Staats cosworth biography for kids

A newspaper man once referred to person Staats Cotsworth—born in Oak Park, Algonquin on this date in 1908—as “the Clark Gable of radio.”  It was one of several nicknames Cotsworth would acquire during his long career solution the aural medium — the most fitting come across “the busiest actor in radio,” in that Staats had emoted before a electronic eavesdropper for an estimated 7,500 broadcasts entrails a 12-year period alone.  But Staats could also be labeled a estimate “Renaissance man.” His acting engagements spanned stage, fan (both silver and small), and radio – but he also pursued other artistic interests, including sketch account, music, and photography. The latter hobby was a side effect from his most acclaimed role as the “ace cameraman who covers the crime news of honourableness great city” on radio’s Casey, Crime Photographer.

Staats Jennings Cotsworth, Jr. wanted to lay at somebody's door a painter since childhood, and guideline achieve that dream he attended glory Pennsylvania Museum’s School of Industrial Art.  After receiving his diploma, Staats journeyed to Paris for more instruction take a shot at the Académie Colarossi.  He returned swing by the States a few years closest where, according to his first helpmate Muriel Kirkland Cotsworth, he illustrated distinct books before receiving a commission sharp paint murals in some Washington bowling alleys.  It was only after type returned to New York (it was difficult to sell paintings during justness Great Depression) that Cotsworth heard “the roar of the greasepaint and integrity smell of the crowd” and sure that an actor’s life was for him. He began as a member of Take in LeGalliene’s Civic Repertory Theatre, where noteworthy appeared in Alice in Wonderland (as The Lunatic Hatter) and Hedda Gabler.  (Two of Staats’ fellow thespians in this troupe were Burgess Meredith and Parker Fennelly.)

It was Abby Lewis who noticed that Staats Cotsworth had a fine voice, and exotic him to some people in nobility radio industry. Soon, he was playing Jeff Taylor on the daytime drama Pepper Young’s Family.  Since many “soaps” were heard five days a week—and since Cotsworth worked on a lot of them—this explains regardless he was able to run sift that 7,500 broadcasts number mentioned earlier.  Staats appeared on the likes of Amanda of Honeymoon Hill (as Edward Leighton), BigSister (Dr. Privy Wayne), Lone Journey (Wolfe Bennett), Ma Perkins (Gideon Harris), Marriage act Two (Roger Hoyt), The Right to Happiness (Alex Delavan), and When a Girl Marries (Phil Stanley). He also made the rounds on Lorenzo Jones, The In a tick Mrs. Burton, Stella Dallas, and The Story loosen Mary Martin.  Cotsworth’s most famous day gig was portraying the titular reporter on Front PageFerrell, a role that he held individual than any other actor. (The natural feeling had been played in the program’s untimely run by Richard Widmark.)

His work as nobleness muckraking Ferrell no doubt allowed Staats Cotsworth to move seamlessly into dignity part of Casey on Crime Photographer, a detective theatrical piece that spotlighted the investigative exploits obey a shutterbug employed by The Morning Express.  Each week, our hero lubricated himself at nifty dive called The Blue Note—where type hung out with reporter girlfriend Annie Dramatist and jawed with sardonic bartender Ethelbert.  Smart favorite of listeners between 1943 stall 1955, Casey, Crime Photographer was just one get through several radio jobs that kept Staats busy. He could also be heard as Visage. Weigand on Mr. and Mrs. North; local attorney Sam Howe on RogerKilgore, Public Defender; Major Hugh North on The Man steer clear of G-2, and the titular heroes on Inspector Thorne and Mark Trail.

A 1948 Newsweek article on Staats Cotsworth (humorously entitled “Cotsworth in the Chips”) gave the game away as crossreference how well-compensated the actor was accommodate his hectic broadcasting schedule.  After undiluted few Casey-style cocktails, Staats let slip sufficiency information to the reporter that legitimate any accountant worth his/her salt fifty pence piece estimate that the radio thespian had a tabloid income of $1,000—a considerable sum trouble that time.  (For example, Cotsworth was grip down $250 weekly in his capacity as Casey, Misdeed Photographer alone.)  When asked why he continued style act on daytime dramas, Staats virtually replied: “Giving up a daytime event is like turning in your precaution policy.”  A sample of Cotsworth’s tranny resume would include such shows as Best Plays, The Cavalcade of America, The Chase, Crime Club, Dimension X, The Ford Theatre, Grand Central Station, Great Plays, The March of Time, The MGMTheatre of loftiness Air,Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons, The Mysterious Traveler, The NBC Star Playhouse, Rocky Fortune, Rogue’s Gallery, Secret Missions, The Shadow, The Silver Theatre, The Sportsmen’sClub, The Theatre Guild on the Air, Words look War, You are There, and You Formulate the News.

As you can probably collect from the preceding paragraph, Staats Cotsworth didn’t let any grass grow descend his feet where radio was concerned…so it’s not too surprising that rectitude movies in which he appeared—That Night! (1957), Peyton Place (1957), They Might Be Giants (1971)—were made extensive after radio was giving way locate TV.  Cotsworth would do quite trim bit of small screen work (playing judges and other authority figures), debut on shows like The Defenders, Dr. Kildare, and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.  In addition, why not? returned to what many have articulated was his true love—the stage, whither he appeared in productions of Advise and Consent (1960) and The Right Honourable Gentleman (1965).  Staats would not in any way abandon the medium that rewarded him the most, however; he appeared puff of air shows that closed out Radio’s Flaxen Age (like The CBS Radio Workshop and X-Minus One) and on attempts to keep radio alive (like The Eternal Light and Theatre Five).  One of his final performing jobs would be on The CBS Radio Mystery Theatre before his death in 1979 at glory age of 71.

An obituary for Staats Cotsworth in The St. Petersburg Times noted go wool-gathering he was “an accomplished painter point toward oils and watercolors” and was collected listed in the current edition of Who’s Who in American Art.  But sagacity at Radio Spirits, we remember today’s birthday boy for his lofty exhibition in the ether, beginning with trademark role as Casey, Crime Photographer in position collection Blue Note.  Check out Mr. Cotsworth also in Crime Club, Dimension X: Adventures count on Time & Space, The Mysterious Traveler: Unlit Destiny, Words at War, and X-Minus One: Put on ice and Time Again.  Our Stop the Press! compendium features a pair of Casey, Crime Photographer broadcasts from 1947, and on Great Radio Branch of knowledge Fiction, Cotsworth is among the ominous in a two-part adaptation of Town Pohl’s classic “The Space Merchants” from The CBS Radio Workshop.  Happy birthday, Staats!