Earle Hodgins Explained

Image Caption:Earle Hodgins in Oh, Susanna!
Earle Hodgins
Birth Date:6 October 1893
Birth Place:Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
Death Place:Hollywood, California, U.S.
Resting Place:Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
Occupation:Actor
Yearsactive:1932–1963
Spouse:Sue Hanley

Earle Hodgins (October 6, 1893  - April 14, 1964) was an American actor.[1]

Career

Early in his career, Hodgins was active in stock theater, including working in the Ralph Cloninger troupe of Salt Lake City, Utah, the Siegel Stock company of Seattle, Washington, and the Allen Players at the Empress Theatre in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.[2]

He appeared in more than 330 films and television shows between 1932 and 1963. He specialized in playing fast-talking con men—often in westerns, such as The Lone Ranger, Judge Roy Bean, The Cisco Kid, The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, Rawhide, Maverick (in the episode "Shady Deal at Sunny Acres" with James Garner and Jack Kelly), Lawman, The Rifleman, Cheyenne, Have Gun – Will Travel, Gunsmoke (In a recurring role as the town judge, plus in the title role in “Uncle Oliver”, where he ambushes and shoots “Chester”), and Hopalong Cassidy. In 1959 Hodgins appeared as Mr. Fane on Lawman in the episode "The Outsider." In the 1960–1961 season, he appeared in three episodes of Joanne Dru's ABC sitcom, Guestward, Ho! as the aging ranch wrangler known as "Lonesome." In one of those episodes, "Lonesome's Gal", he was cast opposite ZaSu Pitts. Thereafter, the two died within a year of each other.

Hodgins' other television roles were as carnival barkers, medicine-show salesmen, and the like. He was known for shooing away obstreperous children from his stage, snapping at them, "Get away, son, ya bother me".

Hodgins married Sue Hanley, who was described in an article of the Salt Lake Telegram as "a Seattle society girl."[3]

Hodgins was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[4]

Selected filmography

Selected television

1958"Have Gun-Will Travel"Leadhead KaneS1 E33 "The Silver Queen"
1951Front Page Detective Season 1, Episode 20, "Recipe for Murder" (First credited television role)
1952Sky King Worthless Jones Season 1, Episode 10, "The Man Who Forgot"
1953Death Valley Days Micah Bisbee Season 2, Episode 4, "Which Side of the Fence"
1954Hopalong Cassidy Picture Pete Season 2, Episode 15, "Copper Hills"
1955The Lone Ranger Barnaby Boggs Season 4, Episode 40, "The Swami"
1956The Cisco Kid Orlando the Magician Season 6, Episode 25, "Magician of Jamesville"
1957Gunsmoke Title Role Season 2, Episode 35, "Uncle Oliver"
1957Maverick Johnson Season 1, Episode 7, "Relic of Fort Tejon"
1958Decision Undertaker Season 1, Episode 4, "The Tall Man"
1958Colgate Theatre Season 1, Episode 2, "The Last Marshal"
1958The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok Tobias Riddle Season 8, Episode 13, "Counterfeit Ghost"
1959The Rifleman Auctioneer Season 1, Episode 33, "The Money Gun"
1959Tales of Wells Fargo Pop Shannon Season 3, Episode 22, "Lola Montez"
1959Have Gun - Will Travel Colonel Jeremiah Pike Season 2, Episode 20, "Juliet"
1960Death Valley Days Deacon Season 8, Episode 35, "Pete Kitchen's Wedding Night"
1961Gunsmoke Tubby Season 7, Episode 8, "Chesterland"
1961Bus Stop Chet Season 1, Episode 1, "Afternoon of a Cowboy"
1962Gunsmoke Dobie Season 8, Episode 3, "Quint Asper Comes Home"
1962Mister Ed Side Show Barker Season 2, Episode 19, "Ed's Word of Honor"
1962The Twilight Zone Agee Season 3, Episode 21, "Kick the Can"
1962The Donna Reed Show Mr. Coxley Season 4, Episode 29, "Explorer's Ten"
1963Gunsmoke Judge Season 8, Episode 27, "Two of a Kind" (Last credited television role)

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Earle Hodgins . August 29, 2011. b-westerns.com.
  2. News: Old Trouper Finds Vancouver 'Strange . May 10, 2023 . The Vancouver Sun . July 28, 1956 . 12. .
  3. News: (untitled brief). The Salt Lake Telegram. December 18, 1921. Utah, Salt Lake City. 13. Newspapers.com. November 30, 2017.
  4. Web site: Biographies: Latter-day Saint and/or Utah Film Personalities: H. www.ldsfilm.com.