The Silver Screen Oasis

Jackie, it' s a good thing I happened upon THE WESTERNER at that moment, ha! The perfect movie mortician for me was always Milton Parsons, lol. (you can tell I watched a lot of horror movies in my time...)

Ha! I had to look up Milton Parsons. His photos made me laugh! I guess a movie mortician must be long tall and lugubrious, and he definitely fits the bill.

Wendy, thank you for that link, I had never even heard of the CBS Mystery Theater! I think 12 Angry Men is where I first noticed E.G. Marshall and (Juror # whatever) is still the role I most associate with him. Not at all the same case with Jack Klugman, who will always be "Oscar Madison" to me.

I haven't looked up who Milton Parsons is but from the description I think I know!

Milton Parsons is a very familiar face to me, and he has a prime bit, utilizing his spectral appearance, in the Dick Van Dyke Show episode "The Ghost of A. Chantz."
http://www.hulu.com/watch/114057

He's a mental case in Fingers at the Window (1942), a really good little murder mystery starring Lew Ayres and Basil Rathbone; one of the more prominent suspects in the Michael Shayne mystery Dressed to Kill (1941) ; and he made a few appearances in the Dick Tracy film series, in one playing an undertaker with the memorable name of Deathbridge. He also had an untypical role as a seasoned old army scout in Last of the Comanches (1953).

Smile. You're on SPOOKY CAMERA!

MissG- radio mystery theater is variable, but i remember most of them being very good.

Mary-Kate, your description of Milton Parsons as "spectral" is just perfect. He always looked deader than his "clients", lol.

Miss G., I love your newest avatar of Marilyn and the little Siamese -- two charming and pretty creatures!

Jackie, AGAIN Charles Halton crosses my path! While channel surfing, his name popped up in the cast list of TO BE OR NOT TO BE.

I saw him in To Be or Not To Be too and I thought of you! Oh lordy, he's in everything!

Bronxgirl48 wrote:Mary-Kate, your description of Milton Parsons as "spectral" is just perfect. He always looked deader than his "clients", lol.

Thanks, and I in turn couldn't agree more with your remark about Milton and his "clients".

Mary-Kate, that's a great photo of Milton in his later years, still making a living out of his creepy appearance, lol.

Jackie, LOL! Charles is everywhere!

Milton the Monster!

EDDIE QUILLAN


I saw Eddie today in a movie on TCM and found him to be a talented and appealing actor. He does comedy and drama as well as sings and dances. His notable roles were in "Munity on the Bounty",
"The Grapes of Wrath", "Young Mr. Lincoln", among others and on numerous TV shows.
Eddie died in 1990 at age 83.

Quoted in 1973 - "Casting directors are so young these days they haven't a clue as to who I am or what I've done. How do you tell someone you've been in over 100 movies?" Sad.

Mongo, that's a super photo of Eddie Quillan! I always remember him from The Grapes of Wrath, and when he shows up somewhere else that's the first thing I think of. He's got such a distinctive face, forever young, but with those high cheekbones. I remember he was also in DeMille's The Godless Girl (1929).

I saw a very young Esther Howard today in the Ralph Bellamy/Fay Wray movie Below the Sea (1933). Wow. I sat there looking at her for about ten minutes, trying to figure out who she was. I mostly recognized her voice. She played pretty much the same blowsy dame she always played, only younger.

Wendy, I also watched that movie today and it also took me a while to identify Esther Howard. I knew I heard that voice before. Glad to know that your familiar with Eddie Quillan. He was such a nice guy.