Wikipedia

Art Carney

For the football player, seeArt Carney (American football).

Arthur William Matthew Carney(November 4, 1918 – November 9, 2003) was an American actor and comedian. A recipient of anAcademy Award,aGolden Globe Award,and sixPrimetime Emmy Awards,he was best known for his role as Ed Norton on the sitcomThe Honeymooners(1955–1956).

Art Carney
Carney in 1959
Born
Arthur William Matthew Carney

(1918-11-04)November 4, 1918
Mount Vernon, New York,U.S.
DiedNovember 9, 2003(2003-11-09)(aged 85)
Chester, Connecticut,U.S.
Resting placeRiverside Cemetery, Old Saybrook, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
Years active1939–1993
Spouses
Jean Myers
​
​
(m.1940;div.1965)​
​
​
(m.1980)​
Barbara Isaac
​
​
(m.1966;div.1977)​
Children3
FamilyReeve Carney(great-nephew)
Military career
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Army
Years of service1943–1945[1]
RankPrivate
Unit28th Infantry Division[1]
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsPurple Heart
American Campaign Medal
European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal

His film roles includeHarry and Tonto(1974),The Late Show(1977),House Calls(1978),Going in Style(1979),Firestarter,The Muppets Take Manhattan(both 1984), andLast Action Hero(1993).

Early life

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Carney, the youngest of six sons (his brothers were Jack, Ned, Robert, Fred, and Phil), was born in Mount Vernon, New York, the son of Helen (née Farrell) and Edward Michael Carney, a newspaperman and publicist.[citation needed]His family was Irish American and Catholic.[2]He attendedA.B. Davis High School.[3]

Carney was drafted into theUnited States Armyin 1943[1]as an infantryman and machine gun crewman duringWorld War II.During theBattle of Normandyserving in the28th Infantry Division,[1]he was wounded in the leg byshrapneland walked with a limp for the rest of his life. As a result of the injury, his right leg was ¾-inch (2 cm) shorter than his left.[4]Carney was awarded aPurple Heart,theAmerican Campaign Medal,theEuropean–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medaland theWorld War II Victory Medal,and was discharged as aprivatein 1945.[1]

Career

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Radio

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Carney was a comic singer with theHorace Heidtorchestra, which was heard often on radio during the 1930s, notably on the hugely successfulPot o' Gold,the first big-money giveaway show in 1939–41. Carney's film career began with an uncredited role inPot o' Gold(1941), the radio program's spin-off feature film, playing a member of Heidt's band. Carney, a gifted mimic, worked steadily in radio during the 1940s, playing character roles and impersonating celebrities such as PresidentFranklin D. RooseveltandWinston Churchill.He can be seen impersonating Roosevelt in a 1937 promotional film for Stewart-Warner refrigerators that is preserved by theLibrary of Congress.[5]as well as during a 1966 appearance as a Mystery Guest onWhat's My Line.[6]In 1941, he was the house comic on thebig band remoteseriesMatinee at Meadowbrook.

One of his radio roles during the 1940s was the first Red Lantern onLand of the Lost.In 1943 he played Billy Oldham onJoe and Ethel Turp,based onDamon Runyonstories. He appeared onThe Henry Morgan Showin 1946–47. He impersonated Roosevelt onThe March of TimeandDwight D. EisenhoweronLiving 1948.In 1950–51 he played Montague's father onThe Magnificent Montague.He was a supporting player onCasey, Crime PhotographerandGang Busters.

Television

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Carney on his variety showArt Carney Special(1959).

On both the radio and television versions ofThe Morey Amsterdam Show(1948–50), Carney's character Charlie the doorman became known for his catchphrase, "Ya know what I mean?".

In 1950,Jackie Gleasonwas starring in the New York–based comedy-variety seriesCavalcade of Starsand played many different characters. Gleason's regular characters included Charlie Bratten, a lunchroom loudmouth who insisted on spoiling a neighboring patron's meal. Carney, established in New York as a reliable actor, played Bratten's mild-mannered victim, Clem Finch. Gleason and Carney developed a good working chemistry, and Gleason recruited Carney to appear in other sketches, including the domestic-comedy skits featuringThe Honeymooners.Carney gained lifelong fame for his portrayal of sewer worker Ed Norton, oppositeJackie Gleason's bus driver, Ralph Kramden. The success of these skits resulted in the famous situation comedyThe Honeymoonersand theHoneymoonersrevivals that followed. He was nominated for sevenEmmy Awardsand won six.

Between his stints with Gleason, Carney worked steadily as a character actor and occasionally in musical-variety. He guest-starred onNBC'sHenry Morgan's Great Talent Hunt(1951),The Dinah Shore Chevy Show,and many others, including as a mystery guest four times onWhat's My Line?which he attended (once) dressed as Ed Norton. Carney also had his own NBC television variety show from 1959 to 1960.

In 1958, he starred in an ABC children's television specialArt Carney Meets Peter and the Wolf,which featured theBil BairdMarionettes. It combined an original story with a marionette presentation ofSerge Prokofiev'sPeter and the Wolf.Some of Prokofiev's other music was given lyrics written byOgden Nash.The special was a success and was repeated twice.

Art Carney surrounded by several marionettes from his television special,Art Carney Meets Peter and the Wolf(1958).

Carney starred in a Christmas episode ofThe Twilight Zone,"The Night of the Meek",playing a dramatic turn as an alcoholic department store Santa Claus who later becomes the real thing. In 1964, he guest-starred in the episode" Smelling Like a Rose "along withHal MarchandTina Louisein the CBS dramaMr. Broadway,starringCraig Stevens.In the season two opening episodes 35 and 36 of theBatmantelevision series, titled "Shoot a Crooked Arrow" and "Walk the Straight and Narrow" (1966), Carney performed as the newly introduced villain "The Archer". In 1967, he was originally cast as Geppetto for the Hallmark adaption ofPinocchio,but illness prevented him from appearing when taping time arrived. He was later replaced byBurl Ives.

In 1970, Carney appeared as Skeet in "The Men from Shiloh" (the rebranded name ofThe Virginian) in the episode titled "With Love, Bullets and Valentines." In the early 1970s, Carney sang and danced on several episodes ofThe Dean Martin Show,took part in theDean Martin Celebrity Roastof his old co-starJackie Gleason,and appeared as both Santa Claus and his wannabe kidnapper Cosmo Scam in the 1970MuppetsTV specialThe Great Santa Claus Switch.[7][8]He was also a guest star onThe Carol Burnett Showin January 1971.

He starred as Police Chief Paul Lanigan in the 1976 television filmLanigan's Rabbi,and in the short-lived series of the same name that aired in 1977 as part of theNBC Sunday Mystery Movielineup.[9]

In 1978, Carney appeared inStar Wars Holiday Special,a television film that was linked to theStar Warsfilm series. In it, he played Trader Saun Dann, a member of theRebel Alliancewho helpedChewbaccaand his family evade an Imperial blockade. The same year, he appeared as the father ofRingo Starr's alter ego "Ognir Rrats" in the made for television special "Ringo". Carney appeared on an episode ofAlice.

In 1980, he starred in the TV filmAlcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story.In 1984, he portrayedSanta Clausin the holiday television filmThe Night They Saved Christmas.

Among his final television roles were a series of commercials for Coca-Cola in which he played a man enjoying a day out with his grandson played by actorBrian Bonsall,including a famous Christmas commercial based around the famousRockefeler CenterChristmas tree in New York.

Recordings

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Carney recorded prolifically in the 1950s forColumbia Records.Two of his hits were "The Song of the Sewer", sung in character as Norton, and "'Twas the Night Before Christmas", a spoken-word record in which Carney, accompanied only by a jazz drummer, recited the famous Yuletide poem in syncopation. Some of Carney's recordings were comedy-novelty songs, but most were silly songs intended especially for children.

He also narrated a version ofThe Wizard of OzforGolden Records,withMitch Millerand his chorus performing four of the songs from the 1939 film version.

Films

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Carney won theAcademy Award for Best Actorfor his 1974 performance as Harry Coombes, an elderly man going on the road with his pet cat, inHarry and Tonto.Other nominees that year wereAlbert Finney,Dustin Hoffman,Jack Nicholson,andAl Pacino.It was presented to him at the47th Academy Awardson April 8, 1975, by actressGlenda Jackson,with whom Carney went on to co-star in the comedyHouse Callsin 1978. Carney also won aGolden Globeaward for his performance inHarry and Tonto.

In demand in Hollywood after that, Carney then appeared inW.W. and the Dixie Dancekings(as a deranged preacher),The Late Show(as an aging detective),House Calls(as a senile chief surgeon),Movie Movie(in multiple roles), andGoing in Style(as a bored senior citizen who joins in on bank robberies). Later films includedThe Muppets Take Manhattan,the crime dramaThe Naked Face,and the sci-fi thrillerFirestarter.

In 1981, he portrayedHarry R. Truman,an 83-year-old lodge owner in the semi-fictional account of events leading to theeruption of Mount St. HelensinSt. Helens.

In 1990, he co-starred in a movie called, “Where Pigeons Go to Die”withMichael Landon.He played the role of a grandfather who taught his grandson little life lessons that would follow him for the rest of his life.

His final film role was in the 1993 action comedy filmLast Action Hero.

Broadway

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Carney made hisBroadwaydebut in 1957 as the lead inThe Rope DancerswithSiobhán McKenna,a drama by Morton Wishengrad. His subsequent Broadway appearances included his portrayal in 1965–67 of Felix Unger inThe Odd Couple(oppositeWalter Matthauand thenJack Klugmanas Oscar). In 1969 he was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance inBrian Friel'sLovers.In 1961–62, Carney played Frank Michaelson in an English comedy byPhoebe&Henry EphrontitledTake Her, She's Minewith Phyllis Thaxter as his co-star in the Biltmore Theatre in New York; the character was played byJames Stewartin the 1963 film version.

Personal life

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Carney was married three times to two women. In 1940, he married his high school sweetheart Jean Myers, with whom he had three children, Eileen, Brian and Paul, before divorcing in 1965. In 1966, Carney married production assistant Barbara Isaac; they divorced in 1977. After his divorce from Isaac, he reunited with Myers, and they remarried in 1980 and remained together until his death.[10][11]His grandson is Connecticut state representativeDevin Carney[12]and his great-nephew is musician and actorReeve Carney.[13]

According to Carney, he was an alcoholic by his late teens. His stage partner, comedianOllie O'Toole,"would order gin and grapefruit juice for us in the morning and, gee, it was great." Carney later used barbiturates, amphetamines, and alcohol substitutes. To battle his addiction, which he said ran in the family, he tried psychotherapy and joinedAlcoholics Anonymous.He finally found success withAntabuseand quit drinking during the filming ofHarry and Tonto.[4]

Carney died at a care home inChester, Connecticut,on November 9, 2003, five days after his 85th birthday.[10][11]He is interred at Riverside Cemetery inOld Saybrook, Connecticut.Jean Carney died on October 31, 2012, at the age of 93.[14]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1941 Pot o' Gold Band member / Radio Announcer Uncredited
1950 PM Picnic The Narrator
1955–56 The Honeymooners Ed Norton Primetime Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role(1956)
1958 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Cyril T. Jones Episode: "Safety for the Witness"
1960 The Twilight Zone Henry Corwin Episode: "The Night of the Meek"
1964 The Yellow Rolls-Royce Joey Friedlander
1967 A Guide for the Married Man "Joe X", Married Man
1972 The Snoop Sisters: 'Female Instinct' Barney with Helen Hayes and Mildred Natwick
1974 Harry and Tonto Harry Coombes Academy Award for Best Actor
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
1975 W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings Deacon John Wesley Gore
Death Scream Mr. Jacobs TV movie (aka Street Kill)
Katherine Thornton Alman TV movie
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in Comedy or Drama Special
1976 Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood J.J. Fromberg
1977 The Late Show Ira Wells National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor
Scott Joplin John Stark
1978 House Calls Dr. Amos Willoughby
Movie Movie Dr. Blaine / Dr. Bowers Segments: "Dynamite Hands" and "Baxter's Beauties of 1933"
Star Wars Holiday Special Trader Saun Dann
1979 Ravagers Sergeant
You Can't Take It With You Grandpa Martin Vanderhof
Steel "Pignose" Moran
Sunburn Marcus
Going in Style Al Pasinetti Award for Best Actor
1980 Defiance Abe
Roadie Corpus C. Redfish
Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story Robert Stroud TV movie
Fighting Back: The Rocky Bleier Story Art Rooney TV movie
1981 Bitter Harvest Walter Peary TV movie
Take This Job and Shove It Charlie Pickett
St. Helens Harry Truman
The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold The Narrator / Blarney Kilakilarney TV movie, Voice
1982 Better Late Than Never Charley Dunbar
1983 The Last Leaf Mr. Behrman
1984 Terrible Joe Moran Tony TV movie
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special
Firestarter Irv Manders
The Naked Face Morgens
The Muppets Take Manhattan Bernard Crawford
The Night They Saved Christmas Santa Claus TV movie
1985 The Undergrads Mel Adler
Izzy and Moe Moe Smith TV movie
The Blue Yonder Henry Coogan TV movie
1986 Miracle of the Heart: A Boys Town Story Father Michael T. O'Halloran
1987 Night Friend Monsignor O'Brien
1990 Where Pigeons Go to Die Da Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special
1993 Last Action Hero Frank Final film role

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
1974 Academy Awards Best Actor Harry and Tonto Won [15]
1990 American Comedy Awards Lifetime Achievement Award – Male Won [16]
1985 CableACE Awards Actor in a Movie or Miniseries The Undergrads Won
1987 Actor in a Comedy Series Faerie Tale Theatre(for "The Emperor's New Clothes") Nominated
1974 Golden Globe Awards Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Harry and Tonto Won [17]
1977 National Society of Film Critics Awards Best Actor The Late Show Won [18]
1954 Primetime Emmy Awards Best Series Supporting Actor The Jackie Gleason Show Won [19]
1955 Best Supporting Actor in a Regular Series Won
1956 Best Actor in a Supporting Role The Honeymooners Won
Best Comedian Nominated
1957 Best Supporting Performance by an Actor The Jackie Gleason Show Nominated
1966 Special Classification of Individual Achievements The Jackie Gleason Show Nominated
1967 Won
1968 Won[a]
1976 Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in Comedy or Drama Special Katherine Nominated
1984 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special Terrible Joe Moran Won
1987 Outstanding Guest Performer in a Comedy Series The Cavanaughs(for "He Ain't Heavy" ) Nominated
1990 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special Where Pigeons Go to Die Nominated
2004 Television Hall of Fame Hall of Fame Award Inducted [20]
1969 Tony Awards Best Leading Actor in a Play Lovers Nominated [21]
2003 TV Land Awards Favorite Second Banana The Honeymooners Nominated
1980 Venice Film Festival Best Actor (Pasinetti Award) Going in Style Won [22]

Honors and tributes

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  • Art Carney has a star on theHollywood Walk of Famein the Television Category at 6627Hollywood Boulevard,awarded on February 8, 1960.[23]
  • In 1954, the Board of Directors of the Florida Water and Sewage Works Operators Association (now the Florida Water and Pollution Control Operators Association) unanimously passed a resolution that Carney be granted an Honorary Life Membership in the Association in recognition for his constant humorous reminders to the American public that sewage systems exist.
  • While he was starring inThe Odd Coupleon Broadway, Carney's caricature was drawn on the walls ofSardi'sRestaurant.[24]
  • In 2002, Carney was portrayed by Michael Chieffo inGleason,a 2002 television biopic about the life of hisHoneymoonersco-starJackie Gleason.[25]
  • In 2004, Carney was posthumously inducted into theTelevision Hall of Fame.
  • Jackie Gleason stated that Carney deserved ninety percent of the credit for the success ofThe Honeymooners.[26]
  • The city ofYonkers, New York,named the corner of Margaret Ave. and Westchester Ave. as Art Carney Place, because Carney once lived in the city.
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Notes

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  1. ^Tied withPat PaulsenforThe Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.

References

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  1. ^abcdeCarney, Arthur William, Pvt.army.togetherweserved.com. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  2. ^"'Honeymooners' actor Art Carney dies."China Daily,Beijing. November 12, 2003.
  3. ^Art CarneyYahoo! Movies: BiographyArchivedMay 22, 2011, at theWayback Machine
  4. ^abWilkins, Barbara.Art Carney Wins in a Film—and Over Alcoholism.Peoplemagazine, Vol. 2, Issue 17 viaInternet Archive.Published October 21, 1974. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  5. ^Stewart-Warner Refrigerator Sales Film.Library of Congress.Archivedfrom the original on November 17, 2021 – via YouTube.
  6. ^What's My Line? - Walter Cronkite; Art Carney; PANEL: Steve Allen, Anne Douglas (Mar 27, 1966).Archivedfrom the original on November 17, 2021 – via YouTube.
  7. ^"The Great Santa Claus Switch (TV Movie 1970)".IMDb.Archivedfrom the original on January 3, 2021.RetrievedAugust 27,2018.
  8. ^"The Great Santa Claus Switch".YouTube.Archivedfrom the original on January 3, 2021.RetrievedAugust 27,2018.
  9. ^"The Museum of Broadcast Communications - Encyclopedia of Television".museum.tv.Archived fromthe originalon October 5, 2012.RetrievedDecember 22,2016.
  10. ^abSevero, Richard (November 12, 2003)."Art Carney, 85, Lauded 'Honeymooners' Actor, Dies".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on December 21, 2009.RetrievedJune 18,2020.
  11. ^abMcLellan, Dennis (November 11, 2003)."Actor Art Carney dead at 85".Chicago Tribune.Archivedfrom the original on January 3, 2021.RetrievedNovember 13,2020.
  12. ^Hewitt, Cate (December 6, 2019)."State Rep. Devin Carney on Hartford, Party Lines, and His View of the Coming Session".The Connecticut Examiner.RetrievedMarch 15,2023.
  13. ^Sessums, Kevin (September 17, 2021)."FIVE QUESTIONS FOR… Reeve Carney".Grazia USA.RetrievedMarch 15,2023.
  14. ^"Jean Carney Obituary".Dignity Memorial - Swan Funeral Home.Archivedfrom the original on January 3, 2021.RetrievedDecember 22,2016.
  15. ^"The 47th Academy Awards (1975) Nominees and Winners".Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Archivedfrom the original on April 2, 2015.RetrievedOctober 2,2011.
  16. ^"AMERICAN COMEDY AWARDS".The Washington Post.March 18, 1990.ISSN0190-8286.RetrievedJuly 1,2020.
  17. ^"Art Carney".Golden Globe Awards.RetrievedAugust 18,2024.
  18. ^"Past Awards".National Society of Film Critics.RetrievedAugust 18,2024.
  19. ^"Art Carney".Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.RetrievedAugust 18,2024.
  20. ^"Hall of Fame Honorees: Complete List".Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.RetrievedAugust 18,2024.
  21. ^"The 1969 Tony Awards".Tony Awards.RetrievedAugust 18,2024.
  22. ^"Venice Film Festival 1980".MUBI.RetrievedAugust 18,2024.
  23. ^"Art Carney".October 25, 2019.
  24. ^Sardi, Jr., Vincent; Thomas Edward West (1991).Off the Wall at Sardi's.Applause Books. p. 97.ISBN978-1557830517.Archivedfrom the original on January 3, 2021.RetrievedNovember 24,2020.
  25. ^Gallo, Phil (October 10, 2002)."Gleason".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on December 11, 2017.RetrievedDecember 10,2017.
  26. ^McLellan, Dennis (November 12, 2003)."From the Archives: 'Honeymooners' Sidekick Art Carney Dies".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on January 3, 2021.RetrievedJune 18,2020.
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