Franklin Pangborn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Franklin Pangborn (January 23, 1889 – July 20, 1958) was an American comedic character actor famous for playing small but memorable roles with comic flair. He appeared in scores of feature films playing essentially the same character: prissy, polite, elegant, highly energetic, often officious, fastidious, somewhat nervous, prone to becoming flustered but essentially upbeat, and with immediately recognizable high-speed, patter-type speech. He typically played an officious desk clerk in a hotel, a self-important musician, a fastidious headwaiter, an enthusiastic birdwatcher, and the like, and was usually put in a situation of frustration or flustered by the antics of others. Pangborn was an effective foil for many major comedians.
Now, Voyager
as Mr. ThompsonA woman suffers a nervous breakdown and an oppressive mother before being freed by the love of a...
Movie pageA Star Is Born
as Billy Moon (uncredited)Esther Blodgett is just another starry-eyed farm kid trying to break into the movies....
Movie pageSullivan's Travels
as Mr. CasalsisSuccessful movie director John L. Sullivan, convinced he won't be able to film his ambitious...
Movie pageMr. Deeds Goes to Town
as The Tailor (uncredited)Longfellow Deeds lives in a small town, leading a small town kind of life. When a relative dies...
Movie pageChristmas in July
as Radio AnnouncerAn office clerk loves entering contests in the hopes of someday winning a fortune and marrying...
Movie pageImitation of Life
as Mr. Carven (uncredited)A struggling widow and her daughter take in a black housekeeper and her fair-skinned daughter....
Movie pageDesign for Living
as Mr. DouglasAn independent woman can't choose between the two men she loves.
Movie pageMy Man Godfrey
as Guthrie (uncredited)Fifth Avenue socialite Irene Bullock needs a "forgotten man" to win a scavenger hunt, and no one...
Movie pageThe Palm Beach Story
as ManagerA New York inventor, Tom Jeffers, needs cash to develop his big idea, so his adoring wife,...
Movie pageFlying Down to Rio
as Hammerstein (uncredited)A dance band leader finds love and success in Brazil.
Movie pageA Girl, a Guy, and a Gob
as Pet Shop OwnerSteve is a shy quiet man who is an executive for a shipping firm. He meets Dot at the Opera...
Movie pageVivacious Lady
as Apartment ManagerCollege town life gets turned upside down after a button-down botany professor secretly weds a...
Movie pageThe Bank Dick
as J. Pinkerton SnoopingtonEgbert Sousé becomes an unexpected hero when a bank robber falls over a bench he's occupying....
Movie pageCarefree
as Roland HunterDr. Tony Flagg's friend Steven has problems in the relationship with his fiancée Amanda, so he...
Movie pageStage Door
as HarcourtThe ups and downs in the lives and careers of a group of ambitious young actresses and show...
Movie pageTwo Guys from Milwaukee
as Theatre ManagerBalkan Prince Henry has two wishes, to meet Lauren Bacall and see the "real" America. He...
Movie pageBluebeard's Eighth Wife
as Assistant Hotel ManagerAmerican multi-millionaire Michael Brandon marries his eighth wife, Nicole, the daughter of a...
Movie pageThe Sin of Harold Diddlebock
as Formfit FranklinTwenty-three years after scoring the winning touchdown for his college football team...
Movie pageOnly Yesterday
as Tom (Uncredited)On the back of the Wall Street Crash of 1929, a young business man is about to commit suicide....
Movie pageSweepings
as Photographer (Uncredited)Daniel Pardway, starting with almost nothing after the great Chicago fire, builds the biggest...
Movie pageMenu
as John Xavier Omsk (uncredited)A chef helps a housewife cook a duck dinner that will not give her husband indigestion.
Movie pageThe Half-Naked Truth
as Hotel ClerkA carnival pitchman (Tracy) finagles his girlfriend, a fiery hoochie dancer (Vélez), into a...
Movie pageHail the Conquering Hero
as Reception Committee ChairmanHaving been discharged from the Marines for a hayfever condition before ever seeing action,...
Movie pageTurnabout
as Mr. PingboomBickering husband and wife Tim and Sally Willows mutter a few angry words to a statue of Buddha...
Movie pageRomance on the High Seas
as Rio Hotel ClerkGeorgia Garrett is sent by jealous wife Elvira Kent on an ocean cruise to masquerade as herself...
Movie pageI'll Take Romance
as Kane's SecretaryTheater manager James Guthrie's (Melvyn Douglas) career depends on famed soprano Elsa Terry...
Movie pageThe Flame of New Orleans
as BellowsIn old New Orleans, a beautiful adventuress juggles the attentions of a rich banker and a...
Movie pageInternational House
as Hotel ManagerForeign investors converge on a luxury hotel in China to bid on a new kind of radioscope. But,...
Movie pageCollege Rhythm
as PeabodyThe story deals with the college rivalry of a piccolo player and an All-American halfback on the...
Movie pageAll Over Town
as The CostumerTwo vaudevillian comedians try to stage a show in a theatre that has a reputation for being...
Movie pageEasy Living
as Van BurenJ.B. Ball, a rich financier, gets fed up with his free-spending family. He takes his wife's...
Movie pageNot So Dumb
as LeachNot-so-smart chatterbox Dulcy Parker does and says all the wrong things, but they right...
Movie pageTopper Takes a Trip
as Louis - Hotel ManagerMrs. Topper's friend Mrs. Parkhurst has convinced Mrs Topper to file for a divorce from Cosmo...
Movie pageStrictly Dynamite
as Mr. BaileyA failed poet ends up becoming a gag writer for a bombastic comedian.
Movie pageMr. District Attorney in the Carter Case
as Charley TowneLike the first entry, this one is played mostly for laughs, with Radio's Mister District...
Movie pageThe Headline Woman
as HamiltonWhen the daughter of a newspaper publisher is falsely charged with murder, a reporter on her...
Movie pageHollywood Victory Caravan
as Railroad AgentA girl is desperate to get to Washington D.C. to be with her lonesome brother, a wounded G.I....
Movie pageThree Blind Mice
as ClerkThree sisters take their small inheritance and move from Kansas to California in search of rich...
Movie pageSing, Bing, Sing
as HerbertAfter singing over the radio, Bing Crosby transmits a signal to elope to his sweeheart Helen;...
Movie pageLady of the Pavements
as M'sieu Dubrey, Dance MasterKarl, a German diplomat in Paris, discovers that his fiancee, Diane, has been cheating on him....
Movie pageA Woman of Experience
as HansIt is 1915 in Vienna and the Great War has caused many casualties. Elsa, a beautiful prostitute,...
Movie pageSwing High, Swing Low
as HenriIn Panama, Maggie King meets soldier Skid Johnson on his last day in the army and reluctantly...
Movie pageMy Dream Is Yours
as Sourpuss ManagerConceited singer Garry Mitchell refuses to renew his radio contract, so agent Doug Blake decides...
Movie pageGive Us This Night
as Forcellini's SecretaryAfter being introduced to the world of opera, a fisherman (Jan Kiepura) falls for a woman...
Movie pageA Lady Surrenders
as LawtonA wealthy industrialist's wife gets into a big argument with him; to cool off, she goes on an...
Movie pageDangerous Number
as Hotel Desk ClerkHank Medhill, artificial silk manufacturer, has returned to the U.S. from Japan to learn that...
Movie pageShe Married Her Boss
as Window Dresser (uncredited)A super-efficient secretary at a department store falls for and marries her boss, but finds out...
Movie pageCrazy House
as Hotel ClerkOle Olsen and Chic Johnson are Broadway stars who return to Universal Studios to make another...
Movie pageNever Give a Sucker an Even Break
as The ProducerNever Give a Sucker an Even Break is a 1941 film about a man who wants to sell a film story to...
Movie pageThe Story of Mankind
as Marquis de VarennesThe devil and the spirit of mankind argue as to whether or not humanity is ultimately good or evil.
Movie pageHit Parade of 1941
as CarterIn this musical, the second entry in a five-film series, a thrift shop owner sells his business...
Movie pageRebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
as Hamilton MontmarcyRebecca's Uncle Harry leaves her with Aunt Miranda who forbids her to associate with show...
Movie pageLiving on Love
as Ogilvie O. OglethorpeA man and woman, who've never met, are forced by circumstances to share the same apartment. A...
Movie pageThree Smart Girls
as JewelerThe three Craig sisters – Penny, Kay, and Joan – go to New York to stop their divorced father...
Movie pageSunny
as Party Guest (uncredited)A showgirl falls for a society boy but has to win over his family.
Movie pageYou Came Along
as Hotel ClerkWar hero flier Bob Collins goes on a war bond selling tour with two buddies, and substitute...
Movie pageCheer Up and Smile
as ProfessorWhen a popular radio singer is knocked unconscious during a robbery, a squeaky-voiced college...
Movie pageParachute Jumper
as Man in Private Office (uncredited)An Air Force washout and his buddy room with a pretty young lady. Desperate for jobs during the...
Movie pageIt Happened in Hollywood
as Mr. ForsytheA silent Western star has trouble adjusting to the coming of sound.
Movie pageStep Lively, Jeeves!
as Head WaiterA British butler goes to America duped by mobsters into believing he is the heir to a fortune.
Movie pageThe Life of the Party
as BeggsA singer finds another heir (Gene Raymond) to marry, to avoid the one (Joe Penner) her mother found.
Movie pageThe Villain Still Pursued Her
as Bartender (uncredited)Victorian melodrama is sent up in this spoof of the old production "The Drunkard; or, The Fallen...
Movie pageDangerous Holiday
as DoffleA young violin prodigy is assumed kidnapped after he runs away from home.
Movie pageAlways Goodbye
as Bicycle SalesmanFollowing the death of her fiancé, Margot Weston is left pregnant and unmarried. Former doctor...
Movie pageGeorge Washington Slept Here
as Mr. GibneyNew Yorkers Bill and Connie Fuller have to move from their apartment. Without Bill's knowledge,...
Movie pageBed of Roses
as FloorwalkerA girl from the wrong side of the tracks is torn between true love and a life of sin.
Movie pageManhattan Love Song
as Garrett WetherbyAfter having been swindled out of all their money by a crooked business manager, formerly...
Movie pageExit Smiling
as Cecil LovelaceThe travails of a third-rate traveling theatre company and its wardrobe lady / maid who dreams...
Movie pageSee My Lawyer
as B.J. WagonhornOle and Chic are comedians employed in a nightclub, but seeking to be released from their...
Movie pageThe Horn Blows at Midnight
as Radio Engineer / SloanA trumpet player in a radio orchestra falls asleep during a commercial and dreams he's Athanael,...
Movie pageThe Girl Downstairs
as Adolf PumpfelA wealthy playboy surreptitiously romances a scullery maid to gain access to her mistress with...
Movie pageYoung and Beautiful
as Radio AnnouncerBob Preston, publicity man for Superba Pictures, uses his publicity skills in an attempt to make...
Movie pageWe Have Our Moments
as JoeA trio of American crooks board a ship bound for Europe, intending to get rid of $100,000 in...
Movie pageCalendar Girl
as Dilly DillingsworthAround the turn of the century, two young men, Johnnie Bennett, a composer and Steve Adams, an...
Movie pageHoly Matrimony
as Duncan FarllAn artist returning from years abroad takes the identity of his dead valet and gets married, but...
Movie pageJust Around the Corner
as WatersPenny helps her idealistic architect father get his dream of a slum clearance project; The...
Movie pageStage Door Canteen
as Franklin PangbornA young soldier on a pass in New York City visits the famed Stage Door Canteen, where famous...
Movie pagePublic Deb No. 1
as BartenderWhen a waiter gives a society girl a public spanking for attending a Communist rally, her...
Movie pageHoneymoon Lodge
as CathcartHoneymoon Lodge is a musical variation on the old Awful Truth plotline. Divorce-bound Bob and...
Movie pageCradle Snatchers
as Howard DrakeTo cure their flirtatious husbands of consorting with flappers, three wives-- Susan Martin,...
Movie pageThe Luckiest Girl in the World
as CashierA wealthy society girl must live on $150 a month to prove to her father that she can stand being...
Movie pageShe Couldn't Take It
as Spot's SecretaryThe wealthy Van Dyke family are constantly in the media for outrageous behavior, much to the...
Movie pageThe Great Moment
as Dr. HeywoodThe biography of Dr. W.T. Morgan, a 19th century Boston dentist, during his quest to have...
Movie pageBroadway Serenade
as Gene, Collier's ComposerA married singer, pianist/composer team are struggling to hit it big in New York. Finally, they...
Movie pageWhere Did You Get That Girl?
as DigbyIn this musical comedy, a motley band of musicians have only their extreme poverty in common....
Movie pageReveille with Beverly
as Vernon Lewis (uncredited)Beverly Ross, the switchboard operator at a local radio station, jumps at the chance to be the...
Movie pageDoctor Rhythm
as Mr. Stenchfield (Store Clerk)Dr. Bill Remsen pretends to be a policeman, and ends up being assigned to guard Judy Marlowe....
Movie page5th Ave Girl
as HigginsA wealthy man hires a poor girl to play his mistress in order to get more attention from his...
Movie pageNext Door Neighbors
as LandlordSong composer Howard Green is frustrated by disturbances his wife, in-laws, and landlord while...
Movie pageHer Man
as SportA prostitute sees a friendly sailor as a way out of Havana's grimy underworld.
Movie pageFlirtation
as VeterinarianA naive farmer encounters a beautiful burlesque dancer on the streets of New York and agrees to...
Movie pageWeekend for Three
as Number Seven, Old Field Inn WaiterJim is hardly thrilled when his new bride, Ellen, invites an old friend, Randy, over for dinner....
Movie pageMany Happy Returns
as Allen's SecretaryGracie Allen assumes the "management" of the shop owned by her papa Horatio Allen, turning it...
Movie page$1,000 a Minute
as RevilleTwo rich and wealthy millionaires who have a lot of money bet that reporter Wally Jones can't...
Movie pageFour's a Crowd
as PrestonA public relations man falls for his most difficult client's granddaughter.
Movie pageA Fool's Advice
as Egbert - Hotel ClerkAn elevator operator invents a machine that he believes can help to defeat a corrupt politician...
Movie pageFinger Prints
as The Bandoline KidA gang of inept crooks and even more inept lawmen search for a cache of hidden money.
Movie pageSpring Parade
as WiedlemeyerIn this light and lovely romantic musical, a Hungarian woman attends a Viennese fair and buys a...
Movie pageHollywood and Vine
as ReggieA young girl arrives in Hollywood determined to become a star in the movies but finds that...
Movie pageJoy of Living
as Orchestra LeaderFalling in love with the voice of Broadway chanteuse Margaret Garret, cocksure young tycoon...
Movie pageIt's All Yours
as SchultzJimmy Barnes arrives from Europe to be educated by his multi-millionaire uncle, Edward J. Barnes...
Movie pageDanger – Love at Work
as Train dining car headwaiterA New York City lawyer finds himself falling in love with the daughter of a screwball South...
Movie pageTo Mary - with Love
as GuestMary stands by Jack after the Depression of 1929 but considers divorce when he again becomes...
Movie pageThrill of a Lifetime
as Sam Williams"Howdy" Nelson believes there is no such think as real love and that romance can be cooked up...
Movie pageDoughnuts and Society
as BensonKate Flannagan and Belle Dugan operate a downtown coffee shop and, while dispensing their...
Movie pageThe Loud Mouth
as uncreditedDel Lord, famous director of the Three Stooges shorts, directed this story of one man in various...
Movie pageWhat's Cookin'?
as Professor BistellJ. P. Courtney wants to update the music on the radio program he sponsors, but his wife, Agatha...
Movie pageReckless Age
as Mr. ThurtleLinda Wadsworth rebels against her millionaire grandfather, J. H. Wadsworth, and runs away from...
Movie pageLover Come Back
as Hotel desk clerkA wife decides to take revenge when she learns her husband has been unfaithful.
Movie pageThe Mandarin Mystery
as MellishEllery Queen solves a mystery involving a valuable stamp.
Movie pageObliging Young Lady
as Professor GibneyA woman attempts to shelter a young girl from the publicity surrounding her socialite parents'...
Movie pageLove on Toast
as FinleyThe plot concerns a female press agent who must select a "Mr. Manhattan" and "Miss Brooklyn" for...
Movie pageProfessional Sweetheart
as Herbert ChildressRadio singer Glory Eden is publicized as the ideal of American womanhood in order to sell the...
Movie pageCockeyed Cavaliers
as Town CrierTwo yokels try to crash royal society by posing as the King's physicians.
Movie pageOver the Counter
as Drake's AssistantIn this musical short, the son of a department store owner replaces the regular sales girls with...
Movie pageCall Out the Marines
as WilburTwo Marine sergeants (Victor McLaglen, Edmund Lowe) flirt with a cafe girl (Binnie Barnes) in...
Movie pageWhen Love Is Young
as John DormanIn this drama, a girl from a small town in Pennsylvania dreams of being a star while she goes to...
Movie pageI'll Be Yours
as BarberA small-town girl tells a small fib to a wealthy businessman; complications ensue.
Movie pageTwo Weeks to Live
as Mr. PinkneyWhen Abner is mistakenly diagnosed as having only two weeks to live, his partner gets the idea...
Movie pageShe's Dangerous
as Fashion DesignerA beautiful woman suspected of being a jewel thief is actually a detective tracking down a ring...
Movie pageA Blonde for a Night
as HectorAfter an argument, a newlywed decides to test her husband's fidelity by disguising herself as a...
Movie pageThe Sap
as Ed MasonA small town dimwit takes the blame for his brother-in-law's crime.
Movie pageHeadline Shooter
as Adolphus G. CrockerA newsreel photographer neglects his love life to get the perfect shot.
Movie pageShe Had to Eat
as Mr. Phoecian-WylieAn Arizona gas station owner faces comic adventures after traveling with an eccentric...
Movie pageTell It to a Star
as Horace LovelaceCarol (Ruth Terry), the cigarette girl at a swank Palm Springs hotel, dreams of singing in the...
Movie pageTillie the Toiler
as Perry TweedaleWhile attending stenographer school, Tillie Jones meets office boy Mac, who falls in love with...
Movie pageWild Poses
as Otto PhocusSpanky's parents take their reluctant boy to get his portrait taken by a prissy photographer.
Movie pageEight Bells
as FinchA trustworthy captain is reduced in rank so that the owner's daughter's fiancé may take charge.
Movie pageNever a Dull Moment
as SylvesterNightclub gangsters hire a vaudeville act called the Three Funny Bunnies (Ritz Brothers).
Movie pageWhat Price Taxi
as Taxi BoyIll-tempered Billy proves troublesome for fellow taxi drivers Franklin and Clyde.
Movie pageOn Trial
as TurnbullA man is put on trial for the murder of his best friend. A young attorney wants to become...
Movie pagePoor Aubrey
as Aubrey PiperA poor clerk pretends that he has lots of money.
Movie pageGoing Hollywood: The '30s
as (archive footage)Robert Preston hosts this documentary that shows what people of the 1930s were watching as they...
Movie pageThe Lady Escapes
as PierreA young husband schemes to regain his wife, who earlier had left him and now is involved with a...
Movie pageTomorrow's Youth
as ThorntonA look at how his parents' divorce affects the life of a young boy.
Movie pageMoonlight Masquerade
as FairchildTwo business partners, John Bennett, Sr. and Robert Forrester, are starting to get nervous when...
Movie pageGetting Gertie's Garter
as Algy BrooksAttorney Ken Walrick, not quite realizing the difference between a garter and a bracelet, gives...
Movie pageBlue of the Night
as Gilbert SinclairStarring Bing Crosby as himself in a short comedy/romance telling a tale of mistaken identity. ...
Movie pageUnknown Blonde
as Male Co-RespondentAn unprincipled hustler who makes his living getting--or making up--evidence in divorce cases...
Movie pageThe Important Witness
as GroomA freelance stenographer is hired for a job, but when she arrives at the address she was given,...
Movie pageRich Relations
as Mr. DwightA secretary finds herself being romanced by a "ladies man". What she doesn't know is that it's...
Movie pageSwing Banditry
as Radio Announcer (uncredited)A group of musicians is determined to appear on a radio program.
Movie pageMy Best Gal
as Mr. PorterA girl from a show-business family seeks a backer for her boyfriend's musical.
Movie pageThe Girl in the Pullman
as Hector BrooksDr. Burton's divorce is about to be effective when his flappery ex-wife Irene pays him a visit...
Movie pageShe Married an Artist
as PaulBecause Thornwood's portraits of comely model Sally Dennis are in such great demand, he is...
Movie pageKing Kelly of the U.S.A.
as J. Ashton BrocktonA theatrical troupe headed by a flashy showman finds itself in the tiny--and bankrupt--kingdom...
Movie pageStrictly in the Groove
as CathcartCollege student, cattle baron, confused love story.
Movie pageDon't Gamble with Love
as SalesmanStandard tale of husband and wife living a party lifestyle. He works in a gambling hall and she...
Movie pageBachelor Daddy
as Williams, Club ManagerThe lives of three bachelors is disrupted when one of them is left with a baby.
Movie pageHats Off
as Mr. ChurchillThe first musical comedy from the Grand National assembly line, Hats Off stars John Payne and...
Movie pageDown Memory Lane
as (archive footage)This film is a compilation, with narration by Steve Allen, of comedies from the old Mack Sennett...
Movie pageHigh Hat
as Renaldo BretonAn opera singer whose career is on the wane finds newfound fame doing popular songs on the radio.
Movie pageLighthouse Love
as Pvt. Jerry StoneTwo marines stationed in the Chinese port of Hang Chow decide to swear off women and join the...
Movie pageMy Friend from India
as William / Tommy ValentineWealthy young man about town, Tommy Valentine (Franklin Pangborn) comes to the aid of Barbara...
Movie pageThis Is Your Life
as SelfThis Is Your Life is an American television documentary series broadcast on NBC, originally...
TV Show pageThe Colgate Comedy Hour
as SelfThe Colgate Comedy Hour is an American comedy-musical variety series that aired live on the NBC...
TV Show pageThe Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
as Mr. Canfield (uncredited)The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet is an American sitcom, airing on ABC from October 3, 1952...
TV Show page