Frank Orth
Known for: Acting
Frank Orth was an American actor born in Philadelphia. He is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series “Boston Blackie”. By 1897, Orth was performing in vaudeville with his wife, Ann Codee, in an act called “Codee and Orth.” In 1909, he expanded into song writing, with songs such as “The Phone Bell Rang” and “Meet Me on the Boardwalk, Dearie.” His first contact with motion pictures was in 1928, when he was part of the first foreign-language shorts in sound produced by Warner Bros. He and his wife also appeared together in a series of two-reel comedies in the early 1930s. Orth's first major screen credit was in “Prairie Thunder,” a Dick Foran western, in 1937. From then on, he was often cast as bartenders, pharmacists, and grocery clerks, and always distinctly Irish. He had a recurring role in the Dr. Kildare series of films and also in the Nancy Drew series as the befuddled Officer Tweedy. Among his better roles were the newspaper man Cary Grant telephones early in “His Girl Friday,” one of the quartet singing “Gary Owen” in “They Died with Their Boots On” (thereby giving Errol Flynn as Gen. Custer the idea of associating the tune with the 7th Cavalry), and as the little man carrying the sign reading “The End Is Near” throughout Colonel Effingham's Raid. However, Orth is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series “Boston Blackie.” A short, plump, round-faced man, often smoking a cigar, Orth as Faraday wore his own dark-rimmed spectacles, though rarely in feature films. In 1959, Orth retired from show business after throat surgery. His wife died in 1961 after around fifty years of marriage. Orth died on March 17, 1962. He is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills next to his wife.
Filmography
Series
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
Uncle John
1952
Series
Boston Blackie
Inspector Faraday
1951
Film
Sergeant York
Drummer (uncredited)
1941
Film
His Girl Friday
Duffy
1940
Film
They Died with Their Boots On
Barfly (uncredited)
1941
Film
Father of the Bride
Joe
1950
Film
The Lost Weekend
Opera Cloak Room Attendant
1945
Film
Houdini
Mr. Hunter
1953
Film
Tall in the Saddle
'Shorty' Davis (uncredited)
1944
Film
The Big Clock
Burt
1948
Film
Cheaper by the Dozen
Higgins (uncredited)
1950
Film
Double Dynamite
Mr. Kofer
1951
Film
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
Hotel Clerk
1946
Film
The Ox-Bow Incident
Larry Kinkaid (uncredited)
1943
Film
Boom Town
Barber
1940
Film
Young Mr. Lincoln
Loafer (uncredited)
1939
Film
The Strawberry Blonde
Baxter - Livery Stable Owner (uncredited)
1941
Film
At the Circus
Chef in Diner (uncredited)
1939
Film
Brother Orchid
Waiter at Fat Dutchy's (uncredited)
1940
Film
Lady in the Lake
Floyd Greer (Uncredited)
1946
Film
Greenwich Village
Ordway
1944
Film
Roxie Hart
Bar Client #2 (uncredited)
1942
Film
Broadway Serenade
Mr. Fellows
1939
Film
Red Light
Wallace 'Wally' Stoner
1949
Film
Tales of Manhattan
Secondhand Clothes Dealer
1942
Film
Coney Island
Bartender
1943
Film
I Wake Up Screaming
Cemetery Caretaker
1941
Film
Rings on Her Fingers
Kellogg
1942
Film
Idiot's Delight
Benny Zinsser
1939
Film
Gold Rush Maisie
Harris
1940
Film
The Great Rupert
Mr. Frank Dingle
1950
Film
Wilson
Smith (uncredited)
1944
Film
Come Live with Me
Jerry
1941
Film
Nancy Drew… Detective
Captain Tweedy
1938
Film
Stanley and Livingstone
Newspaperman with Pills
1939
Film
Dust Be My Destiny
Wedding Witness on Stage (uncredited)
1939
Film
Calling Dr. Kildare
Mike Sullivan - Hospital Cafe Owner (uncredited)
1939
Film
San Quentin
Convict in Bunkhouse (uncredited)
1937
Film
The Hoodlum Saint
Chronicle Editor (uncredited)
1946
Film
It Had to Be You
Conductor Brown
1947
Film
Something to Live For
Waiter (uncredited)
1952
Film
Tell It to a Star
Augustus T. Goodman
1945
Film
Unwelcome Stranger
Jackson
1935
Film
'Til We Meet Again
Hong Kong Bartender (uncredited)
1940
Film
Fast and Furious
Captain Joe Burke
1939
Film
Roger Touhy, Gangster
. Comic in Theater (uncredited)
1944
Film
Florian
Detective
1940
Film
Nancy Drew... Reporter
Captain Tweedy (uncredited)
1939
Film
Hello, Frisco, Hello
Lou, Bartender at Sharkey's
1943
Film
Summer Storm
Cafe Maitre d' at End (uncredited)
1944
Taking Ways
1930
Film
The Payoff
Porter (uncredited)
1935
Film
So This Is New York
AJ Gluskoter
1948
Film
My Gal Sal
McGuiness
1942
Film
Within the Law
Jim Jenks
1939
Film
Fast and Loose
Detective Hendricks (uncredited)
1939
Film
Two Against the World
Tommy - Bartender
1936
Film
The Footloose Heiress
Justice Abner Cuttler
1937
Film
The Bride Wore Boots
Judge (uncredited)
1946
Film
Gallant Sons
Newspaper Foreman (uncredited)
1940
Film
Father Is A Prince
Drugstore Proprieter
1940
Film
The Doctor Takes a Wife
New York Editor (uncredited)
1940
Film
Michael Shayne: Private Detective
Steve
1940
Film
Dr. Kildare Goes Home
Mike Ryan (uncredited)
1940
Film
The Magnificent Dope
Messenger
1942
Film
Bride for Sale
Police Sergeant (uncredited)
1949
Film
The Impatient Years
Counterman
1944
Film
Orchestra Wives
Rex Willet
1942
Film
Tell No Tales
Vic - Bartender (uncredited)
1939
Film
Doll Face
Peters
1945
Film
Dr. Kildare's Victory
Mike Ryan
1942
Film
Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase
Captain Tweedy
1939
Film
Ever Since Eve
Cocktail Waiter (uncredited)
1937
Film
Broadway Limited
Lou, Cafe Proprietor
1941
Film
Blondie's Secret
Mr. Philpotts
1948
Film
Buyer Beware
Smith (uncredited)
1940
Film
Know Your Money
Tobacconist (uncredited)
1940
Film
Respect the Law
Peter Brennan
1941
Film
Here Come the Girls
Mr. Hungerford
1953
Film
Thunder Afloat
Old Sailor in Bilge Area (uncredited)
1939
Film
Talent Scout
Burlesque Theatre Manager (uncredited)
1937
Film
The Devil's Saddle Legion
Judge Barko
1937
Film
Sweet Rosie O'Grady
Taxi Driver
1943
Film
Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant
Mike Ryan
1942
Film
Dr. Kildare's Crisis
Mike Ryan, Cafe Owner
1940
Film
Missing Witnesses
Gordon (uncredited)
1937
Film
You, the People
Soda Jerk
1940
Film
Springtime in the Rockies
Bickel (uncredited)
1942
Film
The Guilt of Janet Ames
Danny
1947
Film
Right to the Heart
Pete
1942
Film
La Conga Nights
Dennis O'Brien
1940
Film
The People Vs. Dr. Kildare
Mike Ryan
1941
Film
Footlight Serenade
Mike
1942
Film
Prairie Thunder
Wichita
1937
Film
Murder in the Music Hall
Henderson
1946
Film
Young Dr. Kildare
Mike Ryan (uncredited)
1938
Film
The Secret of Dr. Kildare
Mike
1939
Film
Mexican Spitfire Out West
Window Washer
1940
Film
Marry the Girl
Bar owner
1937
Film
She Went to the Races
Skelly
1945
Film
Blue, White and Perfect
Mr. Toby
1942
Film
The Petty Girl
Moody (process server)
1950
Film
Comet Over Broadway
Cab Driver (uncredited)
1938
Film
Over My Dead Body
Detective
1942
Film
Land Beyond the Law
Shorty Long
1937
It's Great to Be Young
Franklin Johnson
1946
Film
Hot Money
Hank Ford
1936
Film
Pillow to Post
Clayfield Taxi Driver
1945
Film
Heartaches
Mike Connelly, Vic's Agent
1947
Film
Let's Make Music
Mr. Botts
1941
Film
Henry and Dizzy
Joe McGuire
1942
Film
The Meanest Man in the World
Bartender (uncredited)
1943
Film
The Patient in Room 18
Joe Higgins - Night Watchman
1938
Film
Dr. Kildare's Strange Case
Mike
1940
Film
Burn 'Em Up O'Connor
Tim McKelvy
1939
Film
Polo Joe
Bert
1936
Film
Ride on Vaquero
Auctioneer
1941
Film
Storm Over Lisbon
Murgatroyd
1944
Film
The Girl from Manhattan
Oscar Newsome
1948
Film
Torchy Blane in Panama
First Leopard (uncredited)
1938
Film
Think It Over
Brown, Clothing Store Owner
1938
Film
Wake Up and Dream
Milkman
1946
Film
Born to Speed
Breezy Bradley
1947
Film
The Gas House Kids in Hollywood
Police Captain
1947
Film
Mr. Chump
Sheriff Frank Hinton
1938
Film
Pier 13
Dead Pan Charlie
1940
Film
A Bird in the Hand
1929
The Victim
The Husband
1931