Philip Ober (March 23, 1902,
Fort Payne, AlabamaFort Payne is a city in DeKalb County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 12,938. The city is the county seat of DeKalb County. It bills itself as the "Official Sock Capital of the World."...
– September 13, 1982,
Mexico CityMexico City is the capital city of Mexico. It is the economic, industrial, and cultural center in the country, and the most populous city, with about 8,836,045 inhabitants in 2008...
) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor.
Ober often appeared in roles as a
straight manStraight man may refer to:* Straight Man, a novel by Richard Russo* A member of a double act who plays a foil in theatrical comedy* A heterosexual male...
in farcical circumstances. One of his most memorable stage role was in
Lawrence RileyLawrence Riley was a successful American playwright and screenwriter. He gained fame in 1934 as the author of the Broadway hit Personal Appearance, which was turned by Mae West into the classic film Go West, Young Man , starring herself.-Biography:Riley was a Princeton University alumnus and a...
's
BroadwayBroadway Theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, is the theatre associated with the 40 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located in the Theatre District, New York in Manhattan, New York City...
hit
Personal AppearancePersonal Appearance is a stage comedy by the American playwright and screenwriter Lawrence Riley , which was a Broadway smash and the basis for the classic Mae West film Go West, Young Man ....
(1934) opposite
Gladys GeorgeGladys George was an American actress, now perhaps best remembered for her role in The Maltese Falcon.-Early life:...
. From 1954 to 1967 he frequently appeared in television
seriesA television program , television programme , or television show is a segment of content broadcast on television...
. In 1941, he married actress
Vivian VanceVivian Vance was an American award winning television and theater actress and singer. Often referred to as “TV’s most beloved second banana,” she is best known for her role as Ethel Mertz, sidekick to Lucille Ball on the American television sitcom I Love Lucy, and as Vivian Bagley on The Lucy...
, who famously portrayed
Ethel MertzEthel Mertz is a fictional character played by Vivian Vance in the 1950s and 1960s American television sitcom I Love Lucy, where she was one of the four main roles. Ethel was born about 1905 and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her maiden name was Ethel Roberta Louise Mae Potter. Her father...
in the TV series
I Love LucyI Love Lucy is an American television sitcom, starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951 to April 1, 1960 on CBS...
(1951-1957).
Philip Ober (March 23, 1902,
Fort Payne, AlabamaFort Payne is a city in DeKalb County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 12,938. The city is the county seat of DeKalb County. It bills itself as the "Official Sock Capital of the World."...
– September 13, 1982,
Mexico CityMexico City is the capital city of Mexico. It is the economic, industrial, and cultural center in the country, and the most populous city, with about 8,836,045 inhabitants in 2008...
) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor.
Ober often appeared in roles as a
straight manStraight man may refer to:* Straight Man, a novel by Richard Russo* A member of a double act who plays a foil in theatrical comedy* A heterosexual male...
in farcical circumstances. One of his most memorable stage role was in
Lawrence RileyLawrence Riley was a successful American playwright and screenwriter. He gained fame in 1934 as the author of the Broadway hit Personal Appearance, which was turned by Mae West into the classic film Go West, Young Man , starring herself.-Biography:Riley was a Princeton University alumnus and a...
's
BroadwayBroadway Theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, is the theatre associated with the 40 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located in the Theatre District, New York in Manhattan, New York City...
hit
Personal AppearancePersonal Appearance is a stage comedy by the American playwright and screenwriter Lawrence Riley , which was a Broadway smash and the basis for the classic Mae West film Go West, Young Man ....
(1934) opposite
Gladys GeorgeGladys George was an American actress, now perhaps best remembered for her role in The Maltese Falcon.-Early life:...
. From 1954 to 1967 he frequently appeared in television
seriesA television program , television programme , or television show is a segment of content broadcast on television...
. In 1941, he married actress
Vivian VanceVivian Vance was an American award winning television and theater actress and singer. Often referred to as “TV’s most beloved second banana,” she is best known for her role as Ethel Mertz, sidekick to Lucille Ball on the American television sitcom I Love Lucy, and as Vivian Bagley on The Lucy...
, who famously portrayed
Ethel MertzEthel Mertz is a fictional character played by Vivian Vance in the 1950s and 1960s American television sitcom I Love Lucy, where she was one of the four main roles. Ethel was born about 1905 and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her maiden name was Ethel Roberta Louise Mae Potter. Her father...
in the TV series
I Love LucyI Love Lucy is an American television sitcom, starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951 to April 1, 1960 on CBS...
(1951-1957). He made two appearances on
I Love LucyI Love Lucy is an American television sitcom, starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951 to April 1, 1960 on CBS...
, first playing "Arnold" in the episode "The Quiz Show," and later in the series stepping in to play Hollywood producer
Dore ScharyIsidore 'Dore' Schary was an American motion picture director, writer, and producer, and playwright.Graduate of Central High School, Newark, New Jersey, Class of 1923....
when Schary decided not to play himself in the episode. Ober and Vance divorced in 1959 at which Vance claimed Ober was not only cruel to her during their marriage but jealous of her success. She also admitted that he was also living mostly on her income and "didn't believe in savings".
Ober continued to work as an actor in films. He had an important, but brief role, as the UN ambassador in
Alfred HitchcockSir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British filmmaker and producer who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in his native United Kingdom in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
's
North by NorthwestNorth by Northwest is a 1959 American suspense film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason, and featuring Leo G. Carroll and Martin Landau...
(1959) whom Roger Thornhill (
Cary GrantArchibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was a British-American actor...
) meets, in order to clarify who had occupied his mansion. He also played
Deborah KerrDeborah Kerr, born Deborah Jane Kerr-Trimmer, CBE was a British stage, television and film actress...
's unsympathetic husband in the film version of
From Here to EternityFrom Here to Eternity is a 1953 drama film based on the novel of the same name by James Jones. It deals with the troubles of soldiers, played by Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra, and Ernest Borgnine stationed on Hawaii in the months leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor...
(1953).
He had a recurring role as Gen. Wingard Stone in the very early episodes of long-running
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...
situation comedyA situation comedy, usually referred to as a sitcom, is a genre of comedy programs which originated in radio. Today, sitcoms are found almost exclusively on television as one of its dominant narrative forms...
I Dream of JeannieI Dream of Jeannie is a 1960s American sitcom with a fantasy premise. The show starred Barbara Eden as a 2000-year-old female genie, and Larry Hagman as an astronaut who becomes her master, with whom she falls in love and eventually marries...
. His interment was in
Chapel of the Pines CrematoryChapel of the Pines Crematory is a crematory and columbarium located at 1605 South Catalina Street Los Angeles, California, in the historic West Adams District a short distance southwest of Downtown...
.
Filmography
- 1934
-Events:*January 26 - Samuel Goldwyn purchases the film rights to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the L. Frank Baum estate for $40,000.*February 19 - Bob Hope marries Dolores Reade...
: Chloe, Love Is Calling You : Jim
- 1938
The year 1938 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*January — MGM announces that Judy Garland would be cast in the role of "Dorothy" in the upcoming Wizard of Oz motion picture. Ray Bolger is cast as the "Tinman" and Buddy Ebsen is cast as the "Scarecrow". At Bolger's insistence,...
: Little MeLittle Me was the parody "confessional" self-indulgent autobiography of "Belle Poitrine" , subtitled The Intimate Memoirs of the Great Star of Stage, Screen and Television, by Patrick Dennis, who had achieved a great success with Auntie Mame...
- 1950
The year 1950 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 15 - Walt Disney Studios' animated film Cinderella debuts.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue
...
: The Magnificent Yankee : Owen Wister / Narrator
- 1950
The year 1950 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 15 - Walt Disney Studios' animated film Cinderella debuts.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue
...
: The Secret FuryThe Secret Fury is a 1950 black-and-white drama film distributed by RKO Radio Pictures, directed by Mel Ferrer.-Plot:Musician and wealthy woman, Ellen, is accused of already being married when she attempts to take her wedding vows. Ellen, her future husband and the wedding guests are shocked...
: Gregory Kent
- 1950
The year 1950 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 15 - Walt Disney Studios' animated film Cinderella debuts.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue
...
: Never a Dull MomentNever a Dull Moment is a 1950 RKO comedy film starring Irene Dunne and Fred MacMurray. The film is based on the 1943 book Who Could Ask For Anything More? by Kay Swift.-Cast:*Irene Dunne ... Kay*Fred MacMurray ... Chris*William Demarest ... Mears...
: Jed
- 1951
The year 1951 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Sweden - May Britt is scouted by Italian film-makers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue
...
: The Unknown Man-Plot:Defense attorney Dwight Bradley Masen is successful in seeking the acquittal of a young man, Rudi Walchek, accused of knifing to death the 19-year-old son of a local locksmith, but when Rudi lets a comment slip after the trial, Masen realizes he has defended a guilty man...
: Wayne Kellwin
- 1952
The year 1952 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 10 - Cecil B. DeMille's circus epic, The Greatest Show on Earth, premieres at Radio City Music Hall in New York City....
: Washington Story : Gilbert Nunnally
- 1952
The year 1952 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 10 - Cecil B. DeMille's circus epic, The Greatest Show on Earth, premieres at Radio City Music Hall in New York City....
: Come Back, Little ShebaCome Back, Little Sheba is a 1952 drama film made by Paramount Pictures which tells the story of a loveless marriage that is rocked when a young woman rents a room in the couple's house...
: Ed Anderson
- 1953
The year 1953 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*September 16 — The Robe debuts as the first anamorphic, widescreen CinemaScope film.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue
...
: The ClownThe Clown may refer to:*"The Clown" , by Thomas Mann*The Clown , a 1957 album by Charles Mingus*The Clown , a 1963 novel by Heinrich Böll*The Clown , a 1976 West German film directed by Vojtěch Jasný...
: Ralph Z. Henderson
- 1953
The year 1953 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*September 16 — The Robe debuts as the first anamorphic, widescreen CinemaScope film.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue
...
: The Girls of Pleasure IslandThe Girls of Pleasure Island is a 1953 comedy film directed by Alvin Ganzer and F. Hugh Herbert. The screenplay by F. Hugh Herbert is based on the novel by William Maier...
: Col. Reade
- 1953
The year 1953 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*September 16 — The Robe debuts as the first anamorphic, widescreen CinemaScope film.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue
...
: Scandal at ScourieScandal at Scourie is an American drama movie from the year 1953 starring Walter Pidgeon and Greer Garson.- Plot :Catholic girl Patsy lives in an orphanage in Quebec. After the orphanage burns down due to Patsies arson, Patsy finds a new home at the McChesney couple, which lives in evangelic Ottawa...
: B. G. Belney
- 1953
The year 1953 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*September 16 — The Robe debuts as the first anamorphic, widescreen CinemaScope film.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue
...
: From Here to EternityFrom Here to Eternity is a 1953 drama film based on the novel of the same name by James Jones. It deals with the troubles of soldiers, played by Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra, and Ernest Borgnine stationed on Hawaii in the months leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor...
: Capt. Dana 'Dynamite' Holmes
- 1954
The year 1954 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 12 - The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces wife Marion Benda. The two were married in 1927.* A reproduction of "America's First Movie Studio", Thomas Edison's Black Maria, is constructed...
: About Mrs. Leslie : Mort Finley
- 1954
The year 1954 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 12 - The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces wife Marion Benda. The two were married in 1927.* A reproduction of "America's First Movie Studio", Thomas Edison's Black Maria, is constructed...
: Broken LanceBroken Lance is a 1954 Western film made by Twentieth Century-Fox, directed by Edward Dmytryk and produced by Sol C. Siegel. The movie stars Spencer Tracy and features Katy Jurado, Richard Widmark, Robert Wagner, Jean Peters, and Hugh O'Brian...
: Van Cleve
- 1956: Calling Terry Conway (TV) : Stan
- 1957
The year 1957 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 21 - The movie Jailhouse Rock, starring Elvis Presley, opens.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue
...
: Tammy and the BachelorTammy and the Bachelor is a 1957 romantic comedy film and is the first of the four Tammy movies. It stars Debbie Reynolds as Tambrey "Tammy" Tyree, Walter Brennan as Grandpa Dinwitty and Leslie Nielsen as Peter Brent...
: Alfred Bissle
- 1957
The year 1957 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 21 - The movie Jailhouse Rock, starring Elvis Presley, opens.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue
...
: Escapade in JapanEscapade in Japan is a 1957 American family adventure film directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Teresa Wright, Cameron Mitchell, Jon Provost and Roger Nakagawa. It also featured an early appearance of Clint Eastwood as a pilot.-Synopsis:...
: Lt. Col. Hargrave
- 1958
The year 1958 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 16- "In the Money" by William Beaudine is released on this date...
: The High Cost of Loving : Herb Zorn
- 1958
The year 1958 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 16- "In the Money" by William Beaudine is released on this date...
: Ten North FrederickTen North Frederick is a 1958 American drama film written and directed by Philip Dunne. The screenplay is based on the 1955 novel of the same name by John O'Hara.-Plot synopsis:...
: Lloyd Williams
- 1958
The year 1958 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 16- "In the Money" by William Beaudine is released on this date...
: Torpedo RunTorpedo Run is a 1958 Metrocolor war film starring Glenn Ford as a World War II submarine commander in the Pacific who is obsessed with sinking a particular Japanese aircraft carrier.It was nominated for an Academy Award for Special Effects.-Plot:...
: Adm. Samuel Setton
- 1959
The year 1959 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* The Three Stooges make their 190th and last short film, Sappy Bullfighters.*September 18 - The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx marries his second wife, Barbara Blakely....
: The Mating GameThe Mating Game is an MGM color film made in 1959. It is very loosely based on a British novel, The Darling Buds of May, by H.E. Bates, which was later adapted into a more faithful 1991-93 British miniseries, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones in the role that Debbie Reynolds plays in the 1959 film...
: Wendell Burnshaw
- 1959
The year 1959 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* The Three Stooges make their 190th and last short film, Sappy Bullfighters.*September 18 - The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx marries his second wife, Barbara Blakely....
: North by NorthwestNorth by Northwest is a 1959 American suspense film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason, and featuring Leo G. Carroll and Martin Landau...
: Lester Townsend
- 1959
The year 1959 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* The Three Stooges make their 190th and last short film, Sappy Bullfighters.*September 18 - The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx marries his second wife, Barbara Blakely....
: Beloved Infidel : John Wheeler
- 1960
The year 1960 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* April 20 - for the first time since coming home from military service in Germany, Elvis Presley returns to Hollywood, California to film G.I...
: Elmer GantryElmer Gantry is a satirical novel written by Sinclair Lewis in 1926 and published by Harcourt in March 1927.-Background:Lewis did research for the novel by observing the work of various preachers in Kansas City in his so-called "Sunday School" meetings on Wednesdays. He first worked with William L...
: Rev. Planck
- 1960
The year 1960 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* April 20 - for the first time since coming home from military service in Germany, Elvis Presley returns to Hollywood, California to film G.I...
: Let No Man Write My Epitaph : Grant Holloway
- 1960
The year 1960 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* April 20 - for the first time since coming home from military service in Germany, Elvis Presley returns to Hollywood, California to film G.I...
: The Facts of LifeThe Facts of Life is a 1960 romantic comedy starring Bob Hope and Lucille Ball as middle-aged people who have an affair despite being married to other people. Written, directed, and produced by the longtime Hope associates Melvin Frank and Norman Panama, the film was more serious than many other...
: Doc Mason
- 1961
The year 1961 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue
source: http://www.boxofficereport.com/database/1961.shtml- Awards :Academy Awards:*Bridge to the Sun...
: The Crimebusters : Herman Hauzner
- 1961
The year 1961 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue
source: http://www.boxofficereport.com/database/1961.shtml- Awards :Academy Awards:*Bridge to the Sun...
: Go Naked in the WorldGo Naked in the World is a 1961 American drama film starring Ernest Borgnine, Anthony Franciosa, and Gina Lollobrigida....
: Josh Kebner
- 1963
The year 1963 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* June 12 - Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison and Richard Burton premieres at the Rivoli Theatre in New York City....
: The Ugly AmericanThe Ugly American is the title of a 1958 political novel by Eugene Burdick and William Lederer. It became a bestseller, was influential at the time, and is still in print...
: Ambassador Sears
- 1964
The year 1964 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 29 - The film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is released....
: The Brass BottleThe Brass Bottle is a 1964 fantasy film about a modern man who accidentally acquires a djinn. Though the word is commonly translated into English as "genie", author F. Anstey made a distinction between the two in the novel of the same name which provides the basis of the film.The film starred Tony...
: William Beevor
- 1966
The year 1966 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Walt Disney, well known for his creation of Mickey Mouse, died on December 15,1966 of acute circulatory collapse following a diagnosis of, and surgery for, lung cancer...
: The Ghost and Mr. ChickenThe Ghost and Mr. Chicken is a Universal Pictures feature film starring Don Knotts as Luther Heggs, a newspaper typesetter who spends a night in a haunted house. Knotts was best known at the time of the film's production for his Emmy Award-winning five seasons on the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show...
: Nicholas Simmons
- 1968
The year 1968 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 30 - The film The Lion in Winter, starring Katharine Hepburn, debuts.* November 1 - The MPAA's film rating system is introduced.-Top grossing films :...
: Assignment to KillAssignment to Kill is a 1968 American drama film directed by Sheldon Reynolds and starring Patrick O'Neal, Joan Hackett, John Gielgud, Herbert Lom and Oskar Homolka....
: Bohlen