50 Years of Little House on the Prairie: Leslie Landon (Etta Plum)

 

Leslie Landon Matthews (née Landon) is an American psychologist and former actress. She had a supporting role on the Little House on the Prairie television series, in which her father, Michael Landon, played the lead.

Career

Matthews portrayed schoolteacher Etta Plum on Little House on the Prairie from 1982 to 1984. She also made small guest appearances in four other episodes of Little House between 1975 and 1981.

Personal life

Landon's parents are actor-director Michael and Lynn Landon. Landon has eight siblings, including two brothers, Michael Landon Jr. and Christopher Landon, and a sister, Shawna Leigh Landon, from her parents' marriage. From her mother's first marriage, Landon has another half-sister, Cheryl Lynn Landon. From her father's marriage to Cindy Landon, she has a half-sister, Jennifer Landon, and a half-brother, Sean Matthew Landon. She has an adopted brother, Mark Landon (now deceased), and a half-brother, Josh Landon, both from her father's first marriage to Dodie Fraser. Her paternal grandfather was Jewish, and her paternal grandmother was Catholic. Her father was raised Jewish.

Landon married Brian Matthews in 1990. Her eldest daughter, born in 1993, Rachel Matthews, is also an actress, with her film debut in Happy Death Day, directed by her uncle Christopher.

Landon obtained a BA in psychology and an MA in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University and a Ph.D. in marriage and family therapy from the California Graduate Institute.

Filmography

Little House on the Prairie

1975: Leslie, a plague victim girl, in "The Plague" (season 1)

1977: Kate in "The Election" (season 3)

1979: Marge in "The Third Miracle" (season 6)

1981: Pam in "A Wiser Heart" (season 8)

1982–83: Etta Plum, 15 episodes (season 9)

1983: Etta Plum in Little House: Look Back to Yesterday (TV movie)

1984: Etta Plum in Little House: Bless All the Dear Children (TV movie)

1984: Etta Plum in Little House: The Last Farewell (TV movie)

Father Murphy

1982: Kate Jones in "The Dream Day"

Bibliography

When Children Grieve: For Adults to Help Children Deal with Death, Divorce, Pet Loss, Moving, and Other Losses. By John W. James, Russell Friedman, Dr. Leslie Matthews. HarperCollins, 2001.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Landon

50 Years of Little House on the Prairie: Ketty Lester (Hester-Sue Terhune)

 

Ketty Lester (born Revoyda Frierson; August 16, 1934) is an American singer and actress known for her 1961 hit single "Love Letters", which reached the top 5 of the charts in the U.S. and the UK. She is also known for her role as Hester-Sue Terhune on the American television series Little House on the Prairie. In 2022, she was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame.

Life and career

Ketty Lester was born Revoyda Frierson on August 16, 1934, in Hope, Arkansas. Her parents were farmers who would eventually have a total of 15 children. As a young child, Lester first sang in her church and later in school choirs. She won a scholarship to study music at San Francisco State College, and in the early 1950s, she began performing under the name "Ketty Lester" in the city's Purple Onion club. She later toured Europe and South America as a singer with Cab Calloway's orchestra.

Lester (as Revoyda Frierson) appeared as a contestant on the December 26, 1957, episode of You Bet Your Life, hosted by Groucho Marx. Lester sang "You Do Something to Me". The chosen category was "Mother Goose", a subject she admitted knowing nothing about; George Fenneman fed the correct answers to her, and she and her partner won $1,000.

Returning to California, she recorded her first single, "Queen for a Day", for the Everest label. She was introduced by Dorothy Shay to record producers and songwriters Ed Cobb and Lincoln Mayorga of The Four Preps and The Piltdown Men, who won her a contract with Era Records in Los Angeles. In 1961 they released her single "Love Letters" b/w "I'm a Fool to Want You".

Lester's recording of "Love Letters", which featured Lincoln Mayorga's sparse piano arrangement and Earl Palmer on drums, rose to No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 early in 1962. The record also reached No. 2 on the R&B chart and No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart, selling over 1 million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA. In 1991, it was ranked 176th in the RIAA-compiled list of Songs of the Century.

In 1962, she toured the UK as a support act on the Everly Brothers tour. The follow-up, a version of George and Ira Gershwin's "But Not for Me" from the musical Girl Crazy, reached No. 41 in the U.S. pop charts and No. 45 in the UK. She released an album, Love Letters, which contained the tracks "You Can't Lie to a Liar" and a cover of Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" (both of which were issued as singles) and was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance category.

Lester continued to record for Era with little success until 1964, when she signed with RCA. She released several unsuccessful singles for that label, and two albums, The Soul of Me and Where Is Love?, in a more R&B-oriented style that has been compared to Dinah Washington and Nancy Wilson. Some of her earlier recordings also featured on one side of an album shared with previously released tracks by Betty Everett. Also in 1964, she won a Theatre World Award for her performance in the off-Broadway show Cabin in the Sky. She moved to the Tower label, issuing a single and album, When a Woman Loves a Man, an answer record to Percy Sledge's "When a Man Loves a Woman". However, these releases, and later records for the Pete label, including a 1968 album titled Ketty Lester, met with little commercial success.

By the early 1970s, Lester gave up singing commercially and turned to acting. She was reportedly offered the role eventually taken by Diahann Carroll in the 1968–71 TV series Julia, and appeared in a variety of movies, including Uptight (1968), Blacula (1972), Uptown Saturday Night (1974) and The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1975).

Lester established herself as a television actress in the 1970s and 1980s, playing the roles of Helen Grant on Days of Our Lives (1975–77) and as Hester-Sue Terhune on Little House on the Prairie (1977–83), and she appeared on other television shows and movies, including The Night the City Screamed (1980).

Lester recorded an album of gospel music titled I Saw Him in 1984, and returned to films, appearing in Street Knight (1993) and as Aunt Lucy in House Party 3 (1994).

In 2020, she released her memoir, Ketty Lester: From Arkansas To Grammy Nominated Love Letters to Little House on the Prairie. Lester attended the 50th Anniversary Reunion for Little House on the Prairie in 2024, meeting fans and also delivering a sermon on stage.

Discography

Albums

Love Letters – 1962

Betty Everett & Ketty Lester – 1964 (one side each)

The Soul of Me – 1964

Where Is Love? – 1965

When a Woman Loves a Man – 1966

Ketty Lester – 1969

Ketty Lester in Concert – 1977

A Collection of Her Best – 1982

I Saw Love – 1984

Singles

1962       "Queen for a Day"

b/w "I Said Goodbye to My Love"             —           —           —           Non-album tracks

"Love Letters"

b/w "I'm a Fool to Want You"     2              5              4              Love Letters

"But Not for Me"

b/w "Once Upon a Time" (from Love Letters)     —           41           45           Non-album tracks

"You Can't Lie to a Liar"

b/w "River of Salt"           —           90           —

"This Land Is Your Land"

b/w "Love Is for Everyone"          —           97           —

1963       "Fallen Angel"

b/w "Lullaby for Lovers" (Non-album track)         —           —           —           Love Letters

1964       "Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid"

b/w "The House Is Haunted (by the Echo of Your Last Goodbye)"              —           127         —           Non-album tracks

"Roses Grow with Thorns"

b/w "Please Don't Cry Anymore"              —           —           —

"I Trust You Baby"

b/w "Theme from 'The Luck of Ginger Coffey'"   —           —           —

"You Go Your Way (and I'll Go Crazy)"

b/w "Variations on a Theme by Bird"      —           —           —

1965       "Pretty Lies, Pretty Make Believe"

b/w "(Looking for a) Better World"          —           —           —

"I'll Be Looking Back"

b/w "West Coast"            —           —           —

1966       "Secret Love"

b/w "Love Me Just a Little Bit"    —           —           —

"When a Woman Loves a Man"

b/w "We'll Be Together Again"   —           —           —           When a Woman Loves a Man

1968       "I Will Lead You"

b/w "Now That I Need Him"        —           —           —           Non-album tracks

1969       "Cracker Box Livin'"

b/w "The Measure of a Man"     —           —           —

"Show Me"

b/w "Since I Fell for You"               —           —           —           Ketty Lester

1984       "Jesus Laid His Hands on Me"

"One Day at a Time"       —           —           —           I Saw Love

"Have You Heard?"

b/w "She'd Never Heard of Anyone Called Jesus"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketty_Lester

50 Years of Little House on the Prairie: Moses Gunn (Joe Kagan)

 

Moses Gunn (October 2, 1929 – December 16, 1993) was an American actor of stage and screen. An Obie Award-winning stage player, he is an alumnus of the Negro Ensemble Company. His 1962 off-Broadway debut was in Jean Genet's The Blacks, and his Broadway debut was in A Hand Is on the Gate, an evening of African-American poetry. He was nominated for the 1976 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performance in The Poison Tree, and he also played Othello on Broadway in 1970. For his screen performances, Gunn is best known for his roles as Clotho in WUSA (1970), Bumpy Jonas in Shaft (1971), and Joe Kagan on Little House on the Prairie (1977–1981).

Early life, family, and education

Gunn was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He was the son of Mary and George Gunn, a laborer, and was one of seven siblings. After his mother died, his family separated. Moses left home and rode the railroad at just 12 years old. He returned to St. Louis and attended school while living at the home of Jewel Richie, his English teacher.

He graduated from Tennessee State University, where he became a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity Rho Psi chapter. After serving in the United States Army, he attended graduate school at the University of Kansas, earning a master's degree. He taught briefly at Grambling College before attempting an acting career in New York City.

Career

A character actor of film and television, Gunn also enjoyed a successful career on stage. He made his New York City stage debut in the original off-Broadway production of Jean Genet's The Blacks (1962). He performed many Shakespearean roles in Joseph Papp's Shakespeare in the Park, winning an Obie Award for his portrayal of Aaron in Titus Andronicus.

Gunn won a second Obie for his work in the NEC produced First Breeze of Summer, which moved to Broadway. His acclaimed performance as Othello at the Stratford, Connecticut Shakespeare Festival moved to Broadway in 1970.

Other Broadway plays in which Gunn performed were: A Hand Is on the Gate, Twelfth Night, I Have a Dream, and The Poison Tree. He received a 1976 Tony Award nomination for Best Actor for The Poison Tree. In 1977, he narrated the film Black Presence in the Era of the American Revolution, produced by US Information Agency.

In 1991, he toured in a production of Athol Fugard's "My Children! My Africa!" in the role of Mr. M, which included a run at Baltimore's Center Stage Theater.

He may be best remembered in film for his portrayal of mobster Ellsworth Raymond "Bumpy" Jonas in the first two Shaft movies, Booker T. Washington in the 1981 movie Ragtime, a performance which won him an NAACP Image Award, and as Cairon, the Childlike Empress's imperial physician, in the 1984 film The NeverEnding Story. He was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1977 for his role in the television mini-series Roots. He also co-starred with Avery Brooks on the television series A Man Called Hawk. Gunn appeared as atheist shop owner Carl Dixon in six episodes of Good Times, as boxer-turned-farmer Joe Kagan on Little House on the Prairie, and as "Moses Gage" in Father Murphy. In 1989, Gunn appeared in two episodes of The Cosby Show as two different characters. His final acting role was as murder suspect Risley Tucker in "Three Men and Adena", an episode of Homicide: Life on the Street.

Personal life and death

Gunn married Gwendolyn Mumma Landes in 1966, becoming stepfather to her daughter Kirsten Sarah Landes. In 1970, they had a son, Justin, who became a musician and composer in the Copenhagen-based band, The Reverend Shine Snake Oil Co.

Gunn died from complications of asthma in Guilford, Connecticut on December 16, 1993, aged 64.

Film and television

1964: Nothing But a Man as Mill Hand

1968: What's So Bad About Feeling Good? (uncredited)

1970: Carter's Army (TV Movie) as Private Doc Hayes

1970: WUSA as Clotho

1970: The Great White Hope as Scipio

1971: Wild Rovers as Ben

1971: Shaft as Bumpy Jonas

1971: The Sheriff as Cliff Wilder

1971: Hawaii Five-O (TV Series) as Willy Stone

1972: Eagle in a Cage as General Gourgaud

1972: The Hot Rock as Dr. Amusa

1972: Shaft's Big Score as Bumpy Jonas

1972: Haunts of the Very Rich (TV Movie) as Seacrist

1973: Kung Fu (TV Series) as Isaac Montoya

1973: The Iceman Cometh as Joe Mott

1974: Amazing Grace as Welton J. Waters

1975: The Jeffersons (TV Series) as Monk Davis

1975: Cornbread, Earl and Me as Benjamin Blackwell

1975: Rollerball as Cletus

1975: Movin' On (TV Series) as Otis Andrews

1975: Aaron Loves Angela as Ike

1975: The Secret of the Pond (Disney TV Movie) as Sharbee

1977: Good Times (TV Series) as Carl Dixon

1977: Roots (TV Mini-Series) as Kintango

1977–1981: Little House on the Prairie (TV Series) as Joe Kagan

1977: Quincy M.E. (TV Series) as Ben McDade

1978: Remember My Name (1978) as Pike

1978: Vega$ (TV Series) as Domo

1980: The Ninth Configuration as Major Nammack

1981: Ragtime as Booker T. Washington

1982: Amityville II: The Possession as Detective Turner

1984: The NeverEnding Story as Cairon

1984: Firestarter as Dr. Herman Pynchot

1985: Certain Fury (1985) as Dr. Lewis Freeman

1985: Highway to Heaven (TV Series) as Ted Tilley

1986: Heartbreak Ridge as Staff Sergeant Webster

1987: Bates Motel (TV Movie) as Henry Watson

1987: Leonard Part 6 as Giorgio Francozzi

1988: Dixie Lanes as Isaac

1989: The Luckiest Man in the World (voice)

1989: A Man Called Hawk (TV Series) as "Old Man"

1989: Amen (TV Series) as Benjamin Tillman

1989: The Cosby Show (TV Series) as Joe Kendall / Dr. Lotus

1989: The Women of Brewster Place (TV Series) as Ben

1990: Tales From The Crypt (TV Series) as Uncle Ezra

1991: Perfect Harmony (TV Movie) as Zeke

1991: Brother Future (TV Movie) as Isaac

1993–1996: Homicide: Life on the Street (TV Series) as Risley Tucker (final appearance)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses_Gunn

50 Years of Little House on the Prairie: Robert William "Dabbs" Greer (Rev. Robert Alden)

 

Robert William "Dabbs" Greer (April 2, 1917 – April 28, 2007) was an American character actor in film and television for over 60 years. Greer appeared in nearly 100 film roles and in nearly 600 television episodes of various series. He played Mr. Jonas in Gunsmoke, Coach Ossie Weiss in the sitcom Hank, and Reverend Robert Alden in Little House on the Prairie. Greer's final film role was as the 108-year-old Paul Edgecomb, the character played by Tom Hanks in 1999's The Green Mile.

Early life

Greer was born in Fairview, Missouri, the son of Bernice Irene (née Dabbs), a speech teacher, and Randall Alexander Greer, a druggist. When Greer was an infant, the family moved to the larger Anderson, Missouri, 30 miles (48 km) southwest. At the age of eight, he began acting in children's theater productions. He attended Drury University in Springfield, Missouri, where he was a member of Theta Kappa Nu.

Career

Early career (1930s and 1940s)

Greer's film debut was as an extra in the 1938 film Jesse James, which was filmed mainly around Pineville, Missouri.

After moving to Pasadena, California, in 1943, he became an administrator and acting instructor at the Pasadena Playhouse.

1950s

Greer appeared in three episodes of Adventures of Superman, including the inaugural entry, "Superman on Earth" (1952), in which he was cast as the first person to be saved by Superman. He was the major guest star as a man framed for murder in "Five Minutes to Doom" (1954) and as an eccentric millionaire in "The Superman Silver Mine" (1958).

Greer made hundreds of appearances in around 200 different television series. He played the role of the marshal in the two-part "King of the Dakotas" (1955) and appeared as Ray in "Paper Gunman" of the NBC Western anthology series Frontier. In the 1956 movie Hot Rod Girl, he played the auto-repair shop owner, Mr. Fry. In 1957, he appeared in the episode "Revenge" on the syndicated crime drama Sheriff of Cochise and as Sanders in the episode "My Horse Ajax" on NBC's children's Western series Fury. About this time, he guest-starred on the syndicated adventure series Whirlybirds and Rescue 8. He also appeared in an episode of Richard Diamond, Private Detective. Greer was cast on the syndicated Western series Pony Express and also guest-starred on three CBS Western series: Wanted: Dead or Alive, Trackdown, and Johnny Ringo. Thereafter, he appeared in the NBC Modern Western series Empire and guest-starred on Stoney Burke.

Greer appeared on ABC's Tombstone Territory (in the 1957 episode "Ambush at Gila Gulch"), and in the 1957 episode "Rebel Christmas" on the Tod Andrews syndicated series The Gray Ghost. He was then cast as Ed Grimes on the 1958 episode "312 Vertical" of the syndicated series State Trooper. He also appeared in It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958). His other appearances in 1959 include the episode "Peligroso" on NBC's Western series The Restless Gun, episodes of Bat Masterson, and the syndicated Man Without a Gun. From 1956 until 1974, Greer had a recurring role as storekeeper Mr. Jonas on the long-running TV series "Gunsmoke". He appeared in 42 episodes of the series. Occasionally, he would play someone other than Mr. Jonas. In one episode, he was Chester's uncle.

1960s

In 1960, Greer appeared in the episode "Dark Fear" on the CBS anthology series The DuPont Show with June Allyson. He was cast twice in The Twilight Zone, in the 1962 episode "Hocus-Pocus and Frisby" and the 1963 episode "Valley of the Shadow". Also in 1963, he was cast in a segment on Jack Palance's ABC circus drama The Greatest Show on Earth. He then appeared as a policeman in the first episode of The Fugitive, "Fear in a Desert City". He would return for five more episodes, making him the most frequently cast guest actor of non-recurring roles on the series (tied with Richard Anderson).

The 1960s brought Greer several more recurring roles in popular series, such as track coach Ossie Weiss in Hank, and Sheriff Norris "Norrie" Coolidge in The Ghost & Mrs. Muir. He also made eight appearances on The Rifleman. In 1962, on the ABC/WB Western series Lawman, in an episode titled "The Unmasked", Greer was cast in a fictitious portrayal of Boston Corbett, the Union Army soldier who shot and mortally wounded Abraham Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth.

In 1963, Greer was cast as Jack Tabor in the Perry Mason episode "The Case of the Skeleton's Closet". He guest-starred in seven other Perry Mason episodes in various roles.

1970s and 1980s

Greer had a recurring role in the NBC series Little House on the Prairie from 1974 to 1983 as Reverend Alden. Often cast as a minister, he performed the marriages of Rob and Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show and Mike and Carol Brady on the first episode of The Brady Bunch.

Last years (1990s and 2000s)

From 1992 to 1996, he tended to the spiritual needs of the townsfolk in fictional Rome, Wisconsin, as Reverend Henry Novotny in Picket Fences. He also had a guest appearance on an episode of Charles in Charge in the role of Buzz Powell.

In the May 9, 1991, episode of L.A. Law, titled "On the Toad Again", Greer played a character addicted to a "high" produced by licking the skin secretions of psychoactive toads. In the 1997 film Con Air, Greer appeared as an old man discovered hiding under a pick-up truck at "Lerner Field".

Greer's final feature film was a prominent role as 108-year-old Paul Edgecomb in The Green Mile (1999) starring Tom Hanks as the younger Edgecomb. Greer's last television performance was in a 2003 episode of Lizzie McGuire.

 Most of Greer's approximately 700 movie and television appearances had been in supporting roles, but he told the Albany Times Union in an interview in 2000 that "every character actor, in their little sphere, is the lead."

Death

Greer died on April 28, 2007, at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena from kidney failure and heart disease. He is interred in Peace Valley Cemetery in McDonald County, Missouri.

Filmography

Film

1949       Reign of Terror  Bridge Guard     Uncredited

1950       The Damned Don't Cry  Reporter

Trial Without Jury             Jack, Police Radio Room Dispatcher

Devil's Doorway                Spud Keith

California Passage            Dealer

1951       Storm Warning  Courtroom Cop

Call Me Mister   Corporal Aide to Colonel

Father's Little Dividend  Green Taxicab's Driver

The Lady from Texas      Bailiff

The Unknown Man         Ambulance Intern Driver

Two Tickets to Broadway              Soldier in Nightclub

Weekend with Father  Minor Role

Under the Gun Stoner

1952       Room for One More       Scoutmaster

Deadline – U.S.A.             Day Reporter

Young Man with Ideas   Telephone Man

Diplomatic Courier           Intelligence Clerk

Scarlet Angel      Man Robbed by Roxy

We're Not Married!        Beauty Contest Spectator

Sally and Saint Anne       Mr. Parker

Monkey Business            Cabbie

My Man and I    Court Clerk

Because You're Mine     Sergeant

Because of You Mexican Shop Owner

Million Dollar Mermaid  Movie Set Engineer

The Bad and the Beautiful            Studio Lighting Technician

Above and Beyond         Steve Haddock

She Couldn't Say No       Dick Jordan

1953       Trouble Along the Way  Father Peterson              

House of Wax    Sergeant Jim Shane       

Julius Caesar      Citizen of Rome                Uncredited

Remains to Be Seen        Julius

Dream Wife        Night Elevator Operator

A Slight Case of Larceny                Eddie - 1st Gas Man

Affair with a Stranger     Happy Murray  

Mister Scoutmaster        Fireman               Uncredited

Mission Over Korea        Pilot

Half a Hero          George Payson

China Venture   Galuppo              

Take the High Ground!  Shorty   Uncredited

1954       Riot in Cell Block 11          Schuyler              

Bitter Creek        Sheriff 

Rose Marie         Charity Dance Cashier    Uncredited

Lucky Me             Eddie Szczepanski

The Desperado U.S. Marshal Jim Langley             

Living It Up          Head Boy Ranger             Uncredited

Private Hell 36   Sam Marvin, Bartender

1955       Seven Angry Men            Doctor 

Hit the Deck       Eddie     Uncredited

Stranger on Horseback  Hotel Clerk

An Annapolis Story          Commander Halleck

The Seven Little Foys     Tutor

Foxfire  Bus Driver

The Scarlet Coat               Captain Brewster

The McConnell Story      Pilot Instructor

At Gunpoint       Preacher at Funeral

1956       Meet Me in Las Vegas   Mr. Smith-Johnson

D-Day the Sixth of June Corporal Atkinson

The First Texan Delegate Potter

Away All Boats  Lieutenant Commander Harrison

The Young Guns               Fred

Tension at Table Rock    Doctor

Hot Rod Girl        Henry Frye         

Invasion of the Body Snatchers Mac Lomax        

Hot Cars               Detective Davenport     

1957       Chain of Evidence            Dr. Ainsley         

The Spirit of St. Louis      Goldsborough   Uncredited

All Mine to Give                Clendenning

Johnny Tremain                Nat Lorne

The Vampire      Dr. Will Beaumont          

Pawnee               John Brewster  

My Man Godfrey             Lieutenant O'Connor     

Young and Dangerous    Mr. John Clinton              

Baby Face Nelson            FBI Agent Charles Bonner           

1958       It! The Terror from Beyond Space            Eric Royce           

I Want to Live!   San Quentin Captain      

1959       Lone Texan         Doc Jansen        

Day of the Outlaw           Doc Langer, Veterinarian             

Edge of Eternity                Gas Station Attendant  

Last Train from Gun Hill Deputy Andy     Uncredited

1960       Cash McCall        Bronson

1963       Wives and Lovers             Sardi's Waiter

Palm Springs Weekend Boys' Club Leader

Showdown         Express Man     

1964       Roustabout        Arthur Nielsen 

1965       Shenandoah      Abernathy         

1970       The Cheyenne Social Club            Jedediah W. Willowby  

1972       Rage      Dr. Thompson  

1973       White Lightning                Pa McKlusky      

1977       Evil Town             Lyle Phelps        

1981       Chu Chu and the Philly Flash       Wally    

1988       Two Moon Junction        Kyle      

1989       Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat           Otto      

1990       Pacific Heights   Mr. Thayer         

1992       House IV              Dad       

1994       Little Giants        Wilbur  

1997       Con Air Man Under Truck            

1999       The Green Mile                Old Paul Edgecomb         Final film role

Television

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1950       Dick Tracy            Shaky    2 episodes

1950–1954           Fireside Theatre               Various characters           14 episodes

1951       Space Patrol       Paul Marin          Episode: "The Lost City of the Carnacans"

1952       The Doctor          Pierson Episode: "No Gods to Serve"

The Lone Ranger              Toby Durbin       Episode: "Through the Wall"

1952–1954           Cavalcade of America     Mark Wilson / Johann / John Adams       3 episodes

1952–1955           Big Town              Sergeant Jim Ward          4 episodes

1952–1958           Adventures of Superman             Episode 1- Played 2 people. Mr. Pebbles and Dan Dobey / Episode 2 - Joe Winters / Episode 3 - Man Saved from Dirigible Fall          3 episodes

1953–1955           Big Town              Colonel Venable / Dave / General Charles S. Venable     3 episodes

1954       Waterfront         Phil Harvey         Episode: "Stand by All Stations"

Topper Jack        Episode: "Preparations for Europe"

The Lone Wolf   Sheriff Ketton   Episode: "The Wife Story"

Climax! Adams  Episode: "The After House"

Your Favorite Story         Unknown character        Episode: "The Waltz"

1954–1960           Letter to Loretta               Various characters           9 episodes

1954–1965           Lassie    Casey Howell / Joe Baker             3 episodes

1955       Father Knows Best          Mr. Collins           Episode: "Father Delivers the Papers"

The Man Behind the Badge         Detective Merrick            Episode: "The Case of the Capital Crime"

The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp           Marshal Crawford            Episode: "Wyatt Earp Becomes a Marshal"

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars             Charlie  Episode: "A Gift of Life"

Frontier                Marshal / Ray    2 episodes

General Electric Theater               Tom       Episode: "Prosper's Old Mother"

Navy Log              Mr. Sayres          Episode: "Navy Corpsman"

1955–1956           Science Fiction Theatre Professor Horst Reimers / MacNamara / Arthur Kern      3 episodes

Lux Video Theatre           Shammy / Maguire         4 episodes

1955–1957           Fireside Theatre               Boggs / Germie / Henry Blaine / Jeremy                2 episodes

1956       The Man Called X             Josef     Episode: "For External Use Only"

The Star and the Story   Dr. Carlson          Episode: "Payment in Kind"

NBC Matinee Theater    Various characters           2 episodes

The Millionaire  Stoolie  Episode: "The Ed Murdock Story"

Alfred Hitchcock Presents            Theodore the Milkman / The Sheriff       Season 1 Episode 25: "There Was an Old Woman" as Theodore the Milkman

Season 1 Episode 33: "The Belfry" as the Sheriff

TV Reader's Digest          Captain Larsen / Paul Diamond / Dr. Rayborn / Tad Duncan, Sr. / Dr. Petrie            5 episodes

Chevron Hall of Stars      John      Episode: "Family Affair"

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show             Dr. J. L. Hendricks / Bert Keith    2 episodes

The Joseph Cotten Show              Mr. Erwin            Episode: "We Who Love Her"

Studio 57             Sheriff Barton    Episode: "Swing Your Partner, Hector"

1956–1961           Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre               Various characters           6 episodes

1956–1974           Gunsmoke          Wilbur Jonas (storekeeper) / Joe Bean / Uncle Wesley   43 episodes

1957       The New Adventures of Charlie Chan     Zac West              Episode: "The Lost Face"

How to Marry Millionaire              Mr. Blandish       3 episodes

Broken Arrow    Joe Randolph     Episode: "Legacy of a Hero"

Dr. Hudson's Secret Journal         Tom Denby / Pete Maxwell         2 episodes

Fury       Sanders                Episode: "My Horse Ajax"

Sheriff of Cochise            Charlie Jackson Episode: "Revenge"

The West Point Story     Tom Nolan          2 episodes

Code 3  Louis Johnson / Bill Rockwell       2 episodes

The Web              Unknown character        Episode: "Man with a Choice"

The Gray Ghost                Cooper Episode: "Rebel Christmas"

Tombstone Territory      Jim Edwards, Sr.               Episode: "Ambush at Gila Gulch"

1957–1958           Whirlybirds         Jim Burdette / Dan Malloy           2 episodes

Trackdown          Mike Kilroy / Sheriff Chet Farrow / Ward Barrett / Ethan Phelps 4 episodes

1958       Official Detective             James   Episode: "The Cover-Up"

The Court of Last Resort               Sheriff Cass Baker            Episode: "The Joel Sheldon Case"

State Trooper    Ed Grimes           Episode: "312 Vertical"

Target   Kirby      Episode: "Backfire"

Westinghouse Studio One           Lewis     Episode: "Image of Fear"

The Restless Gun             Roy Stanton       Episode: "Peligroso"

1958–1959           Wanted Dead or Alive    Bartender / Elder Luke Boone / Tom Wade          3 episodes

Walt Disney Presents     Will / Fort Supplier           2 episodes

1958–1966           Perry Mason      Various characters           8 episodes

1959       Pony Express     Sheriff Barnett  Episode: "Wrong Rope"

Steve Canyon    Ben Moore         Episode: "The Bomb"

Playhouse 90     Clayton Beard    Episode: "The Day Before Atlanta"

The Thin Man    Amboy - Hotel Clerk       Episode: "Anonymity Anyone?"

The Rough Riders             Sheriff Jenkins  Episode: "Paradise Gap"

Alcoa Theatre    Policeman           Episode: "Christabel"

Man Without a Gun        Ben McLaren     Episode: "Hangtree Inn"

The Troubleshooters      Lepage Episode: "The Law and the Profits"

Tightrope!           Skeet    Episode: "Thousand Dollar Bill"

Bat Masterson  Will         Episode: "Wanted: Dead"

Law of the Plainsman     Wesley Episode: “The Hostiles”

Richard Diamond, Private Detective        Scooter Jaffee   Episode: "The Adjuster"

The Rifleman     Brett Conway    Episode: "Panic"

Wichita Town     John Matthews                Episode: "The Devil's Choice"

1959–1960           Black Saddle       Owen Edwards / Denver Pollock               2 episodes

Goodyear Theatre           Matty Burton / Policeman            2 episodes

1959–1965           Wagon Train       Hiram Snow / Mr. Finley / Tanner             3 episodes

1960       Rescue 8              Harvey  Episode: "Quicksand"

Johnny Ringo     Sam       Episode: "Killer, Choose a Card"

The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis  Mr. Walter Gilroy             2 episodes

The DuPont Show with June Allyson       Dr. Meeker         Episode: "Dark Fear"

Shirley Temple's Storybook         Samuel Episode: "The Reluctant Dragon"

Klondike              Piano Delivery Man         Episode: "Keys to Trouble"

Tales of Wells Fargo        Ben Wilson         Episode: "The Bride and the Bandit"

Two Faces West               Willie Medford  Episode: "The Proud Man"

1960–1961           Death Valley Days            Slim Newell / Leo Harris                2 episodes

1960–1962           Laramie                Elmo Regis / Mr. Colby / Samuel Clemens             3 episodes

1961       The Rifleman     Finny     Episodes: "The Wyoming Story: Part 1" & "The Wyoming Story: Part 2"

Shotgun Slade   Ed Brandon         Episode: "A Gun and a Prayer"

The Law and Mr. Jones  Unknown character        Episode: "Indian War"

The Jack Benny Program               1st Desk Clerk    Episode: "Jack Goes to Las Vegas"

Stagecoach West             Foster / Reider  2 episodes

The Asphalt Jungle          Al Stehl Episode: "The Friendly Gesture"

The Aquanauts Oscar / Haber    2 episodes

Adventures in Paradise Reverend Forbes             Episode: "Errand of Mercy"

Hawaiian Eye     Harry Wilson      Episode: "Thomas Jefferson Chu"

Cain's Hundred Willie Beal           Episode: "The Penitent: Louis Strode"

Dr. Kildare           Mr. Willis             Episode: "Holiday Weekend"

Bus Stop              Jefty      Episode: "A Lion Walks Among Us"

Ichabod and Me               Mr. Halliday        Episode: "Teenage Journalist"

1961–1962           Checkmate         Hokey / Henry Creasy    2 episodes

Lawman               Joe Brockway / Les Courtney      2 episodes

The Detectives  Ed Foster / Mr. Blane / Todd Adams / Helm Merriwether              4 episodes

1961–1963           The Untouchables           Brower / Agent Ned Ferber / Thomas B. Randall                3 episodes

1961–1964           Rawhide              Sheriff / Jebidiah Haddlebird / Townsman            3 episodes

1961       Rawhide              Townsman          S3:E14, "Incident of the Big Blowout"

1961–1965           The Andy Griffith Show Mr. Sims / Naylor / Sales Clerk / Councilman Dobbs          4 episodes

1961–1971           Bonanza               Various characters           8 episodes

1962       Have Gun – Will Travel   Doc Halop            Episode: "Lazarus"

Surfside 6            Finney Tate        Episode: "The Surfside Swindle"

Follow the Sun  Fulton   Episode: "Marine of the Month"

Alcoa Premiere Herb Raymond  Episode: "The Very Custom Special"

The Dick Powell Theatre               Gavin    Episode: "Pericles on 31st Street"

Don't Call Me Charlie!    Dr. Martin           Episode: "Vive Judson McKay"

The Eleventh Hour          Ed Crain                Episode: "Angie, You Made My Heart Stop"

Saints and Sinners           Walter Hines      Episode: "A Night of Horns and Bells"

1962–1963           The Twilight Zone            Evans / Scanlan 2 episodes

1962–1965           The Dick Van Dyke Show              Mr. Brumley / Mr. Waring / Chaplain Berger        4 episodes

1963       Empire  Joseph Williams                Episode: "End of an Image"

Stoney Burke     Dr. John Banner                Episode: "Image of Glory"

Make Room for Daddy  Impatient Postal Customer          Episode: "Rusty's Birthday"

I'm Dickens, He's Fenster             Charlie Piedmont             Episode: "Senior Citizen Charlie"

Temple Houston              Marshal Cloud   Episode: "Gallows in Galilee"

Kraft Suspense Theatre                Newton Yort      Episode: "A Hero for Our Times"

The Greatest Show on Earth       Unknown character        Episode: "Lady in Limbo"

1963–1967           The Fugitive       Various characters           6 episodes

1964       Grindl    Sladowski            Episode: "Grindl, Private Eye"

Destry   Dr. Forbes           Episode: "Destry Had a Little Lamb"

Arrest and Trial J.H. Salomon      Episode: "The Black Flower"

The Rogues        Madigan              Episode: "The Personal Touch"

The Outer Limits               E.F. Larkin / Mr. Bishop  2 episodes

1965       Wendy and Me Orville Beaumont             Episode: "A Bouquet for Mr. Bundy"

The Bill Dana Show          Mr. Clark              Episode: "The Court Jester"

The Cara Williams Show                Fuliner  Episode: "Pawn Ticket for a Ticker"

Peyton Place      Parole Officer / E.J. Taggart         2 episodes

Profiles in Courage          Taylor / Dr. Fenner          2 episodes

1965–1966           Hank      Coach Ossie Weiss           21 episodes

1965–1967           The Virginian      Ed Harger / Doc 2 episodes

Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.    Policeman / Harper Caldwell       2 episodes

1966       Laredo  Ira           Episode: "Road to San Remo"

1966–1973           The F.B.I.             Various characters           10 episodes

1967       The Invaders      The Minister      Episode: "The Experiment"

Rango   Sheriff Simmons               Episode: "Gunfight at the K.O. Saloon"

The Road West Thomas Grimmer             Episode: "Elizabeth's Odyssey"

Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.    Police Officer     Episode: "The Prize Boat"

Cimarron Strip   Judge Quayle     Episode: "Nobody"

The Big Valley    Matt Carson       Episode: "Night of the Executioner"

1967–1969           Mannix Mr. Coombs / Petey O'Grady / Dan Turpin           3 episodes

1968       The Second Hundred Years         General Craven                Episode: "For Whom the Drums Beat"

Petticoat Junction            Mr. Peck              Episode: "Ring-A-Ding-Ding"

The Wild Wild West         Captain Lyman Butler / Senator Seth Buckley      2 episodes

1968–1969           Judd, for the Defense    Dr. Fred Zellmer / Mr. LeBow     2 episodes

The Ghost & Mrs. Muir  Norrie Coolidge                6 episodes

1969       The Brady Bunch              Minister               Episode: "The Honeymoon"

Lancer   Sheriff  Episode: "The Kid"

1969–1973           Ironside               Old Librarian / Mr. Carew / Thomas Gibbs             3 episodes

1970       The Boy Who Stole the Elephant               Stilts      Television film

Bracken's World               Man on Bus        Episode: "Fallen, Fallen Is Babylon"

The Name of the Game                Victor Bychek    Episode: "Echo of a Nightmare"

The Interns         Edgar Jarvis         Episode: "Death Wish"

The Young Lawyers         Jacobi    Episode: "MacGillicuddy Always Was a Pain in the Neck"

1971       The Bold Ones: The New Doctors             Casey    Episode: "Angry Man"

O'Hara, U.S. Treasury     Billy Jack               Episode: "Operation: Moonshine"

1972       Nichols Harrigan               Episode: "Sleight of Hand"

The Mod Squad                Store Owner      Episode: "Taps, Play It Louder"

1972–1973           The Rookies       Billy Levinson / Studio Guard      2 episodes

1973       Ghost Story        Harry Bell             Episode: "Earth, Air, Fire and Water"

Winesburg, Ohio              Parcival Television film

Barnaby Jones   Andy Spake        Episode: "Murder-Go-Round"

Adam-12              Dave Carlson      Episode: ”Venice Division”

1973–1974           Cannon                Walt Fox / Windom Salter            2 episodes

1974       Chopper One     Motel Manager                Episode: "Strain of Innocence"

Chase    Parino   Episode: "Out of Gas"

The Greatest Gift             Deacon Hurd      Television film

Paper Moon       Unknown character        Episode: "Bonnie and Clyde"

The Manhunter                Harry Bell             Episode: "The Lodester Ambush"

1974–1983           Little House on the Prairie            Reverend Alden               76 episodes

1975       Shazam!               Seldom Seen Slim            Episode: "Fool's Gold"

Saturday Night Live         Man at Veterinary Clinic                Episode: "Candice Bergen/Esther Phillips"

1976       The Rockford Files           Peter Preli           Episode: "Where's Houston?"

The Streets of San Francisco       Watchman          Episode: "Dead or Alive"

1977       Green Eyes         Mr. Cousins        Television film

Emergency!        Dr. Hubert Nippert          Episode: "Upward and Onward"

1978       The Incredible Hulk         Dr. Malone         Episode: "The Beast Within"

The Winds of Kitty Hawk               Ace Hutchin        Television film

1981       Charlie's Angels                Bluford Catlin     Episode: "Moonshinin' Angels"

1982       The Greatest American Hero      Supervisor          Episode: "Train of Thought"

Matt Houston    Henry    Episode: "Who Would Kill Ramona?"

1983       Little House: Look Back to Yesterday       Reverend Alden               Television film

1984       Little House: The Last Farewell   Reverend Alden               Television film

1986       Starman               Ralph Wollery    Episode: "Fever"

1987       Werewolf            Russell  Episode: "Friendly Haven"

1988       Charles in Charge             'Buzz' Powell      Episode: "Poppa, the Sailor Man"

Bonanza: The Next Generation Sills         Television film

First Impressions              Milt        Episode: "Pilot"

1989       Roseanne            Joe         Episode: "Lobocop"

Ann Jillian            Unknown character        Episode: "Buddy System"

1990       The Bradys          Minister               Episode: "The Brady 500"

1990–1991           In the Heat of the Night                J.L. Lambry          2 episodes

1991       L.A. Law               Chester Mead   Episode: "On the Toad Again"

Empty Nest        Mr. Sobel            Episode: "Almost Like Being in Love"

1992       The Secret of Lost Creek               Henry "Grandpa" Fogel                Unknown episodes

1992–1996           Picket Fences    Reverend Henry Novotny            20 episodes

1994       Rebel Highway  Gary      Episode: "Runaway Daughters"

1997       George and Leo                Uncle Dick           Episode: "The Thanksgiving Show"

1998       Ally McBeal         Vincent Robbins               Episode: "Alone Again"

2000       Spin City               Dr. Marsh Laughlin, DDS                Episode: "Smile"

2001       Diagnosis: Murder           Danny McNamara            2 episodes

Family Law          Frank Watson    Episode: "The Gay Divorcee"

2001–2002           Maybe It's Me   Grandpa Fred Stage        21 episodes

2003       Lizzie McGuire   Moe      Episode: "My Fair Larry" (final acting role)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dabbs_Greer

50 Years of Little House on the Prairie: Kevin Hagen (Dr. Hiram Baker)

 

Kevin Hagen (April 3, 1928 – July 9, 2005) was an American actor best known for his role as Dr. Hiram Baker on NBC's TV series Little House on the Prairie.

Kevin Hagen played Ed Bosworth in a 1958 episode of Have Gun, Will Travel Three Sons

Early life

Hagen was born in Chicago, Illinois, to professional ballroom dancers, Haakon Olaf Hagen and Marvel Lucile Wadsworth. After his father deserted the family, Hagen was raised by his mother, grandmother, and aunts. As a 15-year-old, he relocated to Portland, Oregon, where one of his aunts had taken a teaching job.

Hagen attended Portland's Jefferson High School. His family returned to Chicago, and he attended Oregon State University in Corvallis and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California, from which he received a degree in international relations.

Acting roles

Hagen's first regular role on a series was in 1958 playing John Colton, the city administrator of New Orleans in the CBS Western Yancy Derringer.

On April 29, 1962, Hagen was cast in the episode "Cort" of Lawman.

Hagen guest-starred on Gunsmoke, The Big Valley, Bonanza, Laramie, Have Gun - Will Travel, Mannix, The Time Tunnel, and Perry Mason. He made three appearances on Mason. In 1958 he played Sgt. Burke in "The Case of the Sardonic Sergeant"; in (1965) he played murderer Jacob Leonard in "The Case of the Gambling Lady", and Samuel Carleton in "The Case of the Fugitive Fraulein." Hagan appeared as Inspector Dobbs Kobick in nine episodes of Land of the Giants from 1968 to 1970.

Other appearances included Tales of Wells Fargo, The Untouchables, Bat Masterson, Riverboat, The High Chapparal, Wagon Train (S1 E21 "The Annie MacGregor Story" 1958 and S8 E25 “The Silver Lady” 1965), Outlaws, Straightaway, GE True, Hawaiian Eye, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Twilight Zone, Daniel Boone, Blue Light, Mission: Impossible, Rawhide, 77 Sunset Strip, M*A*S*H, The Rifleman (as Billy St.John in S2 E31 "The Prodigal" 1960), Lancer, The Virginian, The Guns of Will Sonnett, The Cowboys, Lost in Space, The Silent Force, Sara, Quincy, M.E., Simon and Simon, and Knots Landing.

Hagen played a Confederate renegade who kills James Stewart's son and daughter-in-law in the 1965 film Shenandoah. His most famous role was Doc Baker on Little House on the Prairie.

Personal life

In 1992, Hagen moved to Grants Pass in southwestern Oregon where he performed in concerts, dinner theaters, and on stage in Medford, Ashland, and Grants Pass, including the one-man show A Playful Dose of Prairie Wisdom.

In 2004, Hagen was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. He died on July 9, 2005, at his home in Grants Pass. Hagen was survived by his son, Kristopher, and his wife, Jan, whom he married in 1993.

Filmography

1957       The Tales of Wells Fargo               Mitt      

1958       The Light in the Forest   Fiddler Uncredited

Gunsmoke in Tucson      Clem Haney       

Gunsmoke          Bill Jennings       

1959       Gunsmoke          Coney Thorn      Episode: "Love of A Woman"

Pork Chop Hill    Corporal Kissell

1960       The Twilight Zone            Captain James Webber Episode: "Elegy"

1961       The Untouchables           "Swede" Kelso   Episode: "Stranglehold"

Straightaway      Frazer   Episode: "The Stranger"

1962       Maverick             Justin Radcliffe Episode: "One of Our Trains is Missing"

Gunsmoke          Bowman              Episode: "Wagon Girls"

Rider on a Dead Horse   Jake Fry               

1963       The Virginian      Oscar Swenson Episode: "Run Away Home"

The Man from Galveston             John Dillard        

1964       Rio Conchos       Episode: "Blondebeard"               

Gunsmoke          Emmett Ginnis Episode: "No Hands"

1965       Shenandoah      Mule, Rebel Deserter   

1966       Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea             Holden Episode: "The Shape Of Doom"

1967       Bonanza               Brother Guy       Episode: S9.E10 Showdown at Tahoe

The Ride to Hangman's Tree       Prisoner               Uncredited

The Last Challenge          Frank Garrison 

The High Chaparral          Tanner Episode "Shadows on the Land"

The Time Tunnel              Sgt. Maddox      Episode: "The Death Merchant"

1968–1970           Land of the Giants           Inspector Dobbs Kobick                9 episodes

1968       Big Valley             Unknown            Episode: "The Long Ride"

Mission: Impossible        David Webster Episode: "The Condemned"

1969       The Learning Tree            Tim "Doc" Cravens          

1969       Mission: Impossible        Kurt Lom              Episode: "Illusion"

1973       Gentle Savage   Ken Shaeffer    

1974–1984           Little House on the Prairie            Hiram "Doc" Baker           113 episodes & 3 TV movies

1976       M*A*S*H           Colonel Coner   Episode: "Some 38th Parallels”

1978       Quincy, M.E.      Dr. Dale Albers Episode: "A Night to Raise the Dead"

M*A*S*H           Major Goss         Episode: "Peace on Us"

1980       The Hunter         Poker Player #2               

1986       Power   Cop       

1990       The Ambulance                Cop At Stables   Final film role

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Hagen