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J. Scott Smart

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J. Scott Smart
Jack Smart 1933
Smart in 1933
Born(1902-11-27)November 27, 1902
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
DiedJanuary 15, 1960(1960-01-15) (aged 57)
Springfield, Illinois
Other namesJack Smart
OccupationActor
Spouses
Alice Coy Wright
​
​
(m. 1931, divorced)​
Mary-Leigh Call
​
(m. 1951)​

J. Scott Smart (born John Kenley Tener Smart, November 27, 1902 – January 15, 1960) was an American radio, film and stage actor during the 1930s, 1940s and early 1950s.

Early years

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Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 27, 1902 and his family later moved to Buffalo, New York,[1] where he was a 1922 graduate of Lafayette High School. He also attended the Miami Military Institute.[2]

Smart told a reporter that before entering show business, he held thirty jobs in three years, including selling shoe polish, heaving coal on a boat, being a fire chief in a factory, drawing cartoons for a newspaper, and designing ads for an advertising agency.[1]

Career

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When he was twenty-one, Smart began acting in stock theater in Buffalo. He acted there for five years. After that, a friend set up an audition for a program on NBC. The result was Smart's first role on radio, that of a singing waiter on Whispering Tables.[1] His Broadway credits include A Bell for Adano (1944) and Separate Rooms (1939).[3]

Smart is best known for his lead as Brad Runyon in the detective show The Fat Man, which aired on ABC Radio from 1946 to 1951.[4]: 114-115  (See Laughlin 1994, Dunning 1976, Buxton and Owen 1996.) A regular on The March of Time and The Fred Allen Show,[4]: 121-123  he played so many character roles during the early days of radio drama that he became known as the "Lon Chaney of Radio".[5] He was also an accomplished stage actor and played roles in major productions of A Bell For Adano and Waiting for Godot. He appeared in many movies, including Kiss of Death and the movie version of The Fat Man. In his later life, Smart's roles in radio programs included those shown in the table below.

Program Role
Blondie Mr. Fuddle[6]
Joe and Ethel Turp Uncle Ben (as Jack Smart)[4]: 179 
Meet Mr. Meek Uncle Louie (as Jack Smart)[4]: 224 
Mr. and Mrs. Joe (as Jack Smart)[4]: 231 
Nine to Five J. Aubrey Bloomer, Jr. (as Jack Smart)[1]
The Top Guy Police commissioner[4]: 338 
The Wonder Show Owner[7]

He was also a member of the casts of The Family Hour[4] and The Teen-Timers Club[4]: 327  and was heard frequently on Grand Central Station and Inner Sanctum Mystery.[8]

Personal life

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Smart married Alice Coy Wright on July 23, 1931.[9] He was married to Mary-Leigh Smart from 1951 until his death in 1960. They had no children, but were an established part of the local arts community in Ogunquit, Maine.

Later years

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Smart continued to live in Ogunquit, where he directed a summer theater. He also became a painter and sculptor.[8]

Death

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Smart died of pancreatic cancer in Springfield, Illinois.

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1936 Three Smart Girls Newspaper Editor on Phone Uncredited
1937 Girl Overboard Wilbur Jenkins
1937 Top of the Town Beaton
1937 When Love Is Young Winthrop Grove
1937 The Wildcatter Smiley
1937 Love in a Bungalow Wilbur Babcock
1937 One Hundred Men and a Girl Stage Doorman
1937 That's My Story Henchman
1938 Cipher Bureau Carlson Uncredited
1939 Panama Patrol Eli Maing
1939 Some Like It Hot Joe - Hamburger Man
1939 Million Dollar Legs Splash Gordon, Sweet Shop Owner Uncredited
1940 Johnny Apollo Leader of Conga Uncredited
1943 The Adventures of Smilin' Jack Japanese Colonel Serial, Uncredited
1945 Danger Signal Mrs. Crockett's Roomer Uncredited
1946 Shadow of a Woman Timothy Freeman
1947 Kiss of Death Uncredited
1947 That Hagen Girl Man in Drugstore Uncredited
1948 Embraceable You Minor Role (scenes deleted)
1951 The Fat Man Brad Runyan

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Albert, Dora (February 16, 1936). "Radio's Jack of All Trades". Oakland Tribune. California, Oakland. p. 79. Retrieved August 18, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. ^ Siegel, Norman (September 27, 1942). "Radio's Jack Smart Clicks In Lunt and Fontanne Play". The Pittsburgh Press. p. Fourth Section - 9. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  3. ^ "(J. Scott Smart search results)". Playbill Vault. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4. Pp. 113-114.
  5. ^ SteinHauser, Si (August 26, 1936). "Ace Character Actor of Networks Quits Radio For Role In Talkies". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 24. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  6. ^ Plummer, Evans (January 19, 1940). "Hollywood Showdown" (PDF). Movie-Radio Guide. p. 7. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  7. ^ "Concerning Mugging and the Microphone". Oakland Tribune. California, Oakland. August 23, 1936. p. 89. Retrieved August 18, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  8. ^ a b DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-2834-2. P. 245.
  9. ^ "Wave Marks" (PDF). Radio Guide. July 28, 1934. p. 9. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  • Buxton, Frank and Bill Owen (1996) The Big Broadcast: 1920-1950 (second edition), New York: Scarecrow Press.
  • Dallman, V.Y. (1960) Obituary in the Illinois State Register, January 15, 1960.
  • Dunning, John (1976) Tune In Yesterday: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, 1925–1976, Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.
  • Laughlin, Charles D. (1994) J. Scott Smart, a.k.a. The Fat Man. York, Maine: Three Faces East Press.
  • MacDonald, J. Fred (1979) Don't Touch That Dial: Radio Programming in American Life, 1920–1960. Chicago: Nelson-Hall, p. 173.
  • Plante, William C. (1960) "J. Scott Smart". The Players Bulletin, spring issue.
  • Taylor, Robert (1989) Fred Allen: His Life and Wit. Boston: Little, Brown and Company.

Listen to

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