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Smith
(June 4. 1906 - 1992) |
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William James Smith* was born June 4. 1906 in New York
as child of Patrick J. Smith en Rose Ann (Roseanna) Connelly (born in
Northern Ireland).
He spent his youth in
Providence, Rhode Island. Attended La Salle Academy and later studied for the diplomatic service at the Georgetown University, majoring in amateur dramatics and entertainments. He was soon drawn into orchestras since his baritone voice blended well with popular music. He acted in stock in Providence and Boston - playing leads in Alias the Deacon, Is Zat So? and Old Man Minnick. In 1929 he came to New York to study dramatic art at the New York Academy and joined the Harold Stern & Orchestra, a popular band in New York, in 1930, as drummer and vocalist. He kept this job for eight years. As solo vocalist, Bill also did clever impersonations of famous radio personalities which received a hearty response. On Jun 8. 1933 Harold Stern was cited as follows: "Most of my lads have been with me a long time. I must also express my appreciation to Bill Smith, vocalist announcer and drummer with me. Bill has been moving ahead so nicely that I feel I'm due to lose him any day - and if he goes, it will probably be to become a picture, radio or stage star." He entered radio by singing and doing some commercial announcing for the band. Then came many straight dramatic roles. His hobby was golf. June 28. 1932 he married Helen Josephine Farrell, a former Providence school teacher. The couple have known each other since childhood days. The ceremony was held at the Paulist Fathers Church in Manhattan followed by at a dinner party at the St. Moritz as guests of Maestro Stern. They lived in Rockville Center, Long Island and had five children all musically inclined. His work for the band and radio continued. Aside from announcing the Stern broadcasts he sang most of the solos as well and played drums and traps or even led the Stern Orchestra. On Feb 10. 1934 he was heard in the Saturday Night Pep Show (WJZ, New York) a 30 min entertainment program was aired with Harold Stern, Arlene Jackson, East and Dumke, and bariton Bill Smith. Harold Stern had this to say on Bill's talents "Bill has been moving ahead so nicely that I feel I'm due to lose him any day - and if he goes, it will probably be to become a picture, radio or stage star." Bill did leave the Harold Stern orchestra in 1934 only to return the following year (Nov 1935). They kept working together at least until November 1936. Between February 22. 1944 (AFRS rebroadcast) and October 18. 1949 Bill Smith appeared in at least six episodes of the popular radioshow Fibber McGee and Molly (1935-59). "Vaudeville-esk" in concept it offered comedy and music. The excellent crime drama series Gangbusters (NBC-Blue to CBS-Radio and others 1935-57 inclusive) was a series of dramas based on actual FBI files and at the end of each episode a description of a wanted criminal was broadcast to the listening audience. Hundreds of criminals were apprehended as a result of this extraordinary program. Bill Smith was heard as supporting actor in episodes originally broadcast on May 24. 1944, April 24. 1948, July 31. 1948, and June 11. 1949. He appeared in two episodes of NBC's The Sportsmen's Club (NBC, July 22. and 29 1944) in the first next to Marian Shockley. |
  Above left: In 1945 William Smith played Philip Baxter (1945-1947), one of Boston's most attractive and richest widowers for years in Stella Dallas, based on the novel of that name by Olive Higgins Prouty, was heard Mondays through Fridays on NBC. Above right: Poppa Dennis, aka minister Richard Dennis (Bill Smith) in The Brighter Day (1949). |
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In 1945 he did a stint on Theatre Of Romance
(CBS, June 25. 1945)which brought
a radio version of the 1935 movie The
Informer, but more importantly he obtained a durable radio role as Philip Baxter
(1945-1947), one of Boston's most attractive and
richest widowers for years in Stella Dallas (Oct
25.1937-55), based on the novel
of that name by Olive Higgins Prouty, was heard Mondays through Fridays
on NBC. When The Ave Maria Hour brought "The Story of The Infant King" (Dec 24. 1946) Bill Smith was a supporting actor to the Nativity story. He would do so again (1955) in a few other episodes of this long running series. The dramatic anthology series The Mysterious Traveler (Mutual, Dec 5. 1943 - Sep 16. 1952), brought stories of the strange and terrifying. Bill was heard in 4 episodes (between Jan 12. 1947 - July 18. 1950). In 1947 the radio series The Adventures of Ellery Queen made many changes, including the introduction of Bill Smith as Inspector Queen. He stayed on for 5 to 6 months (Feb 5. 1947 - Sep 14. 1947) until the show moved to Hollywood. He was simultaneously heard in several episodes of Crime Club (6 between June 5. and Oct 9. 1947) for Mutual. He rounded out the year with a role in A Brighter Tomorrow (Mutual, Dec. 21. 1947), later known as Behind the Front Page. Bill was heard in Roger Kilgore, Public Defender (Mutual, May 18. 1948) and The Ford Theatre (NBC, Mar 28. 1948) which (again) brought a radio version of the 1935 movie The Informer. In the popular radio soap The Brighter Day Bill Smith (Oct 11. 1948 - 1953) played Poppa Dennis, aka minister Richard Dennis opposite daughter Liz Dennis (Margaret Draper) as housekeeper, sermon-typist and holder together of the family. On Broadway our William Smith, played the part of Michael, an alcoholic servant, in the comedy, Life With Mother (Empire, Oct 20. 1948 - Jun 4. 1949). He liked the new name Michael Smith so well he took it for a stage name. Another reason was that he found the Actor's Equity already had listed a William Smith and Bill Smith. |
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 Above: William Smith, left, of 36 Lehigh court, Rockville Centre, played the part of Michael, an alcoholic servant, in the Russell Crease - Howard Lindsay (right) comedy, Life With Mother (Empire, Oct 20. 1948 - Jun 4. 1949). |
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   Above left: Bill Smith as member of The Brighter Day cast (1949) Above middle: Pictured in their original radio roles - Bill Smith as Rev. Dennis, Les Damon as Larry, and Joan Alexander as Althea. (The Brighter Day was heard on CBS radio sponsored by Cheer, 1952) Above right: Bill Smith in 1949 add for The Brighter Day. |
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Secret Missions (Mutual) had Bill Smith in at least 3 episodes.
"Arctic Mission" wherein an agent is sent to Spitzbergen to find out if
the Russians have been supplying sixty Nazi scientists still living
somewhere beyond the Arctic Circle. (Aug 2.1949).
Another episode
broadcast on September 26. 1949 with an unknown title was about the first
Russian explosion of a A-bomb.
Finally "The Case Of Colonel X" (Oct 3. 1949) was about a naval
attaché
in Poland who has discovered that the Polish shipyards have secretly
been building submarines for the Russians. Supporting roles followed in Murder By Experts (Mutual, Aug 29. 1949) and The Big Story (NBC, Sep 22. 1948) as a AFRTS rebroadcast under the title Mystery Theatre. The Cavalcade Of America a long running historical dramatic anthology had Bill Smith 4 times as guest (NBC, Oct 25. 1949 - Nov 28. 1950). He also played Nick Charles for a brief time on radio's The Adventures Of The Thin Man (1941-1950) late in the series. |
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  Above left: The Brighter Day, CBS radio. As pictured here, Bill Smith plays Reverend Dennis; Mary K. Wells, Patsy and Philip Pine, Alan (1953). Above right: Harold "Hal" Holbrook (left) and Bill Smith (right) in TV's The Brighter Day. |
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Radio kept Bill Smith busy in the 50s with mostly
single appearances in: Arthur Smith's (Carolina) Corner Store
(ca 1950) which was a musical program with
hillbilly music from "Arthur Hill and His Crackajacks", Bill Smith
appeared billed as Eszay Jabberjaw; The Land Of The Free
(Feb 18. 1951); Mr. I.A. Moto
(NBC, July 8. & Oct 13. 1951) about "Mr. Moto" the
fictional Japanese secret agent; The Chase (NBC,
Jul 24. & Dec 28. 1952) with genres varying from adventure to
crime to science fiction, the latter reused the SF script from
Dimension X; Medicine U.S.A. (NBC, Mar 28.
1953), The All-American Sports Show (NBC,
Aug 28. 1953), 21st Precinct (CBS, AFRTS
rebroadcast, Jul. 28. 1954), X Minus One ("No
Contact", NBC, April 24. 1955)
again the same The Chase script; The FBI In
Peace and War (CBS, May 18. 1955);
and Indictment (CBS, Dec 21. 1958). In this decade, one his most important roles were recurring appearances in mainly soaps, some of which cautiously tried to make the transition to TV.: |
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1000 Dollar Reward (NBC, Jun 25. 1950 - Oct 10.
1950) was a Sunday game show hosted by John Sylvester, Bill Smith
was in it. Harold "Hal" Holbrook remembered auditioning for The Brighter Day TV show by the end of 1953 "...with an older actor, Bill Smith, who was going to play the minister/father. He was good, very natural - he'd been doing the role on radio and they were going with him on TV. I tried to be natural, too, and calm, but I wasn't..." From the radio show only Bill Smith joined the program on TV, but departed the TV show after the 1954 season. He was replaced by Blair Davies. (pictures and video footage clearly show Blair Davis as Rev. Dennis before 1956). In radio's Young Dr. Malone Bill played Dr. Brown (1956 - 1959) opposite real life friend Sandy Becker (Jerry Malone). Whilst still living in (36 Lehigh Court) Rockville in 1959 he was also seen on TV's From These Roots. |
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Between 1960 and 1962 Bill was a supporting actor in
several episodes of Suspense (CBS-radio,
1942-1962) it was subtitled "radio's outstanding theater of
thrills". He did also some stints (5) for radio's Yours Truly Johnny Dollar (1961- July 29. 1962). Bill, who was once described as 'the most bashful Broadwayite' early in his career, subsequently faded entirely from the public eye. So not much is known about Bill Smith after his professional career. His wife passed away in 1975 and Bill died in 1992. |
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Notes: * Although the internet has made it easier to research biographical information about many actors otherwise long forgotten, when it comes to correctly identifying someone the unending stream of information available on the internet can present its own difficulties. "Bill Smith" unfortunately is a combination of two very common names. This makes mis-identification a real risk. Have a look this IMDb list to see what we're faced with. "The" Bill Smith we're looking for isn't William Smith born on March 24. 1933. The latter will, in my mind, forever be "Falconetti" (Rich Man, Poor Man), did start his acting career at an early age. Physical appearances aside, he simply could not have been the actor who took on the roles 'our' Bill Smith played. The current online information on both of these actors tends to be sadly scrambled. Click on his picture to read the information we have sifted through and found to be correct. As ever, we welcome you to add information to this page... to do so: just click Uncle Sam at the bottom of the page. All dates for movies are for the first US release. All dates for TV programs are original first airdates. All dates for (radio) plays are for the time span the actor was involved. Facts in red still need confirmation. |
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Click on Uncle Sam if you think you can help out...!
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Other references
Additional video & audio sources
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This actor profile is a part of
Ellery Queen a website on deduction.
The actor above played Richard Queen in
the
Ellery Queen radio series. Click Uncle Sam if you think you can help
out...! Many of the profiles on this site have been compiled after very careful research of various sources. Please quote and cite ethically! |
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Page first published on July 1. 2018 Last updated July 29. 2024 |
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