You probably knew him by the name of Sam Drucker, as he played that role the longest of any, on three different television programs: Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction and Green Acres. A character actor with a career that spanned from 1948 through 1990, you’ve seen him appear in films like Asphalt Jungle, Flamingo Road, DOA and Rear Window or more likely your favorite television show from the fifties or sixties or seventies.
The list is staggering:
December Bride
Maverick
Make Room For Daddy
The Andy Griffith Show
The Gale Storm Show
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
Pete and Gladys
Klondike
Hawaiian Eye
Cheyenne
Dennis The Menace
The Virginian
Gunsmoke
Hazel
7 Faces of Dr. Lao
Hawaii Five-O
Eight Is Enough
In a 1995 interview he said of the Sam Drucker role: “You get typecast. I’m remembered for those shows and not for some pretty good acting jobs I did other times. I suppose I ought to be grateful for that, because otherwise I wouldn’t be remembered at all. I’ve got to be one of the luckiest guys in the world.”
He passed on June 8th and was 96. I know….this ain’t about music. But it’s about another thread in the tapestry of Americana that has left us, and I didn’t want it to go by without acknowledging it. You can read his full biography here.
So long Frank….
