Jack Norton
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- September 1, 1889
- Died
- October 15, 1958
- Birthplace
- Brooklyn, New York, USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jack Norton (September 2, 1882 – October 15, 1958) was an American stage and film character actor who appeared in 184 films between 1934 and 1948, often playing drunks, although in real life he was a teetotaler. Career Jack Norton was born in Brooklyn, New York on September 2, 1882. In his early career he had a vaudeville comedy act with his wife Lillian Healy. Norton made his Broadway debut in 1925 in that year's edition of Earl Carroll's Vanities, and also appeared in Florida Girl, which was produced and staged by Carroll. Norton's first film work was for a musical short, School for Romance, in 1934, in which a young Betty Grable appeared, but his scenes were deleted. His work survived to reach the screen in his next assignment, The Super Snooper, a comedy short, and in his third film, his first full-length movie, Finishing School, which featured Frances Dee, Billie Burke, Ginger Rogers and Bruce Cabot, Norton played a drunk, setting the pattern for many of his future performances. Although he also played stone sober characters as well, he was best known for his inebriated characterizations, and he improved his work by following genuine drunks around, picking up behavioral tips. Norton worked continuously and consistently, sometimes appearing in as many as 20 films in one year, although many of his performances went uncredited. One of the few times he was credited as part of the main cast was in 1945 for the film A Guy, a Gal and a Pal In the 1940s, Norton was part of Preston Sturges' unofficial "stock company" of character actors, appearing in five films written and directed by Sturges. He is perhaps best known to modern audiences as A. Pismo Clam, the drunken film director whom W.C. Fields is hired to replace in The Bank Dick (1940). In 1947, Norton retired from films due to illness, his last appearance being in Alias a Gentlemen, which was released in 1948, although he did make some live television appearances in the early 1950s. Jack Norton's final appearance would have been in the 1956 episode of The Honeymooners entitled "Unconventional Behavior", but age and infirmity had so overwhelmed him that he was literally written out of the show as it was being filmed, though Jackie Gleason saw to it that Norton was paid fully for the performance he was ready, willing, but unable to give. Norton died on October 15, 1958 in Saranac Lake, New York at the age of 76. He is buried in Sacred Hearts Cemetery in Southampton, New York on Long Island.
Filmography
The Big Parade of Comedy 1964
as Actor in 'The Girl from Missouri' (archive footage) (uncredited)
I Was a Burlesque Queen 1953
as Jim Benson
Malice in the Palace 1949
as Emir of Schmoe (uncredited)
Linda, Be Good 1947
as Jim Benson
Variety Girl 1947
as Busboy at Brown Derby
Hired Husband 1947
as Mr. Drinkwater
The Sin of Harold Diddlebock 1947
as James R. Smoke
Nocturne 1946
as Charlie (uncredited)
Rhythm and Weep 1946
as Mr. Walsh
Shadows Over Chinatown 1946
as Cosgrove
Hold That Blonde! 1945
as Drunk (uncredited)
Captain Tugboat Annie 1945
as Shiftless
Man Alive 1945
as William T. Lafferty
Strange Confession 1945
as Jack
The Naughty Nineties 1945
as Drunk at the Gilded Cage (uncredited)
Flame of Barbary Coast 1945
as Byline Conners, Reporter San Francisco Star
The Scarlet Clue 1945
as Willie Rand
Two O'Clock Courage 1945
as Drunk at Blue Room Bar (uncredited)
A Guy, a Gal and a Pal 1945
as Norton
Fashion Model 1945
as Herbert
The Big Noise 1944
as Drunk on Train
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek 1944
as Country Club Man Ordering Champagne (uncredited)
Hail the Conquering Hero 1944
as Second Bandleader (uncredited)
The Story of Dr. Wassell 1944
as 'Janssen' Passenger (uncredited)
Once Upon a Time 1944
as Man In Barber Chair (uncredited)
Make Your Own Bed 1944
as Drunk
Charlie Chan in The Chinese Cat 1944
as Hotel Desk Clerk
Going My Way 1944
as Mr. Lilly (uncredited)
Crazy House 1943
as Drunk
Thank Your Lucky Stars 1943
as Customer in Bette Davis Number (uncredited)
The Kansan 1943
as Saloon Drunk
So's Your Uncle 1943
as Drunk
Prairie Chickens 1943
as Henry Lewis-Clark III
Taxi, Mister 1943
as Reginald Van Nostrum - the Drunk
The Falcon Strikes Back 1943
as Second Hobo (uncredited)
It Ain't Hay 1943
as Drunk (uncredited)
Dr. Renault's Secret 1942
as Mr. Austin
Moonlight in Havana 1942
as George
The Palm Beach Story 1942
as Second Member Ale and Quail Club
My Favorite Spy 1942
as Orchid Room Drunk
The Spoilers 1942
as Mr. Skinner
Dr. Broadway 1942
as Drunk (uncredited)
Brooklyn Orchid 1942
as Jonathan McFeeder
The Fleet's In 1942
as Kellogg
Louisiana Purchase 1941
as Jester
Pacific Blackout 1941
as Drunk
No Hands on the Clock 1941
as Bartender at The Nugget Room
Ride on Vaquero 1941
Actor
Let's Make Music 1941
as Drunk
A Night at Earl Carroll's 1940
as Alonzo Smith
The Bank Dick 1940
as A. Pismo Clam
The Villain Still Pursued Her 1940
as Drunk
The Way of All Flesh 1940
as Barber
The Ghost Breakers 1940
as Drunk (uncredited)
Opened by Mistake 1940
as Al, the Bartender
The Farmer's Daughter 1940
as Shimmy Conway
City of Chance 1940
as Mr. Murphy
Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President 1939
as Parker
The Roaring Twenties 1939
as Drunk at Henderson Club (uncredited)
News Is Made at Night 1939
as Drunk
Grand Jury Secrets 1939
as Doyle
Society Smugglers 1939
as Prentis
The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt 1939
as Charlie Fenton - the Party Drunk (uncredited)
Thanks for the Memory 1938
as Bert Monroe
Meet the Girls 1938
as Fletcher
The Awful Tooth 1938
as Dr. Schultz
Hold That Kiss 1938
as Mallory
Jezebel 1938
as Drunk (uncredited)
Arsène Lupin Returns 1938
as Hotel Manager (uncredited)
Everybody's Doing It 1938
as Harry The Drunk
Love Is a Headache 1938
as Bartender (uncredited)
My Dear Miss Aldrich 1937
as First Drunk at Red Apple Inn (uncredited)
The Women Men Marry 1937
as Wilhelm Peebles (uncredited)
Meet the Missus 1937
as Mr. Norton
Marked Woman 1937
as Drunk
Time Out for Romance 1937
as Crapshooter
Who's Looney Now 1936
as Herbert Brown
Forgotten Faces 1936
as Drunk
Down the Ribber 1936
Actor
The Preview Murder Mystery 1936
as Comedy Director (Uncredited)
- Foolish Hearts
Foolish Hearts 1935
as Jimmy
Ship Cafe 1935
as Mr. Randall (uncredited)
Dr. Socrates 1935
as Drunk in Park
His Night Out 1935
as Dr. Singer
Page Miss Glory 1935
as Reporter (uncredited)
Broadway Gondolier 1935
as Man on Ship with Pipe
Don't Bet on Blondes 1935
as J. Mortimer 'Mousy' Slade
Going Highbrow 1935
as Sinclair
Stolen Harmony 1935
as Phillips (uncredited)
Sweet Music 1935
as Drunk (uncredited)
One More Spring 1935
as Drunk
The Gilded Lily 1935
as Photographer (uncredited)
Calling All Cars 1935
as Duke Costello
- One Too Many
One Too Many 1934
Actor
Fixing a Stew 1934
as Pete
Counsel on De Fence 1934
Actor
Cockeyed Cavaliers 1934
as King's Physician
Woman Haters 1934
as Justice of the Peace (uncredited)
Finishing School 1934
as Drunk (uncredited)
The Super Snooper 1934
Actor
Credits from TMDB.