Roscoe Karns
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- September 6, 1891
- Died
- February 6, 1970
- Birthplace
- San Bernardino, California, USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Roscoe Karns (September 7, 1891 – February 6, 1970) was an American actor who appeared in nearly 150 films between 1915 and 1964. He specialized in cynical, wise-cracking (and often tipsy) characters, and his rapid-fire delivery enlivened many comedies and crime thrillers in the 1930s and 1940s. Though he appeared in numerous silent films, such as Wings and Beggars of Life, his career didn't really take off until sound arrived. Arguably his best-known film role was the annoying bus passenger Oscar Shapeley, who tries to pick up Claudette Colbert in the Oscar-winning comedy It Happened One Night (1934), quickly followed by one of his best performances as the boozy press agent Owen O'Malley in Howard Hawks' Twentieth Century. (Six years later, he co-starred as one of the reporters in another Hawks classic, His Girl Friday.) In 1937, Paramount teamed him with Lynne Overman as a pair of laconic private eyes in two B comedy-mysteries, Murder Goes to College and Partners in Crime. From 1950 to 1954, Karns played the title role in the popular DuMont Television Network series Rocky King, Inside Detective. His son, character actor Todd Karns, also appeared in that series. From 1959 to 1962, Karns was cast as Admiral Walter Shafer in seventy-three of the ninety-five episodes of the CBS military sitcom/drama series, Hennesey, starring Jackie Cooper in the title role of a United States Navy physician, and Abby Dalton as nurse Martha Hale. His final film was another Hawks comedy, Man's Favorite Sport?, in 1964. Karns was born in San Bernardino, California, and died in Los Angeles. Description above from the Wikipedia article Roscoe Karns, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
Filmography
Man's Favorite Sport? 1964
as Major Phipps
Onionhead 1958
as 'Windy' Woods
Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven 1948
as Officer Carmody
Speed to Spare 1948
as Kangaroo
Devil's Cargo 1948
as Lt. Hardy
The Inside Story 1948
as Eustace Peabody
That's My Man 1947
as Toby Gleeton
Vigilantes of Boomtown 1947
as Bill Delaney
Avalanche 1946
as Red Kelly
I Ring Doorbells 1946
as Stubby
One Way to Love 1946
as Hobie Simmons
Hi, Good Lookin'! 1944
as Archie
The Navy Way 1944
as Frankie Gimble
Minstrel Man 1944
as Lasses White
Old Acquaintance 1943
as Charlie Archer
His Butler's Sister 1943
as Fields
Riding High 1943
as Shorty
Stage Door Canteen 1943
as Roscoe Karns
My Son, The Hero 1943
as Big-Time Morgan
You Can't Escape Forever 1942
as 'Mac' McTurk
Yokel Boy 1942
as Al Devers
Woman of the Year 1942
as Phil Whittaker
A Tragedy at Midnight 1942
as Cassidy
Road to Happiness 1941
as Charley Grady
Half Shot at Sunrise 1941
as Henry Warren
The Gay Vagabond 1941
as Arthur Dixon / Jerry Dixon
- Black Eyes and Blues
Black Eyes and Blues 1941
as Alfred Harmon
Footsteps in the Dark 1941
as Monahan
Petticoat Politics 1941
as Joe Higgins
Meet the Missus 1940
as Joe Higgins
Ladies Must Live 1940
as Pete Larrabee
They Drive by Night 1940
as Irish McGurn
Saturday's Children 1940
as Willie Sands
Double Alibi 1940
as Jeremiah Jenkins
His Girl Friday 1940
as McCue
That's Right – You're Wrong 1939
as Mal Stamp
Everything's on Ice 1939
as Felix Miller
Dancing Co-Ed 1939
as Joe Drews
King of Chinatown 1939
as Rip Harrigan
Thanks for the Memory 1938
as George Kent
You and Me 1938
as Cuffy
Tip-Off Girls 1938
as Tom Benson aka Tommy Logan
Dangerous to Know 1938
as Duncan
Scandal Street 1938
as Austin Brown
Partners in Crime 1937
as Sim Perkins
On Such a Night 1937
as Joe Flynn
Night of Mystery 1937
as Sergeant Heath
Murder Goes to College 1937
as Sim Perkins
Clarence 1937
as Clarence Smith
Cain and Mabel 1936
as Reilly
Three Married Men 1936
as Peter Cary
- Three Cheers for Love
Three Cheers for Love 1936
as Doc 'Short Circuit' Wilson
Border Flight 1936
as Calico Smith
Woman Trap 1936
as Mopsy
Two-Fisted 1935
as Chick Moran
Front Page Woman 1935
as Toots O'Grady
Alibi Ike 1935
as Carey
Four Hours to Kill! 1935
as Johnson
The Woman in Red 1935
as Man in court room (uncredited)
Red Hot Tires 1935
as Bud Keene
Wings in the Dark 1935
as Nick Williams
I Sell Anything 1934
as Monk
Elmer and Elsie 1934
as Rocky Cott
Shoot the Works 1934
as Sailor Burke
Twentieth Century 1934
as Owen O'Malley
Come On, Marines! 1934
as Spud McGurke
It Happened One Night 1934
as Oscar Shapeley
Alice in Wonderland 1933
as Tweedledee
The Women in His Life 1933
as Aloysius Lester
One Sunday Afternoon 1933
as Snappy Downer
Gambling Ship 1933
as Blooey
Today We Live 1933
as McGinnis
A Lady's Profession 1933
as Tony
Grand Slam 1933
as Contest Radio Announcer
Lawyer Man 1932
as Merritt - Reporter (uncredited)
Under-Cover Man 1932
as Dannie
If I Had a Million 1932
as Private O'Brien
They Call It Sin 1932
as Brad - Rehearsal Director (uncredited)
Night After Night 1932
as Leo
One Way Passage 1932
as S.S. Maloa Bartender (uncredited)
The Crooked Circle 1932
as Harry Carter
Two Against the World 1932
as Segall, reporter
Week-End Marriage 1932
as Jim Davis
The Roadhouse Murder 1932
as Dale
Play Girl 1932
as Gambler (uncredited)
Stowaway 1932
as Insp. Redding
High Pressure 1932
as Telephone Salesman (uncredited)
Ladies of the Big House 1931
as Frank - Twenty Questions player (uncredited)
Left Over Ladies 1931
as 'Scoop'
Pleasure 1931
as Arnie
Laughing Sinners 1931
as Fred Geer
Many a Slip 1931
as Stan Price
Dirigible 1931
as Sock McGuire
The Gorilla 1930
as Simmons
The Costello Case 1930
as Blair
Man Trouble 1930
as Scott
Little Accident 1930
as Gilbert
Safety in Numbers 1930
as Bertram Shapiro
Troopers Three 1930
as Bugs
New York Nights 1929
as Johnny Dolan
This Thing Called Love 1929
as Harry Bertrand
Copy 1929
as City Editor John Mack
The Flying Fleet 1929
as Shipwrecked Radio Operator (uncredited)
The Shopworn Angel 1928
as Dance Director
Object: Alimony 1928
as Al Bryant
Jazz Mad 1928
as Sol Levy
Moran of the Marines 1928
as Swatty
Beggars of Life 1928
as Lame Hoppy
Win That Girl 1928
as Johnny Norton II
Warming Up 1928
as Hippo
The Vanishing Pioneer 1928
as Ray Hearn
Something Always Happens 1928
as George
The Desert Bride 1928
as Pvt. Terry
The Trail of '98 1928
as Man on Ship (uncredited)
Beau Sabreur 1928
as Buddy
The Jazz Singer 1927
as Agent (uncredited)
Wings 1927
as Lieutenant Cameron
Ten Modern Commandments 1927
as Benny Burnaway
Ritzy 1927
as Smith's Valet
You'd Be Surprised 1926
as Party Guest (uncredited)
Dollar Down 1925
as Gene Meadows
The Overland Limited 1925
as Patrick Henry Madden
The Foolish Virgin 1924
as Chuck Brady
The Midnight Express 1924
as Switch Hogan
Bluff 1924
as Jack Hallowell
The Ten Commandments 1923
as The Boy in the Rain (uncredited)
Other Men's Daughters 1923
as Hubert
Conquering the Woman 1922
as Shorty Thompson
The Trouper 1922
Actor
Her Own Money 1922
as Jerry Woodward
The Man Tamer 1921
as Bradley P. Caldwell Jr
The Life of the Party 1920
as Sam Perkins
The Family Honor 1920
as Dal Tucker
Poor Relations 1919
as Henry
- A Western Governor's Humanity
A Western Governor's Humanity 1915
as The Sheriff
- A Species of Mexican Man
A Species of Mexican Man 1915
Actor
- From Champion to Tramp
From Champion to Tramp 1915
as The Girl's Father
- Mr. Carlson of Arizona
Mr. Carlson of Arizona 1915
Actor
Credits from TMDB.