Mandel_Kramer

Mandel Kramer

Mandel Kramer

American actor (1916–1989)


Mandel Kramer (March 12, 1916 January 29, 1989) was an American actor. As a voice actor, he is best known as the last Johnny Dollar from Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar radio show.[1]

Kramer in the TV rendering of the Counterspy radio show, 1952

Early years

Kramer grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, where his father had a shoe store, and attended Cleveland Heights High School.[2] He also studied law at Case Western Reserve University for "a couple of years."[3]

Kramer graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts[4] and acted for a year in the Cleveland Play House.[2]

Career

Kramer's first work in radio came at WTAM in his native Cleveland, Ohio.[2]

For 20 years he played police chief Bill Marceau on the soap opera The Edge of Night a role he originated during the shows run on CBS from 1959–1975 & playing the part four years when the show moved to ABC from (1975–1979). His other roles in old-time radio included those shown in the table below. Kramer also appeared in 130 episodes of CBS Radio Mystery Theater between 1974 and 1982.

More information Program, Character ...

He was also heard on Light of the World,[6] Call the Police,[7] Gang Busters,[8] 21st Precinct[9] and Inner Sanctum Mystery.[10] He once said of his work on Gang Busters that after he began playing criminals, "I probably played more gangsters than anybody in the business for the next 10 or 15 years."[11]

In later years he was often heard on CBS Radio Mystery Theater.[12]

Television

Kramer played Bill Marceau in The Edge of Night on CBS.[13] In 1976, he had become the longest-tenured member of the program's cast, having had the role of Marceau for 17 years.[11] His work earned him a nomination for a Daytime Emmy Award for Supporting Actor in 1979.[14]

Personal life

In 1939, Kramer was engaged to Ruth Valeche, a fellow graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.[4] They married and had two daughters, Kathryn and Susan.[15]


References

  1. "Mandel Kramer" (PDF). Radio-TV Mirror. March 1953. p. 5. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  2. "Mr. & Mrs. North" (PDF). Tune In. June 1944. p. 13. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  3. "(photo caption)". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York, Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. June 25, 1939. p. 18. Retrieved April 12, 2016 via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924–1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 33. ISBN 978-0786445134.
  5. "Daytime Programs" (PDF). Radio-Vision. November 30, 1946. p. 29. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  6. "Radio Reviews: Call the Police". Variety. June 11, 1947. p. 38. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  7. "Favorite Radio Mystery-Adventure Program". TV Radio Mirror. 47 (6): 30. May 1957. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  8. "Evening Highlights". The Bridgeport Telegram. Connecticut, Bridgeport. The Bridgeport Telegram. April 13, 1955. p. 16. Retrieved April 12, 2016 via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  9. "Tonight's Highlights". The Evening Sun. Pennsylvania, Hanover. The Evening Sun. March 26, 1951. p. 9. Retrieved April 12, 2016 via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  10. "Radio's bad guy now is TV crime-fighter". Beaver County Times. April 24, 1976. p. 9. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  11. Hirsch, Lynda (May 27, 1978). "Daytime Stars Moonlight At Night". Ohio, Toledo. Toledo Blade. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  12. "(photo caption)". TV Radio Mirror. 57 (2): 35. January 1962. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  13. "Awards Show Thursday". Eugene Register-Guard. May 11, 1979. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  14. "Paid Notice: Deaths: Kramer, Ruth (née Valeche)". The New York Times. The New York Times. September 14, 1998. Retrieved April 13, 2016.

Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Mandel_Kramer, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.