Jackie Kelk

Jackie Kelk

Kelk in 1947.
Born John Daly Kelk
(1923-08-06)August 6, 1923
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died September 5, 2002(2002-09-05) (aged 79)
Rancho Mirage, California, U.S.
Occupation Actor, comedian
Years active 1931–1960

Jackie Kelk (August 6, 1923[1] – September 5, 2002) was an American radio actor and stand-up comedian, best known as Homer Brown in The Aldrich Family and as the original voice of Jimmy Olsen on The Adventures of Superman.

Early years

Kelk was born John Daly Kelk[2] in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Willy Kelk.[3] He attended St. Gregory's Academy before changing to Professional Children's School in New York.[1]

Stage

Kelk's roles in Broadway productions included Young Jim Bailey in No More Frontier (1931), Peter Burroughs in Bridal Wise (1932), Henri, the Son in The Perfect Marriage (1932), Mr. Clayton in Goodbye Again (1932-1933), Prince Rudolph in Jubilee (1935-1936), "Chub" Tolliver in The County Chairman (1936), Percy in Flare Path (1942-1943), Elliot Smollens in Tenting Tonight (1947), and Herbie in Me and Juliet (1953-1954).[4]

Film

In 1931, Kelk had the role of Sam in a short, Play Ball, made by Warner Bros.[5] At age 10, Kelk was in Born to Be Bad.[1]

Radio

Kelk's debut in network radio came on The Cohens, which starred Fanny Brice.[1] Jackie Kelk portrayed Chester in The Gumps.

In the early 1940s, Kelk played Pete on the radio soap opera Mother of Mine,[6] and in January 1946 he joined the cast of Celebrity Club on CBS. He played Jimmy Olsen from 1940-1947 on the radio show The Adventures of Superman and Homer, best friend of Henry Aldrich on the teenage radio comedy The Aldrich Family. He had the role of Oliver in the soap opera Valiant Lady.[7]

Television

He starred as Young Mr. Bobbin in the NBC-TV sitcom that debuted August 26, 1951,[8] and several other series including Leave it to Beaver and The Donna Reed Show. As a young child in the early 1930s he was part of the cast of an Our Gang imitation called Penrod playing a snobby bow-tied boy named "Georgie Bassett". This character "Penrod" was based on the Penrod books by Booth Tarkington.

Death

Kelk died of a lung infection September 5, 2002, at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Brooklyn Jackie Kelk Plays A Lead in 'Tenting Tonight'". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. March 30, 1947. p. 29. Retrieved September 23, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ Barron, Mark (October 31, 1951). "Broadway". Fitchburg Sentinel. p. 19. Retrieved September 23, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ Burt, Prudence (June 15, 1932). "Juvenile Screen Crown Reached for by Boy Star Formerly of Bay Ridge". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 36. Retrieved September 23, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Jackie Kelk". Playbill Vault. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  5. ↑ Dickstein, Martin (September 9, 1931). "The Cinema Circuit". New York, Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 21. Retrieved December 21, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Thursday's Highlights" (PDF). Radio and Television Mirror 15 (2): 44. December 1940. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  7. ↑ Buxton, Frank and Owen, Bill (1972). The Big Broadcast: 1920-1950. The Viking Press. SBN 670-16240-x. P. 249.
  8. ↑ "On the Air". The Indiana Gazette. August 13, 1951. p. 7. Retrieved September 24, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Jack Kelk, 81; Radio, TV Actor Known for Role in 'Aldrich Family'". Los Angeles Times. September 10, 2002. Retrieved 22 December 2015.

External links

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