CINEFILER

Frank Orth

Born
February 20, 1880
Died
March 17, 1962
Frank Orth was an American actor born in Philadelphia. He is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series “Boston Blackie”. By 1897, Orth was performing in vaudeville with his wife, Ann Codee, in an act called “Codee and Orth.” In 1909, he expanded into song writing, with songs such as “The Phone Bell Rang” and “Meet Me on the Boardwalk, Dearie.” His first contact with motion pictures was in 1928, when he was part of the first foreign-language shorts in sound produced by Warner Bros. He and his wife also appeared together in a series of two-reel comedies in the early 1930s. Orth's first major screen credit was in “Prairie Thunder,” a Dick Foran western, in 1937. From then on, he was often cast as bartenders, pharmacists, and grocery clerks, and always distinctly Irish. He had a recurring role in the Dr. Kildare series of films and also in the Nancy Drew series as the befuddled Officer Tweedy. Among his better roles were the newspaper man Cary Grant telephones early in “His Girl Friday,” one of the quartet singing “Gary Owen” in “They Died with Their Boots On” (thereby giving Errol Flynn as Gen. Custer the idea of associating the tune with the 7th Cavalry), and as the little man carrying the sign reading “The End Is Near” throughout Colonel Effingham's Raid. However, Orth is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series “Boston Blackie.” A short, plump, round-faced man, often smoking a cigar, Orth as Faraday wore his own dark-rimmed spectacles, though rarely in feature films. In 1959, Orth retired from show business after throat surgery. His wife died in 1961 after around fifty years of marriage. Orth died on March 17, 1962. He is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills next to his wife.
Known For
They Died with Their Boots On
(1941)
Barfly (uncredited)
The Great Rupert
(1950)
Mr. Frank Dingle
The Ox-Bow Incident
(1943)
Larry Kinkaid (uncredited)
The Big Clock
(1948)
Burt
The Lost Weekend
(1945)
Opera Cloak Room Attendant
Sergeant York
(1941)
Drummer (uncredited)
Father of the Bride
(1950)
Joe
His Girl Friday
(1940)
Duffy
Gold Rush Maisie
(1940)
Harris
Cheaper by the Dozen
(1950)
Higgins (uncredited)
Tales of Manhattan
(1942)
Secondhand Clothes Dealer (Rogers sequence)
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
(1946)
Hotel Clerk
Lady in the Lake
(1946)
Floyd Greer (Uncredited)
Michael Shayne: Private Detective
(1940)
Steve
Orchestra Wives
(1942)
Rex Willet
Boom Town
(1940)
Barber
Full Filmography
Acting
A Bird in the Hand
(1929)
Taking Ways
(1930)
The Payoff
(1935)
Porter (uncredited)
Unwelcome Stranger
(1935)
Jackson
Polo Joe
(1936)
Bert
Two Against the World
(1936)
Tommy - Bartender
Hot Money
(1936)
Hank Ford
Marry the Girl
(1937)
Bar owner
Land Beyond the Law
(1937)
Shorty Long
Ever Since Eve
(1937)
Cocktail Waiter (uncredited)
The Footloose Heiress
(1937)
Justice Abner Cuttler
The Devil's Saddle Legion
(1937)
Judge Barko
Prairie Thunder
(1937)
Wichita
Talent Scout
(1937)
Burlesque Theatre Manager (uncredited)
San Quentin
(1937)
Convict in Bunkhouse (uncredited)
Missing Witnesses
(1937)
Gordon (uncredited)
Nancy Drew… Detective
(1938)
Captain Tweedy
Think It Over
(1938)
Brown, Clothing Store Owner
Mr. Chump
(1938)
Sheriff Frank Hinton
The Patient in Room 18
(1938)
Joe Higgins - Night Watchman
Young Dr. Kildare
(1938)
Mike Ryan (uncredited)
Torchy Blane in Panama
(1938)
First Leopard (uncredited)
Comet Over Broadway
(1938)
Cab Driver (uncredited)
Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase
(1939)
Captain Tweedy
Broadway Serenade
(1939)
Mr. Fellows
Fast and Furious
(1939)
Joe Burke
Burn 'Em Up O'Connor
(1939)
Tim McKelvy
Tell No Tales
(1939)
Vic - Bartender (uncredited)
At the Circus
(1939)
Chef in Diner (uncredited)
Idiot's Delight
(1939)
Benny Zinsser
Fast and Loose
(1939)
Detective Hendricks
Within the Law
(1939)
Jim Jenks
Calling Dr. Kildare
(1939)
Mike Sullivan - Hospital Cafe Owner (uncredited)
Young Mr. Lincoln
(1939)
Loafer (uncredited)
Thunder Afloat
(1939)
Old Sailor in Bilge Area (uncredited)
Stanley and Livingstone
(1939)
Newspaperman with Pills
Dust Be My Destiny
(1939)
Wedding Witness on Stage (uncredited)
The Secret of Dr. Kildare
(1939)
Mike Sullivan
Nancy Drew... Reporter
(1939)
Captain Tweedy (uncredited)
His Girl Friday
(1940)
Duffy
Pier 13
(1940)
Dead Pan Charlie
Michael Shayne: Private Detective
(1940)
Steve
Boom Town
(1940)
Barber
You, the People
(1940)
Soda Jerk
Brother Orchid
(1940)
Waiter at Fat Dutchy's (uncredited)
Gallant Sons
(1940)
Newspaper Foreman (uncredited)
The Doctor Takes a Wife
(1940)
New York Editor
'Til We Meet Again
(1940)
Hong Kong Bartender (uncredited)
Father Is A Prince
(1940)
Drugstore Proprieter
Florian
(1940)
Detective
Dr. Kildare's Crisis
(1940)
Mike Ryan, Cafe Owner
Dr. Kildare Goes Home
(1940)
Mike Ryan (uncredited)
Dr. Kildare's Strange Case
(1940)
Mike Ryan, Sullivan's Hospital Cafe
La Conga Nights
(1940)
Dennis O'Brien
Mexican Spitfire Out West
(1940)
Window Washer
Buyer Beware
(1940)
Smith (uncredited)
Know Your Money
(1940)
Tobacconist (uncredited)
Gold Rush Maisie
(1940)
Harris
I Wake Up Screaming
(1941)
Cemetery Caretaker
Come Live with Me
(1941)
Jerry
Ride on Vaquero
(1941)
Auctioneer
Sergeant York
(1941)
Drummer (uncredited)
Respect the Law
(1941)
Peter Brennan
They Died with Their Boots On
(1941)
Barfly (uncredited)
Broadway Limited
(1941)
Lou, Cafe Proprietor
The People Vs. Dr. Kildare
(1941)
Mike Ryan
Footlight Serenade
(1942)
Mike
Henry and Dizzy
(1942)
Joe McGuire
Blue, White, and Perfect
(1942)
Mr. Toby
Over My Dead Body
(1942)
Detective
Orchestra Wives
(1942)
Rex Willet
Dr. Kildare's Victory
(1942)
Mike Ryan
My Gal Sal
(1942)
McGuiness
Roxie Hart
(1942)
Bar Client #2 (uncredited)
Rings on Her Fingers
(1942)
Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant
(1942)
Mike Ryan
The Magnificent Dope
(1942)
Messenger
Tales of Manhattan
(1942)
Secondhand Clothes Dealer (Rogers sequence)
Springtime in the Rockies
(1942)
Bickel (uncredited)
The Ox-Bow Incident
(1943)
Larry Kinkaid (uncredited)
Coney Island
(1943)
Bartender
Hello, Frisco, Hello
(1943)
Lou, Bartender at Sharkey's
The Meanest Man in the World
(1943)
Bartender
Sweet Rosie O'Grady
(1943)
Taxi Driver
The Impatient Years
(1944)
Counterman
Summer Storm
(1944)
Cafe Maitre d' at End (uncredited)
Roger Touhy, Gangster
(1944)
. Comic in Theater (uncredited)
Storm Over Lisbon
(1944)
Murgatroyd
Wilson
(1944)
Smith (uncredited)
Greenwich Village
(1944)
Ordway
The Lost Weekend
(1945)
Opera Cloak Room Attendant
Pillow to Post
(1945)
Clayfield Taxi Driver
Doll Face
(1945)
Peters
Tell It to a Star
(1945)
Augustus T. Goodman
She Went to the Races
(1945)
Skelly
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
(1946)
Hotel Clerk
Wake Up and Dream
(1946)
Milkman
The Hoodlum Saint
(1946)
Chronicle Editor (uncredited)
The Bride Wore Boots
(1946)
Judge
Murder in the Music Hall
(1946)
Henderson
It's Great to Be Young
(1946)
Franklin Johnson
Lady in the Lake
(1946)
Floyd Greer (Uncredited)
The Guilt of Janet Ames
(1947)
Danny
It Had to Be You
(1947)
Train Conductor
Born to Speed
(1947)
Breezy Bradley
Heartaches
(1947)
Mike Connelly, Vic's Agent
The Gas House Kids in Hollywood
(1947)
Police Captain
Blondie's Secret
(1948)
Mr. Philpotts
The Big Clock
(1948)
Burt
The Girl from Manhattan
(1948)
Oscar Newsome
Red Light
(1949)
Wallace 'Wally' Stoner
Bride for Sale
(1949)
Police Sergeant
Father of the Bride
(1950)
Joe
The Great Rupert
(1950)
Mr. Frank Dingle
The Petty Girl
(1950)
Moody (process server)
Cheaper by the Dozen
(1950)
Higgins (uncredited)
Double Dynamite
(1951)
Mr. Kofer
Something to Live For
(1952)
Waiter (uncredited)
Houdini
(1953)
Mr. Hunter
Here Come the Girls
(1953)
Mr. Hungerford
Sound
Data provided by TMDB