Roscoe Karns
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Roscoe Karns (September 7, 1891 – February 6, 1970) was an American actor who appeared in nearly 150 films between 1915 and 1964. He specialized in cynical, wise-cracking (and often tipsy) characters, and his rapid-fire delivery enlivened many comedies and crime thrillers in the 1930s and 1940s. Though he appeared in numerous silent films, such as Wings and Beggars of Life, his career didn't really take off until sound arrived. Arguably his best-known film role was the annoying bus passenger Oscar Shapeley, who tries to pick up Claudette Colbert in the Oscar-winning comedy It Happened One Night (1934), quickly followed by one of his best performances as the boozy press agent Owen O'Malley in Howard Hawks' Twentieth Century. (Six years later, he co-starred as one of the reporters in another Hawks classic, His Girl Friday.) In 1937, Paramount teamed him with Lynne Overman as a pair of laconic private eyes in two B comedy-mysteries, Murder Goes to College and Partners in Crime. From 1950 to 1954, Karns played the title role in the popular DuMont Television Network series Rocky King, Inside Detective. His son, character actor Todd Karns, also appeared in that series. From 1959 to 1962, Karns was cast as Admiral Walter Shafer in seventy-three of the ninety-five episodes of the CBS military sitcom/drama series, Hennesey, starring Jackie Cooper in the title role of a United States Navy physician, and Abby Dalton as nurse Martha Hale. His final film was another Hawks comedy, Man's Favorite Sport?, in 1964. Karns was born in San Bernardino, California, and died in Los Angeles. Description above from the Wikipedia article Roscoe Karns, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
Known For
Oscar Shapeley
It Happened One Night
McCue
His Girl Friday
Dal Tucker
The Family Honor
Phil Whittaker
Woman of the Year
Owen O'Malley
Twentieth Century
The Boy in the Rain (uncredited)
The Ten Commandments
Joe Higgins
Petticoat Politics
Tweedledee
Alice in Wonderland
'Mac' McTurk
You Can't Escape Forever
Swatty
Moran of the Marines
Monahan
Footsteps in the Dark
Cuffy
You and Me
Irish McGurn
They Drive by Night
Major Phipps
Man's Favorite Sport?
Lt. Hardy
Devil's Cargo
Jerry Woodward
Her Own Money
Leo
Night After Night
Benny Burnaway
Ten Modern Commandments
Nick Williams
Wings in the Dark
Jeremiah Jenkins
Double Alibi
Tony
A Lady's Profession
Fred Geer
Laughing Sinners
Johnson
Four Hours to Kill!
Hubert
Other Men's Daughters
Private O'Brien
If I Had a Million
McGinnis
Today We Live
Harry Bertrand
This Thing Called Love
Carey
Alibi Ike
Snappy Downer
One Sunday Afternoon
Willie Sands
Saturday's Children
Toots O'Grady
Front Page Woman
Johnny Dolan
New York Nights
Jim Davis
Week-End Marriage
Johnny Norton II
Win That Girl
Cassidy
A Tragedy at Midnight
Red Kelly
Avalanche
Eustace Peabody
The Inside Story
Mal Stamp
That's Right – You're Wrong
Reilly
Cain and Mabel
Segall, reporter
Two Against the World
Bertram Shapiro
Safety in Numbers
Big-Time Morgan
My Son, The Hero
George Kent
Thanks for the Memory
Arnie
Pleasure
Sailor Burke
Shoot the Works
Kangaroo
Speed to Spare
Shorty
Riding High
Chick Moran
Two-Fisted
Man in court room (uncredited)
The Woman in Red
Joe Flynn
On Such a Night
Sergeant Heath
Night of Mystery
Pete Larrabee
Ladies Must Live
Peter Cary
Three Married Men
Officer Carmody
Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven
Tom Benson aka Tommy Logan
Tip-Off Girls
Monk
I Sell Anything
Sim Perkins
Partners in Crime
Bugs
Troopers Three
Merritt - Reporter (uncredited)
Lawyer Man
Harry Carter
The Crooked Circle
Dance Director
The Shopworn Angel
Toby Gleeton
That's My Man
Sim Perkins
Murder Goes to College
Rip Harrigan
King of Chinatown
Duncan
Dangerous to Know
Hobie Simmons
One Way to Love
Scott
Man Trouble
Aloysius Lester
The Women in His Life
S.S. Maloa Bartender (uncredited)
One Way Passage
Bill Delaney
Vigilantes of Boomtown
City Editor John Mack
Copy
Archie
Hi, Good Lookin'!
Bud Keene
Red Hot Tires
Shipwrecked Radio Operator (uncredited)
The Flying Fleet
Simmons
The Gorilla
Sam Perkins
The Life of the Party
Charlie Archer
Old Acquaintance
Joe Drews
Dancing Co-Ed
Stubby
I Ring Doorbells
Sock McGuire
Dirigible
Felix Miller
Everything's on Ice
Dannie
Under-Cover Man
Arthur Dixon / Jerry Dixon
The Gay Vagabond
Al Devers
Yokel Boy
Agent (uncredited)
The Jazz Singer
Man on Ship (uncredited)
The Trail of '98
Dale
The Roadhouse Murder
Party Guest (uncredited)
You'd Be Surprised
Mopsy
Woman Trap
Clarence Smith
Clarence
Roscoe Karns
Stage Door Canteen
Lasses White
Minstrel Man
Frankie Gimble
The Navy Way
Charley Grady
Road to Happiness
Lieutenant Cameron
Wings
Frank - Twenty Questions player (uncredited)
Ladies of the Big House
'Windy' Woods
Onionhead
Blooey
Gambling Ship
Brad - Rehearsal Director (uncredited)
They Call It Sin
Insp. Redding
Stowaway
Sol Levy
Jazz Mad
Contest Radio Announcer
Grand Slam
Gambler (uncredited)
Play Girl
Ray Hearn
The Vanishing Pioneer
Spud McGurke
Come On, Marines!
Fields
His Butler's Sister
Calico Smith
Border Flight
Alfred Harmon
Black Eyes and Blues
Henry Warren
Half Shot at Sunrise
Gilbert
Little Accident
Joe Higgins
Meet the Missus
'Scoop'
Left Over Ladies
Hippo
Warming Up
Blair
The Costello Case
Buddy
Beau Sabreur
Switch Hogan
The Midnight Express
Austin Brown
Scandal Street
Pvt. Terry
The Desert Bride
The Trouper
Lame Hoppy
Beggars of Life
Stan Price
Many a Slip
The Sheriff
A Western Governor's Humanity
A Species of Mexican Man
The Girl's Father
From Champion to Tramp
Mr. Carlson of Arizona
George
Something Always Happens
Henry
Poor Relations
Patrick Henry Madden
The Overland Limited
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
128
Gender
Male
Birthday
1891-09-06
Place of Birth
San Bernardino, California, USA
Also Known As
Roscoe Karnes