Frank Cady, 96, a character actor who played Hooterville
general-store proprietor Sam Drucker on the TV sitcoms “Green Acres” and
“Petticoat Junction,” died Friday at his home in Wilsonville, Ore., said his
daughter, Catherine Turk. No specific cause was given.
Like Mr. Haney, Eb Dawson, Hank Kimball and Arnold the
Pig, Cady’s Sam Drucker was a supporting cast member on “Green Acres” to lawyer
Oliver Wendell Douglas and his socialite wife, Lisa, played by Eddie Albert and
Eva Gabor, who had ditched the high life in New York City for the charms of a
farm in Hooterville.
Cady played Drucker for the entire run of “Green Acres”
on CBS, from 1965 to 1971, when it was canceled. The show continued to air for
years in syndication. He also portrayed Drucker on “Petticoat Junction” and
“The Beverly Hillbillies,” programs that shared some secondary characters. He
reprised the role for the 1990 TV movie “Return to Green Acres.”
Cady had a recurring role as Doc Williams on “The
Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” and had guest roles in TV series beginning in
the early 1950s. He also had small parts in films, most notably Alfred
Hitchcock’s “Rear Window,” and appeared in Southern California stage
productions.
He was born Sept. 8, 1915, in the Lassen County town of
Susanville and studied drama at Stanford University. After serving in the
military during World War II, he worked as a radio broadcaster before landing
acting jobs.
Cady and his wife, Shirley, moved to Oregon in the 1990s.
She died in 2008.
Reflecting on his TV career, Cady told the Portland
Oregonian in 1995, “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.”
CADY, Frank
Born: 9/8/1915, Susanville, California, U.S.A.
Died: 6/8/2012, Wilsonville, Oregon, U.S.A.
Frank Cady’s westerns – actor:
The Indian Fighter – 1955 (Trader Joe)
Three Violent People – 1956 (Dr. Graham)
The Tin Star – 1957 (Abe Pickett)
Broken Arrow (TV) – 1957 (Thaddeus Parker)
Maverick (TV) – 1958 (Hamelin)
The Missouri Traveler – 1958 (Willie Poole)
Trackdown (TV) – 1958 (Bob Tail)
Sugarfoot (TV) – 1959 (Jay Hollis)
The Deputy (TV) – 1960 (Rickert)
Klondike (TV) – 1960 (Lester)
Rawhide (TV) – 1961 (storekeeper)
Cheyenne (TV) – 1962 (Wayne)
The Virginian (TV) – 1963 (Mr. Hardy)
Wagon Train (TV) – 1963 (George Barry, Fitch, Hiram)
7 Faces of Dr. Lao – 1964 (Mayor James Sargeant)
Gunsmoke (TV) – 1966 (Webb)
Zandy’s Bride – 1974 (Pa Allan)
Hearts of the West (TV) – 1975 (Pa Tater)
His death came some 20 years after another Frank Cady who was a legendary children's show host in Flint, MI (Mr. Magic Show). Ever since, there'd been some confusion between the two Cadys, with rumors about the onetime Sam Drucker being the one who kicked the bucket - which, this June 8, would prove to be the case.
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