Fredd Wayne

Fredd Wayne (born Fredd Wiener;[1] October 17, 1924 – August 27, 2018) was an American actor with a career spanning seven decades on Broadway, radio, television, movies, and recorded works. He appeared on television as a guest star, and portrayed Benjamin Franklin, originally in his one-man show Benjamin Franklin, Citizen, on television, recordings, and live appearances.

Fredd Wayne
Fredd Wayne with Barbara Nichols on The Twilight Zone, 1961
Born(1924-10-17)October 17, 1924
DiedAugust 27, 2018(2018-08-27) (aged 93)
OccupationStage, film and television actor
Years active1947–2003

Early life

Fredd Wayne was born in Akron, Ohio[1] to working class parents Celia (Mirman) and salesman Charles Theodore Wiener. Two days after graduating from John R. Buchtel High School he took a bus to Hollywood in hopes of working for cousin Lester Cowan who had produced My Little Chickadee and several Marx Brothers films. He recalls sitting in the lobby of Columbia Studios for three days before Cowan dismissed him with: “I got nuthin’ for you, kid.” After Wayne's money and graduation watch were stolen, a neighbor who worked at Warner Brothers drove him to the studio where he was hired as a mail boy for $18 a week. This first Hollywood job, and the rush of delivering film to movie sets, trading “hellos” with Bette Davis, and watching John Garfield and Errol Flynn perform, ended when the U.S. Army called him in and asked his pre-draft occupation. Without hesitation, he answered: “I was under contract to Warner Brothers Studio.”

World War II

Wayne was made a Special Service non-com (Entertainment Specialist) for the 253rd Infantry Regiment of the 63rd Infantry Division. For eighteen months, in addition to traditional military training, he ran movie projectors, wrote, produced, and performed in soldier shows in Mississippi, attended courses at Fort McPherson, Georgia, and Washington & Lee University in Virginia (future director Arthur Penn was a classmate); Wayne also acted as booking agent of a hugely successful GI orchestra led by Ralph Cerasuolo, a sophisticated jazz violinist formerly known in New York City as “Leonardo of the Stork Club”. Despite a 14-year age difference they became close friends.

Elements of the 63rd Infantry Division, including Wayne and the band, landed in Marseilles, France, on December 8, 1944, and were rushed north to support Americans locked in the Battle of the Bulge. Wayne was assigned to GRO (Graves Registration Office) to retrieve fallen soldiers. On April 2, 1945, he discovered Cerasuolo’s body, killed by a single sniper shot to the forehead.

G.I. Carmen

Shortly after VE-Day, Wayne was directed to put together an entertainment for the men. In response to his notices 45 combat veterans of his 253rd Infantry Regiment turned in rifles for grease paint to create G.I. Carmen – destined to become, with the exception of This Is The Army, the most successful G.I. show of World War II.

Cpl. Fredd Wayne, 253rd Infantry, in the title role of "G.I. Carmen"

With half the cast as women in ill-fitting costumes and scraggly wigs, the show was to run for only three nights in Tauberbishofsheim, Germany[2] but its raucous, bawdy humor, robust singing, and dancing made it a roaring success that the Army recognized at once.[3] In addition to writing, producing, and co-directing duties Wayne had to play the title role when no other G.I. would touch it. The cast included several pre-war professionals, including Hal Edwards, who had danced in 20th Century Fox musicals, and Ray Richardson, a tenor with the Chicago Lyric Opera. Most of Ralph’s band, now led by Marty Faloon, were onstage as well, among them guitarist Charlie Byrd. After raiding Stadttheater Heidelberg for colorful costumes, proper wigs, and scenery, the army sent the troupe on an extended eight-month tour throughout Germany,[4][5] Belgium, France, Italy, and Austria including stops at leading theatres in Berlin, Brussels, Paris,[6] Rome, and Vienna. The show closed in Nuremberg on January 24, 1946. GI Carmen’s cast was kept together throughout 142 performances before audiences totaling well over 250,000 G.I. and allied troops and countless civilians, including Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas in Paris and Marlene Dietrich in Berlin.

Professional career

Back in the states Fredd Wayne settled in New York with a job at J. C. Penney offices by day and acting classes at the American Theatre Wing after hours. (Lee Marvin, James Whitmore, and Martin Balsam were classmates; Eileen Heckart and Jean Stapleton were among the volunteer actresses). Roles there included Polonius in Hamlet at age 23. As an usher at Broadway’s Alvin Theatre Wayne watched Ingrid Bergman star in Joan of Lorraine, and fetched tea for José Ferrer during the latter’s celebrated run in Cyrano de Bergerac. (Ten years later for Universal’s Revue Productions, Wayne performed the character in a TV pilot called The Sword.[7][8] It never sold.) Following the Cyrano run Ferrer cast Wayne in his production of the Czech play The Insect Comedy whose performers included Ray Walston, Werner Klemperer, and Don Murray. Fredd Wayne’s big Broadway break came when he went to audition for Shakespeare’s As You Like It starring Katharine Hepburn but was mistakenly pulled in to read for the Johnny MercerBobby Dolan musical Texas, L’il Darlin’. His G.I. Carmen musical skills helped land a leading role. Critical success led to more Broadway credits such as Not For Children by Elmer Rice and following Ray Walston as Luther Billis opposite Mary Martin in the original London production of South Pacific. Wayne’s success in London – including a concurrent extended engagement at The Berkeley Cabaret – was followed by a role opposite Gene Kelly in MGM’s Crest of the Wave, filmed in England and the Channel Islands. It also led to American productions of South Pacific playing Billis opposite Gisele MacKenzie in Dallas, Vikki Carr in Kansas City, and Jane Powell in St. Paul, Minnesota. Returning to New York Wayne co-starred opposite Ralph Bellamy in Oh Men!, Oh Women! and became embroiled in the Golden Age of Television, when dramas and comedies were not videotaped or filmed but miscues were part of the tension and grandeur of performing live before millions of people. Wayne appeared in such shows as Playhouse 90, Studio One, Pulitzer Prize Playhouse, The Defenders, Kraft Theatre, Danger, We the People, Robert Montgomery Presents, The Victor Borge Show, and The Nurses. He also made six guest appearances on Perry Mason, all shot in Hollywood, including the role of murder victim Jack Hardisty in the 1958 episode, "The Case of the Buried Clock".

Benjamin Franklin, Citizen

Out of these creative years Fredd Wayne developed the role for which he’s probably best known. The idea came to him while flying to New York from Los Angeles in 1964; he went straight to the New York Public Library from JFK to begin research and was directed to the Editor of The Papers of Benjamin Franklin at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. After six weeks of study and appearances as Franklin on 'Tonight' and 'Today' shows[9] he began breaking in his one-man show Benjamin Franklin, Citizen in upstate New York and Ohio. By the time he reached Los Angeles the production was running smoothly and Wayne was hired to play Franklin in a two-part Bewitched on ABC-TV.[10]Wayne’s Benjamin Franklin, Citizen also had a long run in Hollywood’s Ivar Theatre[11][12][13] which led to a well received U.S. State Department tour of Europe[14][15] and subsequent college tours throughout America during the Bicentennial era and beyond. His work as Franklin on Bob Hope's America is 200 Years Old...And There's Still Hope! recorded on May 4, 1976, led to appearances in multiple roles on four subsequent Bob Hope Television Specials including an appearance as Brandon Tartikoff opposite Brandon Tartikoff. Fredd Wayne has also appeared frequently as Franklin at IBM, GE, and other industrial conventions. His recording of The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (Audio Partners) was selected as one of the top audiotapes of 1997.[16]

Writings

As a writer Fredd Wayne’s articles have appeared in The New York Times,[17] Playboy,[18] The Los Angeles Times,[19][20] Performing Arts,[21] Westways,[22] The Arizona Republic,[23] and numerous other publications. Wayne has titled his upcoming fictionalized memoir “Blinky's Great Adventure”.

Death

Wayne died at an assisted-living facility in Santa Monica on August 27, 2018, aged 93.[24]

Selected stage credits

YearProductionRoleNotes
1945G.I. CarmenCarmen142 performances in Germany, Belgium, France, Italy and Austria, June 9, 1945 - January 24, 1946, produced by the U.S. Army
1947HamletPoloniusAmerican Theatre Wing
1948The Insect ComedyJosé Ferrer, director
1949Texas, Li'l Darlin'Brewster Ames II293 performances, Nov 25, 1949 - Sep 9, 1950
1951Not for ChildrenHugh McHughby Elmer Rice
1952South PacificLuther Billisoriginal London production, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
Have Tuxedo, Will Travelhimselfa one-man show at The Berkeley Cabaret
1954Oh Men!, Oh Women!with Ralph Bellamy
1964Benjamin Franklin, CitizenBenjamin Franklinin theatres throughout the United States and Europe
1969Go Fly a Kiteconceiver / actorTambellini's Gate Theatre
1984A Taste for the ForbiddenDrama-Logue Award for performance, L.A.A.T. Half-Stage

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1954Crest of the WaveSeaman N. Sam 'Shorty' Kaminsky (USN)Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer British Studios, with Gene Kelly
1956The Man Is ArmedEganRepublic Pictures
The Girl He Left BehindSgt. SheridanWarner Bros., with Tab Hunter and Natalie Wood
1958Torpedo RunOrville 'Goldy' GoldsteinMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
1961Twenty Plus TwoHarris ToomeyAllied Artists Pictures
1962The Spiral RoadVan BloorUniversal International Pictures, with Rock Hudson and Gena Rowlands
1964Seven Days in MayHenry WhitneyUncredited, with Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster
Sex and the Single GirlFrankUncredited, with Tony Curtis and Natalie Wood
1966Chamber of HorrorsCharlie BentonUncredited, with Patrick O'Neal, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Suzy Parker
1974HangupFelderWarner Bros.
1981American Popvoiced 7 rolesUncredited, Bakshi Productions, animated motion picture
1987Dutch Treatthe Judge
1989A More Perfect Union: America Becomes a NationBenjamin Franklin
1999Man on the MoonBland Doctor(final film role)

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1949We the People
The Philco Television PlayhouseSeason 1, Episode 28: What Makes Sammy Run?, with José Ferrer
Kraft Theatreperformed in productions in 3 separate seasons: 1949, 1954 & 1955
1950Musical Comedy TimeSir Evelyn OakleySeason 1, Episode 1: Anything Goes
1951The Victor Borge Show
Pulitzer Prize PlayhouseDetour, with Dorothy Gish
CorbThe Thousand Yard Look, with Richard Kiley
The Wisdom Tooth, with Howard Freeman
Schlitz PlayhouseSeason 1, Episode 4: Still Life, with Margaret Sullavan
1952Lux Video TheatreBert OliverSeason 2, Episode 23: For Goodness Sake
Celanese TheatreSeason 1, Episode 13: Saturday's Children, with Mickey Rooney
1953The Ford Television TheatreSeason 1, Episode 39: The People Versus Johnston
Studio OneThe AgentSeason 6, Episode 11: Confessions of a Nervous Man
1954Armstrong Circle TheatreSeason 4, Episode 6: Evening Star
Kraft TheatreMarch HareSeason 7, Episode 36: Alice in Wonderland, with Art Carney
Robert Montgomery PresentsSeason 6, Episode 2: A Dream of Summer, with Jackie Cooper
OmnibusMaster Adam FumieSeason 3, Episode 2: The Man Who Married a Dumb Wife, with Alistair Cooke
Armstrong Circle TheatreSeason 5, Episode 16: Ring Twice for Christmas
1955Kraft TheatreSeason 8, Episode 29: Now, Where Was I?, with Robert Webber
Armstrong Circle TheatreSeason 6, Episode 1: The Strange War of Sergeant Krezner, with Richard Kiley
1956Matinee TheatreSeason 1, Episode 52: The Century Plant, with Constance Ford
Front Row CenterBill TylerSeason 2, Episode 6: The Teacher and Hector Hodge
Dr. HumphriesSeason 2, Episode 4: The Ainsley Case
Lux Video TheatreGeorgeSeason 6, Episode 23: Here Comes the Groom
Star StageSeason 1, Episode 32: Being Nice to Emily
MedicSydney PhillipsSeason 2, Episode 26: The Good Samaritan
Lux Video TheatrePatSeason 6, Episode 41: A Marriage Day
Matinee TheatreSeason 2, Episode 20: The Alumni Reunion
Wire ServiceO'BrienSeason 1, Episode 3: Hideout
The Joseph Cotten Show aka On TrialAsst. District AttorneySeason 1, Episode 4: Twice in Peril
GunsmokeSam KertcherSeason 2, Episode 5: Young Man with a Gun
G.E. True TheaterHughSeason 5, Episode 9: The Charlatan
Schlitz PlayhousePollackSeason 6, Episode 11: Washington Incident
The MillionaireHarry DenisonSeason 3, Episode 15: The Mildred Kester Story
The Danny Thomas Show aka Make Room for DaddyRod FowlerSeason 4, Episode 14: Liz's Boyfriend
1957Dr. Hudson's Secret JournalEpisode: Brenthurst Story
Lux Video TheatreInspectorSeason 7, Episode 20: The Undesirable
G.E. True TheaterClydeSeason 5, Episode 21: The Town with a Past, with James Stewart
Schlitz PlayhouseCyrano de BergeracSeason 6, Episode 36: The Sword
Code 3Sgt. Bill HollisSeason 1, Episode 12: Oil Well Incident
Season 1, Episode 14: Suspect Number One
Season 1, Episode 17: The Trap
Lt. Bill HollisSeason 1, Episode 28: The Man with Many Faces
Telephone TimeHicksSeason 3, Episode 7: Under Seventeen
Alcoa TheatreLt. BrackettSeason 1, Episode 4: On Edge
MaverickCarl JimsonSeason 1, Episode 7: Relic of Fort Tejon
1958Richard Diamond, Private DetectiveTom TannerSeason 2, Episode 4: Double Jeopardy
Perry MasonErnie TannerSeason 1, Episode 19: The Case of the Haunted Husband
MaverickKingsleySeason 1, Episode 18: Diamond in the Rough
M SquadEddie RoccoSeason 1, Episode 20: Dolly's Bar
Perry MasonJack HardistySeason 2, Episode 6: The Case of the Buried Clock
1959The Grand JuryJordanSeason 1, Episode 31: Baby for Sale
DeadlineGilgoEpisode: Massacre
State TrooperFrank NagelSeason 3, Episode 20: While Jerome Burned
21 Beacon StreetSeason 1, Episode 6: The Execution
TightropeDannySeason 1, Episode 1: Getaway Day
Bourbon Street BeatLt. FontaineSeason 1, Episode 1: The Taste of Ashes
WhirlybirdsSeason 3, Episode 31: Man, You Kill Me
The UntouchablesJoe CarrollSeason 1, Episode 4: The George 'Bugs' Moran Story
Sugarfoot'Bull' BorglandSeason 3, Episode 5: The Canary Kid, Inc.
1960The Loretta Young ShowEd CrawleySeason 7, Episode 14: The Grenade
Goodyear TheatreSeason 3, Episode 8: Omaha Beach - Plus 15
The AlaskansBurtonSeason 1, Episode 14: The Trial of Reno McKee
Alcoa Presents: One Step BeyondLt. BarnesSeason 2, Episode 23: Vanishing Point
Perry MasonWilliam GowrieSeason 3, Episode 18: The Case of the Singing Skirt
The Man from BlackhawkGarrisonSeason 1, Episode 33: Trial by Combat
Hawaiian EyeEdward DemmingSeason 1, Episode 29: Typhoon
MarkhamCommissioner Fred ClaytonSeason 1, Episode 48: The Silken Cord
The Untouchables
Surfside 6Allan AbbottSeason 1, Episode 1: Country Gentleman
The Ann Sothern ShowChuck DunphySeason 3, Episode 4: The Pinch-Hitter
77 Sunset StripMike RansomeSeason 3, Episode 7: The Laurel Canyon Caper
1961Have Gun – Will TravelBenSeason 4, Episode 17: A Quiet Night in Town: Part 1
Season 4, Episode 18: A Quiet Night in Town: Part 2
The Twilight ZoneBarneySeason 2, Episode 17: Twenty Two
Perry MasonRoger PhillipsSeason 4, Episode 17: The Case of the Wintry Wife
Bachelor FatherBart AndersonSeason 4, Episode 32: Hilda Rides Again
Miami UndercoverJoe DanzigSeason 1, Episode 29: Room 9
The Real McCoysMr. PerrySeason 4, Episode 37: How to Win Friends
The Twilight ZonePaul MalloySeason 3, Episode 2: The Arrival
Dr. KildareSalesmanSeason 1, Episode 4: Winter Harvest
Hawaiian EyeTony WardSeason 3, Episode 11: Two for the Money
1962Bachelor FatherDon LambertSeason 5, Episode 18: How Howard Won His C
Alcoa PremiereTed MorleySeason 1, Episode 14: Mr. Easy, with Fred Astaire
Cain’s HundredMartySeason 1, Episode 27: A Creature Lurks in Ambush
Perry Mason
The Doctors and the NursesDr. MasonSeason 1, Episode 8: A Strange and Distant Place
The DefendersDistrict AttorneySeason 2, Episode 15: Death Takes the Stand
1963RawhideCalhounSeason 5, Episode 22: Incident of the Pale Rider
Perry Mason
The Bill Dana ShowCliffSeason 1, Episode 9: The Poker Game
1964GrindlSeason 1, Episode 16: Grindl, Private Eye
Perry Mason
An Hour with Robert GoulethimselfTV special (CBS)
1965Hogan's HeroesSgt. KristmanSeason 1, Episode 16: Anchors Aweigh, Men of Stalag 13
1966My Three SonsDr. KillebrewSeason 6, Episode 30: The Wrong Robbie
HawkDetectiveSeason 1, Episode 1: Do Not Mutilate or Spindle
BewitchedBenjamin FranklinSeason 3, Episode 13: My Friend Ben
Season 3, Episode 14: Samantha for the Defense
1967The MonroesWintonSeason 1, Episode 18: To Break a Colt
1969Daniel BooneBenjamin FranklinSeason 6, Episode 5: The Printing Press
Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of ColorJim DurdenSeason 16, Episode 8: Secrets of the Pirates' Inn: Part 1
Season 16, Episode 9: Secrets of the Pirates' Inn: Part 2
1970The Return of the Smothers BrothershimselfTV special (NBC)
Bracken's WorldNed SingerSeason 2, Episode 7: Hey, Gringo... Hey, Ponco
Nanny and the ProfessorMr. JackwithSeason 2, Episode 10: The Visitor
1971The Young LawyersKimberSeason 1, Episode 24: I've Got a Problem
Room 222Season 2, Episode 26: A Sort of Loving
IronsideArthur GreenSeason 5, Episode 14: Class of '57
1972Cade's CountyMark WaltersSeason 1, Episode 21: Jessie
1973BanacekSteinSeason 1, Episode 8: The Two Million Clams of Cap'n Jack
A Picture of UsGeorge WashingtonTV movie won Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming
NightsideTV movie with John Cassavetes and Alexis Smith
1974The Phantom of HollywoodClydeTV movie with Jack Cassidy and Jackie Coogan
1975Judgement: The Court Martial of Lieutenant William CalleyTV movie with Richard Basehart and Harrison Ford
1976Law and OrderSgt. HaranTV movie with Darren McGavin and Keir Dullea
1978The Rockford FilesCurtis MeyerSeason 4, Episode 15: The Gang at Don's Drive-In
Rhoda
The New Adventures of Wonder WomanJ.J. MacConnellSeason 3, Episode 7: Time Bomb
1980The Dream MerchantsMr. HumberTV movie with Mark Harmon, Vincent Gardenia and Morgan Fairchild
Trapper John, M.D.PathologistSeason 2, Episode 4: Call Me Irresponsible
1981Bob Hope's 30th Anniversary Special
Strike ForceSeason 1, Episode 6: Night Nurse
1982The Day the Bubble BurstTV movie with Richard Crenna (NBC)
Quincy M.E.Michael GurelnikSeason 7, Episode 15: Clear the Air
Lou GrantCharles BolsaSeason 5, Episode 18: Law
Bob Hope Special
One Day at a TimeRalphSeason 8, Episode 4: Catcher in the Mud
Voyagers!Ben FranklinSeason 1, Episode 3: Bully and Billy
1985Bob Hope SpecialHal Linden, Donna Mills, Morgan Fairchild and George Burns
It’s a LivingState Department ManSeason 3, Episode 7: From Russia with Love
Bob Hope Specialas NBC President Brandon Tartikoffwith Lynda Carter, Danny Thomas, Brandon Tartikoff and Milton Berle
1986Simon & SimonBenjamin FranklinSeason 5, Episode 24: The Apple Doesn't Fall Far from the Tree
St. ElsewherePat McGroynSeason 5, Episode 7: Up and Down
1987Cagney & Lacey
1988MatlockWarren CoatesSeason 2, Episode 13: The Reunion
Cagney & LaceyFactory ManagerSeason 7, Episode 12: Shadow of a Doubt
1989Small WonderMr. WillisSeason 4, Episode 21: The Tattletale
1992CheersDr. BramwellSeason 10, Episode 20: Smotherly Love
The Trials of Rosie O’NeillSeason 2, Episode 13: Heartbreak Hotel
1994Cagney & Lacey: The ReturnGerald FradinTV movie (CBS)
1998Encore! Encore!LelandSeason 1, Episode 6: The Dairy with Nathan Lane, Joan Plowright and Glenne Headly

Audio recordings

YearProgramRoleNotes
1976America is 200 Years Old...And There's Still Hope!Benjamin FranklinBob Hope comedy album (LP)
Benjamin Franklin, CitizenBenjamin Franklinaudiotape of Wayne's one-man show
1997The Autobiography of Benjamin FranklinBenjamin Franklinaudiotape recognized by Publishers Weekly as one of the best of 1997
2003The Grapes of Wrath (play)audio CD produced and distributed by L.A. Theatre Works

References

  1. French, Betty (May 26, 1947). "Shirley Undertakes Heavy Drama". The Akron Beacon Journal. Ohio, Akron. p. 8. Retrieved July 10, 2018 via Newspapers.com.
  2. Redcat, A 253rd Infantry Regiment Weekly, Vol. 1 No. 1, Germany, 15June1945
  3. "Photos of the 63rd Infantry Division on occupation duty". 63rdinfdiv.com. p. 3.
  4. The Stars and Stripes, Germany Edition, July 17, 1945
  5. Time, The Weekly News Magazine, August 6, 1945
  6. The Stars and Stripes, Paris, November 4, 1945
  7. The New York Times, Feb. 8, 1957
  8. The Hollywood Reporter, June 3, 1957
  9. The New York Times, Sept. 9, 1964
  10. Variety, Hollywood Edition, Oct. 20, 1966
  11. The Hollywood Reporter, Oct. 27, 1966
  12. Variety, Hollywood Edition, Oct. 27, 1966
  13. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 27, 1966
  14. The Hollywood Reporter, Feb. 22, 1967
  15. The New York Times, Mar. 1, 1967
  16. Publishers Weekly, Jan. 5, 1998
  17. The New York Times, "A Ben Franklin Tour With 'Ben Franklin'", Sunday, June 1, 1975
  18. Playboy, "How to Avoid Making Out in Hollywood" (under the nom de plume, 'Kelton Holloway'), January 1958
  19. Los Angeles Times, Calendar section, "Vaudeville Isn't Dead - It's Going to College", Sunday, June 22, 1969
  20. Los Angeles Times, Calendar section, "'Godfather' Casting: An Italian Uprising", Sunday, February 28, 1971
  21. Performing Arts, Center Theatre Group, Mark Taper Forum, February 1976
  22. Westways, "Cambria at Play", May 1977
  23. The Arizona Republic, "Picketing hard on feet of Writers Guild members", May 13, 1973
  24. Fredd Wayne, Who Played Benjamin Franklin on 'Bewitched,' Dies at 93: Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
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