Arthur Lake (actor)
Arthur Lake | |
|---|---|
 Lake in 1920s | |
| Born | Arthur Silverlake Jr. April 17, 1905 Corbin, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | January 9, 1987 (aged 81) Indian Wells, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Hollywood Forever Cemetery |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, Singer |
| Years active | 1917–1957 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Arthur Lake (born Arthur Silverlake Jr., April 17, 1905 – January 9, 1987) was an American actor known best for bringing Dagwood Bumstead, the bumbling husband of Blondie, to life in film, radio, and television.
Early life and career
Lake was born in 1905 when his father Arthur Silverlake and uncle were touring with a circus in an aerial act known as "The Flying Silverlakes".[1] His mother, Edith Goodwin, was an actress; his parents later appeared in vaudeville in a skit "Family Affair", traveling throughout the South and Southwest United States. Arthur first appeared on stage as a baby in Uncle Tom's Cabin; his sister Florence and he became part of the act in 1910.[1] Their mother took the children to Hollywood to get into films, and Arthur made his screen debut in the silent Jack and the Beanstalk (1917). Florence became a successful actress achieving a degree of fame as one of the screen wives of comedian Edgar Kennedy.
Universal Pictures signed Lake to a contract where as an adolescent he played character parts in Westerns. Shortly after the formation of RKO Pictures in 1928 he signed with that studio. There he made Dance Hall (1929) and Cheer Up and Smile (1930).[1]
Moviegoers first heard Lake speak when he appeared as Harold Astor, the lead of the 1929 musical comedy production On with the Show!. The picture is notable as the first all-talking feature film (using the Vitaphone process) and Warner Bros.' first all-color film (shot in two-color Technicolor). In the early sound film era, he typically played light romantic roles, usually with a comic "Mama's Boy" tone to them-- such as 1931's Indiscreet, which stars Gloria Swanson. He also had a substantial part as the bellhop in the 1937 film Topper.
As Dagwood in Blondie
Arthur Lake is best known for portraying Dagwood Bumstead, the husband of the title character of the Blondie comic strip, in 28[1] Blondie films produced by Columbia Pictures between 1938 and 1950. He was also the voice of Dagwood on the radio series which ran from 1938 to 1950,[1] earning a star for him on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6646 Hollywood Blvd. Many of the actors on the radio show noted Lake's commitment to the program, stating that on the day of the broadcast, Lake was Dagwood Bumstead.
Far from being upset about being typecast, Lake continued to embrace the role of Dagwood in a short-lived 1957 Blondie TV series, then even into the 1960s and beyond; he often gave speeches to Rotary clubs and other civic organizations, eagerly posing for pictures with a Dagwood sandwich.
Filmography
Personal life
Lake became very friendly with newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst and his mistress Marion Davies. He was a frequent guest at the beach house of Davies, where he met Patricia Van Cleeve. They were married at San Simeon in 1937.[2]
The parentage of Patricia Van Cleeve is unclear, but at the time of her death, she is reported to have claimed to be the daughter of Davies and Hearst.[3][4][5][6]
In his book about the Black Dahlia murder case, author Donald H. Wolfe asserts that Arthur Lake was questioned by the Los Angeles Police Department as a suspect, having been acquainted with the victim through her volunteer work at the Hollywood Canteen.[7] No charges were filed and Lake was one of many suspects in a case that remains unsolved.
Lake died of a heart attack in Indian Wells, California, on January 9, 1987, and was interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, in the Douras family mausoleum, along with actress Marion Davies and her husband, Horace G. Brown.[8] Lake's widow Patricia was interred there upon her death in 1993.[9]
References
- ^ a b c d e Lamparski, Richard (1982). Whatever Became Of ...? Eighth Series. New York: Crown Publishers. pp. 166–67. ISBN 0-517-54855-0.
- ^ Parsons, Louella (26 December 1937). "Increase In Music Also Feature Of the Year in Motion Picture World". Milwaulkee Sentinel. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
- ^ Arthur Lake was bequeathed a sizable amount of Marion Davis' estate when she died in 1961. This fueled the rumors of an arranged marriage between Van Cleeve and him, providing a method of inheritance without acknowledging her parentage. Golden, Eve (2001). Golden images (illustrated ed.). McFarland. p. 26. ISBN 9780786408344. Retrieved August 2, 2009.
- ^ Fiore, Faye (October 31, 1993). "Obituary Revives Rumor of Hearst Daughter - Hollywood: Gossips in the 1920s speculated that William Randolph Hearst and mistress Marion Davies had a child. Patricia Lake, long introduced as Davies' niece, asks on death bed that record be set straight". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-07-31.
- ^ Bowen, Jerry (August 25, 2002) [originally aired May 6, 2001]. "Return To Xanadu". cbsnews.com. CBS News. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
- ^ "PATRICIA LAKE, LINKED TO DAVIES AND HEARST". San Jose Mercury News. October 16, 1993. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
- ^ Donald H. Wolfe (2005). The Black Dahlia Files: The Mob, the Mogul, and the Murder that transfixed Los Angeles. ReganBooks. p. 155.
- ^ Douras Mausoleum
- ^ Vogel, Michelle (2005). Children of Hollywood: accounts of growing up as the sons and daughters of stars (illustrated ed.). McFarland. pp. 208–209. ISBN 9780786420469.
External links
- 1905 births
- 1987 deaths
- American male child actors
- American male radio actors
- American male silent film actors
- American male television actors
- American male film actors
- Male actors from California
- People from Greater Los Angeles
- People from Indian Wells, California
- Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
- People from Corbin, Kentucky
- Male actors from Kentucky
- 20th-century American male actors
- Columbia Pictures contract players
- Radio personalities from Kentucky