Franklin Pangborn

Highest Rated: 100% Sullivan's Travels (1941)

Lowest Rated: 44% Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (1938)

Birthday: Jan 23, 1889

Birthplace: Not Available

American actor Franklin Pangborn spent most of his theatrical days playing straight dramatic roles, but Hollywood saw things differently. From his debut film Exit Smiling (1926) to his final appearance in The Story of Mankind (1957), Pangborn was relegated to almost nothing but comedy roles. With his prissy voice and floor-walker demeanor, Pangborn was the perfect desk clerk, hotel manager, dressmaker, society secretary, or all-around busybody in well over 100 films. Except for a few supporting appearances in features and a series of Mack Sennett short subjects in the early 1930s, most of Pangborn's pre-1936 appearances were in bits or minor roles, but a brief turn as a snotty society scavenger-hunt scorekeeper in My Man Godfrey (1936) cemented his reputation as a surefire laugh-getter. The actor was a particular favorite of W.C. Fields, who saw to it that Pangborn was prominently cast in Fields' The Bank Dick (1940) (as hapless bank examiner J. Pinkerton Snoopington) and Never Give a Sucker An Even Break (1941). Occasionally, Pangborn longed for more dramatic roles, so to satisfy himself artistically he'd play non-comic parts for Edward Everett Horton's Los Angeles-based Majestic Theatre; Pangborn's appearance in Preston Sturges' Hail the Conquering Hero (1942) likewise permitted him a few straight, serious moments. When jobs became scarce in films for highly specialized character actors in the 1950s, Pangborn thrived on television, guesting on a number of comedy shows, including an appearance as a giggling serial-killer in a "Red Skelton Show" comedy sketch. One year before his death, Pangborn eased quietly into TV-trivia books by appearing as guest star (and guest announcer) on Jack Paar's very first "Tonight Show."

Highest Rated Movies

Filmography

MOVIES

RATING	TITLE	CREDIT	BOX OFFICE	YEAR
No Score Yet	The Story of Mankind	Marquis de Varennes	—	1957
No Score Yet	Oh, Men! Oh, Women!	Steamship Clerk	—	1957
No Score Yet	Mad Wednesday	Formfit Franklin	—	1951
No Score Yet	My Dream Is Yours	Sourpuss Manager	—	1949
No Score Yet	Down Memory Lane	Actor	—	1949
88%	Romance on the High Seas	Rio Hotel Clerk	—	1948
89%	Sin of Harold Diddlebock	Formfit Franklin	—	1947
No Score Yet	I'll Be Yours	Barber	—	1947
No Score Yet	Calendar Girl	Dillingsworth/Dilly	—	1947
67%	The Horn Blows at Midnight	Sloan	—	1945
No Score Yet	Hollywood and Vine	Reggie	—	1945
95%	Hail the Conquering Hero	Committee Chairman	—	1944
No Score Yet	His Butler's Sister	Reeves	—	1943
No Score Yet	Crazy House	Hotel Clerk	—	1943
No Score Yet	Holy Matrimony	Duncan Farli	—	1943
No Score Yet	Two Weeks to Live	Mr. Pinkney	—	1943
No Score Yet	Reveille with Beverly	Vernon Lewis	—	1943
No Score Yet	Stage Door Canteen	Stage Door Canteen Star	—	1943
No Score Yet	George Washington Slept Here	Mr. Gibney	—	1942
No Score Yet	Strictly in the Groove	Cathcart	—	1942
97%	The Palm Beach Story	Manager	—	1942
91%	Now, Voyager	Mr. Thompson	—	1942
No Score Yet	Weekend for Three (Week-End for Three)	No. Seven	—	1941
100%	Sullivan's Travels	Mr. Casalais	—	1941
100%	Never Give a Sucker an Even Break	The Producer	—	1941
No Score Yet	The Flame of New Orleans	Bellows	—	1941
No Score Yet	A Girl, a Guy and a Gob	Pet Shop Owner	—	1941
95%	Christmas in July	Radio Announcer	—	1940
No Score Yet	The Villain Still Pursued Her	Bartender	—	1940
No Score Yet	Spring Parade	Wiedelmeyer	—	1940
No Score Yet	Turnabout	Mr. Pingboom	—	1940
100%	The Bank Dick	J. Pinkerton Snoopington	—	1940
No Score Yet	Fifth Avenue Girl	Higgins	—	1939
No Score Yet	Broadway Serenade	Gene	—	1939
No Score Yet	Topper Takes a Trip	Louis	—	1938
No Score Yet	Just Around the Corner	Waters	—	1938
No Score Yet	Four's a Crowd	Preston	—	1938
100%	Vivacious Lady	Apartment Manager	—	1938
No Score Yet	Joy of Living	Radio Broadcast Orchestra Leader	—	1938
44%	Bluebeard's Eighth Wife	Asst. Hotel Manager	—	1938
No Score Yet	Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm	Hamilton Montmarcy	—	1938
No Score Yet	Mad About Music	Hotel Manager	—	1938
57%	Carefree	Roland Hunter	—	1938
No Score Yet	Meet the Mayor	Hotel Clerk	—	1938
No Score Yet	She Married an Artist	Paul	—	1938
No Score Yet	Three Blind Mice	Clerk	—	1938
No Score Yet	All Over Town	Costumer	—	1937
No Score Yet	I'll Take Romance	Secretary	—	1937
No Score Yet	Living on Love	Oglethorpe	—	1937
96%	Stage Door	Harcourt	—	1937
No Score Yet	It Happened in Hollywood	Mr. Forsythe	—	1937
100%	Easy Living	Van Buren	—	1937
No Score Yet	Dangerous Holiday	Doffle	—	1937
No Score Yet	Hotel Haywire	Fuller Brush Salesman	—	1937
100%	A Star Is Born	Billy Moon	—	1937
No Score Yet	Swing High, Swing Low	Henri	—	1937
No Score Yet	They Wanted to Marry	Actor	—	1937
No Score Yet	When Love Is Young	Actor	—	1937
No Score Yet	We Have Our Moments	Bartender	—	1937
No Score Yet	Turn Off the Moon	Mr. Perkins	—	1937
No Score Yet	Step Lively, Jeeves	Gaston	—	1937
No Score Yet	Thrill of a Lifetime	Mr. Williams	—	1937
No Score Yet	High Hat	Renaldo Breton	—	1937
No Score Yet	The Mandarin Mystery	Mellish	—	1936
86%	Three Smart Girls	Jeweler	—	1936
No Score Yet	Hats Off	Churchill	—	1936
97%	My Man Godfrey	Scorekeeper	—	1936
91%	Mr. Deeds Goes to Town	Tailor	—	1936
No Score Yet	Doughnuts and Society	Benson	—	1936
No Score Yet	Tango	Oscar	—	1936
No Score Yet	To Mary---With Love	guest	—	1936
No Score Yet	She Couldn't Take It (Woman Tamer)	Secretary	—	1935
No Score Yet	The Headline Woman	Hamilton	—	1935
No Score Yet	Chasing Those Depression Blues	Actor	—	1935
87%	Imitation of Life	Mr. Carven	—	1934
No Score Yet	King Kelly of the U.S.A.	J. Ashton Brockton	—	1934
No Score Yet	Cockeyed Cavaliers	Town Crier	—	1934
No Score Yet	Manhattan Love Song	Garrett Wetherby	—	1934
No Score Yet	Strictly Dynamite	Mr. Bailey	—	1934
76%	Design for Living	Mr. Douglas	—	1933
83%	Flying Down to Rio	Hammersmith the Hotel Manager	—	1933
No Score Yet	Only Yesterday	Tom	—	1933
No Score Yet	Headline Shooter	Crocker	—	1933
No Score Yet	Bed of Roses	Floorwalker	—	1933
No Score Yet	Professional Sweetheart	Childress	—	1933
No Score Yet	International House	Hotel Manager	—	1933
No Score Yet	The Half-Naked Truth	Wolverton, Hotel Manager	—	1932
No Score Yet	Meet the Mayor	Actor	—	1932
No Score Yet	A Woman of Experience	Hans	—	1931
No Score Yet	Cheer Up and Smile	Professor	—	1930
No Score Yet	Not So Dumb	Leach	—	1930
No Score Yet	Lady of the Pavements	M'sieu Dubrey, Dance Master	—	1929
No Score Yet	Blonde for a Night	Actor	—	1928
No Score Yet	Getting Gertie's Garter	Actor	—	1927
No Score Yet	Girl in the Pullman	Actor	—	1927
No Score Yet	Exit Smiling	Cecile Lovelace	—	1926
71%	The Great Moment	Dr. Heywood	—	1921

Quotes from Franklin Pangborn's Characters

Professor Henry R. Quail:	What is WuHu doing wheer Kansas City ought to be?
Hotel Manager:	Maybe you're lost.
Professor Henry R. Quail:	Kansas City is lost. I am here.

On Dvd & Streaming

Franklin Pangborn

Highest Rated Movies

Filmography

MOVIES

Quotes from Franklin Pangborn's Characters