Charles Drake - Turner Classic Movies

Charles Drake

Actor

About

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Also Known As

Charles Ruppert

Birth Place

New York City, New York, USA

Born

October 02, 1917

Died

September 10, 1994

Biography

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Many actors are forced to struggle for years before they land their big break, and many work a variety of day jobs only to find their way into the entertainment industry by accident. When New York City native Charles Drake graduated from Massachusetts-based Nichols College, he took up a job as a salesman. In 1939, he shifted gears and worked his way into a contract with Warner Brothers S...

Filmography

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My Brother's Wedding (1983)

The Lives of Jenny Dolan (1975)

The Return of Joe Forrester (1975)

Partners in Crime (1973)

Scream, Pretty Peggy (1973)

The Screaming Woman (1972)

Photos & Videos

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Glenn Miller Story, The (1954) -- (Movie Clip) Four Saxes And A Clarinet

It Came From Outer Space (1953) -- (Movie Clip) It's A Nice Town

Biography

Many actors are forced to struggle for years before they land their big break, and many work a variety of day jobs only to find their way into the entertainment industry by accident. When New York City native Charles Drake graduated from Massachusetts-based Nichols College, he took up a job as a salesman. In 1939, he shifted gears and worked his way into a contract with Warner Brothers Studios. When his career didn't take off--resulting in mostly uncredited performances--his Hollywood dreams were even further delayed by a military stint in World War II. In 1945, with his service behind him, Drake headed back to Hollywood, but his situation looked bleak with an expired contract and no prospects. He did find a role in 1946 with the (appropriately) World War II-themed Marx Brothers comedy "A Night in Casablanca." But his true breakout came in 1950, appearing alongside James Stewart in the quirky, Oscar-winning comedy-fantasy "Harvey" as Dr. Sanderson. From that point on, the roles were varied and plentiful, including gigs in films like the 1953 cult-classic sci-fi horror film "It Came from Outer Space" and the 1954 James Stewart-starring music biography, "The Glenn Miller Story." Throughout the '60s and '70s (and briefly into the '80s), Drake mainly focused on one-off TV appearances--with nothing approaching the classic status of his earlier roles. But with a career spanning six decades, he more than left his mark.

Filmography

Cast (Feature Film)

My Brother's Wedding (1983)

The Lives of Jenny Dolan (1975)

The Return of Joe Forrester (1975)

Partners in Crime (1973)

Scream, Pretty Peggy (1973)

The Screaming Woman (1972)

The Seven Minutes (1971)

The Arrangement (1969)

The Swimmer (1968)

The Counterfeit Killer (1968)

The Money Jungle (1968)

Harvey Sheppard

Valley of the Dolls (1967)

The Third Day (1965)

Lawrence Conway

The Lively Set (1964)

Dear Heart (1964)

Showdown (1963)

Tammy Tell Me True (1961)

Back Street (1961)

No Name on the Bullet (1959)

Step Down to Terror (1958)

Johnny Williams [Walters]

Jeanne Eagels (1957)

Until They Sail (1957)

Capt. Richard G. Bates

All That Heaven Allows (1956)

Walk the Proud Land (1956)

The Price of Fear (1956)

To Hell and Back (1955)

Female on the Beach (1955)

Lieutenant Galley

The Glenn Miller Story (1954)

Four Guns to the Border (1954)

Tobor the Great (1954)

It Came from Outer Space (1953)

Sheriff Matt Warren

Gunsmoke (1953)

War Arrow (1953)

Sgt. Luke Schermerhorn

The Lone Hand (1953)

Red Ball Express (1952)

[Pvt. Ronald] Partridge

The Treasure of Lost Canyon (1952)

Bonzo Goes to College (1952)

You Never Can Tell (1951)

Air Cadet (1951)

Captain Sullivan

Little Egypt (1951)

Dr. [Lyman] Sanderson

Winchester '73 (1950)

Comanche Territory (1950)

I Was a Shoplifter (1950)

Tarzan's Magic Fountain (1949)

Johnny Stool Pigeon (1949)

The Tender Years (1948)

Winter Wonderland (1947)

The Pretender (1947)

Dr. Leonard Koster

Whistle Stop (1946)

A Night in Casablanca (1946)

[Lieutenant] Pierre [Delbar]

You Came Along (1945)

Handsome, also known as Lieutenant R. Janoschek

Conflict (1945)

Professor Norman Holdsworth

Air Force (1943)

Navigator [Monk Hauser]

Wings for the Eagle (1942)

Larceny, Inc. (1942)

Now, Voyager (1942)

Busses Roar (1942)

Bullet Scars (1942)

The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942)

The Male Animal (1942)

The Gay Sisters (1942)

Across the Pacific (1942)

Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

Sergeant York (1941)

Affectionately Yours (1941)

One Foot in Heaven (1941)

You're in the Army Now (1941)

Nine Lives Are Not Enough (1941)

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

Million Dollar Baby (1941)

I Wanted Wings (1941)

Dangerously They Live (1941)

The Body Disappears (1941)

Navy Blues (1941)

Dive Bomber (1941)

Out of the Fog (1941)

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)

Film Production - Main (Feature Film)

Erin Brockovich (2000)

Little Nicky (2000)

The Limey (1999)

The Muse (1999)

Liar Liar (1997)

Cast (Short)

Shoot Yourself Some Golf (1942)

Winning Your Wings (1942)

Film Production - Main (TV Mini-Series)

George Wallace (1997)

Life Events

Videos

Glenn Miller Story, The (1954) -- (Movie Clip) Four Saxes And A Clarinet Dramatizing the key component of the title character's celebrated sound, James Stewart (with support from Harry Morgan, Charles Drake and George Tobias), after losing a trumpeter, tumbles to a clarinet solution, validated by his wife (June Allyson), via his own signature composition (Moonlight Serenade), in The Glenn Miller Story, 1954.

It Came From Outer Space (1953) -- (Movie Clip) It's A Nice Town Richard Carlson narrates about his fictional town, working from writer Ray Bradbury’s only original material ever written for a movie, introducing himself and Barbara Rush, with many shots, including a big meteor, created for the original 3-D exhibition, opening It Came From Outer Space,1953.

It Came From Outer Space (1953) -- (Movie Clip) Like Nothing We've Ever Seen First to the scene of the meteor impact, writer and amateur astronomer John (Richard Carlson) has told his gal Ellen and chopper pilot Pete (Barbara Rush, Dave Willock) to hang back, as he gets a good look at more effects designed for the 3-D feature, from a Ray Bradbury story, in It Came From Outer Space,1953.

It Came From Outer Space (1953) -- (Movie Clip) The Desert Can Kill John (Richard Carlson) is getting public mockery and sympathy from only girlfriend Ellen (Barbara Rush) for his claims that he found a spaceship in the meteor crater now covered by an avalanche, stopping by a tree that spooked them the night before, with a trace of the alien’s trail, in It Came From Outer Space,1953.

It Came From Outer Space (1953) -- (Movie Clip) The Wind Gets In The Wires Not far from the site where the meteor landed, and where we know he really did see a spaceship, John (Richard Carlson) and girlfriend Ellen (Barbara Rush) visit with friendly electrical linemen George and Frank (Russell Johnson, Joe Sawyer), sharing more insight from the original Ray Bradbury story, in It Came From Outer Space,1953.

Arrangement, The (1969) -- (Movie Clip) A Local Man Went Berserk After his failed suicide and a dramatic collapse of his marriage at home, LA advertising exec Eddie (Kirk Douglas) returns to work, resuming his “Zephyr” cigarette campaign, Elia Kazan with abstract direction, based on his own novel and screenplay, Charles Drake his boss, in The Arrangement, 1969.

Winchester '73 -- (Movie Clip) Shiloh And Bull Run Lin and High Spade (James Stewart, Millard Mitchell) continuing their trek at night, encounter Indians, then Cavalry commanded by Wilkes (Jay C. Flippen), also acquaintance Lola (Shelley Winters) and her beau Steve (Charles Drake), trouble brewing, in Anthony Mann's Winchester '73, 1950.

Until They Sail (1957) -- (Movie Clip) I Am Only Fourteen Christchurch, New Zealand ca. 1942, American ships and sailors have arrived to a town almost without men, so single older sisters Barbara and Anne (Jean Simmons, Joan Fontaine) are worried when teen Evelyn (Sandra Dee) latches onto an officer (Charles Drake), in Until They Sail, 1957.

Harvey (1950) -- (Movie Clip) This Person You Call Harvey Veda (Josephine Hull), with her brother Elwood (James Stewart, not seen) already hustled away by the sanitarium staff, explains to Dr. Sanderson (Charles Drake) why she’s having him committed, leading to substantial confusion, in Harvey, 1950, from the Mary Chase play.

Larceny, Inc. (1942) -- (Movie Clip) We're Going Into The Luggage Business Ex-con Pressure (Edward G. Robinson) informs partners Weepy (Edward Brophy) and Jug (Broderick Crawford) that the plan to tunnel into the bank will work, but they need to raise money to buy the luggage store next door, early in early in Larceny Inc., 1942.

Harvey (1950) -- (Movie Clip) The Evening Wore On Orderly Wilson (Jesse White), Dr. Sanderson (Charles Drake) and nurse Kelly (Peggy Dow) have tracked Elwood (James Stewart) to the bar, convinced that he, and maybe his imaginary giant rabbit friend, had something to do with the disappearance of their boss Dr. Chumley, in Harvey, 1950.

Air Force (1943) -- (Movie Clip) God Bless Mary Ann Conversations in the cockpit (John Ridgely, Gig Young, Arthur Kennedy) and cabin (Harry Carey, George Tobias, John Garfield) as the "Mary Ann" leaves San Francisco for Hawaii, in Howard Hawks' Air Force, 1943.

Night In Casablanca, A - (Original Trailer) Of all the movie stars in all the world, The Marx Brothers have to parody Humphrey Bogart in A Night In Casablanca (1946).

Bibliography

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