Edgar Buchanan
| Edgar Buchanan, DDS | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
William Edgar Buchanan II March 20, 1903 Humansville, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died |
April 4, 1979 (aged 76) Palm Desert, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Dentist, Actor, Singer |
| Years active | 1939–74 |
| Spouse(s) | Mildred Marguerite Spence (1928–79) (his death) |
| Children | William Edgar Buchanan III "Buck" adopted son (1946–2005) |
Edgar Buchanan (March 20, 1903 – April 4, 1979) was an American actor with a long career in both film and television, most familiar today as Uncle Joe Carson from the Petticoat Junction, Green Acres, and The Beverly Hillbillies television sitcoms of the 1960s.
As Uncle Joe, he took over as proprietor of the Shady Rest Hotel following the 1968 real-life death of Bea Benaderet, who had played Kate Bradley. In 1969, in the episode "Kathy Joe's First Birthday Party", he appeared with his real-life son, Buck (who had a cameo as an ice cream vendor).
Biography
Early life
William Edgar Buchanan, born in Humansville, Missouri, moved with his family to Oregon when he was seven.[1] Buchanan earned a DDS degree from North Pacific College School of Dentistry (which later became Oregon Health & Science University School of Dentistry).[2] Like his father before him, he was a successful dentist. He and his wife Mildred (1907–1987), classmates in dental school, were married in 1928. They had one child, a son named Buck.[3] In 1939, they moved from Eugene, Oregon, to Altadena, California, where they moved their dental practice. He joined the Pasadena Playhouse as an actor. He appeared in his first film in 1939, at the age of 36, after which he turned his dentistry practice over to his wife. He was a member of Theta Chi Fraternity and a Freemason.[4]
Career
Buchanan appeared in more than 100 films, including Penny Serenade (1941) with Cary Grant, Tombstone, the Town Too Tough to Die (1942), The Talk of the Town (1942) with Ronald Colman and Jean Arthur, The Man from Colorado (1948), Cheaper by the Dozen (1950), She Couldn't Say No (1954), Ride the High Country (1962) with Randolph Scott and Joel McCrea, McLintock! (1963) with John Wayne, Move Over, Darling (1963) with Doris Day and James Garner, and Benji (1974).
Among the many television series in which he was cast as a guest star were Hopalong Cassidy, Cimarron City, The Californians, The Rifleman, the episode "Duel at Sundown" of Maverick with James Garner and Clint Eastwood, Leave It To Beaver (as both "Uncle Billy" and "Captain Jack"), The Twilight Zone, Riverboat (as Wingate Pardee in the 1960 episode, "Duel on the River"), Gunsmoke, Route 66, Bringing Up Buddy, Bus Stop, The Lloyd Bridges Show, and Cade's County.
In 1956, Buchanan portrayed the lead in the 39-episode syndicated Western television series, Judge Roy Bean, set in Langtry, Texas, and filmed in color in California. Only loosely based on the career of the legendary storekeeper, bartender, and Justice of the Peace Roy Bean, the series had supporting roles for Jack Buetel, Jackie Loughery, and Russell Hayden, as a Texas Ranger. The series popularized Bean's claim to having been "The Only Law West of the Pecos", a reference to the Pecos River in Val Verde County in southwestern Texas.[5]
Buchanan appeared as Uncle Joe Carson in all 222 episodes of Petticoat Junction, the only actor from the show to do so, as well as in 17 episodes of Green Acres, and three episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies. From 1960 to 1962, he appeared four times on the NBC Western series Laramie, with John Smith and Robert Fuller. Buchanan made two guest appearances on Perry Mason: in 1958 as a small-town coroner in "The Case of the Perjured Parrot" and in 1962 as a small-town judge in "The Case of the Lurid Letter".
Buchanan and another star from Petticoat Junction appeared together in the movie Benji; the other "star" was Higgins, the unnamed "dog" from the sitcom, which portrayed the title role in the film. Higgins had been found in an animal shelter and trained by Frank Inn, who also trained Arnold Ziffel (the pig) and the other animals used on The Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, and Green Acres.
Death
Buchanan died from a stroke complicated by pneumonia in Palm Desert, California, and was interred in the Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Benji | Bill | |
| 1969 | Angel in My Pocket | Axel Gresham | |
| 1967 | Welcome to Hard Times | Brown | |
| 1966 | Gunpoint | Bull | |
| 1965 | The Man from Button Willow | Sorry | voice |
| The Rounders | Vince Moore | ||
| 1963 | Move Over, Darling | Judge Bryson | |
| McLintock! | Bunny Dull | ||
| A Ticklish Affair | Captain Martin | ||
| Donovan's Reef | Boston Attorney | ||
| 1962 | Ride the High Country | Judge Tolliver | |
| Devil's Partner | Don Lucas | ||
| 1961 | The Comancheros | Judge Thaddeus Jackson Breen | |
| Tammy Tell Me True | Judge Carver | ||
| 1960 | Cimarron | Judge Neal Hefner | |
| Chartroose Caboose | Woody Watts | ||
| Four Fast Guns | Dipper | ||
| 1959 | Hound-Dog Man | Doc Cole | |
| Edge of Eternity | Sheriff Edwards | ||
| It Started with a Kiss | Congressman Tappe | ||
| King of the Wild Stallions | Idaho | ||
| Stump Run | Buck Gaskin | ||
| 1958 | The Sheepman | Milt Masters | |
| Day of the Bad Man | Sam Wyckoff | ||
| 1957 | Spoilers of the Forest | Tom Duncan | |
| 1956 | Come Next Spring | Mr. Canary | |
| 1955 | Wichita | Doc Black | |
| The Lonesome Trail | Dan Wells | ||
| The Silver Star | Will 'Bill' Dowdy | ||
| Rage at Dawn | Judge | ||
| 1954 | Destry | The Honorable Hiram J. Sellers, Mayor | |
| Dawn at Socorro | Sheriff Cauthen | ||
| Human Desire | Alec Simmons | ||
| Make Haste to Live | Sheriff Lafe | ||
| She Couldn't Say No | Ed Meeker | ||
| 1953 | Shane | Fred Lewis | |
| It Happens Every Thursday | Jake | ||
| 1952 | Toughest Man in Arizona | Jim Hadlock | |
| Wild Stallion | John Wintergreen | ||
| Flaming Feather | Sgt. O'Rourke | ||
| The Big Trees | Walter 'Yukon' Burns | ||
| 1951 | Silver City | Dutch Surrency | |
| Cave of Outlaws | Dobbs | ||
| Rawhide | Sam Todd | ||
| The Great Missouri Raid | Dr. Samuels | ||
| 1950 | Devil's Doorway | Zeke Carmody | |
| The Big Hangover | Uncle Fred Mahoney | ||
| Cargo to Capetown | Sam Bennett | ||
| Cheaper by the Dozen | Dr. Burton | ||
| 1949 | Any Number Can Play | Ed | |
| Lust for Gold | Wiser | ||
| Red Canyon | Jonah Johnson | ||
| The Walking Hills | Old Willy | ||
| 1948 | The Untamed Breed | John Rambeau | |
| The Man from Colorado | Doc Merriam | ||
| Coroner Creek | Sheriff O'Hea | ||
| The Black Arrow | Lawless | ||
| Best Man Wins | Jim Smiley | ||
| Adventures in Silverado | Dr. Hendersonn, aka The Monk | ||
| The Wreck of the Hesperus | George Lockhart | ||
| The Swordsman | Angus MacArden | ||
| 1947 | Framed | Jeff Cunningham | |
| The Sea of Grass | Jeff, Cook on Brewton Ranch | ||
| 1946 | If I'm Lucky | Darius J. Magonnagle | |
| Renegades | Kirk Dembrow | ||
| The Walls Came Tumbling Down | George Bradford | ||
| Perilous Holiday | George Richards | ||
| The Bandit of Sherwood Forest | Friar Tuck | ||
| Abilene Town | Sheriff 'Bravo' Trimble | ||
| The Fighting Guardsman | Pepe, bandit-valet | ||
| 1944 | Strange Affair | Lt. Washburn | |
| The Impatient Years | Judge | ||
| Bride by Mistake | Jonathan Connors | ||
| Buffalo Bill | Sergeant Chips McGraw | ||
| 1943 | Destroyer | Kansas Jackson | |
| Good Luck, Mr. Yates | Jonesey Jones | ||
| The Desperadoes | Uncle Willie McLeod | ||
| City Without Men | Michael T. Mallory | ||
| 1942 | The Talk of the Town | Sam Yates | |
| Tombstone, the Town Too Tough to Die | Curly Bill Brocious | ||
| 1941 | You Belong to Me | Billings, Groundskeeper | |
| Texas | Buford 'Doc' Thorpe | ||
| The Richest Man in Town | Pete Martin | ||
| Her First Beau | Elmer Tuttle | ||
| Penny Serenade | Applejack Carney | ||
| 1940 | Arizona | Judge Bogardus | |
| When the Daltons Rode | Narrator/Old-timer | uncredited | |
| The Seahawk | Ben Rollins | uncredited | |
| The Doctor Takes a Wife | Doorman | uncredited | |
| Escape to Glory | Charles Atterbee | ||
| Tear Gas Squad | Cousin Andy, a Policeman | ||
| Three Cheers for the Irish | Party Guest | uncredited | |
| Too Many Husbands | Det. Adolph McDermott | ||
| 1939 | My Son Is Guilty | Dan, Bartender |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Love, American Style | Segment: Love and the Family Hour | |
| 1972 | The Partridge Family | Episode: M is for Many Things | |
| 1971–1972 | Cade's County | J.J. Jackson | |
| 1971 | Yuma | Mules McNeil | |
| The Virginian | Teddy Birdwell | Episode: The Legacy of Spencer Flats | |
| 1963–1970 | Petticoat Junction | Joseph P. "Uncle Joe" Carson | |
| 1970 | The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again | Jason Fitch | |
| The Mod Squad | Hargis | Episode: Welcome to the Human Race, Levi Frazee! | |
| The Name of the Game | Felson | Episode: Little Bear Died Running | |
| 1965–1969 | Green Acres | Uncle Joe Carson | There were many crossovers from Petticoat Junction castmembers in the series |
| 1969 | The Over-the-Hill Gang | Jason Fitch | |
| 1968 | The Beverly Hillbillies | Uncle Joe Carson | Episode: Granny Goes to Hooterville Episode: The Thanksgiving Story Episode: Christmas in Hooterville |
| Something for a Lonely Man | Old Man Wolenski | ||
| 1965 | Luke and the Tenderfoot | Luke Herkimer | |
| 1957–1963 | Leave It to Beaver | Captain Jack William 'Uncle Billy' Cleaver William 'Uncle Billy' Cleaver | Episode: Captain Jack Episode: Uncle Billy Episode: Uncle Billy's Visit |
| 1962, 1963 | Dr. Kildare | Steve Devitt Judge Manning | Episode: The Administrator Episode: To Each His Own Prison |
| Gunsmoke | Dan Witter Dan York | Episode: Old Dan Episode: Old York | |
| The Lloyd Bridges Show | Doc Tyree | Episode: Just Married Episode: Tyrees of Capitol Hill | |
| 1960–1962 | Laramie |
Tully Casper |
Episode: Saddle and Spur Episode: Men of Defiance Episode: Stolen Tribute Episode: The Long Road Back |
| 1958, 1962 | Perry Mason | Andy Templet Judge Edward Daley | Episode: The Case of the Perjured Parrot Episode: The Case of the Lurid Letter |
| 1962 | Dennis the Menace | Mr. Meekin | Episode: Dennis and the Hermit |
| The Wide Country | Uncle Walt Guthrie | Episode: Good Old Uncle Walt | |
| Have Gun – Will Travel | Cardiff | Episode: Man in an Hourglass | |
| Stoney Burke | Dawes | Episode: Fight Night | |
| Alcoa Premiere | Crab Holman | Episode: Flashing Spikes | |
| Thriller | Doc O'Connor | Episode: 'Til Death Do Us Part | |
| The Twilight Zone | Doc Bolton | Episode: The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank | |
| 1958–1961 | The Rifleman | Doc Burrage Grandpa Fogarty | |
| Maverick | Daddy Forge Jed Colonel Hamilton Red Daniels | Episode: Island in the Swamp Episode: Duel at Sundown Episode: Easy Mark Episode: Hadley's Hunters Episode: The Cactus Switch | |
| 1957–1961 | Tales of Wells Fargo | Bob Dawson | |
| 1960, 1961 | Bonanza | Hallelujah Hicks John Henry Hill | Episode: The Trail Gang Episode: Sam Hill |
| 1961 | The Andy Griffith Show | Henry Wheeler | Episode: Aunt Bee's Brief Encounter |
| Bus Stop | Judge Neal | Episode: The Man from Bootstrap | |
| The New Bob Cummings Show | Episode: The Oxtail Incident | ||
| The Tall Man | Archie Keogh | Episode: The Judas Palm | |
| The Barbara Stanwyck Show | Judge Franklin | Episode: A Man's Game | |
| National Velvet | Grandpa Harwell | Episode: Grandpa Episode: Grandpa Returns | |
| Klondike | Sam Perkins | Episode: The Golden Burro | |
| 1957, 1960 | Wagon Train | The Tramp Ben Mattox | Episode: The John Darro Story Episode: The Jane Hawkins Story |
| 1960 | Riverboat | Wingate Pardee | Episode: Duel on the River |
| Route 66 | Jack McConkle | Episode: The Beryllium Eater | |
| Outlaws | Nulty | Episode: Starfall (1) Episode: Starfall (2) | |
| Stagecoach West | Lum Jensen | Episode: Red Sand | |
| Assignment: Underwater | Charlie Noble | Episode: Charlie Noble's Pearl | |
| Bat Masterson | Cactus Charlie | Episode: Debt of Honor | |
| Bronco | Pop Owens | Episode: Winter Kill | |
| 1958, 1959 | The Californians | Dutch Major | Episode: The Golden Bride Episode: One Top of Peppercorns |
| 1955–1959 | General Electric Theater | ||
| 1959 | The Deputy | Isbel | Episode: Man of Peace |
| Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Pops | Episode: Coyote Moon | |
| Wanted: Dead or Alive | Pop Michaels Chester Blake | Episode: Railroaded Episode: Amos Carter | |
| Trackdown | Tully Saxon | Episode: The Trick | |
| Lawman | Jess Miller | Episode: The Captives | |
| 1958 | Cimarron City | Shanty | Episode: Kid on a Calico Horse |
| 26 Men | Episode: Cross and Doublecross | ||
| The Gale Storm Show | Jasper Stokes | Episode: Hayride Ahoy | |
| Studio One | Dan Ferris | Episode: Birthday Present | |
| The Restless Gun | Ethan Greenfield Sheriff Gabe Starns | Episode: Aunt Emma Episode: The Gold Star | |
| The Adventures of Jim Bowie | Ringtail | Episode: Deaf Smith | |
| 1957 | Climax! | Spencer | Episode: Avalanche at Devil's Pass Episode: Deadly Climate |
| The Christophers | John Augustus | Episode: Sentence Deferred | |
| Whirlybirds | Burton | Episode: The Perfect Crime | |
| 1956 | Crossroads | Bart Alden | Episode: The Lamp of Father Cataldo |
| Strange Stories | Episode: Con Game | ||
| Judge Roy Bean | Judge Roy Bean | ||
| 1953, 1955 | Cavalcade of America | Horace Greeley Horace Greeley Doc Mathew | Episode: The Tenderfoot Episode: One Nation Indivisible Episode: Petticoat Doctor Episode: Stay On, Stranger |
| 1955 | Screen Directors Playhouse | Sub Royal | Episode: The Bush Roper |
| Ford Theatre | Papa Mumby | Episode: The Mumbysa | |
| 1952–1954 | Hopalong Cassidy | Red Connors | |
| 1954 | Crown Theatre with Gloria Swanson | Uncle Harry | Episode: Uncle Harry |
| 1953 | Make Room for Daddy | Captain Chris | Episode: The Sea Captain |
References
- ↑ Edgar Buchanan, Actor. (Retrieved March 10, 2013)
- ↑ "Edgar Buchanan: the frontier dentist who played one on TV". July 12, 2010. Oregon Health & Science University. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
- ↑ "Actor Edgar Buchanan, TV's 'Uncle Joe,' is dead" April 5, 1979 Pittsburgh Post Gazette retrieved October 28, 2015
- ↑ Edgar Buchanan's gravestone, with Freemasonic Square and Compasses. (Retrieved Nov. 27, 2007)
- ↑ Billy Hathorn, "Roy Bean, Temple Houston, Bill Longley, Ranald Mackenzie, Buffalo Bill, Jr., and the Texas Rangers: Depictions of West Texans in Series Television, 1955 to 1967", West Texas Historical Review, Vol. 89 (2013), pp. 102-118
External links
- Edgar Buchanan at the Internet Movie Database
- Edgar Buchanan at AllMovie
- Edgar Buchanan at Find a Grave