About

Known credits:
128
Birthday:
1891-09-06
Place of birth:
San Bernardino, California, USA
Website:
N/A

Roscoe Karns

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Roscoe Karns (September 7, 1891 – February 6, 1970) was an American actor who appeared in nearly 150 films between 1915 and 1964. He specialized in cynical, wise-cracking (and often tipsy) characters, and his rapid-fire delivery enlivened many comedies and crime thrillers in the 1930s and 1940s. Though he appeared in numerous silent films, such as Wings and Beggars of Life, his career didn't really take off until sound arrived. Arguably his best-known film role was the annoying bus passenger Oscar Shapeley, who tries to pick up Claudette Colbert in the Oscar-winning comedy It Happened One Night (1934), quickly followed by one of his best performances as the boozy press agent Owen O'Malley in Howard Hawks' Twentieth Century. (Six years later, he co-starred as one of the reporters in another Hawks classic, His Girl Friday.) In 1937, Paramount teamed him with Lynne Overman as a pair of laconic private eyes in two B comedy-mysteries, Murder Goes to College and Partners in Crime. From 1950 to 1954, Karns played the title role in the popular DuMont Television Network series Rocky King, Inside Detective. His son, character actor Todd Karns, also appeared in that series.

From 1959 to 1962, Karns was cast as Admiral Walter Shafer in seventy-three of the ninety-five episodes of the CBS military sitcom/drama series, Hennesey, starring Jackie Cooper in the title role of a United States Navy physician, and Abby Dalton as nurse Martha Hale.

His final film was another Hawks comedy, Man's Favorite Sport?, in 1964.

Karns was born in San Bernardino, California, and died in Los Angeles. Description above from the Wikipedia article Roscoe Karns, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia

Known for

Acting
1964 Man's Favorite Sport? Actor Major Phipps 61
Fair
1959 Hennesey Actor 69
Fair
1958 Onionhead Actor 'Windy' Woods 59
Average
1950 Rocky King, Detective Actor Police Inspector Rocky King N/A
N/A
1948 Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven Actor Officer Carmody 59
Average
1948 Speed to Spare Actor Kangaroo 59
Average
1948 Devil's Cargo Actor Lt. Hardy 58
Average
1948 The Inside Story Actor Eustace Peabody 59
Average
1947 That's My Man Actor Toby Gleeton 59
Average
1947 Vigilantes of Boomtown Actor Bill Delaney 58
Average
1946 Avalanche Actor Red Kelly N/A
N/A
1946 I Ring Doorbells Actor Stubby N/A
N/A
1946 One Way to Love Actor Hobie Simmons 59
Average
1944 Hi, Good Lookin'! Actor Archie 59
Average
1944 The Navy Way Actor Frankie Gimble 59
Average
1944 Minstrel Man Actor Lasses White 58
Average
1943 Old Acquaintance Actor Charlie Archer 59
Average
1943 His Butler's Sister Actor Fields 59
Average
1943 Riding High Actor Shorty 58
Average
1943 Stage Door Canteen Actor Roscoe Karns 58
Average
1943 My Son, The Hero Actor Big-Time Morgan N/A
N/A
1942 You Can't Escape Forever Actor 'Mac' McTurk 59
Average
1942 Yokel Boy Actor Al Devers 58
Average
1942 Woman of the Year Actor Phil Whittaker 61
Fair
1942 A Tragedy at Midnight Actor Cassidy 58
Average
1941 Road to Happiness Actor Charley Grady 58
Average
1941 Half Shot at Sunrise Actor Henry Warren N/A
N/A
1941 The Gay Vagabond Actor Arthur Dixon / Jerry Dixon N/A
N/A
1941 Black Eyes and Blues Actor Alfred Harmon N/A
N/A
1941 Footsteps in the Dark Actor Monahan 59
Average
1941 Petticoat Politics Actor Joe Higgins N/A
N/A
1940 Meet the Missus Actor Joe Higgins N/A
N/A
1940 Ladies Must Live Actor Pete Larrabee 59
Average
1940 They Drive by Night Actor Irish McGurn 60
Fair
1940 Saturday's Children Actor Willie Sands 58
Average
1940 Double Alibi Actor Jeremiah Jenkins 59
Average
1940 His Girl Friday Actor McCue 68
Fair
1939 That's Right – You're Wrong Actor Mal Stamp 58
Average
1939 Everything's on Ice Actor Felix Miller 58
Average
1939 Dancing Co-Ed Actor Joe Drews 59
Average
1939 King of Chinatown Actor Rep Harrigan 59
Average
1938 Thanks for the Memory Actor George Kent 59
Average
1938 You and Me Actor Cuffy 59
Average
1938 Tip-Off Girls Actor Tom Benson aka Tommy Logan 59
Average
1938 Dangerous to Know Actor Duncan 59
Average
1938 Scandal Street Actor Austin Brown N/A
N/A
1937 Partners in Crime Actor Sim Perkins N/A
N/A
1937 On Such a Night Actor Joe Flynn N/A
N/A
1937 Night of Mystery Actor Sergeant Heath N/A
N/A
1937 Murder Goes to College Actor Sim Perkins 58
Average
1937 Clarence Actor Clarence Smith N/A
N/A
1936 Cain and Mabel Actor Reilly 59
Average
1936 Three Married Men Actor Peter Cary N/A
N/A
1936 Border Flight Actor Calico Smith 59
Average
1936 Woman Trap Actor Mopsy N/A
N/A
1935 Two-Fisted Actor Chick Moran 59
Average
1935 Front Page Woman Actor Toots O'Grady 58
Average
1935 Alibi Ike Actor Carey 59
Average
1935 Four Hours to Kill! Actor Johnson 59
Average
1935 The Woman in Red Actor Man in court room (uncredited) 59
Average
1935 Red Hot Tires Actor Bud Keene 58
Average
1935 Wings in the Dark Actor Nick Williams 59
Average
1934 I Sell Anything Actor Monk 58
Average
1934 Shoot the Works Actor Sailor Burke 59
Average
1934 Twentieth Century Actor Owen O'Malley 60
Fair
1934 Come On, Marines! Actor Spud McGurke 58
Average
1934 It Happened One Night Actor Oscar Shapeley 72
Good
1933 Alice in Wonderland Actor Tweedledee 59
Average
1933 The Women in His Life Actor Aloysius Lester 58
Average
1933 One Sunday Afternoon Actor Snappy Downer 59
Average
1933 Gambling Ship Actor Blooey 58
Average
1933 A Lady's Profession Actor Tony N/A
N/A
1933 Today We Live Actor McGinnis 59
Average
1933 Grand Slam Actor Contest Radio Announcer 58
Average
1932 Lawyer Man Actor Merritt - Reporter (uncredited) 58
Average
1932 Under-Cover Man Actor Dannie 58
Average
1932 If I Had a Million Actor Private O'Brien 59
Average
1932 They Call It Sin Actor Brad - Rehearsal Director (uncredited) 59
Average
1932 Night After Night Actor Leo 59
Average
1932 One Way Passage Actor S.S. Maloa Bartender (uncredited) 60
Fair
1932 The Crooked Circle Actor Harry Carter 58
Average
1932 Two Against the World Actor Segall, reporter 58
Average
1932 Week-End Marriage Actor Jim Davis 59
Average
1932 The Roadhouse Murder Actor Dale 58
Average
1932 Play Girl Actor Gambler (uncredited) 58
Average
1932 Stowaway Actor Insp. Redding 58
Average
1931 Ladies of the Big House Actor Frank - Twenty Questions player (uncredited) 59
Average
1931 Left Over Ladies Actor 'Scoop' N/A
N/A
1931 Pleasure Actor Arnie 58
Average
1931 Laughing Sinners Actor Fred Geer 58
Average
1931 Many a Slip Actor Stan Price N/A
N/A
1931 Dirigible Actor Sock McGuire 58
Average
1930 The Gorilla Actor Simmons N/A
N/A
1930 The Costello Case Actor Blair N/A
N/A
1930 Man Trouble Actor Scott 59
Average
1930 Little Accident Actor Gilbert N/A
N/A
1930 Safety in Numbers Actor Bertram Shapiro 59
Average
1930 Troopers Three Actor Bugs 59
Average
1929 New York Nights Actor Johnny Dolan 58
Average
1929 This Thing Called Love Actor Harry Bertrand N/A
N/A
1929 Copy Actor City Editor John Mack N/A
N/A
1929 The Flying Fleet Actor Shipwrecked Radio Operator (uncredited) 59
Average
1928 The Shopworn Angel Actor Dance Director N/A
N/A
1928 Jazz Mad Actor Sol Levy N/A
N/A
1928 Moran of the Marines Actor Swatty N/A
N/A
1928 Beggars of Life Actor Lame Hoppy 59
Average
1928 Win That Girl Actor Johnny Norton II N/A
N/A
1928 Warming Up Actor Hippo N/A
N/A
1928 The Vanishing Pioneer Actor Ray Hearn N/A
N/A
1928 The Desert Bride Actor Pvt. Terry 58
Average
1928 The Trail of '98 Actor Man on Ship (uncredited) 59
Average
1928 Beau Sabreur Actor Buddy N/A
N/A
1927 The Jazz Singer Actor Agent (uncredited) 59
Average
1927 Wings Actor Lieutenant Cameron 63
Fair
1927 Ten Modern Commandments Actor Benny Burnaway N/A
N/A
1926 You'd Be Surprised Actor Party Guest 59
Average
1924 The Midnight Express Actor Switch Hogan 58
Average
1923 The Ten Commandments Actor The Boy in the Rain (uncredited) 59
Average
1923 Other Men's Daughters Actor Hubert N/A
N/A
1922 The Trouper Actor N/A
N/A
1922 Her Own Money Actor Jerry Woodward N/A
N/A
1920 The Life of the Party Actor Sam Perkins 58
Average
1920 The Family Honor Actor Dal Tucker N/A
N/A
1915 A Western Governor's Humanity Actor The Sheriff N/A
N/A
1915 A Species of Mexican Man Actor N/A
N/A
1915 From Champion to Tramp Actor The Girl's Father N/A
N/A
1915 Mr. Carlson of Arizona Actor N/A
N/A
Inside Detective Actor N/A
N/A