Hubbry Logo
Dick WesselDick WesselMain
Open search
Dick Wessel
Community hub
Dick Wessel
logo
8 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Dick Wessel
Dick Wessel
Dick Wessel
View on Wikipedia
from Wikipedia

Richard Michael Wessel (April 20, 1913 – April 20, 1965)[1] was an American film actor who appeared in more than 270 films between 1935 and 1966. He is best remembered for his only leading role, a chilling portrayal of strangler Harry "Cueball" Lake in Dick Tracy vs. Cueball (1946), and for his appearances as comic villains opposite The Three Stooges.

Key Information

Biography

[edit]

Wessel was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[1] His burly frame established him as a character player in feature films of the 1930s and '40s. At first he was a bit player; in Laurel and Hardy's Bonnie Scotland (1935), he was a blacksmith's assistant (with no dialogue). Gradually his roles became larger and he was given a few lines of dialogue, as in Yankee Doodle Dandy where he played a veteran soldier. His first featured roles came in 1941, for comedy producer Hal Roach.

In 1946, Dick Wessel began working in Columbia Pictures' two-reel comedies, often with writer-director Edward Bernds. Wessel became one of Bernds's favorites, and Bernds wrote his scripts with parts for Wessel in mind. Wessel became a fixture in Columbia shorts, as a comic foil for The Three Stooges, Andy Clyde, Hugh Herbert, Gus Schilling and Richard Lane, Sterling Holloway, Harry Von Zell, Billie Burke, and Eddie Foy, Jr. When character actor Eddie Acuff left the Blondie series, Bernds hired Dick Wessel to replace him as the hapless mailman perennially flattened by Dagwood Bumstead in his rush-hour run for the bus. In 1955 director Bernds remembered Wessel and wrote him into the Bowery Boys comedy Bowery to Bagdad.

Wessel continued to play character roles in feature films. In 1946 he landed his only leading role, as a villain opposite Morgan Conway's portrayal of Dick Tracy. Dick Tracy vs. Cueball casts Wessel as Cueball, ex-convict with shaven head, who steals valuable jewels and murders anyone in his way while he tries to reclaim them. Wessel is Mr Cracker, the affable bartender serving James Stewart in Harvey, 1950). In Frank Capra's comedy Pocketful of Miracles, based on a Damon Runyon story, he's a New York mug masquerading as the governor of Florida.

Wessel also appeared on television. From 1959 to 1961, Wessel co-starred as Carney Kohler in all forty-two episodes of the NBC western television series Riverboat.[2] In 1959, he appeared as police captain Bob Rattigan in the episode "Rattigan and the Cat" of the syndicated Border Patrol series. He also appeared in the syndicated crime drama Sheriff of Cochise. He was cast as Charlie in the episode "A Kind of a Stopwatch" of CBS's The Twilight Zone. He also guest starred in the CBS sitcom/drama Hennesey and on the ABC sitcom, Our Man Higgins. In 1961 he guest-starred in the series finale of The Investigators.

Wessel and his wife, Louise, had a daughter.[1] He died of a heart attack at his home in Studio City, California on his 52nd birthday.[3]

Selected filmography

[edit]

Television

[edit]
Year 1959-1960 Title Riverboat (t.v. series) Role (Karney Kohler) Engine Man Notes
1961 Rawhide Barker S4:E4, "Judgement at Hondo Seco"
1963 Rawhide Jed S6:E10, "Incident at Confidence Creek"
1965 Gunsmoke Sol Durham S10:E34, "Honey Pot"

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Dick Wessel

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Richard Michael "Dick" Wessel (April 20, 1913 – April 20, 1965) was an American character actor renowned for his burly physique and portrayals of tough supporting roles in over 270 films and numerous television episodes spanning the 1930s to the 1960s. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Wessel initially pursued a career on stage before transitioning to Hollywood in the mid-1930s, where he debuted in uncredited bit parts in films such as The Game That Kills (1937) and gradually progressed to more prominent supporting characters like policemen, thugs, bartenders, and cab drivers. His versatile presence graced a wide array of genres, including comedies, dramas, westerns, and sci-fi, with standout appearances in classics like Rebel Without a Cause (1955) as the planetarium guide, Them! (1954) as the railroad detective, Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), and An American in Paris (1951). On television, Wessel became a familiar face in the late 1950s and early 1960s, appearing in popular series such as , , , and The Fugitive, and holding a recurring role as Carney Kohler, the chief stoker, in 42 episodes of the adventure drama (1959–1961). During World War II, he served as a Private First Class in the United States Marine Corps. Wessel was married to Louise and had one daughter. His career culminated with roles in films like (1966), released posthumously, before his sudden death from a heart attack at age 52 in Studio City, , on April 20, 1965—coinciding with his birthday; he was buried at in .

Early Life and Education

Birth and Upbringing

Richard Michael Wessel was born on April 20, 1913, in , . He was the son of Henry William Wessel (1888–1932) and Henrietta Louise Sauer Wessel (1889–1967), and grew up in the industrial heart of the Midwest during the early . He had three brothers: Edward Henry Charles Wessel (1910–1910), Frank William Wessel (1917–1990), and Henry Jack Wessel (1920–1968). , as a major manufacturing hub, provided a working-class environment typical of many Midwestern families in the pre-Depression era, though specific details of his parents' occupations remain undocumented in available sources. Wessel's formative years in this setting laid the groundwork for his eventual move toward performance, spanning a career from 1935 to 1965. No information is available regarding Wessel's formal education.

Initial Steps into Acting

Dick Wessel took his first steps into acting through stage performances in the early 1930s. As a husky-framed performer, he honed his skills in theater, drawing on the era's vibrant local scene that bridged vaudeville traditions and emerging dramatic works. Seeking greater opportunities amid the transition from silent films to talkies, Wessel relocated to Hollywood in the early 1930s, where he secured his film debut in 1935. This move positioned him to capitalize on the demand for versatile character actors capable of embodying rugged, comedic supporting roles in the burgeoning sound era.

Film Career

Early Roles and Bit Parts

Wessel made his film debut in 1935 as an uncredited blacksmith's helper in the Laurel and Hardy comedy Bonnie Scotland. This minor role marked the beginning of his screen career, where his imposing physical presence quickly suited him to portray tough, burly supporting characters. Over the next several years, Wessel progressed through bit parts in low-budget B-movies, serials, and shorts, often produced by studios like Monogram Pictures. Notable early examples include his credited role as 'Leapfrog' Soule, a henchman, in the mystery sport film The Game That Kills (1937), and as Slugs, another gangster figure, in the crime drama Arson Gang Busters (1938). These appearances showcased his emerging typecasting in rugged, no-nonsense roles amid fast-paced narratives typical of the era's Poverty Row output. During the late 1930s and early 1940s, Wessel accumulated dozens of uncredited or small credited parts across diverse genres, including comedies, westerns, and crime films, contributing to his steady work as a reliable background player. For instance, he appeared as a union army veteran in the biographical musical (1942), blending into ensemble scenes without drawing focus. Other representative roles from this period encompassed gangsters in crime dramas like (1938) and truck drivers or convicts in various action-oriented pictures, reinforcing his reputation for embodying tough-guy archetypes. By the mid-1940s, these efforts had resulted in approximately 28 film credits, laying the groundwork for more prominent supporting work in the years ahead.

Breakthrough and Notable Performances

Wessel's breakthrough came in with his leading role as the bald, menacing thief Harry "Cueball" Lake in the crime serial , where he portrayed a ruthless strangler who eliminates his own criminal accomplices after a heist gone wrong. His performance as the hulking, cueball-headed villain, marked by a chilling intensity and physical menace, was highlighted as a standout, with critics noting Wessel's ability to convey bewildered homicidal rage that elevated the film's action-thriller elements. Throughout the late 1940s and 1950s, Wessel frequently appeared as a comic villain in Columbia Pictures shorts featuring The Three Stooges, often cast as brutish henchmen or authoritarian cops to contrast the trio's slapstick chaos. Notable examples include his role as the boxer-manager henchman Chopper Kane in Fright Night (1947) and Fling in the Ring (1955), as well as cop characters like Sgt. Mullins in Punchy Cowpunchers (1950) and Sergeant Flint in G.I. Dood It (1955), showcasing his versatility in physical comedy and tough-guy archetypes. Wessel's supporting roles in major films further demonstrated his range, blending physical humor with gruff personas in comedies and crime dramas. In Harvey (1950), he played the affable bartender Mr. Cracker, providing comic relief in scenes with James Stewart's whimsical character. He appeared as a nightclub patron in the musical comedy Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), contributing to the film's lively ensemble atmosphere. In The Gazebo (1959), Wessel embodied the sleazy criminal Louis the Louse, a blackmailer whose abduction scene amplified the dark humor of the thriller-comedy. His portrayal of a New York mug posing as the Governor of Florida in Frank Capra's Pocketful of Miracles (1961) highlighted his knack for exaggerated tough-guy deception amid the film's whimsical crime tale. Other notable appearances include Ben Macrow in the musical An American in Paris (1951), the Planetarium Guide in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), and the Railroad Detective in the sci-fi horror Them! (1954). Over his career, Wessel amassed more than 270 credits, with a strong emphasis on westerns, comedies such as shorts, and crime dramas like (1946). His final appearance was a posthumous role as the frantic garbage man Eddie in the comedy (1966), released a year after his death. By the late , Wessel began shifting toward television to sustain his prolific output.

Television Career

Transition and Guest Appearances

As the popularity of television surged in the post-war era, Dick Wessel began transitioning from his established film career to the small screen in the early , leveraging his robust physical presence and comedic timing in one-off roles. His television debut came in a 1950 episode of the anthology series , titled "The Bunker," where he appeared in a supporting capacity amid the growing demand for experienced character actors in live broadcasts. By mid-decade, Wessel secured guest spots in early westerns, including a 1957 appearance as Challis in an episode of , portraying a rugged figure typical of the genre's frontier narratives. He followed this with a guest role in 1959 as Captain Bob Rattigan in the episode "Rattigan and the Cat" of the syndicated series Border Patrol, often injecting into tense border-crossing plots. Throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s, Wessel became a familiar face in guest appearances on prominent western anthology and series, frequently cast as tough outlaws, hapless sidekicks, or burly comic foils that echoed his film persona. On Gunsmoke, he appeared in the 1965 episode "Honey Pot" as Sol Durham, a saloon owner entangled in a web of old friendships and gunplay. On Rawhide, Wessel appeared twice: as the prisoner Barker in the 1961 episode "Judgment at Hondo Seco," aiding a tense courtroom drama, and as the outlaw Jed in "Incident at Confidence Creek" (1963), where his character's gruff demeanor heightened the cattle drive's conflicts. Similarly, in Laramie's 1961 episode "Strange Company," he played stagecoach hand Sam Higgins, contributing to the chaos of Sioux uprisings disrupting travel routes. His Bonanza guest spot came in the 1961 episode "Cutthroat Junction" as Big Mike Campbell, a menacing freight disruptor whose physicality amplified the episode's bandit showdown. Wessel also featured in Wagon Train's 1965 episode "The Captain Sam Story" as Biff, a ferryboat crew member supporting a headstrong captain's journey west. These roles often highlighted his ability to deliver quick-witted banter and slapstick falls in brief scenes, aligning well with television's faster pacing compared to film's longer takes. One standout non-western guest role was in the 1963 Twilight Zone episode "," where Wessel portrayed Charlie, the unassuming owner of a who sells a magical time-stopping watch to a hapless customer. The ironic twist—Charlie frozen mid-gesture when the watch malfunctions—perfectly suited Wessel's style of understated, physically comedic characters, adding a layer of wry humor to the sci-fi anthology's moral fable. Wessel's early television work, with its emphasis on concise, action-driven vignettes, played to his strengths in physical comedy and authoritative bluster, facilitating a smooth adaptation from cinema's broader canvases to the episodic format's tighter constraints. This phase of isolated guest spots culminated in more sustained television commitments by the late 1950s.

Recurring Roles

One of Dick Wessel's most significant recurring roles came in the NBC adventure-western series Riverboat (1959–1961), where he co-starred as Carney Kohler, the comic and bumbling first mate and chief stoker, appearing in 41 episodes. In this capacity, Wessel's character often provided humorous counterpoint to the more serious exploits of captain Grey Holden, played by Darren McGavin, through antics in the engine room and interactions with the crew during Mississippi River voyages fraught with danger and intrigue. His portrayal emphasized Kohler's loyalty and clumsiness, contributing to the show's blend of action and light comedy. Wessel also made guest appearances in popular television series, maintaining consistency in his rugged, everyman persona. In Perry Mason (1959), he guest-starred in the episode "The Case of the Lame Canary" as the Transfer Man, a minor but memorable supporting figure in the courtroom drama's ensemble. Similarly, in Daniel Boone (1965), he appeared as Moses Hennepin in the episode "Four-Leaf Clover," portraying a comedic frontiersman amid the show's historical adventures in Boonesborough. Wessel's last television appearance was as a motorcycle cop in the 1965 made-for-TV movie Who Goes There?, a suspenseful pilot that aired shortly before his death and encapsulated his knack for authoritative yet understated bit parts. These sustained engagements, particularly in Riverboat, cemented Wessel's reputation as a dependable character actor in the Golden Age of television, where his warm, burly presence reliably supported ensemble casts in westerns and adventures, bridging his earlier film work from the 1950s.

Personal Life and Death

Family and Relationships

Dick Wessel married actress Louise Brien on September 18, 1937. The couple had one daughter, Louise Edith Wessel. Wessel and his family resided in Studio City, California, during his years in Hollywood.

Final Years and Passing

In the early 1960s, Dick Wessel maintained a steady pace of work in both film and television, appearing in episodes such as the 1965 installment "Honey Pot," where he portrayed Sol Durham. His final film role came in the comedy (1966), released posthumously, in which he played the character Eddie, a garbage man; following his death shortly after , his lines were entirely dubbed by voice actor . Over his career, Wessel amassed credits in more than 270 films and numerous television shows, reflecting his status as a reliable . Wessel died suddenly of a heart attack on April 20, 1965, his 52nd birthday, at his home in Studio City, . The abrupt end to his life, occurring amid ongoing professional commitments, underscored the irony of his passing on the same day he was born. He was interred as a veteran (, U.S. Marine Corps) at in , .

References

  1. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9722/dick-wessel
  2. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0921799/
  3. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0921799/bio/
  4. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026126/fullcredits/
  5. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028915/
  6. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029882/
  7. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035575/
  8. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029870/
  9. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0921799/fullcredits
  10. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038478/
  11. https://classicmovieramblings.wordpress.com/2020/07/08/dick-tracy-vs-cueball-1946/
  12. https://threestooges.net/cast/actor/146
  13. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042546/fullcredits/
  14. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045810/fullcredits/
  15. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052837/fullcredits/
  16. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055312/fullcredits/
  17. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043278/fullcredits/
  18. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048545/fullcredits/
  19. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047573/fullcredits/
  20. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061135/characters/nm0921799
  21. http://ctva.biz/US/Anthology/FiresideTheatre_02_%281949-50%29.htm
  22. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0159207/fullcredits/
  23. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052452/
  24. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0683131/
  25. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0624763/
  26. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0529527/
  27. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0743062/
  28. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0734542/
  29. https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/riverboat/cast/1000035233/
  30. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0673308/fullcredits
  31. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0554272/fullcredits
  32. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0921799/bio
  33. https://www.themoviedb.org/person/34448-dick-wessel
  34. https://www.nytimes.com/1965/04/23/archives/dick-wessel-is-dead-at-52-movie-and-television-actor.html
Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.