Ten supporting characters who were superb

10. Emmy Lou - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
Emmy Lou was played by Janet Waldo (who was also the star of Corliss Archer.)  She did such an excellent job of playing a tiny part - that I simply had to mention her.

She played a bobby-soxer teen who seemed to have a crush on Ozzie and would often wail, "Ewwwwwwwwwwww!" - but in a nice, giddy way, not the "bad sour cream" way.

9. Raymond Johnson - Inner Sanctum
Raymond was the host of Inner Sanctum but was just as much a part of the show as the actors himself.

His humor was pure corn but it was delivered in such a way that remains memorable even if you have listened to the show just once.

8. Old Timer - Fibber McGee and Molly
Bill Thompson (who played several parts on Fibber McGee and Molly) made the Old Timer such a phenomenal character that his expression, "But that ain't the way I heerd it." became a national catch phrase during the second World War.

A near-deaf fellow with a propensity for telling jokes and ribbing Fibber week after week, put him on this list.

7.  Chester Proudfoot - Gunsmoke
Chester (Parley Baer) seemed to fit in so seemlessly into Gunsmoke that he hardly seems to be there at all sometimes.  But he was there - and this why he's on the list.

6.  Miss Duffy - Duffy's Tavern
There were lots of Miss Duffys... but only one really stands out to me.  As I wrote the other day:  I really like the acting of Sandra Gould. Who's she, you ask? She played Miss Duffy on Duffy's Tavern from 1944-48; you may know her better as "the 2nd Gladys Kravitz" on the TV show, Bewitched. To me, she is perfect for the part of Miss Duffy.

Her accent seemed perfect and she delivered her lines flawlessly week after week.

If not for some stiff competition, she would rank even higher on this list.

5. Rush - Vic and Sade
Bill Idelson (who later became a writer for television) wasn't the star but by George, his performances easily stand out over the length and breadth of the entire series.

4. Perry White - The Adventures of Superman
Julian Noa created the character of Perry White and made him real.  The character he created was later added into the comics and the various motion pictures and television for the Superman franchise.

While White wasn't on but perhaps a fifth or less of the radio shows, the character was done with such uniqueness that he remains the stereotypical newspaper editor.

3, Dr. Watson - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
The episodes that Nigel Bruce took on the role of Watson were so good that when Basil Rathbone (the "preferred" Holmes) left and John Conway took over that role, the show really never seems to skip a beat because Bruce was the anchor in which the show remained steady.

2. Gillis/Digby O'Dell - The Life of Riley
John Brown played both characters and played them so well and so differently that the uninformed would never know they were the same person.

Each character was so completely different and played such a vital part in the show that Brown probably deserves special recognition.

1. Leroy - Great Gildersleeve
Walter Tetley's role of Leroy is superior to all other supporting character roles on radio to me.  Not only was he a very good actor - he was very funny.  His delivery was second-to-none (aside from the likes of Orson Welles and Helen Hayes.)

©Jimbo 2010/2011