda Darnell. The screenplay was written byAllan Scott, based on story by W.G...
(1951) - RhubarbRhubarb (1951 film)Rhubarb is a 1951 film adapted from the 1946 novel Rhubarb by humorist, H. Allen Smith. Directed by Arthur Lubin, the screwball noir comedy stars the cat Orangey, Jan Sterling and Ray Milland.-Characters and story:...
(1951) (uncredited) - Angels in the OutfieldAngels in the Outfield (1951 film)Angels in the Outfield is a 1951 American black-and-white film starring Paul Douglas and Janet Leigh, directed by Clarence Brown, and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...
(1951) - Never Wave at a WACNever Wave at a WACNever Wave at a WAC is a comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod, and starring Rosalind Russell and Paul Douglas.-Cast:*Rosalind Russell as Jo McBain*Paul Douglas as Andrew McBain*Marie Wilson as Clara Schneiderman / Danger O'Dowd...
(1952) - When in RomeWhen in Rome (1952 film)When in Rome is a film starring Van Johnson, Paul Douglas, and Joseph Calleia. The film was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and was based on a story by Robert Buckner, Dorothy Kingsley, and Charles Schnee. When in Rome was one of the last films directed by famed MGM director Clarence Brown.-Plot...
(1952) - Clash by NightClash by NightClash by Night is a black-and-white drama with some film noir aspects, directed by Fritz Lang and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Paul Douglas, Marilyn Monroe and Robert Ryan. The movie was based on the play by Clifford Odets, adapted by writer Alfred Hayes...
(1952) - We're Not Married!We're Not Married!We're Not Married! is a romantic comedy film released by 20th Century Fox. The featured was directed by Edmund Goulding, and released on July 11, 1952....
(1952)
- Forever FemaleForever FemaleForever Female is a 1953 film directed by Irving Rapper. It stars Ginger Rogers and William Holden. It won a Golden Globe in 1954.-Cast:*Ginger Rogers as Beatrice Page*William Holden as Stanley Krown*Paul Douglas as E. Harry Phillips...
(1953) - The MaggieThe MaggieThe Maggie is a 1954 British comedy film. Directed by Alexander Mackendrick and written by William Rose, it is a story of a clash of cultures between a hard-driving American businessman and a wily Scottish captain.It was produced by Ealing Studios, at a time when rural Scotland was seen as a...
(1954) - The Final Twist (1954)
- Present for a Bride (1954)
- Javanese Dagger (1954)
- Executive SuiteExecutive SuiteExecutive Suite is a 1954 MGM drama film depicting the transfer of power in a corporation in trouble. The film stars William Holden, Barbara Stanwyck, Fredric March, and Walter Pidgeon. It was directed by Robert Wise and produced by John Houseman from a screenplay by Ernest Lehman based on the...
(1954) - Green FireGreen FireGreen Fire is a 1954 MGM movie directed by Andrew Marton and produced by Armand Deutsch, with original music by Miklós Rózsa. It stars Grace Kelly, Stewart Granger, Paul Douglas and John Ericson.-Plot:...
(1954) - Joe MacBeth (1955)
- The Leather Saint (1956)
- The Solid Gold CadillacThe Solid Gold CadillacThe Solid Gold Cadillac is a 1956 film directed by Richard Quine and written by Abe Burrows, Howard Teichmann and George S. Kaufman. It was adapted from the hit Broadway play of the same name by Teichmann and Kaufman, in which they pillory big business and corrupt businessmen...
(1956) - The Gamma PeopleThe Gamma PeopleThe Gamma People is a 1956 British science fiction film directed by John Gilling and starring Paul Douglas, Eva Bartok and Leslie Phillips.-Plot:...
(1956) - This Could Be the NightThis Could Be the Night (film)This Could Be the Night is a 1957 MGM comedy-drama film directed by Robert Wise. The movie is based on the short stories by Cornelia Baird Gross and stars Jean Simmons and Paul Douglas. Actor Anthony Franciosa made his debut in this film.-Plot:...
(1957) - Beau JamesBeau JamesBeau James is a 1957 film based on a non-fiction book of the same name by Gene Fowler.The movie stars Bob Hope as Jimmy Walker, the colourful but controversial Mayor of New York City from 1926-32. American prints of this film are narrated by Walter Winchell; in Britain, the film was narrated by...
(1957) - FortunellaFortunella (film)Fortunella is a 1958 Italian film directed by Eduardo De Filippo, with script of Federico Fellini.-Music:The film's score, composed by Nino Rota, notably contains three memorable motifs, two of which would be reused in Rota's most famous film compositions: La Dolce Vita and The Godfather...
(1958) - The Mating GameThe Mating Game (film)The Mating Game is an MGM color film made in 1959 and starring Debbie Reynolds, Tony Randall and Paul Douglas in his final screen appearance. Reynolds sings the title song during the opening credits....
(1959)