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Elliott Lewis Fletcher Markle Biography & Facts

Elliott Lewis (November 28, 1917 – May 23, 1990) was an American actor, writer, producer, and director who worked in radio and television during the 20th century. He was known for his ability to work in these capacities across all genres during the golden age of radio, which earned him the nickname "Mr. Radio". Later in life, he wrote a series of detective novels. Early years Elliott Bruce Lewis was born in New York City, on November 28, 1917, to Julius Lewis and Anne Rabinowitz Lewis. His father was a printer. He had one younger brother, Raymond. By 1930, the family was living in Mount Vernon, New York. Lewis headed west to Los Angeles to take a prelaw course in his 20s, but found himself drawn to acting. He attended Los Angeles City College, where he studied music and drama. Radio career Lewis made his radio debut in 1936, at the age of 18. While Lewis was a student at Los Angeles CIty College, True Eames Boardman noticed him in a college play and invited him to read four lines in a biography of Simon Bolivar that Boardman was producing for Sunday Workshop. Lewis' role was to scream and bang metal chairs in an earthquake scene. His mother drove him to the NBC studio, kissed him for luck, and waited in the car with the radio on. At the moment of her son's debut, a streetcar rumbled by, preventing her from hearing his big scene. Another of his early roles was as Mr. Presto the Magician, on the transcription series The Cinnamon Bear (1937). In 1939, he became the host of Knickerbocker Playhouse.: 190–91  As an actor, Lewis was in high demand on radio, and he displayed a talent for everything from comedy to melodrama. He gave voice to the bitter Harvard-educated Soundman on the 1940–41 series of Burns and Allen and several characters (Rudy the radio detective, the quick-tempered delivery man, and Joe Bagley) on the 1947–48 series, many characters on The Jack Benny Radio Show (including the thuggish "Mooley", and cowboy star "Rodney Dangerfield"), a variety of characters on the Parkyakarkus show, and Rex Stout's roguish private eye Archie Goodwin, playing opposite Francis X. Bushman in The Amazing Nero Wolfe (1945). Lewis was one of several actors who had the title role in The Casebook of Gregory Hood,: 66  and he portrayed the title character in Hawk Durango.: 147  He played Harry Graves on Junior Miss,: 185–86  Barney Dunlap on Speed Gibson of the International Secret Police,: 311–12  Mr. Peterson on This Is Judy Jones,: 664  and adventurer Phillip Carney on the Mutual Broadcasting System's Voyage of the Scarlet Queen: 348  Lewis was an announcer on Escape.: 110  He was also heard as an actor on episodes of Adventures by Morse,: 6–7  The Adventures of Maisie (1946–47), The Adventures of Sam Spade,: 12  Arch Oboler's Plays,: 37  Best of the Week, The Clock,: 160  Columbia Presents Corwin,: 167  The Hermit's Cave,: 318–19  I Love a Mystery,: 337  Latitude Zero, Orson Welles Theater,: 525  Plays for Americans: 548  Suspense, The Whistler, and dozens of other shows. He found acting, except for comedy, dull, and he preferred to write and to direct. He disliked hearing his own voice. He also taught radio classes at UCLA in the early 1950s. Military service During World War II, Lewis was a master sergeant who produced 120 shows for the Armed Forces Radio Network. Much of his work involved recording programs from commercial networks and editing them before they were broadcast to military personnel. Lewis said, "We would take them off the air, take out anything that dated them or was commercial or censorable, reassemble them, and ship them." In an era that preceded tape recording, that meant working with transcriptions on glass discs, which could easily be broken. Lewis received the Legion of Merit citation for his service. He left the Army on February 1, 1946, following three and a half years of service. The Phil Harris–Alice Faye Show Perhaps Lewis' most famous role on radio was that of the hard-living, trouble-making, left-handed, guitar player Frankie Remley on NBC's The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show. This character, based in name only on the actual guitar player in Harris' band, served only one purpose - to get Phil into trouble. Lewis's portrayal of the character, along with the rest of the Harris-Faye format, began on The Fitch Bandwagon (1946–48).: 254  Lewis was credited with saving the role, which had been filled by the real Frankie Remley for one episode. Jeanine Roose, who portrayed Alice Jr. on the program, described Lewis as a "totally extroverted wild man," adding, "He and Phil would play off each other all the time; they had such good rapport and a genuine liking for each other." Lewis said that, though he mostly played dramatic roles, he wished he could be a baggy-pants comic. The name "Frankie Remley" belonged to Harris's guitarist on The Jack Benny Program, on which Harris was a cast member. Frankie Remley taught Lewis to play a few guitar chords and allowed Lewis, who, like Remley, was left handed, to use Remley's left-handed guitar for one episode. When Benny moved his show from NBC to CBS in 1949, rights to use references to Remley supposedly went with him. Recordings of the shows indicate, however, that the Remley character was still used at least as late as April 12, 1952, (in the episode "Alice's Easter Dress") while "Elliott Lewis" was being used for the character in the November 23, 1952, episode ("Chloe the Golddigger"). Harris left Benny's show at the end of the 1951–52 season, and the Frankie Remley name was changed in the first episode of the 1952–53 season of the Harris-Faye Show (October 5, 1952), "Hotel Harris", in which the character claimed "Frankie Remley" was just his stage name, and he now wanted to go by his given name of "Elliott Lewis". According to Lewis, the name change happened after lawyers convinced the real Remley to seek payment for the use of his name. Lawyers for both sides fought it out, until Harris, in frustration, decided to just call the character "Elliott Lewis". Lewis observed, "Frankie Remley" is a funny-sounding name, but "Elliott Lewis" is not. Radio production The first radio script Lewis wrote was for Hermit's Cave ("The Drain"). Lewis' writing process involved thinking of a provocative sound or circumstance. He was considered one of the top talents in the radio world. In all, Lewis was involved in over 1200 radio productions, often working behind and in front of the microphone on the same episodes. Lewis took over directorship of Suspense from William Spier in 1950. One noteworthy undertaking is his adaptation of William Shakespeare's Othello on Suspense in 1953. Lewis adapted, acted in, produced, and directed; his wife, Cathy, played Desdemona. He received positive notice for episodes like "The Death of Barbara Allen". Lewis said he disagreed with studio executives and sponsors who, he said, would ask for changes to a script shortly before a show was to record. On his desk was a mug with a question printe.... 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