Sid Melton | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Melton as Charlie Halper inThe Danny Thomas Show (1963) | |
| Born | Sidney Meltzer[1] (1917-05-22)May 22, 1917 |
| Died | November 2, 2011(2011-11-02) (aged 94) Burbank,California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1939–2001 |
Sidney Meltzer (May 22, 1917 – November 2, 2011), known professionally asSid Melton, was an American actor.[2] He played the roles of incompetent carpenter Alf Monroe in theCBS sitcomGreen Acres and Uncle Charlie Halper, proprietor of the Copa Club, inThe Danny Thomas Show and its spin-offs.[2][1] He appeared in about 140 film and television projects in a career that spanned nearly 60 years. Among his most famous films wereLost Continent withCesar Romero,The Steel Helmet withGene Evans andRobert Hutton,The Lemon Drop Kid withBob Hope, andLady Sings The Blues withDiana Ross andBilly Dee Williams. He was a regular onThe Danny Thomas Show andGreen Acres, and appeared in flashback on several episodes ofThe Golden Girls as Salvadore Petrillo, the long-dead husband of Sophia (played byEstelle Getty)[1] and father of Dorothy (played byBeatrice Arthur).[3]
Sidney Meltzer[1][4] was born inBrooklyn,New York City,New York. His father was Isidor Meltzer, aYiddish theatercomedian.[1] His brotherLewis Meltzer became a screenwriter.[4] Sid was known for his short stature, 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m).[2]
Sid Melton made his stage debut in a 1939 touring production ofSee My Lawyer. Sid's brother Lewis was a screenplay writer in Hollywood and had connections "in the industry," which led to Sid being cast as Fingers inShadow of the Thin Man.[4] DuringWorld War II, Melton entertained American soldiers overseas.[4] Sid met screenwriterAubrey Wisberg, who arranged for him to have a part in hisTreasure of Monte Cristo forRobert Lippert.[5] This was his first film after signing his first Hollywood contract withLippert Pictures in 1949. The studio churned out low-budget films, most of them made in less than a week, and Melton was thecomic relief in dozens of them, includingMask of the Dragon andLost Continent.[4]
Other movies includedOn the Town,The Geisha Boy,The Tunnel of Love, andBlondie Goes to College. He appeared in threeLippert Pictures,Hi-Jacked,Lost Continent andRadar Secret Service, later featured onMystery Science Theater 3000, whose hosts gave Melton the nickname "Monkey Boy" due to his comedy relief antics. He directed the exploitation movieBad Girls Do Cry.
Melton appeared three times as Harry Cooper in the 1955–56 sitcomIt's Always Jan. In the late 1950s, he played several small roles in the popular Desilu showThe Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour as a construction worker who comes into the room through the window to ask forMilton Berle's autograph for his children. He starred in another episode in which he plays a bellboy for a hotel inNome, Alaska that Lucy and the gang are staying at.[2] He played Captain Midnight's sidekick, Ichabod "Icky" Mudd ("That's Mudd, with two D's"), inCaptain Midnight, an early 1950s Saturday morningchildren's show.[1] Until the end of his life, old fans would greet him on the street with his signature introductory gag line, "Mudd with two D's."[2] He appeared in over 30 episodes ofGreen Acres, as Alf Monroe, one half of the brother-sister pair of handymen Alf & Ralph. Other television credits includeDragnet,The Silent Service, andM Squad. Sid appeared in S6 E9 of The Andy Griffith Show (The Hollywood Party) as a publicity agent for Ruta Lee’s character Darlene Mason. He appeared in four episodes of the final two seasons ofGomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. as Friendly Freddy, an unsuccessful con-artist who bilks Gomer and Sgt. Carter, among others, but always gets caught, sometimes several times in the same episode. He had guest roles onAdventures of Superman,I Dream of Jeannie andThe Dick Van Dyke Show; in the last he played deli owner Bert Monker, who is in love with Sally Rogers (played byRose Marie). In 1956 Melton appeared in an uncredited role as Shorty on the TV westernCheyenne in the episode "The Last Train West."
Melton appeared in a humorous 1966 television commercial as a truck driver carrying newAmerican Motors automobiles.[6]
Melton was married in the 1940s, but the marriage was annulled.[2] Melton died frompneumonia on November 2, 2011, aged 94, atProvidence St. Joseph Medical Center inBurbank,California.[1]
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