Paul Smith (born February 5, 1929) is an American comic character
actor with a perpetually perplexed or, alternatively, bemused
expression, who, during the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s,
appeared in scores of television episodes, primarily sitcoms,
including regular roles in five series, and was also seen in numerous
theatrical features, television films and commercials, frequently in
brief, sometimes unbilled, comedic bits.Born in Pennsylvania's
second-largest city, Pittsburgh, Arthur Paul Smith moved to Los
Angeles and, by the time of his 22nd birthday in 1951, began a 31-year
acting career which lasted until his retirement, at age 53, in 1982.
During the 1950s, he was seen in twenty-four theatrical features, from
1951's I Want You to 1959's The FBI Story, with his work in thirteen
of those being uncredited and the remainder providing him with mostly
small parts which were credited near the bottom of the cast list. One
exception, in 1957, was a sixth-billed role in Elvis Presley's first
starring vehicle, Loving You. in which he plays Skeeter, a comical
member of Elvis' backup band, who converses with his friend Matilda,
the band's caged parrot.Smith was also in 24 television episodes
encompassing eighteen series, from 1955's The Halls of Ivy, Navy Log
and The 20th Century Fox Hour to 1959's Dinah Shore Show, in addition
to a regular role on the 1959 sitcom Fibber McGee and Molly.In the
first of his five sitcoms, Smith plays the McGees' next-door neighbor
Roy Norris, a family man with a wife (Elisabeth Fraser) and
11-year-old daughter (Barbara Beaird). The actors playing the McGees
(Bob Sweeney and Cathy Lewis) could not, however, duplicate the
long-running (1935â€"59) unique ambiance of the original radio McGees
(Jim Jordan and Marian Jordan) and the Tuesday night NBC series folded
in January 1960 after airing 13 filmed episodes.
actor with a perpetually perplexed or, alternatively, bemused
expression, who, during the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s,
appeared in scores of television episodes, primarily sitcoms,
including regular roles in five series, and was also seen in numerous
theatrical features, television films and commercials, frequently in
brief, sometimes unbilled, comedic bits.Born in Pennsylvania's
second-largest city, Pittsburgh, Arthur Paul Smith moved to Los
Angeles and, by the time of his 22nd birthday in 1951, began a 31-year
acting career which lasted until his retirement, at age 53, in 1982.
During the 1950s, he was seen in twenty-four theatrical features, from
1951's I Want You to 1959's The FBI Story, with his work in thirteen
of those being uncredited and the remainder providing him with mostly
small parts which were credited near the bottom of the cast list. One
exception, in 1957, was a sixth-billed role in Elvis Presley's first
starring vehicle, Loving You. in which he plays Skeeter, a comical
member of Elvis' backup band, who converses with his friend Matilda,
the band's caged parrot.Smith was also in 24 television episodes
encompassing eighteen series, from 1955's The Halls of Ivy, Navy Log
and The 20th Century Fox Hour to 1959's Dinah Shore Show, in addition
to a regular role on the 1959 sitcom Fibber McGee and Molly.In the
first of his five sitcoms, Smith plays the McGees' next-door neighbor
Roy Norris, a family man with a wife (Elisabeth Fraser) and
11-year-old daughter (Barbara Beaird). The actors playing the McGees
(Bob Sweeney and Cathy Lewis) could not, however, duplicate the
long-running (1935â€"59) unique ambiance of the original radio McGees
(Jim Jordan and Marian Jordan) and the Tuesday night NBC series folded
in January 1960 after airing 13 filmed episodes.
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