Chester Lauck
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Chester "Chet" Lauck (February 9, 1902 – February 21, 1980) was a comic actor who played the character of Lum Edwards on the classic American radio comedy Lum and Abner. Chester Lauck was born in Alleene, Arkansas and raised in Mena, Arkansas. He graduated from Mena High School in 1920. In Mena, Chet met his future comedy partner Norris Goff. Though both began as blackface comics, they soon found success on local station KTHS with a recurring hillbilly skit, leading to a network series, recorded in Chicago, Illinois, in 1931. In addition to starring as storekeeper Lum (full name Columbus Edwards, with surname usually pronounced "Eddards"), Lauck also played several other recurring characters, including Cedric Weehunt, Grandpappy Spears, and Snake Hogan. He reprised his radio role, opposite Goff, in seven motion pictures between 1940 and 1956. Lauck adopted grey hair and a moustache on-camera, to better match the picture most audiences would have of his radio character. In his later years, Lauck recorded new introductions for commercial cassette releases of the series and for syndication. For a brief time during the 1950s he bought and upgraded a ranch fifteen miles west of Las Vegas, later bought by Howard Hughes. It was turned into Spring Mountain Ranch State Park. On August 27, 1957, he appeared as a guest challenger on To Tell the Truth. He died on February 21, 1980, aged 78, and was buried in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Chester Lauck is a member of the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame.
The Bashful Bachelor
as Lum EdwardsLum Edwards is annoyed with his partner in Pine Ridge's Jot-'em-Down general store, Abner...
Movie pageDreaming Out Loud
as Lum EdwardsLum and Abner work at a general store in Arkansas. There they get involved in some misadventures...
Movie pageTwo Weeks to Live
as Lum EdwardsWhen Abner is mistakenly diagnosed as having only two weeks to live, his partner gets the idea...
Movie pageSo This Is Washington
as Lum EdwardsLum and Abner go to Washington to aid in the war effort by giving the government what they think...
Movie pagePartners in Time
as Lum EdwardsSquire Skimp has a new plan to swindle the people of Pine Ridge. However, Lum has something more...
Movie pageGoin' to Town
as Lum EdwardsGeneral store owners, through a series of contrivances, end up on the better side of a practical...
Movie pageLum and Abner Abroad
as Lum EdwardsThe "boys" from Pine Ridge visit Europe and try to help a Yugoslavian ballerina find her...
Movie pageHedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 5
as SelfFifth film in the Hedda Hopper documentary series.
Movie page