Elliott Lewis (November 28, 1917 â€" May 23, 1990) was an American
actor, writer, producer and director who worked in radio and
television during the twentieth 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.Elliott Bruce Lewis was born in New
York City, New York, 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 pre-law course in his
twenties but found himself drawn to acting. He attended Los Angeles
City College, where he studied music and drama.Lewis made his radio
debut in 1936, at the age of 18. While Lewis was a student at Los
Angeles CIty College, True Boardman noticed him in a college play and
invited him to read four lines in a biography of Simon Bolivar
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 early role was as
Mr. Presto the Magician, on the transcription series The Cinnamon Bear
(1937). In 1939, he became the host of Knickerbocker
Playhouse.:190-191As 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,:185-186 Barney Dunlap on Speed Gibson of the International
Secret Police,:311-312 Mr. Peterson on This Is Judy Jones,:664 and
adventurer Phillip Carney on the Mutual Broadcasting System's Voyage
of the Scarlet Queen:348
actor, writer, producer and director who worked in radio and
television during the twentieth 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.Elliott Bruce Lewis was born in New
York City, New York, 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 pre-law course in his
twenties but found himself drawn to acting. He attended Los Angeles
City College, where he studied music and drama.Lewis made his radio
debut in 1936, at the age of 18. While Lewis was a student at Los
Angeles CIty College, True Boardman noticed him in a college play and
invited him to read four lines in a biography of Simon Bolivar
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 early role was as
Mr. Presto the Magician, on the transcription series The Cinnamon Bear
(1937). In 1939, he became the host of Knickerbocker
Playhouse.:190-191As 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,:185-186 Barney Dunlap on Speed Gibson of the International
Secret Police,:311-312 Mr. Peterson on This Is Judy Jones,:664 and
adventurer Phillip Carney on the Mutual Broadcasting System's Voyage
of the Scarlet Queen:348
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