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Stanley Clements
Stanley Clements
Stanley Clements
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Stanley Clements (born Stanislaw Klimowicz; July 16, 1926 – October 16, 1981) was an American actor and comedian, best known for portraying "Stash" in the East Side Kids film series, and group leader Stanislaus "Duke" Coveleskie in The Bowery Boys film series.[1]

Key Information

Life and career

[edit]

Clements was born on Long Island, New York. "Stash" (Polish: Staś, the Polish diminutive nickname for "Stanislau") realized that he wanted a show-business career while he was in grammar school, and after he graduated from Brooklyn's P.S. 49 in 1938, he toured in vaudeville and found work in radio for the next two years. He then joined the touring company of the Major Bowes Amateur Hour. His career stalled in 1940, and Clements was reduced to panhandling for a time to survive. In 1941, he was signed to a contract by 20th Century-Fox and appeared in juvenile/teen roles in several B films for the studio.

East Side Kids

[edit]

In 1942, he was loaned to Monogram Pictures. Among his friends, he was known offscreen as "Stosh", so he adopted the nickname "Stash" in the ensemble-cast film series the East Side Kids. He appeared as an East Side Kid in Smart Alecks, 'Neath Brooklyn Bridge, and Ghosts on the Loose. He retained the character name of "Stash" in other films: Right to the Heart, Military Academy with That Tenth Avenue Gang, and Boots Malone.

Marriage

[edit]

In August 1945, Clements married actress Gloria Grahame, who played Violet Bick in It's a Wonderful Life, and who later won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for The Bad and The Beautiful. The marriage was a stormy one, with Grahame objecting to Clements's drinking and gambling, and Clements being jealous of her dalliances with other men, and it ended in 1948. He married Maria Walek in 1951. In 1964, they adopted her eight-year-old nephew, Sylvester, bringing him to the United States from Poland.

Other roles

[edit]

After the East Side Kids, Clements then set out on his own again, this time landing roles in more prestigious pictures. He was featured in perhaps his best-known role as Tony Scaponi in the 1944 Bing Crosby film Going My Way, and scored a great success as a jockey in the 1945 Alan Ladd feature Salty O'Rourke.

Clements's acting career was interrupted by U.S. Army service as a private first class just after World War II. When he returned in 1947, he began appearing in more adult roles in lower-budgeted films, including Johnny Holiday (cast against type as a psychopath) and Destination Murder (as a hired killer). He starred in a series of action/detective pictures at the successor to Monogram Pictures, Allied Artists, for producer Ben Schwalb and director Edward Bernds.

The Bowery Boys

[edit]

In 1945, after Leo Gorcey left the East Side Kids in a salary dispute with producer Sam Katzman, Gorcey's teammate Bobby Jordan arranged a meeting with his agent, Jan Grippo. Gorcey partnered with Grippo to produce a new "gang" series called The Bowery Boys, with Gorcey owning a 40% share in the franchise. Gorcey's real-life father Bernard Gorcey was added to the cast as Louie Dumbrowski, proprietor of Louie's Sweet Shop, the headquarters of The Bowery Boys. Younger brother David Gorcey, formerly one of the East Side Kids, returned to appear in the new series.

After Bernard Gorcey was killed in an auto accident in 1955, a grief-stricken Gorcey turned to alcohol for solace and became a disruptive presence in the studio during the filming of Crashing Las Vegas, trashing scenery and destroying props. In 1956, Gorcey demanded a larger share of ownership from Allied Artists, which was denied, and after a heated conversation, Gorcey stormed off the studio lot and quit the series.

When the series's then-producer Ben Schwalb needed a replacement for Gorcey, he asked Clements to step in as The Bowery Boys' new ringleader, Stanislaus "Duke" Coveleskie (although Huntz Hall received top billing). Clements comfortably settled into the role of Huntz Hall's sidekick, and co-starred in the final seven Bowery Boys comedies, beginning with Fighting Trouble.

Later career and death

[edit]

Following the end of The Bowery Boys franchise in 1958, Clements went on to a steady career of supporting roles in film and television. Clements co-wrote the film The Devil's Partner (1958, not released until 1961). In 1960, Clements appeared as Clyde Simpson in the TV western Tales of Wells Fargo, starring Dale Robertson, in the episode "Doc Dawson". He appeared in a 1962 episode of the adventure drama series Straightaway. Clements also appeared in an episode of Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. entitled "Sergeant of The Guard" in 1965. One of his last jobs was an appearance in a nationally advertised commercial for Pringle's potato crisps.

On October 16, 1981, Clements died at age 55 from emphysema in Pasadena, California, 11 days after the passing of his first wife Gloria Grahame. He is buried at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California.[2]

Films

[edit]

 • - East Side Kids or Bowery Boys series

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1954 The Lone Ranger Lou Compton Episode "Ex-Marshal"
1955 Death Valley Days Red Episode "Reno"
1960 Death Valley Days Steve Nelson (uncredited) Episode "A Woman's Rights"
1960 Gunsmoke Brad Episode "The Tragedian"
1961 Wanted Dead or Alive Krebs Season 3, Episode 24 "The Long Search"
1961 Leave It to Beaver Shoe salesman (who sells Beaver a pair of skates) Season 5, episode 9
1969 Gunsmoke McInnerny Episode "The Mark of Cain"
1969 The Virginian Matt season 8 episode 08 (The substitute)
1970 Gunsmoke Ed Jacobi Episode "The Gun"
1973 Gunsmoke Red Episode "Arizona Midnight"

References

[edit]
[edit]
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Stanley Clements

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Stanley Clements (born Stanislaw Klimowicz; July 16, 1926 – October 16, 1981) was an American actor and comedian best known for his roles in the and Bowery Boys film series, where he portrayed characters such as "Stash" and later the group leader Stanislaus "Duke" Coveleskie. Born in , New York, Clements developed an interest in during and began his career by touring in for two years after graduating. He gained early exposure through the Major Bowes Amateur Hour and signed a contract with 20th Century Fox in 1941, debuting on screen that year in films such as . After early films, his career was interrupted by U.S. Army service in , resuming post-war. Throughout the , he appeared in supporting roles in notable films including (1943), Sweet Rosie O'Grady (1943), and (1944), in which he played a tough street kid reformed by Bing Crosby's character, a determined young priest. Other early credits encompassed Salty O'Rourke (1945) opposite and (1948). In the 1950s, Clements joined the popular Bowery Boys series after Leo Gorcey's departure in 1956, taking on the role of Duke Coveleskie and co-starring as Huntz Hall's sidekick in the final seven installments: Fighting Trouble (1956), Hot Shots (1956), Hold That Hypnotist (1957), Spook Chasers (1957), Looking for Danger (1957), Up in Smoke (1957), and In the Money (1958). Beyond acting, Clements wrote the screenplay for the horror film The Devil's Partner (1961). His later career featured supporting roles in films such as It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), Tammy and the Doctor (1963), and Hot Lead and Cold Feet (1978), with his final screen appearance in the latter. On a personal note, Clements married actress in 1945 at age 19; the union ended in divorce after three years. He wed Maria Walek in 1951 and later adopted her eight-year-old nephew, Sylvester Walek, in 1964 from —the first child adopted from a Soviet-bloc country under a U.S. proxy-adoption law. Clements died of on October 16, 1981, at Pacoima Hospital in , at the age of 55, just 11 days after Grahame's death from cancer; he was buried at .

Early life

Birth and family

Stanley Clements was born Stanislaw Klimowicz on July 16, 1926, in , New York. Little is documented about his early family background, though his original suggests Polish heritage.

Education and early interests

Clements developed an early interest in during his time in , where he first realized his aspiration for a career in entertainment. Following his graduation from , he immediately pursued these interests through professional opportunities in live performance, touring in circuits for two years. He subsequently joined the touring company of ' Amateur Hour, a popular radio that provided exposure to aspiring performers in the late . No records indicate formal education beyond , as Clements transitioned directly into the entertainment industry at a young age.

Career beginnings

Vaudeville and stage work

Clements began his performing career in shortly after completing in the late , touring for two years as a young singer and dancer. His early work involved live variety acts, honing skills in routines typical of the era's circuits. In 1939, Clements joined the touring company of the Original Amateur Hour, a popular that expanded into live stage performances across the . He made several confirmed appearances on the show, including broadcasts and tours on June 3, 1937; April 21, 1938; June 3, 1939; January 25, 1940; and July 10, 1941, where he showcased his vocal and dance talents to audiences. These engagements provided Clements with broader exposure, transitioning him from local spots to national touring revues that blended and performers. While specific routines from his vaudeville days remain sparsely documented, Clements' work in these formats emphasized energetic song-and-dance numbers, reflecting the fast-paced, diverse entertainment style of pre-war American theater. This period laid the foundation for his later comedic timing and stage presence in film.

Pre-war film roles

Clements began his film career in after signing a contract with 20th Century-Fox, transitioning from and radio work to supporting roles in B-movies. His debut came in the comedy , where he portrayed Detroit Harry Morrison Jr., a young tough in a gangster spoof led by . This role marked his entry into Hollywood's low-budget productions, showcasing his ability to play streetwise juveniles. Throughout 1941, Clements appeared in several additional Fox features, often as ethnic or neighborhood characters reflective of his New York roots. In Accent on Love, he played Patrick Henry Lombroso, a comedic in a starring George Montgomery and . Similarly, in Down in , a wartime with , he depicted Louie Schwartz, a scrappy kid amid themes. He also took an uncredited as a newsboy in the I Wake Up Screaming, directed by H. Bruce Humberstone and starring and . These early appearances, as noted in contemporary press, highlighted his rapid rise as a versatile young actor in ensemble casts.

Military service and post-war transition

World War II enlistment and duties

Clements enlisted in the United States Army on December 1, 1944, at in San Pedro, California. He served as a during his time in the U.S. Army. His service as a young actor, then aged 18, interrupted his early film career, which had included roles in 1944 releases such as (as Tony Scaponi) and an uncredited role in . Specific details regarding his assignments or duties during the war's final months and the subsequent occupation period remain undocumented in publicly available records. Clements was discharged sometime prior to resuming in , appearing in an uncredited role in that year.

Return to Hollywood

Following his enlistment in the U.S. Army as a private on December 1, 1944, at in San Pedro, California, Stanley Clements served during the closing stages of . His military duties interrupted his burgeoning film career, during which he had appeared in supporting roles in several Hollywood productions from 1941 to 1945, including Salty O'Rourke and See My Lawyer. Discharged after the war's end in , Clements faced a transitional period before resuming acting, with no credited film appearances in 1946. He returned to Hollywood screens in 1947 with an uncredited cameo as himself in the Paramount all-star musical revue , a star-studded production featuring , , and that celebrated the film industry. This brief role signaled his re-entry into the profession amid the post-war boom in low-budget entertainment. By 1948, Clements secured more substantial work, taking on the role of Tommy in the crime drama Big Town Scandal, a in the Big Town series based on the , where he portrayed a young entangled in urban corruption. These early post-service projects positioned him in B-movie territory, emphasizing his tough, streetwise persona suited to juvenile delinquent and sidekick characters, laying the groundwork for his later success in youth-oriented series films.

Film career

East Side Kids series

Stanley Clements first appeared in the East Side Kids film series in 1942, portraying the recurring character Stash, a tough street kid and gang member, in three productions. His introduction in the series highlighted his rising status as a young specializing in juvenile delinquent roles, building on his earlier B-movie experience at Fox. In Smart Alecks (1942), directed by Wallace Fox, Clements received an "Introducing" credit for his role as Stash, a loyal but hot-headed member of who navigates gang rivalries and a fixed match scheme led by Muggs (). The film, the tenth in the series, emphasized comedic antics amid urban crime, with Clements' character contributing to the group's chaotic efforts to outwit a corrupt promoter. Clements reprised Stash in 'Neath Brooklyn Bridge (1942), another Fox-directed entry, where the East Side Kids shelter a young girl suspected of murder in their clubhouse, uncovering a larger criminal plot. His performance as the brash Stash added energy to the ensemble, supporting leads like and in themes of loyalty and redemption typical of the series. The final East Side Kids film for Clements was Ghosts on the Loose (1943), directed by , featuring him as Stash in a wartime story where the gang investigates a "haunted" house harboring Nazi spies. Notable for early appearances by as a villain and as a singer, the plot blended horror-comedy with patriotic elements, with Stash's role involving confrontations and gang solidarity against the threats. These appearances solidified Clements' fit within the franchise's formula of youthful mischief and moral lessons, paving the way for his later Bowery Boys involvement.

Bowery Boys series

Stanley Clements joined the Bowery Boys series in 1956 as a replacement for , who had departed amid a salary dispute with producer Jan Grippo. Previously known for tough-guy roles in films like 'Neath the Brooklyn Bridge (1942), Clements was selected by Allied Artists Pictures due to his familiarity with the /Bowery Boys ensemble from earlier appearances, allowing for a smoother transition. He portrayed Stanislaus "Duke" Coveleskie, a street-smart leader who assumed the authoritative role previously held by Gorcey's "Slip" Mahoney, often serving as Huntz Hall's "Sach" Jones's straight-man foil in the gang's comedic misadventures. Under Clements's tenure, the series shifted slightly in tone, emphasizing as the nominal star while Duke provided the group's muscle and decision-making, typically involving in schemes ranging from amateur detective work to exotic locales. Clements appeared in the final seven entries, contributing to the franchise's longevity until its conclusion in 1958, after 48 films overall. These productions maintained the low-budget, formulaic style of /Allied Artists B-movies, blending humor with light-hearted crime-solving. The films featuring Clements as Duke are as follows:
YearTitleDirectorNotes
1956George BlairDuke leads the gang into boxing intrigue.
1956Edward BerndsInvolves aviation mishaps and espionage.
1957Hold That HypnotistFeatures a mad scientist's plot.
1957Spook ChasersEdward BerndsThe Boys tackle a haunted house scam.
1957Looking for DangerAdventure in with treasure hunting.
1957Centers on a factory scheme.
1958In the MoneyFinal film; involves horse racing and inheritance.
Clements's performance as was well-received for its energy, helping sustain audience interest despite the cast changes, though the series ended due to declining box-office returns and the evolving film market.

Other film appearances

Clements continued to take on character parts in a variety of genres throughout the late and , including musicals, Westerns, and film noirs. Notable among these was his role as Johnny Cates in the sports Salty O'Rourke (1945), a release starring and , which highlighted his ability to handle more prominent supporting turns. Other credits from this period included uncredited or small roles in Fox musicals like Sweet Rosie O'Grady (1943) and (1943), reflecting his versatility across lighter fare. Following the end of the Bowery Boys series in 1958, Clements shifted toward sporadic film roles amid increasing television work, often in low-budget or ensemble productions. In the comedy-drama Saintly Sinners (1962), directed by Jean Yarbrough, he played the character Slim in a story about an elderly priest reforming ex-convicts. The next year brought two appearances: Wally Day in the romantic comedy Tammy and the Doctor (1963), opposite and , and an uncredited reporter in Stanley Kramer's all-star epic It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963). His later film credits included the thriller Panic in the City (1968) as Albert, a in a plot involving a nuclear threat; the adventure The Timber Tramps (1973) as 'Hallback' Jack Riley, a logger in an Alaskan setting; and his final role as Saloon Man 2 in the Disney Western comedy Hot Lead and Cold Feet (1978), marking the close of his career.

Personal life

Marriage to Gloria Grahame

Stanley Clements married actress in August 1945, when he was 19 years old and she was 21. The couple honeymooned in Hollywood for 21 days following the wedding, after which Clements returned to his U.S. Army base in . The marriage faced challenges due to Clements' and the demands of Grahame's rising film career. They had no children together. The union lasted approximately three years. Grahame filed for in 1948, citing Clements' jealousy and interference with her professional opportunities as key factors. The was finalized in on June 1, 1948. Just hours later, Grahame married director .

Later personal circumstances

Following his divorce from in 1948, Clements married Maria Walek, a Polish immigrant, on December 17, 1951. The couple adopted Walek's eight-year-old orphaned nephew, Walek, in 1964—the first child adopted from a Soviet-bloc country under a U.S. proxy-adoption law—relocating him from to the and renaming him Clements. Clements and Walek divorced in after 23 years of marriage.

Later career and death

Television work

Following the conclusion of film series in 1958, Stanley Clements shifted his focus to television, where he found steady work as a in guest roles across a variety of genres, particularly Westerns and family-oriented comedies. His television career spanned from the early through the mid-1970s, often portraying tough, streetwise, or blue-collar figures that echoed his earlier film persona. Clements made some of his earliest television appearances in anthology and crime dramas. He portrayed Mickey Keller in four episodes of the Federal Bureau of Investigation-themed series Treasury Men in Action between 1950 and 1955. In 1955, he guest-starred in the episode "Trouble on the Double" of TV Reader's Digest, a dramatization series adapting real-life stories. The Western genre provided Clements with numerous opportunities, reflecting the popularity of the format on 1950s and 1960s television. He appeared in at least three episodes of The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, including as Dugan in the 1961 installment "Terror on the Desert" and as Dave—Clum's Man in the 1959 episode "The Nugget and the Epitaph." Other notable Western roles included Clyde Simpson in the Tales of Wells Fargo episode "Doc Dawson" (1960), Cpl. Sebastian in Gunslinger's "The Recruit" (1961), Matt in The Virginian's "The Substitute" (1969), and Red in Gunsmoke's "Arizona Midnight" (1973). Clements also ventured into sitcoms and lighter fare. In 1961, he played Charley in the Mister Ed episode "The Horsetronaut" and the Shoe Salesman in Leave It to Beaver's "Beaver's Ice Skates," where his character sells Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver a defective pair of skates. Later examples include Simmons, a convict trainee, in the Get Smart episode "Smart Fell on Alabama" (1969). These appearances demonstrated Clements' versatility in supporting roles, contributing to his sustained presence on screen until health issues curtailed his work in the late 1970s.

Illness and passing

In the later years of his life, Stanley Clements suffered from , a chronic condition that progressively worsened. He died from the disease on October 16, 1981, at the age of 55, following a long battle with the illness. Clements passed away at Pacoima Memorial Hospital in Pacoima, California.

References

  1. https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/stanley-clements/credits/3000431789/
  2. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/3803047/stanley_c-clements
  3. https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/35506%257C141896/Stanley-Clements
  4. https://www.themoviedb.org/person/133436-stanley-clements?language=en-US
  5. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0166265/bio/
  6. https://www.nytimes.com/1981/10/20/obituaries/stanley-clements-55-played-tough-kid-in-going-my-way.html
  7. https://www.themoviedb.org/person/133436-stanley-clements
  8. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0166265/
  9. https://guides.loc.gov/original-amateur-hour/celebrities
  10. https://travsd.wordpress.com/2021/07/16/stanley-clements-from-bowes-to-the-bowery/
  11. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033740/characters/nm0166265
  12. https://newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn91068047/1941-08-14/ed-1/seq-3/ocr/
  13. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KMNC-X4N
  14. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049208/
  15. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051005/
  16. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/259737150
  17. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/447637010/
  18. https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn83009936/1948-06-05/ed-1/seq-5/
  19. https://slate.com/culture/2015/12/gloria-grahame-nicholas-ray-and-film-noir-podcast-on-hollywood-history.html
  20. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0166265/trivia/
  21. https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/stanley-clements/3000431789/
  22. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042159/
  23. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0715785/
  24. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0631900/
  25. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0717134/
  26. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0593963/
  27. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0741128/
  28. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0593988/
  29. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0630214/
  30. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0587561/
  31. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/10/19/Stanley-Stash-Clements-the-veteran-actor-who-specialized-in/9750372312000/
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