Robert Cummings | |
|---|---|
 Cummings in 1956 | |
| Born | Charles Clarence Robert Orville Cummings (1910-06-09)June 9, 1910 Joplin, Missouri U.S. |
| Died | December 2, 1990(1990-12-02) (aged 80) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park |
| Other names | Bob Cummings Blade Stanhope Conway Bryce Hutchens |
| Alma mater | American Academy of Dramatic Arts |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1931–1990 |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses | |
Charles Clarence Robert Orville Cummings (June 9, 1910 – December 2, 1990)[1] was an American film and television actor who appeared in roles incomedy films such asThe Devil and Miss Jones (1941) andPrincess O'Rourke (1943), and indramatic films, especially two ofAlfred Hitchcock'sthrillers,Saboteur (1942) andDial M for Murder (1954).[2] He received fivePrimetime Emmy Award nominations, and won the Primetime Emmy Award forBest Actor in a Single Performance in 1955. On February 8, 1960, he received two stars on theHollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the motion picture and television industries,[1] at 6816Hollywood Boulevard and 1718Vine Street.[3] He used the stage name Robert Cummings from mid-1935 until the end of 1954 and was credited as Bob Cummings from 1955 until his death.[4][5]
Cummings was born inJoplin, Missouri, a son of Dr. Charles Clarence Cummings and the former Ruth Annabelle Kraft.[6] His father was asurgeon, part of the original medical staff of St. John's Hospital in Joplin, and the founder of theJasper CountyTuberculosisHospital inWebb City, Missouri.[7] Cummings's mother was anordainedminister of theScience of Mind.[6]
While attendingJoplin High School, Cummings learned to fly.[8] His first solo flight was on March 3, 1927.[9] Some reports of his learning to fly refer toOrville Wright, the aviation pioneer, as being his godfather and flight instructor.[10][11][12][13] However, these reports appear to be based on either media interviews of Cummings or other anecdotal references.[14][15][16][17][2] There is no historical record of Orville Wright having traveled to Joplin, Missouri, either around the time of the gestation or the birth of Cummings, or during 1927, the year Cummings learned to fly.[18][19][20] Cummings, born in 1910, would have only been 8 years old when Orville Wright had essentially stopped flying on May 13, 1918, as a result of injuries he sustained in an accident at Fort Myer, Virginia, on September 17, 1908.[21][22][23] The report that Orville Wright taught Cummings to fly is also contradicted by Cummings' interview reported in the March 1960Flying magazine.[24] In the interview, Cummings described how he learned to fly "by trial and error, mostly error" during 3 hours of instruction from a Joplin, Missouri, plumber named Cooper before he soloed on March 3, 1927.[24] During high school, Cummings gave Joplin residents rides in hisaircraft for $5 per person.[7]
When the government began licensingflight instructors, Cummings was issued flight instructor certificate No. 1, making him the first official flight instructor in the United States.[9][25]
Cummings studied briefly atDrury College inSpringfield, Missouri, but his love of flying caused him to transfer to theCarnegie Institute of Technology inPittsburgh. He studiedaeronautical engineering for a year before he dropped out for financial reasons, his family having lost heavily in the1929 stock market crash.[7][26]
Cummings became interested in acting while performing in plays at Carnegie Tech, and decided to pursue it as a career.[27] Since theAmerican Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City paid its male actors $14 a week, Cummings decided to study there.[28] He stayed only one season, but later said he learned "three basic principles of acting. The first – never anticipate; second – take pride in my profession. And third – trust in God. And that last is said in reverence."[29]
Cummings started looking for work in 1930, but couldn't find any roles, forcing him to get a job at a theatrical agency.[7] Realizing that, at the time, "three quarters of Broadway plays were from England"[30] and that English accents and actors were in demand, Cummings decided to cash in an insurance policy and buy a round-trip ticket there.[31]
He was driving a motorbike through the countryside, picking up the accent and learning about the country, when his bike broke down at Harrogate. While waiting for repairs, he devised a plan. He invented the name "Blade Stanhope Conway" and bribed the janitor of a local theatre to put on the marquee: "Blade Stanhope Conway inCandida". He then had a photo taken of himself in front of the marquee and had 80 prints made. In London, he outfitted himself with a new wardrobe, composed a letter introducing the actor-author-manager-director "Blade" of Harrogate Repertory Theatre, and sent it off to 80 New York theatrical agents and producers.[30]
As a result, when Cummings returned to New York, he was able to obtain several meetings.[28][7]
One of the producers to whom he sent letters, Charles Hopkings, cast him in a production ofThe Roof byJohn Galsworthy, playing the role of the Hon. Reggie Fanning. Also in the cast wasHenry Hull.[32] The play ran from October to November 1931 andBrooks Atkinson ofThe New York Times listed "Conway" among the cast who provided "some excellent bits of acting".[33]
In November 1932, "Conway" replacedEdwin Styles in the Broadway revueEarl Carroll's Vanities[34] after studying song and dance by correspondence course.[35]
Cummings later encouraged an old drama school classmate, Margaret Kies, to use a similar deception – she became the "British"Margaret Lindsay.[27] He later said pretending to be Conway broke up his first marriage, to a girl from Joplin. "She couldn't stand me."[36]
He was an extra in theLaurel and Hardy comedy filmSons of the Desert (1933)[37] and in the musical shortSeasoned Greetings (1933).
Cummings decided to change his approach, when in the words of one report, "suddenly the bottom dropped out of theJohn Bull market; almost overnight, demand switched from Londoners to lassoers."[30]
In 1934, Cummings changed his name to "Bryce Hutchens".[28][7][38] He appeared under this name in theZiegfeld Follies of 1934, which ran from January to June in 1934.[39][40] He had a duet withVivi Janiss, a native ofNebraska, with whom he sang "I Like the Likes of You".[41] Cummings and Janiss went with the show when it went on tour after the Broadway run, and they married towards the end of the tour.[26]
The tour ofZiegfeld ended in Los Angeles in January 1935. Cummings enjoyed the city and wanted to move there.[42][26] He returned to New York, then heardKing Vidor was looking for Texan actors forSo Red the Rose (1935). Cummings auditioned, pretending to be a Texan, having acquired his own version of aTexan accent by listening tocowboy bands on the radio.[30] His ruse was exposed, but Vidor nevertheless cast Cummings under his actual name.[35][43][31] In their review,The New York Times said that Cummings "does a fine bit" and "has the only convincing accent in the whole film."[44]
He followed this with a part in Paramount'sThe Virginia Judge (1935).[45] In July, the studio signed Cummings to a long-term contract.[46] Before his first two Paramount films were released, he was also cast in a supporting role inMillions in the Air (1935).[7][47]
Cummings appeared as one of the leads in the WesternDesert Gold (1936), then had a supporting role inForgotten Faces (1936) and a starring role inThree Cheers for Love (1936).[48] He also appeared in:
Most of these wereB pictures. He had a small role in an A picture,Souls at Sea (1937), then appeared inSophie Lang Goes West (1937),Wells Fargo (1937) andCollege Swing (1938). He had a small role inYou and Me (1938) (directed byFritz Lang), and was inThe Texans (1938) andTouchdown, Army (1938).
Eventually, Paramount dropped their option on him. "I was poison", he said. "No agent would look at me."[36] In June, Paramount announced he would return forKing of Chinatown withAnna May Wong, but he does not appear in the final film.[50] In September he was cast at Republic, playing the lead in the crime movieI Stand Accused (1938). Cummings said it was "...a fluke hit—so at least I could get inside the casting agents again."[36]
In November 1938, Cummings auditioned for the romantic lead inThree Smart Girls Grow Up (1939), starringDeanna Durbin, for producerJoe Pasternak.[51] Pasternak was reluctant to cast him, preferring to find a musician, but Cummings told him, "I could fake it". He later said, "I'd had a lot of experience faking things harder than that. He let me try it and he signed me up."[36]
On 21 November Universal gave Cummings an option on a seven-year contract starting at $600 a week, going up to $750 a week the following year, then ultimately up to $3,000 a week.[52] His first film for them,Three Smart Girls Grow Up (1939) was a big success, and in March 1939 Universal took up their options on the actor. The film was directed by Henry Koster, who called Cummings "brilliant, wonderful… I made five pictures with him. I thought he was the best leading man I ever worked with. He had that marvelous comedy talent and also a romantic quality."[53] Reviewing the film,The New York Times said Cummings "displays a really astonishing talent for light comedy—we never should have suspected it from his other pictures."[54]Filmink wrote "Cummings found himself as an actor" with this movie.[5]
Pasternak used him again, supporting another singing star,Gloria Jean, inThe Under-Pup (1939).[55] (He was meant to reteam with Jean inStraight from the Heart, but it appears not to have been made.[56]) In August 1939 Columbia wanted him for the lead inGolden Boy, but could not come to terms with Universal.[57] Cummings supported Basil Rathbone and Victor McLaglen inRio (1939), then was borrowed by20th Century Fox to romanceSonia Henie inEverything Happens at Night (1939). At Universal he had a key role inCharlie McCarthy, Detective (1939), then was borrowed by MGM to play the lead in a B movie withLaraine Day,And One Was Beautiful (1940). Back at Universal, Cummings was the romantic male lead in a comedy,Private Affairs (1940); then he romanced Durbin again inSpring Parade (1940). Cummings made his mark in theCBS Radio network'sdramaticserial titledThose We Love, which ran from 1938 to 1945. He also played the role of David Adair in the serial dramaThose We Love, oppositeRichard Cromwell,Francis X. Bushman andNan Grey.
Cummings andAllan Jones were cast as the comic leads in the filmOne Night in the Tropics (1940), but they were overshadowed by the performances (as supporting actors, in their first film) ofAbbott and Costello.[5]
MGM borrowed Cummings a second time, to play oppositeRuth Hussey inFree and Easy (1941). In the same period, he was borrowed by a company established byNorman Krasna andFrank Ross, who were making a comedy from a script by Krasna for release throughRKO:The Devil and Miss Jones (1941). Cummings played a union leader,Jean Arthur's love interest, under the direction ofSam Wood. Cummings shot the film at the same time asFree and Easy.[58]Free and Easy lost money for MGM, butDevil and Miss Jones was a critical and commercial success. 20th Century Fox borrowed him forMoon Over Miami (1941), starringDon Ameche andBetty Grable; Fox was willing to postpone the film so Cummings could finishDevil and Miss Jones.[59]
In January 1941 Louella Parsons wrote, "Is that boy going places in 1941. From the looks of things it's a Cummings year – because all his troubles with Universal are ironed out and almost every studio in town wants to borrow him."[60] Back at Universal, Pasternak used Cummings as the romantic male lead inIt Started with Eve (1941), from a script by Krasna opposite Deanna Durbin andCharles Laughton. Meanwhile, Sam Wood was directing an adaptation of the novelKings Row (1942) over at Warner Bros, where the head of production wasHal Wallis. Wallis did not have any contract players at Warner Bros who were considered ideal for the role of Paris, and after trying desperately to getTyrone Power, he tried to borrow Cummings, who had done an impressive screen test.[61] However, Cummings was busy onIt Started with Eve and the actor had to drop out. Then the schedule was rearranged and Cummings was able to make both films.[62] Production ofKings Row did have to be suspended for a week so Cummings could return to Universal to do reshoots forEve.[63] Both films were huge successes.Hal Wallis said Cummings "was actually too old for the part" inKings Row "not quite right, but he was helped considerably by an extraordinary support cast."[64]
Back at Universal, Cummings starred in theAlfred Hitchcockspy thrillerSaboteur (1942), made at Universal, withPriscilla Lane andNorman Lloyd. He played Barry Kane, an aircraft worker wrongfully accused ofespionage, trying to clear his name.[65] In December 1941, John Chapman said Cummings was among "the most sought-after leading men in town" and was one of his "stars for 1942".[66]Filmink wrote "Few male actors had a hot streak like Robert Cummings from 1941 to 1942:The Devil and Miss Jones,It Started with Eve,King’s Row andSaboteur are all stone-cold classics, and he made crucial contributions to all."[5]
Universal announced Cummings forBoy Meets Baby with Deanna Durbin,[67] which becameBetween Us Girls (1942) withDiana Barrymore. He filmed it concurrently with a Hal Wallis movie at Warner Bros titledPrincess O'Rourke (made 1942, released 1943), Norman Krasna's directorial debut. Cummings was meant to be inWe've Never Been Licked (1943) forWalter Wanger at Universal,[68] but did not appear in the film.
In December 1941, Cummings joined the fledglingCivil Air Patrol, an organization of citizens and pilots interested in helping support the U.S. war effort. In February 1942, he helped establish Squadron 918-4 located inGlendale, California, at theGrand Central Air Terminal, becoming its first commanding officer. Two weeks later, he and other members of the squadron went in search of the Japanese submarine that had attacked the oil refinery atGoleta, California. During the war, Cummings participated in search and rescue missions, courier missions, and border and forestry patrols around the Western United States. For this work he used his own aircraft, Spinach I, a 1936Porterfield, and Spinach II, aCessna 165 Airmaster. The squadron he established still operates as San Fernando Senior Squadron 35 and is based at Whiteman Airport inPacoima, Los Angeles. In November 1942, Cummings joined theUnited States Army Air Forces.[69] During World War II, he served as aflight instructor.[2][7] After the war, Cummings served as apilot in theUnited States Air Force Reserve, where he achieved the rank ofcaptain.[70] Cummings played aircraft pilots in several of his postwar film roles. During the war service, he had small roles in the all-starForever and a Day (1943) andFlesh and Fantasy (1943), but he was effectively off screen for two years.[71]
Cummings was meant to be inFired Wife withTeresa Wright,Charles Coburn, andEddie Anderson and a director "comparable with"Leo McCarey. However, when he found out these actors would not be in the film, and the director would beCharles Lamont, he refused to be in it. (Filming began in April 1943 withRobert Paige taking Cummings's role.[72]) Universal put him on suspension for five weeks, refused to give him a new part, or pay his weekly salary of $1,500 after the suspension had been lifted. Cummings notified the studio in May 1943 that he considered himself no longer under contract. In September 1943, Cummings sued the studio for withheld wages of $10,700, also arguing that for some time, Universal tried to put him in minor roles to "run him ragged" and "to teach him a lesson".[73] In March 1944, the court ruled in Cummings's favor, saying Universal had voided its contract with the actor and owed him $10,700. This decision happened in the same fortnight as another court case involvingOlivia de Havilland, which also ruled in the actor's favor.[74][75]
Cummings was considered free of Universal since August 1944. In January he signed a four-year exclusive contract with Hal Wallis, who had left Warner Brothers to become an independent producer.[76] Shortly after, he took leave from the Air Force to star inYou Came Along (1945) for Hal Wallis, directed byJohn Farrow with a screenplay byAyn Rand. TheArmy Air Forces pilot Cummings played, Bob Collins, died off camera, but was resurrected 10 years later for Cummings's television show. Cummings was under contract to Wallis for four years.[71][77] Also for Wallis—who had now moved to Paramount—he didThe Bride Wore Boots (1946), a comedy with Barbara Stanwyck. He was announced forDishonorable Discharge for Wallis from a story byJohn Farrow, but it appears to have not been made.[78] Neither wasIts Love Love Love, which was announced by RKO,[79] orDream Puss, which Wallis announced for Cummings at Paramount.[80]
In 1946, Cummings said, "Often I play the boyfriend of a girl young enough to be my daughter. I'm 36, and whenever I start drooping, I run one of my pictures and feel like a kid again."[81] Around this time, he also said he was more interested in producing and directing, and hoped to act in only one film per year.[82]
Cummings had the leads in two films for Nero Films, a production company run bySeymour Nebenzal andEugene Frenke, who released through United Artists: afilm noir,The Chase (1946); and a Western,Heaven Only Knows (1947).
Cummings decided to form his own production company with Frenke andPhilip Yordan, which they called United California. (They originally called it United World, but it was too similar to another company's name.[83][84]) In December 1946, it was announced that Cummings had signed an exclusive contract with United California Productions, and that his deal with Wallis was for one film a year for seven years.[85][86] They announcedBad Guy from a script by Yordan.[87] They were also going to doJoe MacBeth[88] (which was ultimately made by others).
In 1947, Cummings had reportedly earned $110,000 in the preceding 12 months.[89]The Lost Moment (1947) withSusan Hayward was a film noir forWalter Wanger at Universal based onThe Aspern Papers by Henry James. It was a resounding flop at the box office. Cummings was initially meant to follow it withThe Big Curtain for Edward Alperson at Fox but that picture was never produced.[90]
Cummings appeared inSleep, My Love (1948), another noir, directed byDouglas Sirk and produced byMary Pickford.
United California eventually brought in manufacturer Frank Hale as partner. Its first film,Let's Live a Little (1948), was a romantic comedy withHedy Lamarr, released through United Artists.
Cummings announced a series of projects for United California:Ho the Fair Wind from a novel by IAR Wylie,The Glass Heart by Mary Holland,Poisonous Paradise (a docudrama for which some footage had been shot calledJungle),Passport to Love by Howard Irving Young, and a remake ofTwo Hearts in Three Quarter Time. Cummings was also trying to interestNorman Krasna into writing the story of how Cummings broke into acting, to be calledPardon My Accent.[91][92][93]
Cummings did the melodramaThe Accused (1949) for Hal Wallis at Paramount, supporting Loretta Young.
Reign of Terror (1949) was a thriller set in the French Revolution for directorAnthony Mann;Eagle Lion co-produced with United California.[94]
Cummings did a comedy at Universal,Free for All (1949).
In July 1949, Cummings signed a three-picture deal with Columbia.[95] He madeTell It to the Judge (1949), with Rosalind Russell, for them. He did one for Wallis at Paramount,Paid in Full (1950) (originallyBitter Victory), then went back to Columbia forThe Petty Girl (1950) a musical withJoan Caulfield.
Cummings did announce he would makeThe Glass Heart for his own company and release through Columbia, but this did not happen.[96]
Cummings supportedClifton Webb inFor Heaven's Sake (1950) at Fox, then played a con man inThe Barefoot Mailman (1950), his third film for Columbia.
Cummings began working in television, appearing inSure as Fate ("Run from the Sun") andSomerset Maugham TV Theatre ("The Luncheon").
He was in a Broadway playFaithfully Yours (originallyThe Philemon Complex), which had a short run in late 1951.[97][98] In November 1951 he announced he only had one more Columbia commitment and was open to doing more theatre.[99]
At Columbia, he was inThe First Time (1952), the first feature directed byFrank Tashlin. On TV, he was inLux Video Theatre ("The Shiny People", "Pattern for Glory"),Betty Crocker Star Matinee ("Sense of Humor"), andRobert Montgomery Presents ("Lila My Love").
Cummings was one of the four stars featured in the short-run radio version ofFour Star Playhouse.
He was offeredBattle in Spain, the story ofEl Cid, withLinda Darnell, but turned it down because it was too controversial.[100]
Cummings starred in his first regular television series in the comedyMy Hero (1952–53), playing a bumbling real estate salesman. He also wrote and directed some episodes.[101] The series ran for 33 episodes before (it was reported) Cummings decided to end it and accept other offers.[102] In reality, the show had been axed. "After it was dropped, I was as dead as you could possibly get in show business" said Cummings. "I sat in my agent's office one day and heard a top producer tell him on the phone that nobody would buy me."[103] Out of work, he accepted the State Department's invitation to go on a goodwill mission to Argentina.[103] The show earned him an Emmy nomination.[104]
Cummings was inMarry Me Again (1953) at RKO for Tashlin, then went to England to star in another Hitchcock film,Dial M for Murder (1954), playing the lover ofGrace Kelly, whose husbandRay Milland tries to kill her. The film was a hit.[2][7]
Cummings then supportedDoris Day in a musical at Warner Bros,Lucky Me (1954).[105]
He was chosen by producerJohn Wayne as his co-star to playairline pilot Captain Sullivan inThe High and the Mighty, partly due to Cummings's flying experience; however, directorWilliam A. Wellman overruled Wayne and hiredRobert Stack for the part.[106]
In 1954, Cummings appeared inTwelve Angry Men, an original TV play forWestinghouse Studio One written byReginald Rose and directed byFranklin Schaffner, alongside actors includingFranchot Tone andEdward Arnold. Cummings played Juror Number Eight, the role taken byHenry Fonda in the feature-film adaptation.[7][107] Cummings's performance earned him the 1955Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Single Performance.[108]
Other television appearances includedCampbell Summer Soundstage ("The Test Case"),[109]Justice ("The Crisis"),The Elgin Hour ("Floodtide"),[110] and a TV version ofBest Foot Forward (1954).[111]
In July 1954, Cummings formed his own independentfilm production company, Laurel Productions, Incorporated. The company's name had several affiliations to Cummings: his youngest daughter was named Laurel Ann Cummings; the street he and his family lived on was named Laurel Way; his wife's grandmother's name was Laurel; and finally, the fact thatLaurel & Hardy had given Cummings his film debut back in 1933.[112][113][114] His wife Mary Elliott was appointed president of Laurel Productions.[113] In July 1954, Cummings filmed the pilot for his television show,The Bob Cummings Show, and would go on to produce 173 episodes.[114][115][116][117]
Cummings intended to produce a film titledThe Damned through Laurel Productions, from a novel byJohn D. MacDonald and to be written and directed byFrank Tashlin.[112][118] In December 1954, Cummings andGeorge Burns formed Laurmac Productions, with the hope of co-producing a feature film in May 1955.[119]
In January 1955,The Bob Cummings Show began airing, and went through 1959. Cummings starred on the successfulNBCsitcom,The Bob Cummings Show (known asLove That Bob in reruns), where he played Bob Collins, a former World War II pilot who became a successful professional photographer. The character, a bachelor in 1950s Los Angeles, considered himself quite theladies' man. The sitcom was noted for some veryrisqué humor for its time. Reviewing the show,Variety wrote "few video performers are as infectious as Bob Cummings" calling the sitcom "a combination of corn, slapstick and sex. If it took itself seriously, it'd bomb bigger than Bikini. But everybody acts as though he's improvising on a camp picnic."[120]
A popular feature of the program was Cummings's portrayal of his elderly grandfather. His co-stars wereRosemary DeCamp as his sister Margaret MacDonald;Dwayne Hickman as his nephew Chuck MacDonald;Lyle Talbot as his old Air Force buddy Paul Fonda, andAnn B. Davis, in her first television success, as his assistant Charmaine "Schultzy" Schultz.
When Cummings appeared on the NBCinterview programHere's Hollywood,[7] he was seen byNunnally Johnson, who cast him opposite Betty Grable inHow to Be Very, Very Popular (1955) at Fox, which turned out to be Grable's last film. Cummings's contract was amended to allow him time off to rehearse and record his TV show.[121]
Around this time, Cummings said he had made 78 films, and "I always had the feeling I was distinguished for none of them. Hollywood's never been really hot about me. I was always second choice. I used to say to my wife Mary, 'Somebody's got to be sick someday –Bill Holden or maybe some boy not even born yet! I used to say 'If I could find another business where I could be successful!'."[104]
Cummings was one of the hosts onABC's live broadcast of the opening day ofDisneyland on July 17, 1955, along withRonald Reagan andArt Linkletter. On that day, Cummings played off his playboy character image by being “caught” embracing and kissing a young woman in a bonnet with a stricken look on her face.
Cummings's performance inThe Bob Cummings Show earned him another Emmy nomination for Best Actor in a Continuous Role in 1956.[122]
He turned downThe Heavenly Twins for the Theatre Guild; and was mentioned forBewitched by Charles Bennett in England, but did not do it.[123]
During the series' production, Cummings still found time to play other roles. He returned toStudio One ("A Special Announcement"), and did episodes ofGeneral Electric Theater ("Too Good with a Gun"),The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, andSchlitz Playhouse ("One Left Over", "Dual Control").
He was also in "Bomber's Moon" forPlayhouse 90 (1958), from aRod Serling script directed byJohn Frankenheimer, who said "Bobby's a really fine dramatic actor, but people usually associate him only with comedy. Naturally enough I suppose. Directing an actor like this who feels immediately what the script wants and what the director wants makes you love this business."[124]
"It's a great life, acting", Cummings said in 1959. "I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm a completely content actor."[125]
When his TV show ended in 1959, Cummings claimed it was his decision, as he was tired and wanted to take a year off. He was also keen to sell the show into syndication. "I don't think I'll do another comedy", he said.[126] The show had been very lucrative for him.[127]
In 1960, Cummings starred in "King Nine Will Not Return", the opening episode of thesecond season ofCBS'sThe Twilight Zone, written by Serling and directed byBuzz Kulik.[128]
He guested onZane Grey Theatre ("The Last Bugle", directed byBudd Boetticher),The DuPont Show of the Week ("The Action in New Orleans"[129]),The Dick Powell Theatre ("Last of the Private Eyes", co-starring Ronald Reagan), andThe Great Adventure ("Plague").
The New Bob Cummings Show followed on CBS for one season, from 1961 to 1962. It was a variation ofThe Bob Cummings Show with Cummings as a pilot who had various adventures.[130][131] It ran for 22 episodes before being cancelled.[132]
Cummings returned to films with a supporting role inMy Geisha (1962), written by Krasna.Variety called the actor "astonishingly youthful" and said "it's nice to see him back on the theatre screen."[133]
He was top-billed inBeach Party (1963), although the film is better remembered today for first teamingFrankie Avalon andAnnette Funicello.[134] In its review of the filmVariety wrote "Cummings shows himself to be amenable farceur and notably at ease. in surroundings which might embarrass a less professional star."[135]
Cummings had supporting roles in two popular films,The Carpetbaggers (1964) withGeorge Peppard andAlan Ladd andWhat a Way to Go! (1964) withShirley MacLaine, and was inTheatre of Stars ("The Square Peg").
Also in 1964, he was a guest as a beauty pageant judge inThe Beverly Hillbillies episode, "The Race for Queen".
In 1964–65, Cummings starred in another CBS sitcom,My Living Doll, co-starringJulie Newmar as Rhoda the robot andJack Mullaney as his friend. After 21 episodes, Cummings asked to be written out of the show.[136] It lasted five more episodes.
In the late 1960s, Cummings had supporting roles inThe Carpetbaggers (1964),Promise Her Anything (1966) and the remake ofStagecoach (1966) (playing the bank embezzler).
Cummings had the lead inFive Golden Dragons (1967) for producerHarry Alan Towers and supported inGidget Grows Up (1969).
He was in another Broadway play,The Wayward Stork, which had a short run in early 1966.[137] A review inThe New York Times said Cummings "is not in top form. He sounded a bit hoarse and somewhat strained. Usually he is a quite acceptible [sic], breezy farceur."[138]
He guest-starred again onTheatre of Stars ("Blind Man's Bluff"), as well asThe Flying Nun ("Speak the Speech, I Pray You"),Green Acres ("Rest and Relaxation"),Here Come the Brides ("The She-Bear"),Arnie ("Hello, Holly"),Bewitched ("Samantha and the Troll"),Here's Lucy ("Lucy's Punctured Romance", "Lucy and Her Genuine Twimby"), and several episodes ofLove, American Style.[139]
Cummings's last lead roles on film were in a pair of TV movies,The Great American Beauty Contest (1973) andPartners in Crime (1973).
During the 1970s for over 10 years, Cummings traveled the US performing indinner theaters and short stints in plays while living in anAirstream travel trailer.
He relayed those experiences in the written introduction he provided for the bookAirstream written by Robert Landau and James Phillippi in 1984.[140]
Cummings had a cameo inThree on a Date (1978) and appeared in 1979 as Elliott Smith, the father ofFred Grandy's Gopher on ABC'sThe Love Boat.[141]
In 1986, Cummings hosted the 15th-anniversary celebration ofWalt Disney World onThe Wonderful World of Disney.
In 1987, he said, "I wouldn't mind living until I'm 110. I still swim, do calisthenics, and keep fit. I've never been in hospital, except for a hernia operation at one time. People laugh about my using so many vitamins. When I tell them I take 50 liver pills a day, they look surprised, but whether they laugh or not, the thing works." He added, "I'm retired, I live on a pension" and "if I have a problem I get expert counsel, then ask the opinion of a good psychic."[142]
Robert Cummings's last public appearance was onThe Magical World of Disney episode "TheDisneyland 35th Anniversary Special" in 1990.
Cummings was married five times and fathered seven children. His first marriage was to Emma Myers, a girl from his hometown. His second marriage was toVivi Janiss, an actress he met while performing inZiegfeld Follies. His third wife, Mary Elliott, was a former actress and she ran Cummings's business affairs. They separated in 1968 and had a bitter divorce, during the course of which she accused him of cheating on her with his former secretary Regina Fong and using methamphetamines which she said caused wild mood swings. She also claimed he relied on astrologers and numerologists to make financial decisions with "disastrous" consequences.[143]In 1970, when the divorce was finalized, their communal property was estimated as being worth from $700,000 to $800,000 (equivalent to between $5.7 million and $6.5 million in 2024).[144]
He was married to Regina Fong from 1971 to 1987 and married Martha Burzynski (1932-2017) two years later. He died the following year.
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He was an avid pilot and owned a number of airplanes, all named "Spinach".[145] He was a staunch advocate ofnatural foods and published a book on healthy living,Stay Young and Vital, in 1960.[146]
In May 1948 Hedda Hopper reported that there were four lawsuits against Cummings.[147]
In 1952, Cummings was sued by a writer ofMy Hero who had been fired. In 1952, Cummings was served with papers concerning the suit by LA County Deputy Sheriff William Conroy; Cummings assaulted Conroy and was then sued by the sheriff for damages. Conroy stated that when he tried to serve Cummings with a subpoena the actor gunned the motor of his car and dragged him along the pavement. Cummings explained that he didn't know Conroy was a deputy.[148] Both cases were settled in 1954.[149]
In 1972 he was charged with fraud for operating a pyramid scheme involving his company, Bob Cummings Inc, which sold vitamins and food supplements.[150]
In 1975 he was arrested for being in possession of ablue box used to defraud the telephone company.[151] He avoided trial under the double jeopardy rule.[152]
Despite his interest in health, Cummings was alleged to have been amethamphetamine addict from the mid-1950s until the end of his life. In 1954, while in New York to star in theWestinghouse Studio One production ofTwelve Angry Men, Cummings began receiving injections fromMax Jacobson, the notorious "Dr. Feelgood".[153][154] His friendsRosemary Clooney andJosé Ferrer recommended the doctor to Cummings, who was complaining of a lack of energy. While Jacobson insisted that his injections contained only "vitamins, sheepsperm, and monkeygonads", they actually contained a substantial dose of methamphetamine.[155]
Cummings allegedly continued to use a mixture provided by Jacobson, eventually becoming a patient of Jacobson's son Thomas, who was based in Los Angeles, and later injecting himself. The changes in Cummings's personality caused by the euphoria of the drug and subsequent depression damaged his career and led to anintervention by his friend, television hostArt Linkletter. The intervention was not successful, and Cummings's drug abuse and subsequent career collapse were factors in his divorces from his third wife, Mary, and fourth wife, Gina Fong.[153]
After Jacobson was forced out of business in the 1970s, Cummings developed his own drug connections based inThe Bahamas. Suffering fromParkinson's disease, he was forced to move into homes for indigent older actors inHollywood.[153]
Cummings had seven children. His son, Tony Cummings, played Rick Halloway in the NBC daytime serialAnother World in the early 1980s.
Cummings was a supporter of theRepublican Party.[156]
On December 2, 1990, Cummings died ofkidney failure and complications frompneumonia at theMotion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital inWoodland Hills, California.[146]
He is interred in the Great Mausoleum atForest Lawn Cemetery inGlendale, California.[157]
Filmink called Cummings' career "a triumphant success – he did it all: Broadway, Hollywood, Harry Alan Towers, Golden Years of Television, Hitchcock, Deanna Durbin… He just made one mistake – he got on drugs."[5]
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