Chester Lauck

Born: 1902-02-09

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.


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The Bashful Bachelor

as Lum Edwards
Released: 1942-03-19

Lum Edwards is annoyed with his partner in Pine Ridge's Jot-'em-Down general store, Abner...

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Dreaming Out Loud

as Lum Edwards
Released: 1940-09-30

Lum and Abner work at a general store in Arkansas. There they get involved in some misadventures...

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Two Weeks to Live

as Lum Edwards
Released: 1943-02-26

When Abner is mistakenly diagnosed as having only two weeks to live, his partner gets the idea...

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So This Is Washington

as Lum Edwards
Released: 1943-08-01

Lum and Abner go to Washington to aid in the war effort by giving the government what they think...

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Partners in Time

as Lum Edwards
Released: 1946-04-04

Squire Skimp has a new plan to swindle the people of Pine Ridge. However, Lum has something more...

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Goin' to Town

as Lum Edwards
Released: 1944-09-01

General store owners, through a series of contrivances, end up on the better side of a practical...

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Lum and Abner Abroad

as Lum Edwards
Released: 1956-02-04

The "boys" from Pine Ridge visit Europe and try to help a Yugoslavian ballerina find her...

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Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 5

as Self
Released: 1942-01-01

Fifth film in the Hedda Hopper documentary series.

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