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|---|---|---|---|---|
 Parley Baer appeared as baking contest judge Bert Landers in the Three's Company episode titled "Grandma Jack" in Season seven. | ||||
| Personal Information | ||||
| Born: | 5 August 1914 | |||
| Birthplace: | Salt Lake City, Utah | |||
| Died | 22 November 2002 (aged 88) | |||
| Deathplace: | Los Angeles, California | |||
| Career/Family Information | ||||
| Years active: | 1940 to 1997 | |||
| Spouse(s): | Ernestine Clarke, 1946-2002, his death | |||
| Children: | Two daughters, Kimberly and Dale | |||
| Character information | ||||
| Appeared on: | Guest appearance on Three's Company | |||
| Character played: | Bert Landers in the episode "Grandma Jack" in Season 8 | |||
Parley Baer (5 August 1914 — 22 November 2002) was an American actor. He appeared as Bert Landers, a panel judge in a baking contest for which Jack poses in drag as Grandma Tripper to enter in order to win the prize of $1000 in the episode titled "Grandma Jack" in Season 8.
Biography[]
Career[]
His most famous characters are Ernie Keebler the head elf and spokesperson for the Keebler cookies, Chester Proudfoot in the radio version of Gunsmoke, neighbor Darby in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, the obnoxious Mayor Stone in The Andy Griffith Show, Insurance agent Arthur J. Henson in The Addams Family, senior citizen Miles Dugan in the soap opera, The Young and the Restless, and as the Senate majority leader in the film, Dave.
Early Life[]
Born in Salt Lake City, City, Parley comes from a circus performer, including working for Barnum & Bailey Circus as a ringmaster, before starting his radio career by working for Salt Lake City radio station, KSL in 1933, while studying drama at the University of Utah. He would later move to Los Angeles, California, where he would soon begin a career as a voice actor for radio programs, thanks in part to his fairly high pitch voice and Western twang.
After the United States entered World War II, Parley joined the United States Army Air Forces. Sent to the Pacific Theater, he would end the war with the rank of Captain, receiving seven battle stars and a Presidential unit citation. After the war, he would meet and later marry Ernestine Clarke. The two would have two children.
Career in Radio[]
Parley, after moving to Los Angeles, began working on his first network radio program, Whistler. This was soon followed by appearances on such radio shows of the late 1940s and 1950s as Escape, Suspense, Tales of the Texas Rangers (mainly as sheriffs), Dragnet, The CBS Radio Workshop, Lux Radio Theater and The Six Shooter. In 1950, he would make his film debut, appearing in the movie, Comanche Territory.
In 1952 he began playing Chester, the unofficial deputy of Marshal Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke, later ad-libbing the character's full name of "Chester Wesley Proudfoot" (which would become "Chester Goode" for the later television series which involved a different cast.) His portrayal of Chester was considered his finest and most memorable role and the one which he says was most fulfilling. He would later work on other Norman MacDonnell-produced radio shows, including the situation comedy The Harold Peary Show as Pete the Marshal, Rogers of the Gazette, which was loosely based on the early life of Will Rogers as Doc Clemens, Fort Laramie and The Adventures of Philip Marlowe.
As a charter member of the CBS Radio's dramatic stock company, he would appear in a number of CBS radio shows, including a number of appearances on Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. He also made recurring appearances as Eb the farm hand on Granby's Green Acres (the radio forerunner of television's Green Acres), Gramps on The Truitts and Rene the manservant on the radio version of The Count of Monte Cristo.
In the same year that he started to play Chester, he made his first appearance on television, in an episode of the original Dragnet television series. On the small screen, Parley would be recognizable by both his voice and his balding, paunchy appearance, often playing fussy or obstinate officials or neighbors. He would appear on such television shows as I Love Lucy, Father Knows Best, Make Room for Daddy, and The Rifleman, before making his more famous appearances on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, The Andy Griffith Show and The Addams Family. On film, he would make appearances in the films The Young Lions, Gypsy, Bedtime Story, Those Calloways, Doctor Detroit and Dave, along with several live action Disney films, including Follow Me, Boys!
Later Career[]
In 1966 Parley would have a regular role in the short-lived situation comedy, The Double Life of Henry Phyfe. Two years later he would begin doing the voice of Ernie Keebler for Keebler cookies. He would be the voice for Ernie until he suffered a stroke in 1997, which at the time would affect his speech and movement. Before the stroke, he would continue to appear on television, appearing in such shows as Three's Company, Knots Landing, The Dukes of Hazzard, L.A. Law, The Flash, Night Court and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, as well as The Young and the Restless. Parley also continued working on radio, appearing in a radio series called Adventures in Odyssey for Focus on the Family.
After the stroke, Parley would recover sufficiently enough to appear at several old-time radio conventions as well as make a guest appearance in a Star Trek: Voyager episode.
Personal Life[]
In 1946, he met and married circus aerialist and bareback rider Ernestine Clarke. They were together for 54 years until her death. They had two daughters, Kim and Dale.
On 22 November 2002, Parley died from complications from a stroke at age 88.
External Links[]
- Interview with Parley Baer (following Dick Tracy episode)
Parley Baer at the Internet Movie Database
- Parley Baer article at Memory Alpha, (a Star Trek wiki)
- Parley Baer at Find a Grave