Walter Catlett
(1889 - 1960)Being an avid movie lover, I really do appreciate the work of great character actors and I'm constantly discovering "new" ones. At least to me these veteran actors are a new discovery. Walter Catlett is my latest discovery. He was born February 4, 1889 in San Francisco, California and was educated at St. Ignatius College. He began his acting career in vaudeville and on the stage. He even did a stint in opera. He entered film in the mid-twenties and became a brilliant supporting player. His trademarks were his owlish looking spectacles and a voice that was a cross between a yodel and a smooth gargle. He often played the befuddled, fidgety, fussy type who'd go to pieces at the first sign of a crisis. I discovered him while watching "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" (1936), as Morrow, recently. He stood out in a very small role. Among his credits are: "Second Youth" (1924) his film debut, a silent; "The Big Party" (1930) as Mr. Goldfarb; "The Front Page" (1931) as Murphy; "Platinum Blonde" (1931) as Bingy Baker; "Back Street" (1932) as Bakeless; "Mama Loves Papa" (1933) as Tom Walker; "Lightning Strikes Twice" (1934) as Gus; "The Affair of Susan" (1935) as Gilbert; "A Tale of Two Cities" (1935) as Barsad; "Follow Your Heart" (1936) as Sheldon; "Cain and Mabel" (1936) as Jacob 'Jake' Sherman; "Banjo on My Knee" (1936) as Warfield Scott; "On the Avenue" (1937) as Jake Dibble; "Bringing Up Baby" (1938) as Constable Slocum, the jailer who locks up the whole cast in jail; "Going Places" (1938) as Franklin Dexter; "Zaza" (1939) as Marlardot; "Li'l Abner" (1940) as Barber; Disney's "Pinocchio" (1940) as the voice of J. Worthington Foulfellow; "Comin' Round the Mountain" (1940) as W.P.A. Clerk; "You're Next" (1940) as Slocum; "Horror Island" (1941) as Sgt. McGoon; "Million Dollar Baby" (1941) as Mr. Simpson; "Wild Bill Hickok Rides" (1941) as Sylvester W. Twigg; "Yankee Doodle Dandy" (1942) as Show Manager; “My Gal Sal” (1942) as Col. Truckee; "Heart of the Golden West" (1942) as Col. Silas Poppen; "They Got Me Covered" (1943) as Hotel Manager; "Up in Arms" (1944) as Maj. Brock; "Riverboat Rhythm" (1946) as Mr. Witherspoon; "The Boy With Green Hair" (1948) as The King; "The Inspector General" (1949) with Danny Kaye, as Col. Castine; "Here Comes the Groom" (1951) as Mr. McGonigle; "Davy Crockett and the River Pirates" (1956) as Col. Plug; "Friendly Persuasion" (1956) as Prof. Waldo Quigley; "The Gay Nineties" (1956) and "Beau James" (1957) with Bob Hope, as Al Smith, his final film. He was married three times. Zanetta Watrous his first wife died and he married Ruth Verney. They had one child but were later divorced. His third wife was Kathlene Martyn. He died on November 14, 1960 of a stroke in Woodland Hills, California.
From Great Character Actors, Page 1.
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