Roscoe Karns
Known for: Acting
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
Series
The Lucy Show
Mr. Foley
1962
Series
Richard Diamond, Private Detective
Ed Church
1957
Series
December Bride
1954
Series
December Bride
Charley Allen
1954
Rocky King, Detective
Police Inspector Rocky King
1950
Series
Hennesey
Capt. Walter Shafer
1959
Film
His Girl Friday
McCue
1940
Film
It Happened One Night
Oscar Shapeley
1934
Film
Wings
Lieutenant Cameron
1927
Film
The Jazz Singer
Agent (uncredited)
1927
Film
Dollar Down
Gene Meadows
1925
Film
Alice in Wonderland
Tweedledee
1933
Film
The Ten Commandments
The Boy in the Rain (uncredited)
1923
Film
Front Page Woman
Toots O'Grady
1935
Film
Man's Favorite Sport?
Major Phipps
1964
Film
Onionhead
'Windy' Woods
1958
Film
Woman of the Year
Phil Whittaker
1942
Film
Ladies Must Live
Pete Larrabee
1940
Film
Object: Alimony
Al Bryant
1928
Film
A Lady's Profession
Tony
1933
Inside Detective
Police Inspector Rocky King
1950
Film
If I Had a Million
Private O'Brien
1932
Film
They Drive by Night
Irish McGurn
1940
Film
Beggars of Life
Lame Hoppy
1928
Film
Woman Trap
Mopsy
1936
Film
Copy
City Editor John Mack
1929
Film
You and Me
Cuffy
1938
Film
Dangerous to Know
Duncan
1938
Film
You'd Be Surprised
Party Guest (uncredited)
1926
Film
Twentieth Century
Owen O'Malley
1934
Film
Clarence
Clarence Smith
1937
Film
Stage Door Canteen
Roscoe Karns
1943
Film
Night of Mystery
Sergeant Heath
1937
Film
Dirigible
Sock McGuire
1931
Film
Conquering the Woman
Shorty Thompson
1922
Film
The Woman in Red
Man in court room (uncredited)
1935
Film
Old Acquaintance
Charlie Archer
1943
Film
Yokel Boy
Al Devers
1942
Film
Come On, Marines!
Spud McGurke
1934
Film
Petticoat Politics
Joe Higgins
1941
Film
King of Chinatown
Rip Harrigan
1939
Film
Gambling Ship
Blooey
1933
Film
Stowaway
Insp. Redding
1932
Film
Tip-Off Girls
Tom Benson aka Tommy Logan
1938
Film
Bluff
Jack Hallowell
1924
Film
Something Always Happens
George
1928
Film
Shoot the Works
Sailor Burke
1934
Film
Footsteps in the Dark
Monahan
1941
Film
His Butler's Sister
Fields
1943
Film
The Navy Way
Frankie Gimble
1944
Film
The Gay Vagabond
Arthur Dixon / Jerry Dixon
1941
Film
Warming Up
Hippo
1928
Film
The Inside Story
Eustace Peabody
1948
Film
The Roadhouse Murder
Dale
1932
Film
Cain and Mabel
Reilly
1936
Film
The Life of the Party
Sam Perkins
1920
Film
Night After Night
Leo
1932
Film
That's My Man
Toby Gleeton
1947
Film
Everything's on Ice
Felix Miller
1939
Film
Minstrel Man
Lasses White
1944
Film
High Pressure
Telephone Salesman (uncredited)
1932
Film
That's Right – You're Wrong
Mal Stamp
1939
Film
I Sell Anything
Monk
1934
Film
The Crooked Circle
Harry Carter
1932
Film
Her Own Money
Jerry Woodward
1922
Film
Riding High
Shorty
1943
Film
Thanks for the Memory
George Kent
1938
Film
Ladies of the Big House
Frank - Twenty Questions player (uncredited)
1931
Film
The Shopworn Angel
Dance Director
1928
Film
One Way Passage
S.S. Maloa Bartender (uncredited)
1932
Film
My Son, The Hero
Big-Time Morgan
1943
Film
Under-Cover Man
Dannie
1932
Film
Today We Live
McGinnis
1933
Film
Two Against the World
Segall, reporter
1932
Film
Vigilantes of Boomtown
Bill Delaney
1947
Film
Laughing Sinners
Fred Geer
1931
Film
Lawyer Man
Merritt - Reporter (uncredited)
1932
Film
One Way to Love
Hobie Simmons
1946
Film
Saturday's Children
Willie Sands
1940
Film
The Trail of '98
Man on Ship (uncredited)
1928
Film
Hi, Good Lookin'!
Archie
1944
Film
This Thing Called Love
Harry Bertrand
1929
Film
You Can't Escape Forever
'Mac' McTurk
1942
Film
Play Girl
Gambler (uncredited)
1932
Elmer and Elsie
Rocky Cott
1934
Film
The Flying Fleet
Shipwrecked Radio Operator (uncredited)
1929
Film
One Sunday Afternoon
Snappy Downer
1933
Film
Alibi Ike
Carey
1935
Film
Beau Sabreur
Buddy
1928
Film
The Women in His Life
Aloysius Lester
1933
Film
Dancing Co-Ed
Joe Drews
1939
Film
Four Hours to Kill!
Johnson
1935
Film
Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven
Officer Carmody
1948
Film
The Vanishing Pioneer
Ray Hearn
1928
Film
The Family Honor
Dal Tucker
1920
Film
Troopers Three
Bugs
1930
Film
A Tragedy at Midnight
Cassidy
1942
Film
Poor Relations
Henry
1919
Film
Safety in Numbers
Bertram Shapiro
1930
Film
Grand Slam
Contest Radio Announcer
1933
Film
I Ring Doorbells
Stubby
1946
Film
Border Flight
Calico Smith
1936
Film
Scandal Street
Austin Brown
1938
Film
Wings in the Dark
Nick Williams
1935
Film
They Call It Sin
Brad - Rehearsal Director (uncredited)
1932
Film
Partners in Crime
Sim Perkins
1937
Film
Half Shot at Sunrise
Henry Warren
1941
Black Eyes and Blues
Alfred Harmon
1941
Film
The Midnight Express
Switch Hogan
1924
Film
Murder Goes to College
Sim Perkins
1937
Film
Road to Happiness
Charley Grady
1941
Film
Double Alibi
Jeremiah Jenkins
1940
Film
Many a Slip
Stan Price
1931
Film
Moran of the Marines
Swatty
1928
Film
Devil's Cargo
Lt. Hardy
1948
Film
The Gorilla
Simmons
1930
Film
Week-End Marriage
Jim Davis
1932
Film
Red Hot Tires
Bud Keene
1935
Film
Little Accident
Gilbert
1930
Film
Ten Modern Commandments
Benny Burnaway
1927
Film
The Foolish Virgin
Chuck Brady
1924
Film
On Such a Night
Joe Flynn
1937
Film
Man Trouble
Scott
1930
Film
The Trouper
1922
Film
The Desert Bride
Pvt. Terry
1928
Film
Two-Fisted
Chick Moran
1935
Film
Meet the Missus
Joe Higgins
1940
Film
New York Nights
Johnny Dolan
1929
Film
The Costello Case
Blair
1930
Film
Three Married Men
Peter Cary
1936
Film
Win That Girl
Johnny Norton II
1928
Film
Other Men's Daughters
Hubert
1923
Mr. Carlson of Arizona
1915
Film
Jazz Mad
Sol Levy
1928
Film
Pleasure
Arnie
1931
Film
The Man Tamer
Bradley P. Caldwell Jr
1921
Film
Avalanche
Red Kelly
1946
Film
The Overland Limited
Patrick Henry Madden
1925
Film
Ritzy
Smith's Valet
1927
Film
Speed to Spare
Kangaroo
1948
Film
Left Over Ladies
'Scoop'
1931
A Species of Mexican Man
1915
From Champion to Tramp
The Girl's Father
1915
A Western Governor's Humanity
The Sheriff
1915