Jack Carson

An affable second banana in numerous screen comedies throughout the 1940s and 1950s, Jack Carson's comic talent was featured in such memorable films as "The Strawberry Blonde" (1941) and "Arsenic and Old Lace" (1944), as well as a slew of musical comedies in which he was partnered with the equally likable Dennis Morgan. Tall, burly and blessed with a flexible face that won over moviegoers by curling into broad expressions of total disbelief, Carson began in vaudeville and radio before moving into features in the late '30s. He remained a popular comic performer well into the 1950s, but also displayed a talent for drama, most notably in "Mildred Pierce" (1945) and as the venomous publicist in "A Star is Born" (1954). In the 1950s, he segued smoothly into television, where he worked at a breathless pace as a guest performer and host on countless variety shows, including his own, "The Jack Carson Show" (NBC, 1954-55). In 1962, Carson collapsed during rehearsal for a Broadway play; the cause was stomach cancer, which would claim his life the following year on the same day as actor Dick Powell. Jack Carson left behind a diverse body of character work that continued to inspire laughs decades after his passing.