Howard Smith

Howard Smith

Birth : 1893-08-12, Attleboro, Massachusetts, U.S.

Death : 1968-01-11

History

Howard Irving Smith (August 12, 1893 in – January 10, 1968) was an American character actor with a 50-year career in vaudeville, theater, radio, films and television. In 1938 he performed in Orson Welles's short-lived stage production and once-lost film, Too Much Johnson, and in the celebrated radio production, "The War of the Worlds". He portrayed Charley in the original Broadway production of Death of a Salesman and recreated the role in the 1951 film version. On television Smith portrayed the gruff Harvey Griffin in the situation comedy, Hazel.

Profile

Howard Smith

Movies

Too Much Johnson
Joseph Johnson
This film was not intended to stand by itself, but was designed as the cinematic aspect of Welles' Mercury Theatre stage presentation of William Gillette's 1894 comedy about a New York playboy who flees from the violent husband of his mistress and borrows the identity of a plantation owner in Cuba who is expecting the arrival of a mail order bride. The film component of the performance was ultimately never screened due to the absence of projection facilities at the venue. Long-believed to be lost, a workprint was discovered in 2008 and the film had its premiere in 2013.
The Brass Bottle
Senator Grindle
A genie tends to get his master into more predicaments than he gets him out of.
Bon Voyage!
Judge Henderson
The Willards from Terre Haute, Indiana travels abroad for the once-in-a-lifetime vacation in Paris, France. Harry Willard believes that the greatest problem will be avoiding tap water, but bringing his three children will prove to be more troublesome
Murder, Inc.
Albert Anastasia
Chronicles the rise and fall of the organised crime syndicate known as Murder, Incorporated, focusing on powerful boss Lepke and violent hit man Reles.
Face of Fire
Sheriff Nolan
A local handyman saves a child in a fire, but the burns he receives disfigure his face so much that the townspeople avoid him.
Wind Across the Everglades
George Leggett
An ornithologist battles a family of bird poachers in the Florida Everglades.
No Time for Sergeants
Maj. Gen. Eugene Bush
Georgia farm boy Will Stockdale is about to bust with pride. He’s been drafted. Will’s ready. But is Uncle Sam ready for Will? In No Time for Sergeants, Andy Griffith is certifiably funny in the role that clinched his stardom. Wearing a friendly, wide grin, he ambles into the U.S. Air Force – and lots of folks’ll never be the same.
I Bury the Living
George Kraft
A newly appointed cemetery chairman believes that, merely by inserting a black plot-marking pin into a wall-sized map of the cemetery, he can cause the deaths of that plot's owner.
Don't Go Near the Water
Admiral Junius Boatwright
Madison Avenue-trained Navy men handle public relations on a South Pacific island during World War II.
A Face in the Crowd
J.B. Jeffries
The rise of a raucous hayseed named Lonesome Rhodes from itinerant Ozark guitar picker to local media rabble-rouser to TV superstar and political king-maker. Marcia Jeffries is the innocent Sarah Lawrence girl who discovers the great man in a back-country jail and is the first to fall under his spell.
The Caddy
Golf Official
Although the son of a skilled golfer and an outstanding player in his own right, Harvey Miller is too nervous to play in front of a gallery, so he acts as coach and caddy for Joe Anthony, his girlfriend's brother.
Never Wave at a WAC
Maj. Gen. Prentiss (uncredited)
A divorced socialite decides to join the Army because she hopes it will enable her to see more of her boyfriend, a Colonel. She soon encounters many difficulties with the Army lifestyle. Moreover, her ex-husband is working as a consultant with the Army, and he uses his position to disrupt her romantic plans by making her join a group of WACs who are testing new equipment.
Death of a Salesman
Charley
Willy Loman is an aging salesman who was recently fired from his job. Dealing with feelings of failure, Willy begins to relive events from the past that involve his older son, Biff, and his wife, Linda. Willy tries to learn from past mistakes and works to make amends with his family, but his biggest struggle is to make peace with himself over a failed dream of financial success.
Cry Murder
Sen. Alden
A young actress has retired from films to marry the son of a prominent and rich politician in New York City. The father objects strongly to the marriage. The actress is being blackmailed by a second-rate artist who has stolen some letters from her that could be misconstrued. During the payoff, she is knocked unconscious, and awakens to find herself involved in a murder and the police have her marked as the number-one suspect.
The Street with No Name
Ralph Demory
After two gang-related killings in "Center City," a suspect (who was framed) is arrested, released on bail...and murdered. Inspector Briggs of the FBI recruits a young agent, Gene Cordell, to go undercover in the shadowy Skid Row area (alias George Manly) as a potential victim of the same racket. Soon, Gene meets Alec Stiles, neurotic mastermind who's "building an organization along scientific lines." Stiles recruits Cordell, whose job becomes a lot more dangerous.
State of the Union
Sam I. Parrish
An industrialist is urged to run for President, but this requires uncomfortable compromises on both political and marital levels.
Call Northside 777
K.L. Palmer
In 1932, a cop is killed and Frank Wiecek sentenced to life. Eleven years later, a newspaper ad by Frank's mother leads Chicago reporter P.J. O'Neal to look into the case. For some time, O'Neal continues to believe Frank guilty. But when he starts to change his mind, he meets increased resistance from authorities unwilling to be proved wrong.
Kiss of Death
Warden
An ex-con trying to go straight must face a crazed criminal out for revenge.
Her Kind of Man
Bill Fellows
A singer can't choose between a charismatic gangster and an honest newspaperman.
The Front Page
Mayor
Earl Williams is set to hang tomorrow. When he escapes from his cell, reporter Hildy Johnson finds him, and thus seems likely to land the scoop of his career - only he's desperate to leave town tonight.