Frank Orth
Acting · Sound
Born February 20, 1880, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Frank Orth was an American actor born in Philadelphia. He is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series “Boston Blackie”. By 1897, Orth was performing in vaudeville with his wife, Ann Codee, in an act called “Codee and Orth.” In 1909, he expanded into song writing, with songs such as “The Phone Bell Rang” and “Meet Me on the Boardwalk, Dearie.” His first contact with motion pictures was in 1928, when he was part of the first foreign-language shorts in sound produced by Warner Bros. He and his wife also appeared together in a series of two-reel comedies in the early 1930s. Orth's first major screen credit was in “Prairie Thunder,” a Dick Foran western, in 1937. From then on, he was often cast as bartenders, pharmacists, and grocery clerks, and always distinctly Irish. He had a recurring role in the Dr. Kildare series of films and also in the Nancy Drew series as the befuddled Officer Tweedy. Among his better roles were the newspaper man Cary Grant telephones early in “His Girl Friday,” one of the quartet singing “Gary Owen” in “They Died with Their Boots On” (thereby giving Errol Flynn as Gen. Custer the idea of associating the tune with the 7th Cavalry), and as the little man carrying the sign reading “The End Is Near” throughout Colonel Effingham's Raid. However, Orth is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series “Boston Blackie.” A short, plump, round-faced man, often smoking a cigar, Orth as Faraday wore his own dark-rimmed spectacles, though rarely in feature films. In 1959, Orth retired from show business after throat surgery. His wife died in 1961 after around fifty years of marriage. Orth died on March 17, 1962. He is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills next to his wife.
Filmography
- 1953Here Come the Girls — Mr. Hungerford
- 1953Houdini — Mr. Hunter
- 1952Something to Live For — Waiter (uncredited)
- The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet — Uncle John
- Boston Blackie — Inspector Faraday
- 1951Double Dynamite — Mr. Kofer
- 1950Cheaper by the Dozen — Higgins (uncredited)
- 1950Father of the Bride — Joe
- 1950The Great Rupert — Mr. Frank Dingle
- 1950The Petty Girl — Moody (process server)
- 1949Bride for Sale — Police Sergeant (uncredited)
- 1949Red Light — Wallace 'Wally' Stoner
- 1948Blondie's Secret — Mr. Philpotts
- 1948So This Is New York — AJ Gluskoter
- 1948The Big Clock — Burt
- 1948The Girl from Manhattan — Oscar Newsome
- 1947Born to Speed — Breezy Bradley
- 1947Heartaches — Mike Connelly, Vic's Agent
- 1947It Had to Be You — Conductor Brown
- 1947The Gas House Kids in Hollywood — Police Captain
- 1947The Guilt of Janet Ames — Danny
- 1946It's Great to Be Young — Franklin Johnson
- 1946Lady in the Lake — Floyd Greer (Uncredited)
- 1946Murder in the Music Hall — Henderson
- 1946The Bride Wore Boots — Judge (uncredited)
- 1946The Hoodlum Saint — Chronicle Editor (uncredited)
- 1946The Strange Love of Martha Ivers — Hotel Clerk
- 1946Wake Up and Dream — Milkman
- 1945Doll Face — Peters
- 1945Pillow to Post — Clayfield Taxi Driver
- 1945She Went to the Races — Skelly
- 1945Tell It to a Star — Augustus T. Goodman
- 1945The Lost Weekend — Opera Cloak Room Attendant
- 1944Greenwich Village — Ordway
- 1944Roger Touhy, Gangster — . Comic in Theater (uncredited)
- 1944Storm Over Lisbon — Murgatroyd
- 1944Summer Storm — Cafe Maitre d' at End (uncredited)
- 1944Tall in the Saddle — 'Shorty' Davis (uncredited)
- 1944The Impatient Years — Counterman
- 1944The Mummy's Curse — Songs
- 1944Wilson — Smith (uncredited)
- 1943Coney Island — Bartender
- 1943Hello, Frisco, Hello — Lou, Bartender at Sharkey's
- 1943Sweet Rosie O'Grady — Taxi Driver
- 1943The Meanest Man in the World — Bartender (uncredited)
- 1943The Ox-Bow Incident — Larry Kinkaid (uncredited)
- 1942Blue, White and Perfect — Mr. Toby
- 1942Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant — Mike Ryan
- 1942Dr. Kildare's Victory — Mike Ryan
- 1942Footlight Serenade — Mike
- 1942Henry and Dizzy — Joe McGuire
- 1942My Gal Sal — McGuiness
- 1942Orchestra Wives — Rex Willet
- 1942Over My Dead Body — Detective
- 1942Right to the Heart — Pete
- 1942Rings on Her Fingers — Kellogg
- 1942Roxie Hart — Bar Client #2 (uncredited)
- 1942Springtime in the Rockies — Bickel (uncredited)
- 1942Tales of Manhattan — Secondhand Clothes Dealer
- 1942The Magnificent Dope — Messenger
- 1941Broadway Limited — Lou, Cafe Proprietor
- 1941Come Live with Me — Jerry
- 1941I Wake Up Screaming — Cemetery Caretaker
- 1941Let's Make Music — Mr. Botts
- 1941Respect the Law — Peter Brennan
- 1941Ride on Vaquero — Auctioneer
- 1941Sergeant York — Drummer (uncredited)
- 1941The People Vs. Dr. Kildare — Mike Ryan
- 1941The Strawberry Blonde — Baxter - Livery Stable Owner (uncredited)
- 1941They Died with Their Boots On — Barfly (uncredited)
- 1940'Til We Meet Again — Hong Kong Bartender (uncredited)
- 1940Boom Town — Barber
- 1940Brother Orchid — Waiter at Fat Dutchy's (uncredited)
- 1940Buyer Beware — Smith (uncredited)
- 1940Dr. Kildare Goes Home — Mike Ryan (uncredited)
- 1940Dr. Kildare's Crisis — Mike Ryan, Cafe Owner
- 1940Dr. Kildare's Strange Case — Mike
- 1940Father Is A Prince — Drugstore Proprieter
- 1940Florian — Detective
- 1940Gallant Sons — Newspaper Foreman (uncredited)
- 1940Gold Rush Maisie — Harris
- 1940His Girl Friday — Duffy
- 1940Know Your Money — Tobacconist (uncredited)
- 1940La Conga Nights — Dennis O'Brien
- 1940Mexican Spitfire Out West — Window Washer
- 1940Michael Shayne: Private Detective — Steve
- 1940Pier 13 — Dead Pan Charlie
- 1940The Doctor Takes a Wife — New York Editor (uncredited)
- 1940You, the People — Soda Jerk
- 1939At the Circus — Chef in Diner (uncredited)
- 1939Broadway Serenade — Mr. Fellows
- 1939Burn 'Em Up O'Connor — Tim McKelvy
- 1939Calling Dr. Kildare — Mike Sullivan - Hospital Cafe Owner (uncredited)
- 1939Dust Be My Destiny — Wedding Witness on Stage (uncredited)
- 1939Fast and Furious — Captain Joe Burke
- 1939Fast and Loose — Detective Hendricks (uncredited)
- 1939Idiot's Delight — Benny Zinsser
- 1939Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase — Captain Tweedy
- 1939Nancy Drew... Reporter — Captain Tweedy (uncredited)
- 1939Stanley and Livingstone — Newspaperman with Pills
- 1939Tell No Tales — Vic - Bartender (uncredited)
- 1939The Secret of Dr. Kildare — Mike
- 1939Thunder Afloat — Old Sailor in Bilge Area (uncredited)
- 1939Within the Law — Jim Jenks
- 1939Young Mr. Lincoln — Loafer (uncredited)
- 1938Comet Over Broadway — Cab Driver (uncredited)
- 1938Mr. Chump — Sheriff Frank Hinton
- 1938Nancy Drew… Detective — Captain Tweedy
- 1938The Patient in Room 18 — Joe Higgins - Night Watchman
- 1938Think It Over — Brown, Clothing Store Owner
- 1938Torchy Blane in Panama — First Leopard (uncredited)
- 1938Young Dr. Kildare — Mike Ryan (uncredited)
- 1937Ever Since Eve — Cocktail Waiter (uncredited)
- 1937Land Beyond the Law — Shorty Long
- 1937Marry the Girl — Bar owner
- 1937Missing Witnesses — Gordon (uncredited)
- 1937Prairie Thunder — Wichita
- 1937San Quentin — Convict in Bunkhouse (uncredited)
- 1937Talent Scout — Burlesque Theatre Manager (uncredited)
- 1937The Devil's Saddle Legion — Judge Barko
- 1937The Footloose Heiress — Justice Abner Cuttler
- 1936Hot Money — Hank Ford
- 1936Polo Joe — Bert
- 1936Two Against the World — Tommy - Bartender
- 1935The Payoff — Porter (uncredited)
- 1935Unwelcome Stranger — Jackson
- 1931The Victim — The Husband
- 1930Taking Ways
- 1929A Bird in the Hand