Cast
Jack Norton
Acting
Cast
Jack Norton
Known for
Acting
Born
1889-09-01
From
Brooklyn, New York, USA
Died
1958-10-15
Also known as Mortimer John Naughton
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jack Norton (September 2, 1882 – October 15, 1958) was an American stage and film character actor who appeared in 184 films between 1934 and 1948, often playing drunks, although in real life he was a teetotaler. Career Jack Norton was born in Brooklyn, New York on September 2, 1882. In his early career he had a vaudeville comedy act with his wife Lillian Healy. Norton made his Broadway debut in 1925 in that year's edition of Earl Carroll's Vanities, and also appeared in Florida Girl, which was produced and staged by Carroll. Norton's first film work was for a musical short, School for Romance, in 1934, in which a young Betty Grable appeared, but his scenes were deleted. His work survived to reach the screen in his next assignment, The Super Snooper, a comedy short, and in his third film, his first full-length movie, Finishing School, which featured Frances Dee, Billie Burke, Ginger Rogers and Bruce Cabot, Norton played a drunk, setting the pattern for many of his future performances. Although he also played stone sober characters as well, he was best known for his inebriated characterizations, and he improved his work by following genuine drunks around, picking up behavioral tips. Norton worked continuously and consistently, sometimes appearing in as many as 20 films in one year, although many of his performances went uncredited. One of the few times he was credited as part of the main cast was in 1945 for the film A Guy, a Gal and a Pal In the 1940s, Norton was part of Preston Sturges' unofficial "stock company" of character actors, appearing in five films written and directed by Sturges. He is perhaps best known to modern audiences as A. Pismo Clam, the drunken film director whom W.C. Fields is hired to replace in The Bank Dick (1940). In 1947, Norton retired from films due to illness, his last appearance being in Alias a Gentlemen, which was released in 1948, although he did make some live television appearances in the early 1950s. Jack Norton's final appearance would have been in the 1956 episode of The Honeymooners entitled "Unconventional Behavior", but age and infirmity had so overwhelmed him that he was literally written out of the show as it was being filmed, though Jackie Gleason saw to it that Norton was paid fully for the performance he was ready, willing, but unable to give. Norton died on October 15, 1958 in Saranac Lake, New York at the age of 76. He is buried in Sacred Hearts Cemetery in Southampton, New York on Long Island.
★5.8
MOVIE1934
Cockeyed Cavaliers
as King's Physician
★6.5
MOVIE1940
The Ghost Breakers
as Drunk (uncredited)
★6.7
MOVIE1944
Going My Way
as Mr. Lilly (uncredited)
★7.0
MOVIE1938
Jezebel
as Drunk (uncredited)
★7.5
MOVIE1939
The Roaring Twenties
as Drunk at Henderson Club (uncredited)
MOVIE1976
Bob Hope's World of Comedy
as Self - Tribute Montage (archive footage)
★6.4
MOVIE1944
The Story of Dr. Wassell
as 'Janssen' Passenger (uncredited)
★6.7
MOVIE1945
The Naughty Nineties
as Drunk at the Gilded Cage (uncredited)
★5.2
MOVIE1940
The Villain Still Pursued Her
as Drunk
★6.5
MOVIE1947
Variety Girl
as Busboy at Brown Derby
★6.2
MOVIE1942
The Spoilers
as Mr. Skinner
★6.7
MOVIE1935
The Gilded Lily
as Photographer (uncredited)
★6.5
MOVIE1938
Love Is a Headache
as Bartender (uncredited)
★7.1
MOVIE1944
Hail the Conquering Hero
as Second Bandleader (uncredited)
★5.5
MOVIE1945
Flame of Barbary Coast
as Byline Conners, Reporter San Francisco Star
★7.0
MOVIE1942
The Palm Beach Story
as Second Member Ale and Quail Club
★8.0
MOVIE1945
Captain Tugboat Annie
as Shiftless
★6.5
MOVIE1944
Charlie Chan in The Chinese Cat
as Hotel Desk Clerk
★5.8
MOVIE1944
Once Upon a Time
as Man In Barber Chair (uncredited)
★6.0
MOVIE1937
Time Out for Romance
as Crapshooter
★6.5
MOVIE1940
The Bank Dick
as A. Pismo Clam
★6.6
MOVIE1937
Marked Woman
as Drunk
★5.9
MOVIE1946
Rhythm and Weep
as Mr. Walsh
★6.2
MOVIE1934
Finishing School
as Drunk (uncredited)
★6.6
MOVIE1939
The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt
as Charlie Fenton - the Party Drunk (uncredited)
★6.2
MOVIE1943
Thank Your Lucky Stars
as Customer in Bette Davis Number (uncredited)
★6.6
MOVIE1941
Pacific Blackout
as Drunk
★3.0
MOVIE1953
I Was a Burlesque Queen
as Jim Benson
★6.9
MOVIE1944
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek
as Country Club Man Ordering Champagne (uncredited)
★6.3
MOVIE1938
Arsène Lupin Returns
as Hotel Manager (uncredited)
★6.1
MOVIE1944
The Big Noise
as Drunk on Train
★7.2
MOVIE1964
The Big Parade of Comedy
as Actor in 'The Girl from Missouri' (archive footage) (uncredited)
★6.0
MOVIE1944
Make Your Own Bed
as Drunk
★6.4
MOVIE1947
The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
as James R. Smoke
★5.6
MOVIE1941
No Hands on the Clock
as Bartender at The Nugget Room
★5.0
MOVIE1939
Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President
as Parker
★5.6
MOVIE1943
The Falcon Strikes Back
as Second Hobo (uncredited)
★6.0
MOVIE1943
So's Your Uncle
as Drunk
★5.6
MOVIE1940
City of Chance
as Mr. Murphy
★5.7
MOVIE1942
My Favorite Spy
as Orchid Room Drunk
★5.0
MOVIE1938
Meet the Girls
as Fletcher
★6.0
MOVIE1943
The Kansan
as Saloon Drunk
★6.5
MOVIE1943
It Ain't Hay
as Drunk (uncredited)
★6.2
MOVIE1945
Hold That Blonde!
as Drunk (uncredited)
★6.0
MOVIE1943
Crazy House
as Drunk
★6.2
MOVIE1935
One More Spring
as Drunk
★5.5
MOVIE1942
Dr. Renault's Secret
as Mr. Austin
★7.0
MOVIE1940
Opened by Mistake
as Al, the Bartender
★6.0
MOVIE1938
Everybody's Doing It
as Harry The Drunk
★6.7
MOVIE1942
Brooklyn Orchid
as Jonathan McFeeder
★5.8
MOVIE1949
Malice in the Palace
as Emir of Schmoe (uncredited)
★7.3
MOVIE1942
The Fleet's In
as Kellogg
★6.3
MOVIE1937
My Dear Miss Aldrich
as First Drunk at Red Apple Inn (uncredited)
★6.2
MOVIE1946
Shadows Over Chinatown
as Cosgrove
★6.7
MOVIE1941
Louisiana Purchase
as Jester
★10.0
MOVIE1936
Down the Ribber
★5.8
MOVIE1938
Thanks for the Memory
as Bert Monroe
★7.0
MOVIE1935
His Night Out
as Dr. Singer
★6.0
MOVIE1935
Calling All Cars
as Duke Costello
★8.0
MOVIE1934
The Super Snooper
★5.9
MOVIE1946
Nocturne
as Charlie (uncredited)
★4.6
MOVIE1940
The Way of All Flesh
as Barber
★6.3
MOVIE1945
Two O'Clock Courage
as Drunk at Blue Room Bar (uncredited)
★5.0
MOVIE1945
Fashion Model
as Herbert
★5.2
MOVIE1941
Ride on Vaquero
★9.0
MOVIE1945
A Guy, a Gal and a Pal
as Norton
★6.6
MOVIE1935
Dr. Socrates
as Drunk in Park
★5.8
MOVIE1936
The Preview Murder Mystery
as Comedy Director (Uncredited)
★6.0
MOVIE1942
Dr. Broadway
as Drunk (uncredited)
★5.8
MOVIE1935
Don't Bet on Blondes
as J. Mortimer 'Mousy' Slade
★6.9
MOVIE1945
Strange Confession
as Jack
★6.3
MOVIE1934
Woman Haters
as Justice of the Peace (uncredited)
★6.7
MOVIE1935
Page Miss Glory
as Reporter (uncredited)
★6.2
MOVIE1939
Society Smugglers
as Prentis
★8.0
MOVIE1935
Stolen Harmony
as Phillips (uncredited)
★5.3
MOVIE1940
The Farmer's Daughter
as Shimmy Conway
★4.8
MOVIE1939
News Is Made at Night
as Drunk
★5.5
MOVIE1936
Forgotten Faces
as Drunk
★6.0
MOVIE1935
Broadway Gondolier
as Man on Ship with Pipe
★6.3
MOVIE1937
The Women Men Marry
as Wilhelm Peebles (uncredited)
★6.0
MOVIE1945
The Scarlet Clue
as Willie Rand
★7.0
MOVIE1938
Hold That Kiss
as Mallory
★3.0
MOVIE1934
Counsel on De Fence
★6.5
MOVIE1935
Going Highbrow
as Sinclair
★5.6
MOVIE1945
Man Alive
as William T. Lafferty
★4.2
MOVIE1943
Taxi, Mister
as Reginald Van Nostrum - the Drunk
★4.5
MOVIE1940
A Night at Earl Carroll's
as Alonzo Smith
★8.0
MOVIE1943
Prairie Chickens
as Henry Lewis-Clark III
★7.0
MOVIE1939
Grand Jury Secrets
as Doyle
★8.0
MOVIE1936
Who's Looney Now
as Herbert Brown
★6.8
MOVIE1935
Sweet Music
as Drunk (uncredited)
★9.0
MOVIE1942
Moonlight in Havana
as George
★6.5
MOVIE1937
Meet the Missus
as Mr. Norton
★9.0
MOVIE1934
One Too Many
★8.0
MOVIE1935
Ship Cafe
as Mr. Randall (uncredited)
★6.0
MOVIE1941
Let's Make Music
as Drunk
★8.0
MOVIE1947
Hired Husband
as Mr. Drinkwater
★6.7
MOVIE1938
The Awful Tooth
as Dr. Schultz
★6.7
MOVIE1947
Linda, Be Good
as Jim Benson
MOVIE1935
Foolish Hearts
as Jimmy
★9.0
MOVIE1934
Fixing a Stew
as Pete