1889-09-01 Brooklyn, New York, USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jack Norton (September 2, 1882 – October 15, 1958) was an American stage and film character actor who appeared in 184 films between 1934 and 1948, often playing drunks, although in real life he was a teetotaler. Career Jack Norton was born in Brooklyn, New York on September 2, 1882. In his early career he had a vaudeville comedy act with his wife Lillian Healy. Norton made his Broadway debut in 1925 in that year's edition of Earl Carroll's Vanities, and also appeared in Florida Girl, which was produced and staged by Carroll. Norton's first film work was for a musical short, School for Romance, in 1934, in which a young Betty Grable appeared, but his scenes were deleted. His work survived to reach the screen in his next assignment, The Super Snooper, a comedy short, and in his third film, his first full-length movie, Finishing School, which featured Frances Dee, Billie Burke, Ginger Rogers and Bruce Cabot, Norton played a drunk, setting the pattern for many of his future performances. Although he also played stone sober characters as well, he was best known for his inebriated characterizations, and he improved his work by following genuine drunks around, picking up behavioral tips. Norton worked continuously and consistently, sometimes appearing in as many as 20 films in one year, although many of his performances went uncredited. One of the few times he was credited as part of the main cast was in 1945 for the film A Guy, a Gal and a Pal In the 1940s, Norton was part of Preston Sturges' unofficial "stock company" of character actors, appearing in five films written and directed by Sturges. He is perhaps best known to modern audiences as A. Pismo Clam, the drunken film director whom W.C. Fields is hired to replace in The Bank Dick (1940). In 1947, Norton retired from films due to illness, his last appearance being in Alias a Gentlemen, which was released in 1948, although he did make some live television appearances in the early 1950s. Jack Norton's final appearance would have been in the 1956 episode of The Honeymooners entitled "Unconventional Behavior", but age and infirmity had so overwhelmed him that he was literally written out of the show as it was being filmed, though Jackie Gleason saw to it that Norton was paid fully for the performance he was ready, willing, but unable to give. Norton died on October 15, 1958 in Saranac Lake, New York at the age of 76. He is buried in Sacred Hearts Cemetery in Southampton, New York on Long Island.
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The Big Parade of Comedy | Actor in 'The Girl from Missouri' (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1964-09-02 |
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I Was a Burlesque Queen | Jim Benson | 1953-07-13 |
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Malice in the Palace | Emir of Schmoe (uncredited) | 1949-09-01 |
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The Sin of Harold Diddlebock | James R. Smoke | 1947-04-04 |
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Hired Husband | Mr. Drinkwater | 1947-05-09 |
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Variety Girl | Busboy at Brown Derby | 1947-08-29 |
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Linda, Be Good | Jim Benson | 1947-11-07 |
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Shadows Over Chinatown | Cosgrove | 1946-06-27 |
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Rhythm and Weep | Mr. Walsh | 1946-10-03 |
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Nocturne | Charlie (uncredited) | 1946-10-29 |
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Captain Tugboat Annie | Shiftless | 1945-11-17 |
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The Naughty Nineties | Drunk at the Gilded Cage (uncredited) | 1945-06-20 |
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A Guy, a Gal and a Pal | Norton | 1945-03-08 |
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Strange Confession | Jack | 1945-10-05 |
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Man Alive | William T. Lafferty | 1945-11-16 |
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Flame of Barbary Coast | Byline Conners, Reporter San Francisco Star | 1945-05-28 |
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The Scarlet Clue | Willie Rand | 1945-05-11 |
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Two O'Clock Courage | Drunk at Blue Room Bar (uncredited) | 1945-04-13 |
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Hold That Blonde! | Drunk (uncredited) | 1945-11-23 |
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Fashion Model | Herbert | 1945-03-02 |
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Make Your Own Bed | Drunk | 1944-06-10 |
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Once Upon a Time | Man In Barber Chair (uncredited) | 1944-06-29 |
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The Story of Dr. Wassell | 'Janssen' Passenger (uncredited) | 1944-07-04 |
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The Big Noise | Drunk on Train | 1944-09-22 |
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Going My Way | Mr. Lilly (uncredited) | 1944-01-01 |
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Hail the Conquering Hero | Second Bandleader (uncredited) | 1944-08-09 |
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The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek | Country Club Man Ordering Champagne (uncredited) | 1944-09-18 |
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Charlie Chan in The Chinese Cat | Hotel Desk Clerk | 1944-05-20 |
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Crazy House | Drunk | 1943-10-08 |
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Thank Your Lucky Stars | Customer in Bette Davis Number (uncredited) | 1943-09-25 |
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The Kansan | Saloon Drunk | 1943-09-10 |
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Prairie Chickens | Henry Lewis-Clark III | 1943-05-21 |
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So's Your Uncle | Drunk | 1943-09-01 |
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The Falcon Strikes Back | Second Hobo (uncredited) | 1943-04-01 |
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It Ain't Hay | Drunk (uncredited) | 1943-03-10 |
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Taxi, Mister | Reginald Van Nostrum - the Drunk | 1943-04-16 |
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The Fleet's In | Kellogg | 1942-01-24 |
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The Palm Beach Story | Second Member Ale and Quail Club | 1942-08-28 |
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The Spoilers | Mr. Skinner | 1942-06-11 |
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Dr. Broadway | Drunk (uncredited) | 1942-05-09 |
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Brooklyn Orchid | Jonathan McFeeder | 1942-01-31 |
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My Favorite Spy | Orchid Room Drunk | 1942-06-12 |
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Dr. Renault's Secret | Mr. Austin | 1942-10-19 |
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Moonlight in Havana | George | 1942-10-16 |
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Louisiana Purchase | Jester | 1941-12-31 |
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Ride on Vaquero | 1941-04-18 | |
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Let's Make Music | Drunk | 1941-01-17 |
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Pacific Blackout | Drunk | 1941-12-31 |
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No Hands on the Clock | Bartender at The Nugget Room | 1941-12-01 |
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The Villain Still Pursued Her | Drunk | 1940-10-11 |
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City of Chance | Mr. Murphy | 1940-01-13 |
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The Way of All Flesh | Barber | 1940-07-05 |
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Opened by Mistake | Al, the Bartender | 1940-05-10 |
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The Farmer's Daughter | Shimmy Conway | 1940-03-29 |
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The Ghost Breakers | Drunk (uncredited) | 1940-06-21 |
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A Night at Earl Carroll's | Alonzo Smith | 1940-12-06 |
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The Bank Dick | A. Pismo Clam | 1940-11-29 |
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Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President | Parker | 1939-12-01 |
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Society Smugglers | Prentis | 1939-03-01 |
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The Roaring Twenties | Drunk at Henderson Club (uncredited) | 1939-10-28 |
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The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt | Charlie Fenton - the Party Drunk (uncredited) | 1939-01-27 |
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News Is Made at Night | Drunk | 1939-07-20 |
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Grand Jury Secrets | Doyle | 1939-06-23 |
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Meet the Girls | Fletcher | 1938-10-06 |
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Love Is a Headache | Bartender (uncredited) | 1938-01-14 |
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Hold That Kiss | Mallory | 1938-05-13 |
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Jezebel | Drunk (uncredited) | 1938-03-26 |
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The Awful Tooth | Dr. Schultz | 1938-05-26 |
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Everybody's Doing It | Harry The Drunk | 1938-01-14 |
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Thanks for the Memory | Bert Monroe | 1938-11-11 |
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Arsène Lupin Returns | Hotel Manager (uncredited) | 1938-02-25 |
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Marked Woman | Drunk | 1937-04-10 |
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Meet the Missus | Mr. Norton | 1937-06-04 |
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Time Out for Romance | Crapshooter | 1937-02-10 |
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The Women Men Marry | Wilhelm Peebles (uncredited) | 1937-09-10 |
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My Dear Miss Aldrich | First Drunk at Red Apple Inn (uncredited) | 1937-09-17 |
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Forgotten Faces | Drunk | 1936-05-15 |
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The Preview Murder Mystery | Comedy Director (Uncredited) | 1936-02-28 |
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Down the Ribber | 1936-03-27 | |
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Who's Looney Now | Herbert Brown | 1936-08-23 |
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His Night Out | Dr. Singer | 1935-10-01 |
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Foolish Hearts | Jimmy | 1935-12-27 |
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Sweet Music | Drunk (uncredited) | 1935-02-23 |
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Don't Bet on Blondes | J. Mortimer 'Mousy' Slade | 1935-07-13 |
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The Gilded Lily | Photographer (uncredited) | 1935-01-25 |
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Dr. Socrates | Drunk in Park | 1935-10-19 |
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Page Miss Glory | Reporter (uncredited) | 1935-09-07 |
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Ship Cafe | Mr. Randall (uncredited) | 1935-11-09 |
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Stolen Harmony | Phillips (uncredited) | 1935-04-20 |
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One More Spring | Drunk | 1935-02-15 |
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Broadway Gondolier | Man on Ship with Pipe | 1935-07-27 |
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Going Highbrow | Sinclair | 1935-07-06 |
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Calling All Cars | Duke Costello | 1935-01-25 |
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Cockeyed Cavaliers | King's Physician | 1934-06-29 |
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Counsel on De Fence | 1934-10-24 | |
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Fixing a Stew | Pete | 1934-11-02 |
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The Super Snooper | 1934-02-09 | |
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One Too Many | 1934-12-28 | |
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Finishing School | Drunk (uncredited) | 1934-05-04 |
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Woman Haters | Justice of the Peace (uncredited) | 1934-05-05 |
