Tom Ewell

Tom Ewell (born Samuel Yewell Tompkins, April 29, 1909 – September 12, 1994) was an American film, stage and television actor, and producer.[1] His most successful and arguably most identifiable role was that of Richard Sherman in The Seven Year Itch, a character he portrayed in the Broadway production (1952–1954) and then reprised for the 1955 Hollywood film adaptation. He received a Tony Award for his work in the play and a Golden Globe Award for his performance in the film. Although Ewell preferred acting on stage, he accepted several other screen roles in light comedies of the 1950s, most notably The Girl Can't Help It (1956).[2] He also appears in the film version of the musical State Fair (1962) as well as in a small number of additional screen comedies and dramas released between the early 1960s and 1983.

Tom Ewell
Ewell in 1958
Born
Samuel Yewell Tompkins

(1909-04-29)April 29, 1909
DiedSeptember 12, 1994(1994-09-12) (aged 85)
OccupationActor
Years active1928–1986
Spouse(s)
Judith Abbott
(m. 1946; div. 1947)

Marjorie Sanborn
(m. 19481994)
(his death)
Children1

Early life and career

Ewell was born in Owensboro, Kentucky, the son of Martine (née Yewell) and Samuel William Tompkins.[3] His family expected him to follow in their footsteps as lawyers or whiskey and tobacco dealers, but Ewell decided to pursue acting instead. He began acting in summer stock in 1928 with Don Ameche before moving to New York City in 1931. He enrolled in the Actors Studio.

He made his Broadway debut in 1934 and his film debut in 1940, and for several years, he played comic supporting roles. His acting career was interrupted during World War II when he served in the United States Navy.[1][4]

After World War II, Ewell attracted attention with a strong performance in the film Adam's Rib (1949), and he began to receive Hollywood roles more frequently. Ewell continued acting in summer stock through the 1940s: He starred opposite June Lockhart in Lawrence Riley's biographical play Kin Hubbard in 1951, the story of one of America's greatest humorists and cartoonists, Kin Hubbard. With this play, he made his debut as a producer. In 1947, he won a Clarence Derwent Award for his portrayal of Fred Taylor in the original Broadway cast of John Loves Mary.[2][5]

With Paulette Girard in the Broadway play, The Seven Year Itch (1952)

His most successful and, arguably, most identifiable role came in 1952, when he joined the Broadway production of The Seven Year Itch as protagonist Richard Sherman. With Vanessa Brown as "The Girl", Ewell played the part more than 950 times over three years, as he indicated in a mystery guest appearance on the June 12, 1955 airing of What's My Line? to promote the 1955 film adaptation.[2][5] He earned both the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for portraying Sherman.

He enjoyed other film successes, including The Lieutenant Wore Skirts with Sheree North and The Girl Can't Help It (both 1956) opposite Jayne Mansfield. In The Girl Can't Help It, Julie London appears as a mirage to Tom Miller (Ewell) singing her signature song, "Cry Me a River".[5] He played Abel Frake in the 1962 version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical State Fair. In 1956, at the Coconut Grove Playhouse, he co-starred with Bert Lahr in the U.S. premiere of Waiting for Godot.

However, as his film and theater careers seemed to have reached their peaks, he turned his attention to television. Over several years, he played guest roles in numerous series, and received an Emmy Award nomination for his continuing role in Baretta. In 1982, he co-starred as the drunken town doctor in the short lived comedy Best of the West. His final acting performance was in a 1986 episode of Murder, She Wrote.[5]

Television

From September 1960 to May 1961, Ewell starred in his own television series, in the self-titled The Tom Ewell Show, which lasted for one season.[5]

In 1970 Ewell appeared as Hoy Valentine in The Men From Shiloh (the rebranded name of The Virginian) in the episode titled "With Love, Bullets and Valentines." In the mid-1970s, Ewell enjoyed popular success with a recurring role as retired veteran policeman Billy Truman in the 1970s Emmy-winning TV series Baretta. Ewell appeared in 36 episodes of the TV-cop series, which starred Robert Blake as Detective Tony Baretta, until its end in 1978. In 1979, he was a guest star on the TV series Taxi. Ewell also co-starred from 1981 to 1982 in the short-lived TV series Best of the West.[5]

Personal life

Trailer for Adam's Rib (1949)

On March 18, 1946, he married Ann Abbott, daughter of Broadway director George Abbott; the short-lived marriage ended in divorce a year later. Ewell then married Marjorie Sanborn on May 5, 1948; they had a son, Taylor.

Death

On September 12, 1994, Tom Ewell died of undisclosed causes, aged 85, at the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. His widow, Marjorie, said he had suffered a long series of illnesses. Ewell was also survived by his adopted son, Taylor (11/2/1954), and by his 105-year-old mother, Martine Yewell Tompkins (1889–1998),[6] who lived in Curdsville, Kentucky, where she died at age 109.[7]

Legacy

In 2003, Ewell was inducted into the Owensboro High School Hall of Fame.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1940They Knew What They WantedNew Hired HandUncredited
1941Back in the SaddleFight SpectatorUncredited
1941Desert BanditOrdway - Texas Ranger
1947 Babies, They're Wonderful Harold Short Film
1948 Mr. Groundling Takes the Air Mr. Groundling Short Film
1949Adam's RibWarren Attinger
1949 Southward Ho Ho! Tom Short Film
1949 The Football Fan Tom - The Football Fan Short Film
1949 Caribbean Capers Tom the Tourist Short Film
1950A Life of Her OwnTom Caraway
1950American Guerrilla in the PhilippinesJim Mitchell
1950Mr. MusicHaggerty
1950 How Green Is My Spinach Man in Audience Uncredited (Short Film)
1950 The Rhumba Seat Tom Short Film
1951Up FrontWillie
1952Finders KeepersTiger Kipps
1952Lost in AlaskaNugget Joe McDermott
1952Back at the FrontWillie
1955The Seven Year ItchRichard Sherman
1956The Lieutenant Wore SkirtsGregory Whitcomb
1956The Great American PastimeBruce Hallerton
1956The Girl Can't Help ItTom Miller
1958A Nice Little Bank That Should Be RobbedMax Rutgers
1962Tender Is the NightAbe North
1962State FairAbel Frake
1968 Columbia Musical Travelark: Wonders of Kentucky Colonel Tom Short Film
1970Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody CameBilly Joe Davis
1972To Find a ManDr. Hargrove
1972They Only Kill Their MastersWalter
1974The Great GatsbyMournerUncredited
1979Butterflies in HeatHadley Crabtree
1983Easy MoneyScrappleton

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1948 Kraft Theatre Stephen Brewster "Suppressed Desires"
1948–49 Actor's Studio Himself 4 episodes
1949 NBC Presents himself 2 episodes
1951 The Billy Rose Show Himself "Whirling of Life"
1951 Danger unknown role "The Night of March Fifteenth"
1951 Search for Tomorrow Sheriff Bill Lang unknown episode(s)
1951 Studio One in Hollywood Willie Mason "Mighty Like a Rogue"
1951 Lights Out Charlie Drome "The Deal"
1951 Cosmopolitan Theatre unknown role "Mr. Pratt and the Triple Horror Bill"
1952 Robert Montgomery Presents unknown role "See No Evil"
1955 Playwrights '56 William Bingham "Daisy, Daisy"
1955 Alfred Hitchock Presents Albert Pelham "The Case of Mr. Pelham"
1956 The Alcoa Hour Earl Carleton "Man on Fire"
1959 The United States Steel Hour Barney Henderson "The Square Egghead"
1959 General Electric Theatre John Emmet Owens "The Day of the Hanging"
1960–61 The Tom Ewell Show Tom Potter series regular (32 episodes)
1962 The Sound and the Fidelity unknown role TV Movie
1963 The Dick Powell Theatre Congressman Albert Higgins "The Honorable Albert Higgins"
1964 Wagon Train Hector Heatherton "The Hector Heatherton Story"
1965 Burke's Law Leander Clement "Who Killed Nobody Somehow?"
1966 Summer Fun unknown role "Kwimper of New Jersey"
1970 The Governor & J.J. Uncle Charley "Charley's Back in Town"
1970 The Virginian Hoy Valentine "With Love, Bullets and Valentines"
1971 The Name of the Game District Attorney Simpson "A Sister from Napoli"
1971 Alias Smith and Jones Deputy Treadwell "The Root of It All"
1973 The New Temperatures Rising Show Harry Butler "Diagnosis: Who Knows?"
1974 The Wide World of Mystery Lebow "The Spy Who Returned from the Dead"
1975 Promise Him Anything Judge TV Movie
1975–78 Baretta Billy Truman series regular (44 episodes)
1978 Fantasy Island Burt "Fingers" Lonegan "The Over the Hill Caper / Proof! You're a Movie Star"
1979 The Return of Mod Squad Cook TV Movie
1979 Eischied Super 2 episodes
1979 Taxi Dr. Richmond "Nardo Loses Her Marbles"
1979 Flying High Williams "Eye Opener"
1981–82 Best of the West Doc Kullens series regular (22 episodes)
1982 Terror at Alcatraz Johnson TV Movie
1982 Trapper John, M.D. Earl Tendermeyer "The Good Life"
1986 Murder, She Wrote Josh Corbin "Trial by Error"

Theatre

Year Title Role Notes
1934 They Shall Not Die Red, Young Man
1934 Geraniums is My Window Denver
1934–35 The First Legion Novices and Choir
1935–36 Let Freedom Ring Small Hardy Young Frank Martin at 21
1936 Ethan Frome Dennis Eady
1936–37 Stage Door Larry Westscott
1938–39 The Merchant of Yonkers Cornelius Hackl
1939 Family Portrait Simon
1939–1940 Key Largo Gage (replacement) replaced Crahan Denton
1941 Liberty Jones Dick Brown
1941–42 Sunny River Daniel Marshall
1946 Apple of His Eye Glen Stover
1947–48 John Loves Mary Fred Taylor
1948–49 Small Wonder unknown
1952–55 The Seven Year Itch Richard Sherman
1957–58 The Tunnel of Love Augie Poole
1958 Patate Leon Rollo
1960 A Thurber Carnival Grant / He / Anderson / The Pet Counselor / James Thurber / Narrator / Walter Mitty
1965 Xmas in Las Vegas Edward T. Wellspot

Accolades

Year Association Category Nominated Work Results Ref
1947 Clarence Derwent Awards Best Supporting Male (USA) N/A Won
1953 Tony Award Best Actor in a Play The Seven Year Itch Won [8]
1956 Golden Globe Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy The Seven Year Itch Won [9]
1977 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Baretta Nominated [10]

References

  1. "Tom Ewell". AllMovie. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
  2. Tom Ewell at the Internet Broadway Database
  3. "Tom Ewell biography". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
  4. Wise, James. Stars in Blue: Movie Actors in America's Sea Services. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1997; ISBN 1557509379; OCLC 36824724.
  5. Tom Ewell at IMDb
  6. "RootsWeb: Database Index". Ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
  7. Profile Archived 2004-12-16 at the Wayback Machine, Owensboro Messenger-Enquirer; accessed December 18, 2016.
  8. "Tom Ewell – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
  9. "Winners & Nominees 1956". www.goldenglobes.com. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
  10. "Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series Nominees / Winners 1977". Television Academy. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
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