Paul Hartman

Paul Hartman (March 1, 1904 – October 2, 1973) was an American dancer, stage performer and television actor.

Paul Hartman
Fay Wray and Hartman in The Pride of the Family (1953)
Born	March 1, 1904 San Francisco, California, U.S.
Died	October 2, 1973 (aged 69) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Stage, film, and television actor
Years active	1932–1972
Spouse(s)	Grace Hartman
Awards	Leading Actor in a Musical 1948 Angel in the Wings

Paul Hartman, Anna Neagle & Ray Bolger in Sunny (1941)

Biography

Born in San Francisco, California, Hartman, like Fred Astaire, began performing as a dancer with his sister. In 1922, he teamed up with Grace Barrett for a long and successful dancing comedy vaudeville act that consisted of them both paying homage to and gently mocking the popular dances of the day, from ballet to swing. The two married in 1927.

Along with Grace, Paul made his Broadway debut in Ballyhoo of 1932 alongside Bob Hope, but the show was not a success. The two found success with Cole Porter's Red Hot and Blue a few years later, and continued to flourish on the Great White Way. The main premise of their act involved the crisp and witty Grace overwhelming the gangly, slack-jawed Paul, intermittently cut with dance numbers and musical comedy routines.

The Hartmans' success led them to Hollywood, but Paul only saw limited success there, most prominently appearing alongside Frank Sinatra and Victor Borge in 1943's Higher and Higher. Upon the Hartmans' return to Broadway, they resolved to take charge and write their own revue. Their 1948 musical revue, Angel in the Wings, was a smash success, and both Hartmans were named best lead actor and actress in a musical that year at the second Tony Awards (the first to recognize musical performers).

The two were then offered a sitcom on NBC, and The Hartmans (at Home) showed promise, but audiences rejected the show, which often featured canned scripts and little opportunity for the couple to show off their physical and musical abilities. Paul and Grace returned to Broadway, where they spent three years in a number of variety shows and revues. In 1951 he was elected a member of the famed theater club, The Lambs.

Hartman's wife Grace was diagnosed with cancer in 1952. She died in 1955. Television and Hollywood had once again risen to the top of the entertainment world, and the convenience of television shooting and a quick paycheck lured Paul out to Los Angeles once more. Hartman began appearing in the 1953-1954 ABC situation comedy The Pride of the Family as Albie Morrison, the father and head of the household. Fay Wray, best known for King Kong, played his wife, Catherine, and Natalie Wood and Robert Hyatt played his children, Ann and Junior Morrison, respectively.[1]

In 1957, Hartman returned one last time to Broadway, but then past fifty, he tired of the hectic stage life. He continued to play bit parts in movies and television throughout the rest of his life, most famously as handyman Emmett Clark on CBS's The Andy Griffith Show[2] and Mayberry R.F.D. In a nod to his earlier life, he is seen doing a dance routine at Howard Sprague's party in the Andy Griffith episode "The Wedding", and in the Mayberry, RFD, episode "All for Charity", he can be seen doing a soft shoe routine with costar Ken Berry. In addition, he had small parts on Petticoat Junction; Love, American Style; The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Hazel, Ben Casey, The Twilight Zone, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Our Man Higgins, and Family Affair. He was cast in the 1960 film Inherit the Wind.[3] In 1967, he appeared with Robert Morse in the film version of How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying.

Hartman died from a heart attack in Los Angeles at the age of 69.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1935	Carnival in Flanders
1937	45 Fathers	Joe McCoy
1941	Sunny	Egghead
1943	Higher and Higher	Byngham
1953	Man on a Tightrope	Jaremir
1960	Inherit the Wind	Bailiff Mort Meeker
1961	The Young Savages	Juror	Uncredited
1963	The Thrill of It All	Dr. Taylor
1963	Soldier in the Rain	Chief of Police
1965	Those Calloways	Charley Evans
1967	How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying	Toynbee
1967	The Reluctant Astronaut	Rush
1967	Luv	Doyle

References

1. "The Pride of the Family". Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
2. "TV Land Andy Griffith Show Biographies". Archived from the original on December 31, 2010. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
3. "Time Magazine". October 15, 1973.

External links

• Paul Hartman at Find a Grave
• Paul Hartman at the Internet Broadway Database
• Paul Hartman at IMDb