Paul Ford | |
|---|---|
 Ford as Sam Bailey inThe Baileys of Balboa (1964) | |
| Born | Paul Ford Weaver (1901-11-02)November 2, 1901 Baltimore, Maryland, United States |
| Died | April 12, 1976(1976-04-12) (aged 74) Mineola, New York, United States |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1945–1972 |
| Spouse | Nell Weaver |
| Children | 4 |
Paul Ford Weaver (November 2, 1901 – April 12, 1976) was an Americancharacter actor andcomedic actor who came to specialize in portraying authority figures whose ineptitude and pompous demeanor were played for comic effect, notably as Mayor George Shinn in the 1957Broadway musical comedyThe Music Man, followed five years later by repeating the role in theThe Music Man (1962 film), (starringRobert Preston andShirley Jones), and on television asU.S. Army Colonel John T. Hall on several seasons of the military comedyThe Phil Silvers Show (1955–1959).
Ford was born Paul Ford Weaver inBaltimore, Maryland.[1] His father was described as "a well-to-do businessman" who lost his fortune when his investment in a soft-drink company failed.[2]
At an early age, he showed an adept talent for performance, but was discouraged when directors thought he wastone-deaf.[citation needed]
After attendingDartmouth College for one year,[3] Ford was a salesman before he became an entertainer.[4]
He took his middle birth name, which was his mother's maiden name, as his stage last name.[5] The change occurred after he failed an audition as Paul Weaver, but was successful when he auditioned again as Paul Ford.[3]
In later years, Ford made his distinctive voice one of the most recognized on films and television of his era. His later success, however, was long in the making, and he did little acting in his early adult years but instead raised his family during theGreat Depression of the 1930s.
32nd PresidentFranklin Delano Roosevelt'sNew Deal programs to combat the Great Depression of the 1930s, especially thePublic Works Administration (PWA) andWorks Progress Administration (WPA) programs, provided young Ford, then in his early 30s, with meaningful work and experience plus his first contact with acting and entertainment. Because of this positive influential contact, to the day he died, Ford was a devoted political / socialLiberal andProgressive, becoming a staunch"FDR Democrat" for the rest of his life.[citation needed]
He first ventured into entertainment in a puppet theater project sponsored by the New Deal program in the Works Progress Administration (WPA) to combat the Great Depression providing employment in theFederal Theatre Project for authors, academics, actors and musicians duringRoosevelt's administration.[6] Years later in 1958 after he became nationally known on TV, he said of that opportunity: "I got on the puppet project of the WPA and helped write and put on shows for the Federal Theater. We did puppet shows at the New YorkWorld's Fair in 1939 to 1940, and I served as narrator, a kind of 'Hoosier' cornball in beard."[3]
Following his experience with puppets, Ford briefly worked as an attendant at a gas station before turning to acting for a better career.[7] His first professional acting job was in anOff-Broadway production in New York City in 1939.[4]
In 1955, Ford played the bank president in theNational Broadcasting Company (NBC) television comedy seriesNorby.[8] He became an "overnight" success a year later at age 54 when he played "Colonel John T. Hall",U.S. Army incompetent commanding officer opposite comedianPhil Silvers on Silvers' military comedicThe Phil Silvers Show TV show (often known as "Sergeant Bilko" or just "Bilko" for its main character and longtime film and now TV star).[8]: 830
His signature role may well be the part of "Mayor George Shinn" of River City, Iowa (a fictional small rural town in the 1910s era), as a befuddled politico in the 1962 film musical comedy adaptation of the earlier 1957Broadway / New York City stage showThe Music Man. Ford played the role straight but still comedic and received glowing reviews. The other role he is most identified with is that of "Horace Vandergelder" oppositeShirley Booth in the 1958 screen version ofThe Matchmaker, plus as "Kendall Hawkins", in theCold War-era comedyThe Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! (1966), as an old Army officer with delusions of grandeur (who still carries his sword) leading hisNew England Gloucester island rural militia and a mob of panicked villagers against a possible Russian invasion when aSoviet Red Navysubmarine accidentally runs aground offshore. The film also starredBrian Keith,Carl Reiner,Eva Marie Saint,Jonathan Winters,Alan Arkin, andTheodore Bikel.
Ford had an active career on stage, then films and television, until his retirement in the early 1970s. Despite being a respected earlier Broadway theatre stage character actor in the 1940s and early 1950s, Ford was notorious for being unable to remember his lines. This would cause occasional difficulty forcing him and those around him to improvise, often with hilarious effects. This became especially notable onThe Phil Silvers Show in the late 1950s.
He appeared in the 1962–1963 season in theColumbia Broadcasting System (CBS)television anthologyThe Lloyd Bridges Show. A year later, he also starred inThe Baileys of Balboa also onCBS-TV network which lasted only one season (1964–1965).
His earlier stage credits includeAnother Part of the Forest (1946),Command Decision (1947),The Teahouse of the August Moon (1953),Whoop-Up (1958), replacing David Burns as Mayor George Shinn of River City, Iowa inThe Music Man (1957) and repeated the role five years later in the 1962 musical film,A Thurber Carnival (1960),Never Too Late (1962),3 Bags Full (1966), andWhat Did We Do Wrong? (1967).
Most actors who worked with Ford claimed he was a kindly and very funny man. He was known for his descriptive quotes about life in the Great Depression in later years, including, "My kids used to think everyone lived on peanut butter sandwiches!!"
His final role was three and half years prior to his death as a Washington, D.C. doctor in the filmRichard in 1972.
On April 12, 1976, Ford died of a heart attack atNassau Hospital inMineola, onLong Island, New York. He was age 74.[9] He was buried inHoly Cross Cemetery, Culver City, Los Angeles, California.[1] He was survived by his wife Nell Weaver, and four children – two daughters, and two sons.[3]
Ford was nominated for threePrimetime Emmy Awards: Best Supporting Performance by an Actor (1957), Best Continuing Supporting Performance by an Actor in a Dramatic or Comedy Series (1958) and Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role by an Actor (1963). The first two were for his work onThe Phil Silvers Show; the third was for a role on theHallmark Hall of Fame.[10]
Ford was nominated in 1963 for a"Tony" Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play forNever Too Late.
Ford's April 1976's detailed obituary inThe New York Times noted: "In 1967 Mr. Ford was cited by theNational Board of Review of Motion Pictures as the best supporting actor for his role inThe Comedians."[3]
