Frank Ferguson
Frank S. Ferguson was an American character actor with hundreds of appearances in both film and television.
Background
Ferguson was born in Ferndale, California, the younger of two children of W. Thomas Ferguson, a native Scottish merchant, and his American wife Annie Boynton. He graduated from Ferndale Union High School in 1917. He earned a bachelor's degree in speech and drama at the University of California and a master's degree from Cornell University. He also taught at UCLA and Cornell.
As a young man, he became connected with Gilmor Brown, the founder and director of the Pasadena Community Playhouse, and became one of its first directors. He directed as well as acted in many plays there. He also taught at the Playhouse.
He made his film debut in 1939 in Gambling on the High Seas, and appeared in nearly 200 feature films and hundreds of TV episodes subsequently.
Career
In 1948, Ferguson appeared as "McDougal" – the quickly agitated owner of "McDougal's House of Horrors" – in the Universal comedy horror film "Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein". In 1952, he had an uncredited role as a jailer in the film Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair. He also appeared in episodes 149, 173, and 178 of "The Lone Ranger".
In 1952, Ferguson played the part of a music professor at Pomona College in the second of two short films starring Jascha Heifetz, produced by Rudolph Polk and Bernard Luber. The set-up was that Heifetz and his accompanist, Emanuel Bay, had visited the college in order to see a collection of music/music scores. As they are leaving, the professor catches them and asks if Heifetz will come to his class and say a few words. He does, but when there are no questions immediately, he starts to leave. Suddenly there are some questions, and then it turns into a recital. In 1954, Ferguson had an uncredited, but important role in Black Tuesday as Police Inspector Hailey, who refuses to negotiate with criminals hiding in a warehouse.
Ferguson's had a well-known role as the Swedish ranch handyman, Gus Broeberg, on the 1956 CBS television series, My Friend Flicka, based on a novel of the same name. He appeared with Gene Evans, Johnny Washbrook and Anita Louise. At this time, Ferguson also portrayed the Calverton veterinarian in the first several seasons of CBS's Lassie.
In 1964–1965, Ferguson portrayed Pa Stockdale in the ABC-TV comedy No Time for Sergeants.
Ferguson played three different characters on The Andy Griffith Show, three different characters on Laramie (TV series), two different characters on Petticoat Junction, four different characters on Bonanza, four different characters on Perry Mason, and four different characters on the ABC/WB western, Maverick. He guest starred on other series, including the syndicated Gunsmoke, Cheyenne, Rescue 8, Bat Masterson, Whirlybirds, and The Everglades; NBC's The Restless Gun, Riverboat, Overland Trail, National Velvet, and Mr. Novak; ABC's The Real McCoys, The Rifleman, The Alaskans, Target: The Corruptors, The Asphalt Jungle, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington; and CBS's General Electric Theater, and The Texan, starring Rory Calhoun. Ferguson appeared twice in 1956 as Henry Murdock on the syndicated western-themed crime drama, Sheriff of Cochise.
He guest starred in all three of Rod Cameron's crime series, City Detective, State Trooper and Coronado 9. He also guest starred, in the role of a hobo Beaver befriends, during the final season of ABC's Leave It to Beaver sitcom in 1963.
Ferguson played the role of Eli Carson in the primetime ABC serial Peyton Place and reprised the role in the later daytime version Return to Peyton Place. Ferguson also appeared in an episode of Green Acres in 1969.
Death
Ferguson died in Los Angeles of cancer on September 12, 1978.
Selected filmography
Young Tom Edison as Customer on the train Gambling on the High Seas as City District AttorneyFather Is a Prince as Ben HaleyFour Mothers as Music Foundation Director Bullets for O'Hara as Prosecutor You'll Never Get Rich as Justice of the Peace Passage from Hong Kong as Ship's Doctor They Died with Their Boots On as Grant's Secretary The Body Disappears as Prof. McAuley Reap the Wild Wind as Snaith Broadway as Reporter My Gal Sal as Loud Customer This Gun for Hire as Albert BakerGrand Central Murder as Det. Mike McAdams Spy Ship as BurnsTen Gentlemen from West Point as Alden BrownMoonlight Masquerade as Doctor Wings for the Eagle as Hansford The War Against Mrs. Hadley as Reporter The Spirit of Stanford as Psychology Professor You Can't Escape Forever as Coroner City of Silent Men as Fred BernardThe Boss of Big Town as Bram HartTruck Busters as George HavelockThe Meanest Man in the World as Teller Mission to Moscow as American Newsman Pilot No. 5 as Mr. Tully Salute to the Marines as Pvt. Williams Thrill of a Romance as 1st Hotel Monte Belva Clerk Secrets of a Sorority Girl as Justin FarleyThe Dolly Sisters as Reporter at Boat Docking O.S.S. as Electronics Engineer Blonde for a Day as Walter BronsonThe Searching Wind as Embassy Attendant Night and Day as Tina's Father Canyon Passage as Preacher Little Miss Big as Dr. Raymond If I'm Lucky as Statistician Lady Chaser as Attorney J. T. VickersSwell Guy as Eddie Cross My Heart as Reporter The Man I Love as Army Doctor California as Cavalry Lieutenant on Patrol The Perfect Marriage as Gentleman The Beginning or the End as Dr. James B. ConantThe Farmer's Daughter as MaatinaanDanger Street as Boward – Police Chief Blaze of Noon as Cash Jones Killer at Large as Edward DentonWelcome Stranger as Crane The Trouble with Women as Mr. Metcalfe The Perils of Pauline as Movie Theatre Owner They Won't Believe Me as CahillVariety Girl as R.J. O'ConnellCass Timberlane as Court Clerk The Fabulous Texan as Andy Renfro T-Men as Secret Service Man Road to Rio as Texas Posse Member The Bride Goes Wild as Reporter The Inside Story as Eph – Editor of The BugleThe Miracle of the Bells as DolanFort Apache as Newspaperman The Hunted as Paul HarrisonFighting Father Dunne as M.R. Colpeck Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein as Mr. McDougalThe Vicious Circle as StarkThe Babe Ruth Story as Danny's Father The Walls of Jericho as Tom Ransome They Live by Night as Bum Walk a Crooked Mile as Carl BemishRachel and the Stranger as Mr. GreenThat Wonderful Urge as Findlay Dynamite as 'Hard Rock' MasonShockproof as Logan Slightly French as Marty Freeman State Department: File 649 as Consul ReitherCaught as Dr. HoffmanHomicide as Albert Murray The Barkleys of Broadway as Mr. Perkins Follow Me Quietly as J.C. McGillRoseanna McCoy as Ellison HatfieldFree for All as Hap RossDancing in the Dark as John Sharkey Key to the City as Councilman Tyrant of the Sea as Officer The Good Humor Man as Insp. QuintLouisa as Park Attendant The Lawless as Carl GreenThe Furies as Dr. GrieveRight Cross as Dr. George Esmond He's a Cockeyed Wonder as Sheriff Oliver Under Mexicali Stars as Counterfeitor GoldieThe West Point Story as Commandant Watch the Birdie as Mr. Whittle Frenchie as Jim DobbsThe Great Missouri Raid as Bank Teller Santa Fe as Marshal Bat MastersonThunder in God's Country as BatesWarpath as MarshalThe People Against O'Hara as George The Barefoot Mailman as Doc Bethune Elopement as Pinkie's Father The Model and the Marriage Broker as Conventioneer On Dangerous Ground as WillowsRoom for One More as Steve Boots Malone as Detective Agency Head The Cimarron Kid as Prison Warden Bend of the River as Tom GrundyRancho Notorious as PreacherRodeo as Harry CartwrightThe Marrying Kind as Mr. Quinn Oklahoma Annie as Eldridge HaskellModels Inc. as Joe Reynolds – the BankerThe Winning Team as Sam ArrantsHas Anybody Seen My Gal? as Edward NortonWagons West as Cyrus CookMa and Pa Kettle at the Fair as Sam It Grows on Trees as John LetherbyThe Iron Mistress as Doctor Million Dollar Mermaid as ProsecutorStars and Stripes Forever as Mr. Wells Star of Texas as Marshal BullockThe I Don't Care Girl as Ned The Stars Are Singing as Doorman The Blue Gardenia as Drunk Reporter Woman They Almost Lynched as Bartender The Lone Hand as Mr. Dunn the BankerTrouble Along the Way as Mike Edwards House of Wax as Medical Examiner The Marksman as Champ WileyPowder River as Johnny SlaterThe Beast from 20,000 Fathoms as Dr. MortonHannah Lee as John BrittonSo This Is Love as High School Commencement Speaker Big Leaguer as Wally MitchellCity of Bad Men as Easterner at Training Camp Main Street to Broadway as Mr. Cope in Fantasy SequenceSo Big as Ed Wicked Woman as Bill PorterTexas Bad Man as GilDragonfly Squadron as Col. Conners Riding Shotgun as Townsman Johnny Guitar as Marshal WilliamsThe Outcast as Chad PolsenThe Shanghai Story as Mr. HaljersonA Star Is Born as Judge George J. Barnes Drum Beat as Mr. DyarBlack Tuesday as Police Inspector Hailey Young at Heart as BartellThe Violent Men as Mahoney Battle Cry as Mr. Hector WalkerNew York Confidential as Dr. LudlowThe Eternal Sea as Admiral L.D.City of Shadows as District Attorney HuntMoonfleet as CoachmanThe McConnell Story as MechanicTrial as Kiley A Lawless Street as Abe Deland At Gunpoint as Marshal George HendersonThe Phantom Stagecoach as Joe PattersonThe Iron Sheriff as District Attorney HollowayGun Duel in Durango as Sheriff HowardThis Could Be the Night as Mr. Shea – LandlordThe Lawless Eighties as Owen SutterCole Younger, Gunfighter as Sheriff Ralph WittrockThe Light in the Forest as Harry ButlerTerror in a Texas Town as Deacon Matt HolmesMan of the West as Crosscut Marshal Revolt in the Big House as Gannon's Lawyer Andy Hardy Comes Home as Mayor BensonThe Restless Gun as Sheriff - Episode "Remember the Dead"The Big Night as DaveRaymie as RexSunrise at Campobello as Dr. BennettPocketful of Miracles as Newspaper EditorHush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte as EditorThe Quick Gun as Dan EvansThose Calloways as Doctor The Great Sioux Massacre as Gen. Alfred Howe Terry