Frank Orth
Biography
Frank Orth was an American actor born in Philadelphia. He is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series “Boston Blackie”. By 1897, Orth was performing in vaudeville with his wife, Ann Codee, in an act called “Codee and Orth.” In 1909, he expanded into song writing, with songs such as “The Phone Bell Rang” and “Meet Me on the Boardwalk, Dearie.” His first contact with motion pictures was in 1928, when he was part of the first foreign-language shorts in sound produced by Warner Bros. He and his wife also appeared together in a series of two-reel comedies in the early 1930s. Orth's first major screen credit was in “Prairie Thunder,” a Dick Foran western, in 1937. From then on, he was often cast as bartenders, pharmacists, and grocery clerks, and always distinctly Irish. He had a recurring role in the Dr. Kildare series of films and also in the Nancy Drew series as the befuddled Officer Tweedy. Among his better roles were the newspaper man Cary Grant telephones early in “His Girl Friday,” one of the quartet singing “Gary Owen” in “They Died with Their Boots On” (thereby giving Errol Flynn as Gen. Custer the idea of associating the tune with the 7th Cavalry), and as the little man carrying the sign reading “The End Is Near” throughout Colonel Effingham's Raid. However, Orth is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series “Boston Blackie.” A short, plump, round-faced man, often smoking a cigar, Orth as Faraday wore his own dark-rimmed spectacles, though rarely in feature films. In 1959, Orth retired from show business after throat surgery. His wife died in 1961 after around fifty years of marriage. Orth died on March 17, 1962. He is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills next to his wife.
Acting (120 movies)
His Girl Friday
1940
Blondie's Secret
1948
Father of the Bride
1950
I Wake Up Screaming
1941
Come Live with Me
1941
Red Light
1949
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
1946
Storm Over Lisbon
1944
Unwelcome Stranger
1935
Cheaper by the Dozen
1950
The Lost Weekend
1945
Houdini
1953
Footlight Serenade
1942
The Guilt of Janet Ames
1947
Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase
1939
Nancy Drew… Detective
1938
The Great Rupert
1950
The Big Clock
1948
Wilson
1944
The People Vs. Dr. Kildare
1941
Pillow to Post
1945
San Quentin
1937
Pier 13
1940
The Petty Girl
1950
Here Come the Girls
1953
Broadway Serenade
1939
Think It Over
1938
Springtime in the Rockies
1942
Doll Face
1945
Tell It to a Star
1945
Fast and Furious
1939
Mr. Chump
1938
Marry the Girl
1937
Land Beyond the Law
1937
Burn 'Em Up O'Connor
1939
Polo Joe
1936
Wake Up and Dream
1946
Michael Shayne: Private Detective
1940
She Went to the Races
1945
Boom Town
1940
The Patient in Room 18
1938
Ever Since Eve
1937
Young Dr. Kildare
1938
Tell No Tales
1939
At the Circus
1939
Greenwich Village
1944
Henry and Dizzy
1942
The Footloose Heiress
1937
Idiot's Delight
1939
Fast and Loose
1939
Nancy Drew... Reporter
1939
Within the Law
1939
Calling Dr. Kildare
1939
Young Mr. Lincoln
1939
Thunder Afloat
1939
Stanley and Livingstone
1939
The Secret of Dr. Kildare
1939
Dust Be My Destiny
1939
Summer Storm
1944
It Had to Be You
1947
You, the People
1940
Missing Witnesses
1937
Born to Speed
1947
Sweet Rosie O'Grady
1943
Roger Touhy, Gangster
1944
The Ox-Bow Incident
1943
Blue, White, and Perfect
1942
The Devil's Saddle Legion
1937
Brother Orchid
1940
Coney Island
1943
Over My Dead Body
1942
Two Against the World
1936
Ride on Vaquero
1941
Heartaches
1947
The Gas House Kids in Hollywood
1947
Prairie Thunder
1937
Sergeant York
1941
The Hoodlum Saint
1946
Orchestra Wives
1942
Gallant Sons
1940
The Payoff
1935
The Doctor Takes a Wife
1940
Talent Scout
1937
'Til We Meet Again
1940
Hot Money
1936
Father Is A Prince
1940
Florian
1940
Dr. Kildare's Crisis
1940
Dr. Kildare Goes Home
1940
Dr. Kildare's Strange Case
1940
Dr. Kildare's Victory
1942
My Gal Sal
1942
La Conga Nights
1940
Respect the Law
1941
A Bird in the Hand
1929
Something to Live For
1952
They Died with Their Boots On
1941
Mexican Spitfire Out West
1940
The Bride Wore Boots
1946
The Impatient Years
1944
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