William Benedict Explained
| Billy Benedict |
| Birth Date: | April 16, 1917 |
| Birth Place: | Haskell, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Actor |
| Years Active: | 1935–1992 |
William Franklin Sater Benedict (April 16, 1917 – November 25, 1999) was an American actor, perhaps best known for playing "Whitey" in Monogram Pictures' The Bowery Boys series.[1]
Early years
Benedict was born in Haskell, Oklahoma,[2] After his father's death when Billy was three years old, his mother supported him and his two sisters.[3] He took part in school theatricals, and on leaving school he made his way to Hollywood.
Career
Benedict's first film was $10 Raise (1935) starring Edward Everett Horton, which launched the blond-haired young man on a busy career. He almost always played juvenile roles, such as newsboys, messengers, office boys, and farmhands.
In 1939, when Universal Pictures began its Little Tough Guys series to compete with the popular Dead End Kids features, Billy Benedict was recruited into the cast. These films led him into the similar East Side Kids movies, usually playing a member of the East Side gang, but occasionally in villainous roles. The East Side Kids became The Bowery Boys in 1946, and Benedict stayed with the series, as "Whitey", to the end of 1951.
Other films included My Little Chickadee (1940) starring W. C. Fields and Mae West, The Ox-Bow Incident (1943), Ed Wood's Bride of the Monster (1955), The Sting (1973) and Farewell, My Lovely (1975). Benedict never shook his juvenile image completely, and continued to play messengers and news vendors well into his sixties. He often worked in television commercials,[4] and in television series, including The Andy Griffith Show, All in the Family, and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
Death
Benedict died at age 82 on November 25, 1999, at Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, following heart surgery.
Selected filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|
| 1935 | $10 Raise | Jimmy | George Marshall | |
| 1935 | College Scandal | 'Penny' Parker | Elliott Nugent | |
| 1935 | Silk Hat Kid | Uncle Sam | H. Bruce Humberstone | uncredited |
| 1935 | Doubting Thomas | Caddie | David Butler | |
| 1935 | The Farmer Takes a Wife | Boy Announcing Dan's Arrival Before Fight | Victor Fleming | uncredited |
| 1935 | Welcome Home | Bit | James Tinling | uncredited |
| 1935 | Steamboat Round the Bend | Breck | John Ford | uncredited |
| 1935 | Ladies Love Danger | Newsboy | H. Bruce Humberstone | uncredited |
| 1935 | Way Down East | Amos | D. W. Griffith | |
| 1935 | Three Kids and a Queen | Flash | Edward Ludwig | |
| 1935 | Bad Boy | Grocery Clerk | John G. Blystone | uncredited |
| 1935 | Show Them No Mercy | Willie | George Marshall | uncredited |
| 1935 | Your Uncle Dudley | Cyril Church | Eugene Forde | |
| 1936 | The Country Doctor | The Gawker | Henry King | |
| 1936 | Captain January | Telegram Delivery Boy | David Butler | uncredited |
| 1936 | The Witness Chair | Benny Ryan | George Nicholls, Jr. | |
| 1936 | Meet Nero Wolfe | Barstow's Caddy | Herbert Biberman | |
| 1936 | M'Liss | Archer Morpher | George Nicholls, Jr. | |
| 1936 | A Son Comes Home | Cabin Boy | E.A. Dupont | uncredited |
| 1936 | Ramona | Joseph Hyar | | |
| 1936 | Adventure in Manhattan | Office Boy | Edward Ludwig | uncredited |
| 1936 | Libeled Lady | Johnny | Jack Conway | |
| 1936 | Theodora Goes Wild | Henry | Richard Boleslawski | uncredited |
| 1936 | Can This Be Dixie? | Shenandoah Peachtree | | uncredited |
| 1936 | Laughing at Trouble | Wilbur | Frank R. Strayer | |
| 1936 | Crack-Up | Office Boy | Malcolm St. Clair | uncredited |
| 1936 | After the Thin Man | Blond Young Man Who Approaches Car | W. S. Van Dyke | uncredited |
| 1937 | They Wanted to Marry | Freckles | Lew Landers | |
| 1937 | Jim Hanvey, Detective | Copy Boy | Phil Rosen | uncredited |
| 1937 | That I May Live | Kurt Plivens | Allan Dwan | |
| 1937 | The Road Back | Boy Leader | James Whale | uncredited |
| 1937 | Rhythm in the Clouds | Clyde | John H. Auer | uncredited |
| 1937 | Love in a Bungalow | Telegraph boy | Ray McCarey | |
| 1937 | Flying Fists | Monk, Tall Kid | Robert F. Hill | |
| 1937 | A Dangerous Adventure | Blister | D. Ross Lederman | uncredited |
| 1937 | The Last Gangster | the Office Boy | Edward Ludwig | uncredited |
| 1937 | Tim Tyler's Luck | Spud | Wyndham Gittens | |
| 1938 | I Met My Love Again | Boy at Party | George Cukor (uncredited) | uncredited |
| 1938 | No Time to Marry | Farm Boy | Harry Lachman | uncredited |
| 1938 | Bringing Up Baby | David's Caddy | Howard Hawks | uncredited |
| 1938 | Walking Down Broadway | Eddie | Norman Foster | |
| 1938 | King of the Newsboys | Squimpy | Bernard Vorhaus | |
| 1938 | There's Always a Woman | Bellhop | Alexander Hall | uncredited |
| 1938 | Hold That Kiss | Boy Delivering Suit | Edwin L. Marin | uncredited |
| 1938 | Young Fugitives | Jud | John Rawlins | |
| 1938 | Hold That Co-ed | Sylvester | George Marshall | |
| 1938 | Little Tough Guys in Society | Trouble | Erle C. Kenton | |
| 1938 | Say It in French | Red-Haired Boy | Andrew L. Stone | uncredited |
| 1938 | Newsboys' Home | Trouble | Harold Young | |
| 1939 | Code of the Streets | Trouble | Harold Young | |
| 1939 | Man of Conquest | Tommy | George Nicholls Jr. | uncredited |
| 1939 | Timber Stampede | Printer's Devil | Kenneth Holmes (assistant) | uncredited |
| 1939 | Pack Up Your Troubles | Office Boy | H. Bruce Humberstone | uncredited |
| 1939 | Call a Messenger | Trouble | Arthur Lubin | |
| 1940 | Legion of the Lawless | Eddie | David Howard | |
| 1940 | My Little Chickadee | Lem | Edward F. Cline | uncredited |
| 1940 | And One Was Beautiful | Delivery Man | Robert B. Sinclair | uncredited |
| 1940 | Prairie Law | Teenage Voter | David Howard | uncredited |
| 1940 | Grand Ole Opry | Newsboy | Frank McDonald | uncredited |
| 1940 | Adventures of Red Ryder | Dan Withers [Ch. 1] | John English | Serial; uncredited |
| 1940 | The Great McGinty | Farm Boy | Preston Sturges | uncredited |
| 1940 | Stage to Chino | Happy | Kenneth Holmes (assistant) | uncredited |
| 1940 | Lucky Partners | Delivery Boy | Lewis Milestone | uncredited |
| 1940 | Young People | Boy | Allan Dwan | uncredited |
| 1940 | Rhythm on the River | Elevator Boy | Victor Schertzinger | uncredited |
| 1940 | The Mad Doctor | Copy Boy | Tim Whelan | uncredited |
| 1940 | Melody Ranch | Slim | Joseph Santley | |
| 1940 | Give Us Wings | Link | Charles Lamont | |
| 1940 | Second Chorus | Ticket Taker | H. C. Potter | uncredited |
| 1940 | Bowery Boy | | William Morgan | |
| 1941 | The Great Mr. Nobody | Jig | Benjamin Stoloff | |
| 1941 | Scattergood Baines | Lafe Hopper | John E. Burch (assistant) | uncredited |
| 1941 | The Man Who Lost Himself | Messenger Boy | Edward Ludwig | uncredited |
| 1941 | Mr. District Attorney | Office Boy | Ed Byron | uncredited |
| 1941 | Adventures of Captain Marvel | Whitey Murphy | John English | Serial |
| 1941 | In Old Cheyenne | Train Vendor | Joseph Kane | uncredited |
| 1941 | She Knew All the Answers | Singing Telegraph Boy | Richard Wallace | |
| 1941 | Time Out for Rhythm | Messenger | Sidney Salkow | uncredited |
| 1941 | Citadel of Crime | Wes Rankins | George Sherman | |
| 1941 | The Richest Man in Town | Young Man | | uncredited |
| 1941 | Dressed to Kill | Telegram Boy | Eugene J. Forde | uncredited |
| 1941 | Great Guns | Recruit at Corral | Monty Banks | uncredited |
| 1941 | Jesse James at Bay | Young Davis | Joseph Kane | uncredited |
| 1941 | Unholy Partners | Copyboy Wanting Paper | Mervyn LeRoy | uncredited |
| 1941 | Tuxedo Junction | Thomas 'Piecrust' Murphy | | |
| 1941 | Cadet Girl | Soldier at Camp Show | Ray McCarey | uncredited |
| 1941 | Confessions of Boston Blackie | Ice Cream Man | Edward Dmytryk | |
| 1942 | A Tragedy at Midnight | Newsboy | Joseph Santley | uncredited |
| 1942 | On the Sunny Side | Messenger | Harold D. Schuster | |
| 1942 | Rings on Her Fingers | Newsboy | Rouben Mamoulian | |
| 1942 | Two Yanks in Trinidad | Messenger | Gregory Ratoff | uncredited |
| 1942 | The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine | Bellboy | Bernard Vorhaus | |
| 1942 | Junior G-Men of the Air | Whitey [Ch. 11] | Ray Taylor | Serial; uncredited |
| 1942 | Home in Wyomin' | Usher | William Morgan | uncredited |
| 1942 | I Live on Danger | Nightclub Waiter | Sam White | uncredited |
| 1942 | Lady in a Jam | Barker | Gregory La Cava | uncredited |
| 1942 | Perils of Nyoka | Red Davis | William Witney | |
| 1942 | The Talk of the Town | Western Union Boy | George Stevens | uncredited |
| 1942 | Wildcat | Bud Smithers | Frank McDonald | |
| 1942 | The Glass Key | Farr's Receptionist | Stuart Heisler | uncredited |
| 1942 | Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch | Usher in Opera House | Ralph Murphy | uncredited |
| 1942 | Get Hep to Love | Soda Jerk | Charles Lamont | uncredited |
| 1942 | Valley of Hunted Men | Ranch Boy | John English | uncredited |
| 1942 | Heart of the Golden West | Telegraph Messenger | Joseph Kane | uncredited |
| 1942 | A Night to Remember | Messenger Boy | Richard Wallace | uncredited |
| 1943 | The Powers Girl | Office Boy | Norman Z. McLeod | uncredited |
| 1943 | Aerial Gunner | Pvt. Jackson 'Sleepy' Laswell | William H. Pine | |
| 1943 | Hangmen Also Die! | Kylar | Fritz Lang | uncredited |
| 1943 | Clancy Street Boys | Cherry Street Leader | William Beaudine | |
| 1943 | The Ox-Bow Incident | Greene | William A. Wellman | |
| 1943 | All by Myself | Telegraph Messenger | | uncredited |
| 1943 | Ghosts on the Loose | Benny | William Beaudine | |
| 1943 | Nobody's Darling | Sammy | Anthony Mann | uncredited |
| 1943 | Adventures of the Flying Cadets | Cadet Zombie Parker | Ray Taylor | |
| 1943 | Thank Your Lucky Stars | Busboy | | uncredited |
| 1943 | Mr. Muggs Steps Out | Pinky | William Beaudine | |
| 1943 | Minesweeper | Inoculations Corpsman | William Berke | uncredited |
| 1943 | Moonlight in Vermont | Abel | Edward C. Lilley | |
| 1943 | Whispering Footsteps | Jerry Murphy | Howard Bretherton | |
| 1944 | Million Dollar Kid | Skinny | Wallace Fox | |
| 1944 | Cover Girl | Florist Delivery Boy | Charles Vidor | uncredited |
| 1944 | The Whistler | The Deafmute | William Castle | uncredited |
| 1944 | Follow the Boys | Joe | A. Edward Sutherland | uncredited |
| 1944 | Follow the Leader | Spider O'Brien | William Beaudine | |
| 1944 | Goodnight Sweetheart | Bellboy | Joseph Santley | |
| 1944 | Block Busters | Butch | Wallace Fox | |
| 1944 | Janie | Soda Jerk | Michael Curtiz | uncredited |
| 1944 | That's My Baby! | Office Boy | William Berke | |
| 1944 | The Merry Monahans | Messenger | Charles Lamont | uncredited |
| 1944 | They Live in Fear | Thomas 'Mack' Knight | | uncredited |
| 1944 | Bowery Champs | Skinny | William Beaudine | |
| 1944 | My Gal Loves Music | Bellboy | | uncredited |
| 1945 | Night Club Girl | Winnebago boy | | uncredited |
| 1945 | Youth on Trial | Soda Jerk | | uncredited |
| 1945 | Brenda Starr, Reporter | Pesky [Ch 1,3,5-8,11,13] | Wallace Fox | Serial; uncredited |
| 1945 | Docks of New York | Skinny | Wallace Fox | |
| 1945 | Patrick the Great | Joey | Frank Ryan | uncredited |
| 1945 | Hollywood and Vine | Newsboy | | uncredited |
| 1945 | The Story of G.I. Joe | Pvt. Whitey | William A. Wellman | uncredited |
| 1945 | Mr. Muggs Rides Again | Skinny | Wallace Fox | |
| 1945 | Come Out Fighting | Skinny | William Beaudine | |
| 1945 | Road to Utopia | Second Newsboy | Hal Walker | uncredited |
| 1946 | People Are Funny | NBC Usher | Sam White | |
| 1946 | Live Wires | Whitey | Phil Karlson | |
| 1946 | Gay Blades | Newsboy | George Blair | uncredited |
| 1946 | The Gentleman Misbehaves | Bellboy | | uncredited |
| 1946 | The Kid from Brooklyn | Newsboy #2 | Norman Z. McLeod | uncredited |
| 1946 | Without Reservations | Western Union Telegraph Boy | Mervyn LeRoy | uncredited |
| 1946 | Do You Love Me? | Singing Western Union Boy | Gregory Ratoff | uncredited |
| 1946 | One More Tomorrow | Bantam Office Boy | Peter Godfrey | uncredited |
| 1946 | In Fast Company | Whitey | Del Lord | |
| 1946 | A Boy, a Girl and a Dog | Messenger Boy | | uncredited |
| 1946 | Bowery Bombshell | Whitey | Phil Karlson | |
| 1946 | Spook Busters | Whitey | William Beaudine | |
| 1946 | No Leave, No Love | Expectant Father on Hospital Phone | Charles Martin | uncredited |
| 1946 | Never Say Goodbye | Messenger Boy | James V. Kern | uncredited |
| 1946 | Mr. Hex | Whitey | William Beaudine | |
| 1947 | The Pilgrim Lady | Bellboy | Lesley Selander | |
| 1947 | Hard Boiled Mahoney | Whitey | William Beaudine | |
| 1947 | Fun on a Weekend | Hotel Bellboy | Andrew L. Stone | uncredited |
| 1947 | The Hucksters | Bellboy at Blue Penguin Inn | Jack Conway | uncredited |
| 1947 | News Hounds | Whitey | William Beaudine | |
| 1947 | Bowery Buckaroos | Whitey | William Beaudine | |
| 1947 | Merton of the Movies | Von Strutt's Assistant | Robert Alton | uncredited |
| 1948 | Angels' Alley | Whitey | William Beaudine | |
| 1948 | Secret Service Investigator | Counterman | R. G. Springsteen | |
| 1948 | Jinx Money | Whitey | William Beaudine | |
| 1948 | Night Wind | Irv Bennett | | uncredited |
| 1948 | Smugglers' Cove | Whitey | William Beaudine | |
| 1948 | Trouble Makers | Whitey | Reginald LeBorg | |
| 1949 | Fighting Fools | Whitey | Reginald LeBorg | |
| 1949 | Riders of the Pony Express | Eddie Lund | | |
| 1949 | Hold That Baby! | Whitey | Reginald LeBorg | |
| 1949 | Angels in Disguise | Whitey | Jean Yarbrough | |
| 1949 | Master Minds | Whitey | Jean Yarbrough | |
| 1950 | Blonde Dynamite | Whitey | William Beaudine | |
| 1950 | Lucky Losers | Whitey | William Beaudine | |
| 1950 | Triple Trouble | Whitey | Jean Yarbrough | |
| 1950 | Blues Busters | Whitey | William Beaudine | |
| 1951 | Bowery Battalion | Whitey | William Beaudine | |
| 1951 | Ghost Chasers | Whitey | William Beaudine | |
| 1951 | Let's Go Navy! | Whitey | William Beaudine | |
| 1951 | Crazy Over Horses | Whitey | William Beaudine | |
| 1953 | The Magnetic Monster | Albert | Herbert L. Strock (uncredited) | |
| 1955 | Bride of the Monster | Newsboy | Ed Wood | |
| 1956 | The Killing | American Airlines Clerk | Stanley Kubrick | |
| 1958 | Rally Round the Flag, Boys! | Bellhop | Leo McCarey | uncredited |
| 1959 | The Hanging Tree | Trapper | Delmer Daves | uncredited |
| 1959 | Last Train from Gun Hill | Small Man in Horseshoe | John Sturges | uncredited |
| 1961 | Lover Come Back | Musician in Elevator | Delbert Mann | uncredited |
| 1964 | Dear Heart | Stu | Delbert Mann | uncredited |
| 1965 | Zebra in the Kitchen | Toy Shop Proprietor | Ivan Tors | uncredited |
| 1965 | The Hallelujah Trail | Miner | John Sturges | |
| 1965 | Harlow | Bespectacled Hero in Movie | Gordon Douglas | uncredited |
| 1967 | What Am I Bid? | Clem | | |
| 1968 | Funny Girl | Western Union Boy | William Wyler | uncredited |
| 1968 | Rogue's Gallery | Jocko | Leonard Horn | |
| 1969 | The Lottery | Joe Summers | Larry Yust | short |
| 1969 | Hello Dolly! | News Vendor | Gene Kelly | uncredited |
| 1972 | The Dirt Gang | Station Attendant | Jerry Jameson | |
| 1973 | The Sting | Jimmy, Roulette dealer | George Roy Hill | |
| 1974 | Homebodies | Watchman | Larry Yust | |
| 1975 | Farewell, My Lovely | | Dick Richards | |
| 1976 | Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood | Man on Bus | Michael Winner | |
| 1976 | Sherlock Holmes in New York | Telegraph Office Manager | Boris Sagal | |
| 1977 | The Last Hurrah | Willie Degman | Vincent Sherman | |
| 1978 | Born Again | Leon Jaworski | Irving Rapper | |
|
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|
| 1962 | Dennis the Menace | Crook | S3:E22, “The Private Eye” |
| 1967 | The Monkees | Skywriter | S2:E4, "Monkee Mayor" | |
Notes and References
- Book: Lentz. Harris M. III. Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 1999: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. 2000. McFarland. 9780786452040. 18. 28 May 2017. en.
- Book: Mayer. Geoff. Encyclopedia of American Film Serials. 2017. McFarland. 9780786477623. 49. 29 May 2017. en.
- News: Keavy. Hubbard. Screen Life In Hollywood. Altoona Tribune. May 3, 1935. PA, Altoona. 6. Newspapers.com. May 28, 2017.
- Staff. "William Benedict Character Actor, 82", The New York Times, November 30, 1999. Accessed March 30, 2009.
