Frank Graham
Birthday: 1914-11-22
Place of Birth: Detroit, Michigan, USA
Synopsis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Frank Graham attended the University of California for one year and left to begin his acting career in Seattle, both on the stage and in radio. He was brought to Hollywood in 1937 to join KNX Radio. He had been married two years before to Dorothy Jack of Seattle. He was the star of Night Cap Yarns over CBS from 1938 through 1942 and was the announcer of dozens of programs, including the Ginny Simms, Rudy Vallee and Nelson Eddy shows.
He starred in Jeff Regan, Investigator and co-developed the radio drama Satan’s Waitin’ with Van Des Autels. Graham was also The Wandering Vaquero, the narrator of The Romance Of The Ranchos radio series (1941–1942), also on the CBS network.
One of his few live action roles was playing the tile character in the film Cosmo Jones, Crime Smasher (1943). He had also served as a writer for the radio program on which the film was based upon.
Graham played numerous characters in animated films for Walt Disney, MGM, Columbia and Warner Bros. He voiced the Wolf in Tex Avery's Droopy cartoons, as well as the Mouse in King-Size Canary at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He provided the voices of the Fox and Crow in the eponymous-named shorts at Columbia.
He was found dead at age 35 in his convertible in the carport of his home in Los Angeles on September 2, 1950. A coroner declared he had committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning.
Acting
Tex Avery's Droopy: The Complete Theatrical Collection
as Killer
Frederick "Tex" Avery directed some of the funniest cartoons ever made, but he relied primarily on situations and moving graphics, rather than on the personalities of familiar characters. Droopy, the phlegmatic basset hound, was one of the few characters Avery used regularly: His low-key presence was the perfect counter to the extreme takes, fast cuts, frenetic action, and general mayhem going on around him. Avery is also noted for "self-reflexive gags:" the characters know they're in a cartoon and often comment on the fact. In "Dumb-Hounded,"a sprinting wolf cuts a corner too sharply, skids past the sprocket holes at the edge of the film, and onto the blank screen. Droopy frequently turns to the camera and comments, "You now what? I'm happy."
The Chump Champ
as Announcer (voice) (uncredited)
Droopy and Gorgeous Gorillawitz (Spike) are competing for the title of King of Sports and for a kiss from the Queen of Sports. Spike cheats as much as possible but can never seem to beat Droopy.
Jerry and the Lion
as The Lion (voice) (uncredited)
Jerry agrees to help an escaped circus lion, whose first need is food. But first they'll have to evade Tom, who heard the news bulletin and is armed with a shotgun.
So Much for So Little
as Narrator
Little Johnny Jones, to be born in the next year, is shown growing to a ripe, healthy old age, thanks to the efforts of his local public health officers. But without them, he might be one of the 5% or so that dies in the first year. The price for the public health service: about 3 cents a week.
The House of Tomorrow
as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Tex Avery's narrator shows us the amazing features of the ultra-modern House of Tomorrow.
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King-Size Canary
as Mouse (voice)
A hungry cat has the idea of giving "Jumbo Gro" fertilizer to a scrawny canary to make him a bigger meal, which leads to a race between the cat, the canary, a dog, and a mouse to see who can grow the biggest.
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Slap Happy Lion
as Mouse (voice) (uncredited)
The king of the jungle, after a well spent day terrorising the rest of the animals, is petrified by a mouse.
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Baseball Bugs
as Additional Voices (voice) (uncredited)
Bugs Bunny single handedly takes on the “Gas-House Gorillas,” a baseball team of hulking, cigar-chomping bullies.
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Northwest Hounded Police
as Escaped Prisoner (voice) (uncredited)
The wolf escapes from Alka-Fizz prison, but persistent Sergeant McPoodle (Droopy) of the Canadian Mounties follows his trail wherever he goes.
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Springtime for Thomas
as Jerry's Devil Conscience / Butch (voice)
It's spring, and Tom is much more interested in the female cat next door than in Jerry.
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Something You Didn't Eat
as Narrator (voice)
Animated short documentary film made to advance the cause of a balanced diet for the benefit of the public health and for the advancement of the American war effort.
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Fresh Airedale
as Narrator, Shep's Master
Shep the dog is seen by his master as loyal and loving, but the cat knows he is really a self-centered, conniving weasel who lets burglars in the house and takes credit for the good deeds of others.
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Going Home
as Narrator
Pvt. Snafu's unit suffers the consequences of blabbing military secrets while on leave at home.
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The Chow Hound
as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Snafu learns of the folly of hoarding and wasting military food supplies.
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The Lonesome Mouse
as (voice) (uncredited)
Jerry crashes a vase onto Tom's head, which gets Mammy to throw Tom out. Jerry at first revels in his freedom, but soon tires of this, and, under a flag of truce, hatches a plan with Tom.
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Cosmo Jones, Crime Smasher
as Cosmo Jones
Cosmo Jones, a correspondence-school detective from a small town, comes to the big city to offer his services to the police. He happens by where a gangster is killed by an opposing gang. Socialite Phyllis Blake is running around with gang member Tom and the opposing gang plan on kidnapping her. Cosmo is with Sergeant Flanagan when the attempt is made in front of a night club, where a bystander is seriously wounded in the gun-battle. Police Chief Murphy blames Flanagan for the shooting and demotes him. Cosmo, with the aid of a porter, Eustace and Flanagan's fiancée, Susan, tries to find the killer. Phyllis is finally kidnapped and Cosmo decides the act was committed by one of the two gangs. He has her father place an ad in the newspaper that contact has been made with the kidnappers. Each gang thinks the other is pulling a double cross, and one gang wipes out the other.
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Chicken Little
as Narrator / Foxy Loxy / Chicken Little / Cocky Locky / Turkey Lurkey / Additional characters (voice) (uncredited)
It's a peaceful day at the local poultry farm until Foxy Loxy happens along intent on a chicken dinner. He takes the advice of a book on psychology by striking "the least intelligent" first and convinces dim witted Chicken Little the sky is falling. Chicken Little spreads the word but when head man Cocky Locky proves the story to be false, Foxy Loxy spreads rumors that Cocky Locky isn't the smart chicken he appears to be, which leads to the ultimate undoing of the chickens at the hands of Foxy Loxy.
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Reason and Emotion
as Narrator / Reason (voice)
A World War II propaganda film about the need to remain calm and logical during wartime.
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Dumb-Hounded
as The Killer (voice) (uncredited)
The wolf escapes from prison but can't get away from police dog Droopy no matter how hard he tries. This is the first cartoon starring Droopy.
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Blitz Wolf
as Narrator (voice)
Yet another variation on the Three Little Pigs theme, this time told as WW2 anti-German propaganda (the US had just entered the war), with the wolf as a thinly-disguised Hitler.
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Horton Hatches the Egg
as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Horton the elephant agrees to watch over lazy Maisie bird's egg while she vacations. Much later, after...
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The Night Before Christmas
as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
It's snowy and cold outside, and warm inside where Jerry squeezes past a mousetrap to cavort under a present-laden Christmas tree. Mistaking the sleeping Tom for a plush toy, Jerry wakes him and a mad chase ensues.
