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Raymond Walburn

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Raymond Walburn
Third Finger, Left Hand trailer (1940)
Born(1887-09-09)September 9, 1887
Plymouth, Indiana, U.S.
DiedJuly 26, 1969(1969-07-26) (aged 81)
New York City, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1913–1958
Spouse(s)Gertrude Steinman
(m.?-1953; her death)
Jane Davis
(m.1955-1969; his death)

Raymond Walburn (September 9, 1887 – July 26, 1969) was an American character actor of stage and screen who appeared in dozens of Hollywood movie comedies and an occasional dramatic role during the 1930s and 1940s.

Stalwart character Raymond Walburn is one of those actors whose name may have slipped through memory over time, although whose valued contribution to 1930s - 1940s comedy films certainly warrants a reminder. He was the archetypal bombastic bumbler or supercilious stuffed shirt with the trademark bulging eyes, snub nose, arched brows and trimmed mustache.

He provided his patented brand of cheeky humor in nearly 100 "A" and "B" films during his career span.

Life and career

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Born in Plymouth, Indiana, Walburn in the early 1900s moved to Oakland, California, following high school with his mother and began acting on stage, which was also his mother's profession.

There he was placed in an acting school associated with the Liberty Theatre, the principal stock company in Oakland, and made his professional stage debut at the age of 18, playing the Second Witch in "MacBeth." Following extensive touring in stock shows, he took his first Broadway bow in the opening of the most popular and successful "The Greyhound" in 1912.

After a long period of struggle and a number of theater misfires, his career was interrupted by military service in the United States Army in 1917-1918 where he served in a heavy artillery corps in France during World War I. This was shortly after his being cast as a replacement in the juvenile lead role in "Come Out of the Kitchen" starring Ruth Chatterton.

Following his discharge from military service he resumed his Broadway and stock show career and grew in stature throughout the 1920s. In 1924 he made his London, England, debut as Aubrey Piper in "The Show-Off," a role which keenly established his pompous image and brash, phony-baloney facade on stage and in later film. Over the decades Walburn's plus-sized comic vanity would become a repetitive scene-stealing tactic.

He performed in stock theater for only four years before being cast on Broadway, where he made his debut in Cordelia Blossom in 1914. Over a half century later, in 1965, Walburn acted in his final Broadway production, A Very Rich Woman.[1][2] During his long career, he also toured extensively, performing on stages throughout the United States and in other countries.[1]

Walburn did not make an impact in films until 1934 with the release of The Count of Monte Cristo starring Robert Donat. His filmography includes nearly 100 films, with his best known roles as a stereotypical bumbler and as a pompous snob. He could also be villainous, as he was when he played Baron Danglars in the 1934 film version of The Count of Monte Cristo, and was a favorite of such celebrated comedy directors as Preston Sturges and Frank Capra, with whom he made several appearances.

Outside of a couple of nondescript roles in silent films, Walburn did not take a serious stab at films until 1929, when he was cast supporting a Ruth Chatterton vehicle (again), this time playing her unfaithful husband in The Laughing Lady (1929). He did not return to films again, however, until five years later following a stage success in The Pursuit of Happiness (1933). From 1934 on he continued to be seen in film and was a main character staple for Columbia. For Frank Capra his highlights included Colonel Pettigrew, the race track tout, in Broadway Bill (1934); the ostentatious valet of Gary Cooper in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936); and the opportunistic Judge Alexander in the Spencer Tracy / Katharine Hepburn starrer State of the Union (1948). He also performed in Capra's pallid musical remake of Broadway Bill entitled Riding High (1950) with Bing Crosby, in which he recreated his Colonel Pettigrew shyster. As a Preston Sturges favorite, Walburn shined as the sarcastic and pompous Dr. Maxford in Christmas in July (1940); the windbag Mayor Noble in the classic Hail the Conquering Hero (1944); and as the boss who fires Harold Lloyd in The Sin of Harold Diddlebock (1947) [aka Mad Wednesday].

In post-war years, the by-now chunky-framed Walburn was given a great chance to show off by headlining his own "Henry" series of light comedy films. Playing patriarch Henry Latham in its debut Henry, the Rainmaker (1949), he was able to bounce off the droll antics of Walter Catlett's Mayor Colton character. Barbara Brown as his wife and young Gary Gray as son David were around for the entire series. He cavorted in five features ending with Father Takes the Air (1951). Walburn's last film was the rather uneventful western The Spoilers (1955). Following the death of his first wife Gertrude (affectionately known as Trudy), he more or less retired, but found happiness again when he married a family friend, Jane Davis.

In 1962, at the age of 74, he came out of his self-imposed retirement at the urging of Harold Prince to join Zero Mostel and company in the burlesque musical farce "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" playing a senile Roman citizen. He appeared in the show for 18 months, then went on to appear with Ruth Gordon in "A Very Rich Woman" in 1965.

Walburn died in New York City at the age of 81 in 1969 following an extended illness.

Complete filmography

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References

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  1. ^ a b Alden, John (April 25, 1936). "Hollywood Mugs: Raymond Walburn -- A Hollywood Convert". Star Tribune. Minnesota, Minneapolis. p. 15. Retrieved October 23, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Raymond Walburn". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on October 23, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
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