Sunday, January 9, 2005

It's a Wonderful (and LONG) Life

You know who that is? Of course. That's veteran character actor Charles Lane, who made a very nice living in motion pictures and TV shows, usually playing a mean old man. One generation knew him as Homer Bedloe, the mean old man who was always trying to shut down the Hooterville Cannonball on Petticoat Junction, but every generation has known him as some mean old man. A graduate of the Pasadena Playhouse, Lane began his film career around the time talkies came in, usually playing a hotel desk clerk. Before long, he was working almost every week and before he retired, he'd racked up a total of at least (at least!) 250 film appearances. That's all the historians have found, and I'll bet that's not even a complete list.

It's not just the number of films that's impressive. It's how important so many of them were. The list includes roles in It's a Wonderful Life, 42nd Street, The Twentieth Century, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, You Can't Take It With You, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, The Big Store, Arsenic and Old Lace, The Music Man, State of the Union and our fave, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.

Mr. Lane is, you may be amazed and delighted to know, still with us. Later this month, he will mark his 100th birthday and some friends of his are gathering congratulatory letters and cards from his many fans.    You can send an e-mail there and they will print it out and add it to the pile to be presented to Mr. Lane...or if you want to send a paper-type letter or card, send an e-mail there and ask for the postal address. (His birthday is January 26.)

I know this site is read by a lot of folks in the news media, particularly in the entertainment divisions. Wouldn't it be kind of a nice idea to pay some special attention to this event? Mr. Lane is one of a kind, and it's not just a birthday but an entire career that merits celebration.

(P.S. I have encoded the e-mail address above so that it cannot be read by those nasty programs that scan the Internet for addresses to add to Spam lists. Spread the word about this opportunity to wish Mr. Lane a happy century-mark, but please do not post the e-mail address on any public forums. If you want to direct people to the campaign, copy this link and tell them to come here and click on the address. Thank you.)

• Posted at 11:30 PM · LINK