Franklin Pangborn
|
Pangborn in Only Yesterday (1933) |
Franklin Pangborn (
January 23,
1889 -
July 20,
1958) was an American character
actor. Pangborn was famous for small, but memorable roles, with a comic flair. He appeared in many
Preston Sturges movies as well as the
W.C. Fields films
International House,
The Bank Dick, and
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break. For his contributions to motion pictures, Pangborn has a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1500 Vine Street.
Pangborn typically played a fussy type of character and was often considered a gay stereotype, although such a topic was too sensitive in his day to be discussed overtly in the dialogue. A rare exception occurred in
International House, which was filmed in the days before the
Hays Office fully controlled filmmaking, and was notable for several risqué references (by 1933 standards). In this scene, Fields has just arrived by
autogyro at the titular hotel in the fictitious Chinese city called "Wu Hu", but he does not know for sure where he is. Pangborn plays the desk manager:
Fields: Where am I?!:Pangborn: Wu Hu!:Fields (giving him a sharp look and removing a flower from his lapel): Don't let the posy fool you!
*
Franklin Pangborn at IMdb''*
Find-A-Grave profile for Franklin Pangborn
