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| image = Walter Catlett in The Front Page (1931).jpg
| image = Walter Catlett in The Front Page (1931).jpg
| image_size =
| image_size =
| caption = Catlett in ''[[The Front Page (1931 film)|The Front Page]]'' (1938)
| caption = Catlett in ''[[The Front Page (1931 film)|The Front Page]]'' (1931)
| birth_name = Walter Leland Catlett
| birth_name = Walter Leland Catlett
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1889|02|04|mf=yes}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1889|02|04|mf=yes}}
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| occupation = {{hlist|Actor|comedian}}
| occupation = {{hlist|Actor|comedian}}
| years_active = 1906–1957
| years_active = 1906–1957
| spouse = {{plainlist|
| spouse = {{marriage|Zanetta Watrous|1908|1930|reason=div.}} <br/> Ruth Verney<br> ({{abbr|m.|married}} 19??; {{abbr|div.|divorced}} 19??) <br/> Kathlene Winifred Martyn<br> ({{abbr|m.|married}} 19??)
* {{marriage|Zanetta Watrous|1908|1930|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Ruth Verney|<!--unknown?-->|<!--unknown?-->|end=divorced}}
* Kathlene Winifred Martyn
}}
| children = 1
| children = 1
}}
}}


'''Walter Leland Catlett''' (February 4, 1889 &ndash; November 14, 1960) was an American actor and comedian.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79823878/walter-catlett-comedian/ |title=Catlett Stars in Coast Piece |date=January 15, 1914 |newspaper=Elmira [[Star-Gazette]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{open access}}</ref> He made a career of playing excitable, meddlesome, temperamental, and officious blowhards.
'''Walter Leland Catlett''' (February 4, 1889 &ndash; November 14, 1960) was an American actor and comedian.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79823878/walter-catlett-comedian/ |title=Catlett Stars in Coast Piece |date=January 15, 1914 |newspaper=Elmira [[Star-Gazette]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{open access}}</ref> He made a career of playing excitable, meddlesome, temperamental, and officious blowhards.

==Early life==
⚫
Catlett was born on February 4, 1889, in [[San Francisco, California]]. He started out in [[vaudeville]], teaming up with [[Hobart Cavanaugh]] at some point,<ref>{{cite news |title=Hobart Cavanaugh, Noted Film, Stage Actor, Dead at 63 |newspaper=Miami Daily News-Record |agency=Associated Press |date=April 26, 1950 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1308643/hobart_cavanaugh_obituary/ |via = [[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref> with a detour for a while to [[opera]], before breaking into acting.


==Career==
==Career==
Catlett was born on February 4, 1889, in [[San Francisco]], California.<ref name=VE/>
⚫
He started on stage in 1906 and made his Broadway debut in either ''The Prince of Pilsen'' (1910<ref name=Hischak>{{cite book |title=The Oxford Companion to the American Musical: Theatre, Film, and Television |last=Hischak |first=Thomas S. |year=2008 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-533533-0 |page=137 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XbBz3C4Gr0EC&pg=PA137}}</ref> or 1911<ref name=VE>{{cite book |last1=Cullen|first1=Frank |last2=Hackman|first2=Florence |last3=McNeilly|first3=Donald |title=Vaudeville, Old and New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performers in America|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XFnfnKg6BcAC&q=Walter+Catlett+vaudeville&pg=PA207|access-date=November 18, 2014|date=October 16, 2006|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=9780415938532|pages=207–208}}</ref>) or ''So Long Letty'' (1916).<ref>{{ibdb name|34895}}</ref> His first film appearance was in 1912, but then he went back to the stage and did not return to films until 1929. He performed in operettas and musicals, including ''The Ziegfeld Follies of 1917'', the original production of the [[Jerome Kern]] musical ''[[Sally (musical)|Sally]]'' (1920) and the Gershwins' ''[[Lady, Be Good (musical)|Lady, Be Good]]'' (1924). In the last, he introduced the song "[[Oh, Lady Be Good!]]"<ref name=Hischak/><ref name=VE/> In 1918, he starred in, stage-managed and rewrote an [[Oliver Morosco]]-[[Elmer Blaney Harris|Elmer Harris]]-Harry Plani production titled ''Look Pleasant'', playing at the [[Majestic Theatre (South Broadway, Los Angeles)|Majestic Theatre]] in Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79822019/walter-catletts-many-roles-in-a-play/ |title=Walter Catlett is Pooh-Bah of Show. |last=Kingsley |first=Grace |date=July 14, 1918 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |page=27 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{open access}}</ref> His antics in the musical ''Baby Bunting'' in London in 1922 had King [[George V]] laughing "uproariously".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79841390/walter-catlett-amuses-king-george/ |title=Walter Catlett Amused the King with His Slangy Chatter |date=April 23, 1922 |newspaper=[[Boston Globe]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{open access}}</ref>

⚫
He started out in [[vaudeville]], teaming up with [[Hobart Cavanaugh]] at some point,<ref>{{cite news |title=Hobart Cavanaugh, Noted Film, Stage Actor, Dead at 63 |newspaper=Miami Daily News-Record |agency=Associated Press |date=April 26, 1950 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1308643/hobart_cavanaugh_obituary/ |via = [[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref> with a detour for a while to [[opera]], before breaking into acting.

⚫
He debuted on stage in 1906 and made his first Broadway appearance in either ''The Prince of Pilsen'' (1910<ref name=Hischak>{{cite book |title=The Oxford Companion to the American Musical: Theatre, Film, and Television |last=Hischak |first=Thomas S. |year=2008 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-533533-0 |page=137 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XbBz3C4Gr0EC&pg=PA137}}</ref> or 1911<ref name=VE>{{cite book |last1=Cullen|first1=Frank |last2=Hackman|first2=Florence |last3=McNeilly|first3=Donald |title=Vaudeville, Old and New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performers in America|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XFnfnKg6BcAC&q=Walter+Catlett+vaudeville&pg=PA207|access-date=November 18, 2014|date=October 16, 2006|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=9780415938532|pages=207–208}}</ref>) or ''So Long Letty'' (1916).<ref>{{ibdb name|34895}}</ref> His first film appearance was in 1912, but then he went back to the stage and did not return to films until 1929. He performed in operettas and musicals, including ''The Ziegfeld Follies of 1917'', the original production of the [[Jerome Kern]] musical ''[[Sally (musical)|Sally]]'' (1920) and the Gershwins' ''[[Lady, Be Good (musical)|Lady, Be Good]]'' (1924). In the last, he introduced the song "[[Oh, Lady Be Good!]]"<ref name=Hischak/><ref name=VE/> In 1918, he starred in, stage-managed and rewrote an [[Oliver Morosco]]-[[Elmer Blaney Harris|Elmer Harris]]-Harry Plani production titled ''Look Pleasant'', playing at the [[Majestic Theatre (South Broadway, Los Angeles)|Majestic Theatre]] in Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79822019/walter-catletts-many-roles-in-a-play/ |title=Walter Catlett is Pooh-Bah of Show. |last=Kingsley |first=Grace |date=July 14, 1918 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |page=27 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{open access}}</ref> His antics in the musical ''Baby Bunting'' in London in 1922 had King [[George V]] laughing "uproariously".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79841390/walter-catlett-amuses-king-george/ |title=Walter Catlett Amused the King with His Slangy Chatter |date=April 23, 1922 |newspaper=[[Boston Globe]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{open access}}</ref>

Catlett made a handful of [[silent film]] appearances, but his film career did not catch on until the advent of talking pictures allowed moviegoers to experience his full comic repertoire. He starred in a number of '[[short film|two-reelers]]', mostly in the 1930s, some as a comedy duo with [[Eugene Pallette]], for RKO; most were for RKO, but six were for Columbia between 1934 and 1940.


Catlett made a handful of [[silent film]] appearances, but his film career did not catch on until the advent of talking pictures allowed moviegoers to experience his full comic repertoire. Three of his better remembered roles were as the theatre manager driven to distraction by [[James Cagney]]'s character in ''[[Yankee Doodle Dandy]]'', the local constable who throws the entire cast in jail and winds up there himself in the [[Howard Hawks]]' classic screwball comedy ''[[Bringing Up Baby]]'', and as Morrow, the drunken poet in the restaurant who "knows when [he's] been a skunk" and takes Longfellow Deeds on a "bender" in ''[[Mr. Deeds Goes to Town]]''. He was also widely reported to have been Katharine Hepburn's comedy coach while filming ''[[Bringing Up Baby]]''.{{cn|date=March 2022}} ''The New York Times'' film critic [[Mordaunt Hall]] wrote that "This clever comedian runs away with the acting laurels" in ''[[Big City Blues (1932 film)|Big City Blues]]'' (1932).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C06EFD61231E633A25753C1A96F9C946394D6CF|title=Big City Blues (1932)/Walter Catlett Affords Good Fun in "Big City Blues", the New Film at the Winter Garden.|last=Hall|first=Mordaunt|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=November 18, 2014}}</ref> He played [[John Barsad]] in the 1935 [[David O. Selznick]] production of ''[[A Tale of Two Cities (1935 film)|A Tale of Two Cities]]'', starring [[Ronald Colman]]. He also provided the uncredited voice of [[The Fox and the Cat#In Disney media|J. Worthington Foulfellow (a.k.a. Honest John) the Fox]], the main villain in the 1940 [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]] animated film ''[[Pinocchio (1940 film)|Pinocchio]]''. In the 1950s, he appeared in films like ''[[Here Comes the Groom]]'', ''[[Friendly Persuasion (1956 film)|Friendly Persuasion]]'', and ''[[Beau James]]''.
Three of his better remembered roles were as the theatre manager driven to distraction by [[James Cagney]]'s character in ''[[Yankee Doodle Dandy]]'', the local constable who throws the entire cast in jail and winds up there himself in the [[Howard Hawks]] classic screwball comedy ''[[Bringing Up Baby]]'', and as Morrow, the drunken poet in the restaurant who "knows when [he's] been a skunk" and takes Longfellow Deeds on a "bender" in ''[[Mr. Deeds Goes to Town]]''. He was also widely reported to have been Katharine Hepburn's comedy coach while filming ''[[Bringing Up Baby]]''.<ref>https://www.loc.gov/enwiki/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/BringingUpBaby.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref> ''The New York Times'' film critic [[Mordaunt Hall]] wrote that "This clever comedian runs away with the acting laurels" in ''[[Big City Blues (1932 film)|Big City Blues]]'' (1932).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C06EFD61231E633A25753C1A96F9C946394D6CF|title=Big City Blues (1932)/Walter Catlett Affords Good Fun in "Big City Blues", the New Film at the Winter Garden.|last=Hall|first=Mordaunt|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=November 18, 2014}}</ref> He played [[John Barsad]] in the 1935 [[David O. Selznick]] production of ''[[A Tale of Two Cities (1935 film)|A Tale of Two Cities]]'', starring [[Ronald Colman]]. He also provided the uncredited voice of [[The Fox and the Cat#In Disney media|J. Worthington Foulfellow (a.k.a. Honest John) the Fox]], one of the main villains in [[Walt Disney]]'s 1940 animated film ''[[Pinocchio (1940 film)|Pinocchio]]''. In the 1950s, he appeared in films like ''[[Here Comes the Groom (1951 film)|Here Comes the Groom]]'', ''[[Friendly Persuasion (1956 film)|Friendly Persuasion]]'', and ''[[Beau James]]''.


For his contributions to the film industry, Catlett was inducted into the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] on February 8, 1960 with a [[List of actors with Hollywood Walk of Fame motion picture stars|motion pictures star]] located at 1713 Vine Street.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.walkoffame.com/walter-catlett |title=Hollywood Walk of Fame - Walter Catlett |website=walkoffame.com |publisher=Hollywood Chamber of Commerce |access-date=February 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170515105711/http://www.walkoffame.com/walter-catlett |archive-date=May 15, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/walter-catlett|title=Hollywood Star Walk: Walter Catlett|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=November 18, 2014}}</ref>
For his contributions to the film industry, Catlett was inducted into the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] on February 8, 1960, with a [[List of actors with Hollywood Walk of Fame motion picture stars|motion pictures star]] located at 1713 Vine Street.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.walkoffame.com/walter-catlett |title=Hollywood Walk of Fame - Walter Catlett |website=walkoffame.com |publisher=Hollywood Chamber of Commerce |access-date=February 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170515105711/http://www.walkoffame.com/walter-catlett |archive-date=May 15, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/walter-catlett|title=Hollywood Star Walk: Walter Catlett|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=November 18, 2014}}</ref>


==Death==
==Death==
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* ''[[The Florodora Girl]]'' (1930) as De Boer
* ''[[The Florodora Girl]]'' (1930) as De Boer
* ''[[The Front Page (1931 film)|The Front Page]]'' (1931) as Murphy
* ''[[The Front Page (1931 film)|The Front Page]]'' (1931) as Murphy
* ''[[Honeymoon Trio]]'' (1931, short) as The Nuisance
* ''[[Honeymoon Trio]]'' (1931 short) as The Nuisance
* ''[[One Quiet Night (film)|One Quiet Night]]'' (1931, short)
* ''[[One Quiet Night (film)|One Quiet Night]]'' (1931 short)
* ''[[Platinum Blonde (film)|Platinum Blonde]]'' (1931) as Bingy
* ''[[Platinum Blonde (film)|Platinum Blonde]]'' (1931) as Bingy
* ''[[Maker of Men]]'' (1931) as McNeil
* ''[[Maker of Men]]'' (1931) as McNeil
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* ''[[Olsen's Big Moment]]'' (1933) as Robert Brewster III
* ''[[Olsen's Big Moment]]'' (1933) as Robert Brewster III
* ''[[Private Jones]]'' (1933) as Spivey
* ''[[Private Jones]]'' (1933) as Spivey
* ''Private Wives'' (1933) Walter Catlett two-reeler, as Walter
* ''Hunting Trouble'' (1933) Walter Catlett two-reeler, as Walter
* ''Caliente Love'' (1933) Walter Catlett two-reeler, as Harrison
* ''Dream Stuff'' (1933) Walter Catlett two-reeler, as Cousin Walter
* ''Road Queen'' (1933) Walter Catlett two-reeler, as Walter Knox
* ''Daddy Knows Best'' (1933) Walter Catlett two-reeler, as Mr. Boyce
* ''Husbands' Reunion'' (1933) Walter Catlett two-reeler, as Walter
* ''The Big Fibber'' (1933) Walter Catlett two-reeler, as Walter Moore
* ''Meet The Champ'' (1933) [[Eugene Pallette]] and Walter Catlett two-reeler; as himself
* ''Sailors Beware'' (1933) Eugene Pallette and Walter Catlett two-reeler; as Smitty
* ''One Awful Night'' (1933) Eugene Pallette and Walter Catlett two-reeler; as himself
* ''[[So This Is Harris]]'' (1933, [[Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film#1930s|Oscar winner for Best Short Subject]]) Phil Harris three-reeler co-starring Walter Catlett as himself
* ''[[Mama Loves Papa (1933 film)|Mama Loves Papa]]'' (1933) as Tom Walker
* ''[[Mama Loves Papa (1933 film)|Mama Loves Papa]]'' (1933) as Tom Walker
* ''[[Arizona to Broadway]]'' (1933) as Ned Flynn
* ''[[Arizona to Broadway]]'' (1933) as Ned Flynn
* ''[[Only Yesterday (1933 film)|Only Yesterday]]'' (1933) as Barnes (uncredited)
* ''[[Only Yesterday (1933 film)|Only Yesterday]]'' (1933) as Barnes (uncredited)
* ''[[So This Is Harris!]]'' (1933, Oscar-winning short) as Himself
* ''Gold Nuggets'' (1933) Walter Catlett two-reeler; as himself
* ''Unknown Blonde'' (1934) as Publicity Man
* ''Elmer Steps Out'' (1934. Columbia) Walter Catlett two-reeler; as Elmer
* ''Get Along Little Hubby'' (1934, Columbia) Walter Catlett two-reeler; as Elmer Tuttle
* ''The New Dealers'' (1934) Eugene Pallette and Walter Catlett two-reeler; as himself
* ''News Hounds'' (1934) Eugene Pallette and Walter Catlett two-reeler; as himself
* ''Making the Rounds'' (1934) Eugene Pallette and Walter Catlett two-reeler; as himself
* ''The Fuller Gush Man'' (1934) Walter Catlett two-reeler; as Harry Judson
* ''Old Maid's Mistake'' (1934) Walter Catlett two-reeler; as himself
* ''[[Unknown Blonde]]'' (1934) as Publicity Man
* ''[[The Captain Hates the Sea]]'' (1934) as Joe Silvers
* ''[[The Captain Hates the Sea]]'' (1934) as Joe Silvers
* ''[[Lightning Strikes Twice (1934 film)|Lightning Strikes Twice]]'' (1934) as Gus
* ''[[Lightning Strikes Twice (1934 film)|Lightning Strikes Twice]]'' (1934) as Gus
* ''[[Every Night at Eight]]'' (1935) as Master of Ceremonies
* ''[[Every Night at Eight]]'' (1935) as Master of Ceremonies
* ''[[The Affair of Susan]]'' (1935) as Gilbert
* ''[[The Affair of Susan]]'' (1935) as Gilbert
* ''In the Sweet Bye and Bye'' (1935) Walter Catlett two-reeler; as Elmer
* ''[[A Tale of Two Cities (1935 film)|A Tale of Two Cities]]'' (1935) as Barsad
* ''[[A Tale of Two Cities (1935 film)|A Tale of Two Cities]]'' (1935) as Barsad
* ''[[Mr. Deeds Goes to Town]]'' (1936) as Morrow, the Poet
* ''[[Mr. Deeds Goes to Town]]'' (1936) as Morrow, the Poet
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* ''[[Sing Me a Love Song]]'' (1936) as Mr. Sprague (uncredited)
* ''[[Sing Me a Love Song]]'' (1936) as Mr. Sprague (uncredited)
* ''[[I Loved a Soldier]]'' (1936)
* ''[[I Loved a Soldier]]'' (1936)
* ''Fibbing Fibbers'' (1936, Columbia) Walter Catlett two-reeler; as himself
* ''Upper Cutlets'' (1936, aka ''Uppercutlets'') Walter Catlett two-reeler; as himself
* ''[[On the Avenue]]'' (1937) as Jake Dibble
* ''[[On the Avenue]]'' (1937) as Jake Dibble
* ''[[Love Is News]]'' (1937) as Eddie Johnson
* ''[[Love Is News]]'' (1937) as Eddie Johnson
* ''[[Wake Up and Live]]'' (1937) as Gus Avery
* ''[[Wake Up and Live]]'' (1937) as Gus Avery
* ''[[Love Under Fire]]'' (1937) as Tip Conway
* ''[[Love Under Fire]]'' (1937) as Tip Conway
* ''[[Varsity Show]]'' (1937) as Professor Sylvester Biddle
* ''[[Varsity Show (film)|Varsity Show]]'' (1937) as Professor Sylvester Biddle
* ''[[Danger – Love at Work]]'' (1937) as Uncle Alan
* ''[[Danger – Love at Work]]'' (1937) as Uncle Alan
* ''[[Every Day's a Holiday (1937 film)|Every Day's a Holiday]]'' (1937) as Nifty Bailey
* ''[[Every Day's a Holiday (1937 film)|Every Day's a Holiday]]'' (1937) as Nifty Bailey
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* ''[[Exile Express]]'' (1939) as Gus
* ''[[Exile Express]]'' (1939) as Gus
* ''[[Kid Nightingale]]'' (1939) as Skip Davis
* ''[[Kid Nightingale]]'' (1939) as Skip Davis
* ''Static in the Attic'' (1939, Columbia) Walter Catlett two-reeler; as himself
* ''[[Pinocchio (1940 film)|Pinocchio]]'' (1940) as Honest John Worthington Foulfellow (voice, uncredited)
* ''[[Pinocchio (1940 film)|Pinocchio]]'' (1940) as Honest John Worthington Foulfellow (uncredited voice)
* ''[[Half a Sinner (1940 film)|Half a Sinner]]'' (1940) as Station Attendant
* ''[[Half a Sinner (1940 film)|Half a Sinner]]'' (1940) as Station Attendant
* ''[[Pop Always Pays]]'' (1940) as Tommy Lane
* ''[[Pop Always Pays]]'' (1940) as Tommy Lane
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* ''[[The Quarterback (1940 film)|The Quarterback]]'' (1940) as Tom
* ''[[The Quarterback (1940 film)|The Quarterback]]'' (1940) as Tom
* ''[[Li'l Abner (1940 film)|Li'l Abner]]'' (1940) as Barber
* ''[[Li'l Abner (1940 film)|Li'l Abner]]'' (1940) as Barber
* ''You're Next!'' (1940) Walter Catlett two-reeler; as Slocum
* ''Alex In Wonderland'' (1940) Walter Catlett two-reeler; as Fred
* ''Blondes and Blunders'' (1940) Walter Catlett two-reeler; as himself
* ''[[Remedy for Riches]]'' (1940) as Clem
* ''[[Remedy for Riches]]'' (1940) as Clem
* ''[[Honeymoon for Three (1941 film)|Honeymoon for Three]]'' (1941) as Waiter
* ''[[Honeymoon for Three (1941 film)|Honeymoon for Three]]'' (1941) as Waiter
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* ''[[Steel Against the Sky]]'' (1941) as Professor Rupert Sampson
* ''[[Steel Against the Sky]]'' (1941) as Professor Rupert Sampson
* ''[[Wild Bill Hickok Rides]]'' (1942) as Sylvester W. Twigg
* ''[[Wild Bill Hickok Rides]]'' (1942) as Sylvester W. Twigg
* ''[[Star Spangled Rhythm]]'' (1942) as Walter- 'Sweater, Sarong & Peekaboo Bang' Number
* ''[[Star Spangled Rhythm]]'' (1942) as Walter
* ''[[My Gal Sal]]'' (1942) as Col. Truckee
* ''[[My Gal Sal]]'' (1942) as Col. Truckee
* ''[[Syncopation (1942 film)|Syncopation]]'' (1942) as Spelvin
* ''[[Syncopation (1942 film)|Syncopation]]'' (1942) as Spelvin
Line 138: Line 171:
* ''[[Ghost Catchers]]'' (1944) as Colonel Breckinridge Marshall
* ''[[Ghost Catchers]]'' (1944) as Colonel Breckinridge Marshall
* ''[[Three Is a Family]]'' (1944) as Barney Meeker
* ''[[Three Is a Family]]'' (1944) as Barney Meeker
* ''My Gal Loves Music'' (1944) as Dr. Bilbo
* ''[[My Gal Loves Music]]'' (1944) as Dr. Bilbo
* ''[[Hi, Beautiful]]'' (1944) as Gerald Bisbee
* ''[[Hi, Beautiful]]'' (1944) as Gerald Bisbee
* ''[[Lake Placid Serenade]]'' (1944) as Carlton Webb
* ''[[Lake Placid Serenade]]'' (1944) as Carlton Webb
* ''[[The Man Who Walked Alone]]'' (1945) as Wiggins
* ''[[The Man Who Walked Alone]]'' (1945) as Wiggins
* ''[[I Love a Bandleader]]'' (1945) as B. Templeton James
* ''[[I Love a Bandleader]]'' (1945) as B. Templeton James
* ''[[Riverboat Rhythm]]'' (1946) as Colonel Jeffrey 'Smitty' Witherspoon
* ''[[Riverboat Rhythm]]'' (1946) as Colonel Jeffrey "Smitty" Witherspoon
* ''[[Slightly Scandalous]]'' (1946) as Mr. Wright
* ''[[Slightly Scandalous]]'' (1946) as Mr. Wright
* ''[[I'll Be Yours]]'' (1947) as Mr. Buckingham
* ''[[I'll Be Yours]]'' (1947) as Mr. Buckingham
Line 151: Line 184:
* ''[[Henry, the Rainmaker]]'' (1949) as Mayor Colton
* ''[[Henry, the Rainmaker]]'' (1949) as Mayor Colton
* ''[[Leave It to Henry]]'' (1949) as Mayor Colton
* ''[[Leave It to Henry]]'' (1949) as Mayor Colton
* ''[[Look for the Silver Lining (film)|Look for the Silver Lining]]'' (1949) as Himself
* ''[[Look for the Silver Lining (film)|Look for the Silver Lining]]'' (1949) as himself
* ''[[Dancing in the Dark (1949 film)|Dancing in the Dark]]'' (1949) as Joe Brooks
* ''[[Dancing in the Dark (1949 film)|Dancing in the Dark]]'' (1949) as Joe Brooks
* ''[[The Inspector General (1949 film)|The Inspector General]]'' (1949) as Colonel Castine
* ''[[The Inspector General (1949 film)|The Inspector General]]'' (1949) as Colonel Castine
Line 157: Line 190:
* ''[[Father's Wild Game]]'' (1950) as Mayor George Colton
* ''[[Father's Wild Game]]'' (1950) as Mayor George Colton
* ''[[Father Takes the Air]]'' (1951) as Mayor George Colton
* ''[[Father Takes the Air]]'' (1951) as Mayor George Colton
* ''[[Here Comes the Groom]]'' (1951) as Mr. McGonigle
* ''[[Here Comes the Groom (1951 film)|Here Comes the Groom]]'' (1951) as Mr. McGonigle
* ''[[Honeychile]]'' (1951) as Al Moore
* ''[[Honeychile]]'' (1951) as Al Moore
* ''[[Davy Crockett and the River Pirates]]'' (1956) as Colonel Plug (archive footage)
* ''[[Davy Crockett and the River Pirates]]'' (1956) as Colonel Plug (archive footage)
* ''[[Friendly Persuasion (1956 film)|Friendly Persuasion]]'' (1956) as Professor Quigley
* ''[[Friendly Persuasion (1956 film)|Friendly Persuasion]]'' (1956) as Professor Quigley
* ''The Gay Nineties'' (1956)
* ''The Gay Nineties'' (1956)
* ''[[Beau James]]'' (1957) as Gov. Alfred E. 'Al' Smith
* ''[[Beau James]]'' (1957) as Gov. Alfred E. "Al" Smith
{{div col end}}
{{div col end}}


===Broadway stage credits===
==Broadway stage credits==
* ''So Long Letty'' (1916–1917)
* ''So Long Letty'' (1916–1917)
* ''[[Ziegfeld Follies]] of 1917'' (1917)
* ''[[Ziegfeld Follies]] of 1917'' (1917)
Line 196: Line 229:
[[Category:American male voice actors]]
[[Category:American male voice actors]]
[[Category:Male actors from San Francisco]]
[[Category:Male actors from San Francisco]]
[[Category:Vaudeville performers]]
[[Category:American vaudeville performers]]
[[Category:Comedians from San Francisco]]
[[Category:American male comedians]]
[[Category:Members of The Lambs Club]]

Latest revision as of 13:37, 19 August 2024

Walter Catlett
Catlett in The Front Page (1931)
Born
Walter Leland Catlett

(1889-02-04)February 4, 1889
San Francisco, California, U.S.
DiedNovember 14, 1960(1960-11-14) (aged 71)
Woodland Hills, California, U.S.
Resting placeHoly Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
Years active1906–1957
Spouses
Zanetta Watrous
​
​
(m. 1908; div. 1930)​
Ruth Verney
​
(divorced)​
  • Kathlene Winifred Martyn
Children1

Walter Leland Catlett (February 4, 1889 – November 14, 1960) was an American actor and comedian.[1] He made a career of playing excitable, meddlesome, temperamental, and officious blowhards.

Career

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Catlett was born on February 4, 1889, in San Francisco, California.[2]

He started out in vaudeville, teaming up with Hobart Cavanaugh at some point,[3] with a detour for a while to opera, before breaking into acting.

He debuted on stage in 1906 and made his first Broadway appearance in either The Prince of Pilsen (1910[4] or 1911[2]) or So Long Letty (1916).[5] His first film appearance was in 1912, but then he went back to the stage and did not return to films until 1929. He performed in operettas and musicals, including The Ziegfeld Follies of 1917, the original production of the Jerome Kern musical Sally (1920) and the Gershwins' Lady, Be Good (1924). In the last, he introduced the song "Oh, Lady Be Good!"[4][2] In 1918, he starred in, stage-managed and rewrote an Oliver Morosco-Elmer Harris-Harry Plani production titled Look Pleasant, playing at the Majestic Theatre in Los Angeles.[6] His antics in the musical Baby Bunting in London in 1922 had King George V laughing "uproariously".[7]

Catlett made a handful of silent film appearances, but his film career did not catch on until the advent of talking pictures allowed moviegoers to experience his full comic repertoire. He starred in a number of 'two-reelers', mostly in the 1930s, some as a comedy duo with Eugene Pallette, for RKO; most were for RKO, but six were for Columbia between 1934 and 1940.

Three of his better remembered roles were as the theatre manager driven to distraction by James Cagney's character in Yankee Doodle Dandy, the local constable who throws the entire cast in jail and winds up there himself in the Howard Hawks classic screwball comedy Bringing Up Baby, and as Morrow, the drunken poet in the restaurant who "knows when [he's] been a skunk" and takes Longfellow Deeds on a "bender" in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. He was also widely reported to have been Katharine Hepburn's comedy coach while filming Bringing Up Baby.[8] The New York Times film critic Mordaunt Hall wrote that "This clever comedian runs away with the acting laurels" in Big City Blues (1932).[9] He played John Barsad in the 1935 David O. Selznick production of A Tale of Two Cities, starring Ronald Colman. He also provided the uncredited voice of J. Worthington Foulfellow (a.k.a. Honest John) the Fox, one of the main villains in Walt Disney's 1940 animated film Pinocchio. In the 1950s, he appeared in films like Here Comes the Groom, Friendly Persuasion, and Beau James.

For his contributions to the film industry, Catlett was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 8, 1960, with a motion pictures star located at 1713 Vine Street.[10][11]

Death

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Catlett died of a stroke on November 14, 1960, in Woodland Hills, California, and was interred in Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California.[12]

Filmography

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Broadway stage credits

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References

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  1. ^ "Catlett Stars in Coast Piece". Elmira Star-Gazette. January 15, 1914 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. ^ a b c Cullen, Frank; Hackman, Florence; McNeilly, Donald (October 16, 2006). Vaudeville, Old and New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performers in America. Psychology Press. pp. 207–208. ISBN 9780415938532. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  3. ^ "Hobart Cavanaugh, Noted Film, Stage Actor, Dead at 63". Miami Daily News-Record. Associated Press. April 26, 1950 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ a b Hischak, Thomas S. (2008). The Oxford Companion to the American Musical: Theatre, Film, and Television. Oxford University Press. p. 137. ISBN 978-0-19-533533-0.
  5. ^ Walter Catlett at the Internet Broadway Database
  6. ^ Kingsley, Grace (July 14, 1918). "Walter Catlett is Pooh-Bah of Show". Los Angeles Times. p. 27 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  7. ^ "Walter Catlett Amused the King with His Slangy Chatter". Boston Globe. April 23, 1922 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  8. ^ https://www.loc.gov/enwiki/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/BringingUpBaby.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  9. ^ Hall, Mordaunt. "Big City Blues (1932)/Walter Catlett Affords Good Fun in "Big City Blues", the New Film at the Winter Garden". The New York Times. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  10. ^ "Hollywood Walk of Fame - Walter Catlett". walkoffame.com. Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on May 15, 2017. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
  11. ^ "Hollywood Star Walk: Walter Catlett". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  12. ^ Wilson, Scott (September 16, 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. ISBN 9781476625997 – via Google Books.
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