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Roscoe Karns was an American actor who appeared in nearly 150 films between 1915 and 1964. He specialized in cynical, wise-cracking characters, and his rapid-fire delivery enlivened many comedies and crime thrillers in the 1930s and 1940s.
Born
Monday, 07 September 1891
Died
Friday, 06 February 1970
Actor Filmography
| Title | Character | Year |
|---|
| The Republic Pictures Story | Joe Higgins (clip from Meet the Missus (1940)) | 1991 |
| Man's Favorite Sport? | Major Phipps | 1964 |
| The Lucy Show | Mr. Foley | 1962 |
| Hennesey | Capt. Walter Shafer / Adm. Walter Shafer | 1959 |
| Onionhead | 'Windy' Woods | 1958 |
| Richard Diamond, Private Detective | Ed Church | 1957 |
| Columbia Laff Hour | (archive footage) | 1956 |
| December Bride | Dad Hodges / Charley Allen | 1954 |
| Hold That Camera | Self / Self - Rocky King / Detective | 1950 |
| Rocky King, Detective | Police Inspector Rocky King / Rocky King | 1950 |
Actor Filmography
| Title | Character | Year |
|---|
| The Republic Pictures Story | Joe Higgins (clip from Meet the Missus (1940)) | 1991 |
| Man's Favorite Sport? | Major Phipps | 1964 |
| The Lucy Show | Mr. Foley | 1962 |
| Hennesey | Capt. Walter Shafer / Adm. Walter Shafer | 1959 |
| Onionhead | 'Windy' Woods | 1958 |
| Richard Diamond, Private Detective | Ed Church | 1957 |
| Columbia Laff Hour | (archive footage) | 1956 |
| December Bride | Dad Hodges / Charley Allen | 1954 |
| Hold That Camera | Self / Self - Rocky King / Detective | 1950 |
| Rocky King, Detective | Police Inspector Rocky King / Rocky King | 1950 |
| Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven | Carmody / Officer Carmody | 1948 |
| Speed to Spare | Kangaroo | 1948 |
| Devil's Cargo | Lt. Hardy | 1948 |
| The Inside Story | Eustace Peabody | 1948 |
| That's My Man | Toby Gleeton | 1947 |
| Vigilantes of Boomtown | Billy Delaney / Bill Delaney | 1947 |
| Down Missouri Way | Press Agent | 1946 |
| Avalanche | Red Kelly | 1946 |
| I Ring Doorbells | Stubby | 1946 |
| One Way to Love | Hobie Simmons | 1946 |
| Minstrel Man | Roscoe / Lasses White | 1944 |
| Hi, Good Lookin'! | Archie | 1944 |
| The Navy Way | Frankie Gimble | 1944 |
| Old Acquaintance | Charlie Archer | 1943 |
| His Butler's Sister | Fields | 1943 |
| Riding High | Shorty | 1943 |
| Stage Door Canteen | Roscoe Karns | 1943 |
| My Son, the Hero | Big-Time Morgan / Big-Time Percy Morgan | 1943 |
| You Can't Escape Forever | 'Mac' McTurk | 1942 |
| Yokel Boy | Al Devers | 1942 |
| Woman of the Year | Phil Whittaker | 1942 |
| A Tragedy at Midnight | Det. Lt. Cassidy / Cassidy | 1942 |
| Road to Happiness | Charley Grady | 1941 |
| The Gay Vagabond | Arthur Dixon, Jerry Dixon / Arthur Dixon / Jerry Dixon | 1941 |
| Footsteps in the Dark | Monahan | 1941 |
| Petticoat Politics | Joe Higgins | 1941 |
| Meet the Missus | Joe Higgins | 1940 |
| Ladies Must Live | Pete H. 'Pighead' Larrabee / Pete Larrabee | 1940 |
| They Drive by Night | Irish McGurn | 1940 |
| Saturday's Children | Willie Sands | 1940 |
| Double Alibi | Jeremiah Jenkins | 1940 |
| His Girl Friday | McCue | 1940 |
| That's Right - You're Wrong | Mal Stamp | 1939 |
| Everything's on Ice | Felix Miller | 1939 |
| Dancing Co-Ed | Joe Drews | 1939 |
| King of Chinatown | 'Rip' Harrigan / Rip Harrigan | 1939 |
| Thanks for the Memory | George Kent | 1938 |
| You and Me | Cuffy | 1938 |
| Tip-Off Girls | Tom Benson aka Tommy Logan | 1938 |
| Dangerous to Know | Duncan | 1938 |
| Scandal Street | Austin Brown | 1938 |
| Partners in Crime | Sim Perkins | 1937 |
| On Such a Night | Joe Flynn | 1937 |
| Night of Mystery | Sgt. Heath / Sergeant Heath | 1937 |
| Murder Goes to College | Sim Perkins | 1937 |
| Clarence | Clarence Smith | 1937 |
| Cain and Mabel | Reilly | 1936 |
| Three Married Men | Peter Cary | 1936 |
| Three Cheers for Love | Doc 'Short Circuit' Wilson | 1936 |
| Border Flight | Calico Smith | 1936 |
| Woman Trap | Mopsy | 1936 |
| Two Fisted | Chick Moran | 1935 |
| Front Page Woman | Toots O'Grady | 1935 |
| Alibi Ike | Carey | 1935 |
| Four Hours to Kill! | Johnson | 1935 |
| The Woman in Red | Man in court room | 1935 |
| Red Hot Tires | Bud Keene | 1935 |
| Wings in the Dark | Nick Williams | 1935 |
| I Sell Anything | Monk | 1934 |
| Elmer and Elsie | Rocky Cott | 1934 |
| Shoot the Works | Sailor Burke | 1934 |
| Twentieth Century | Owen O'Malley | 1934 |
| Come On, Marines! | Spud McGurke | 1934 |
| It Happened One Night | Oscar Shapeley | 1934 |
| Search for Beauty | Newspaper Reporter | 1934 |
| Alice in Wonderland | Tweedledee | 1933 |
| The Women in His Life | Lester / Aloysius Lester | 1933 |
| One Sunday Afternoon | Snappy Downer | 1933 |
| Gambling Ship | Blooey | 1933 |
| Today We Live | McGinnis | 1933 |
| A Lady's Profession | Tony | 1933 |
| Grand Slam | Contest Radio Announcer | 1933 |
| Lawyer Man | Merritt - Reporter | 1932 |
| Under-Cover Man | Dannie | 1932 |
| If I Had a Million | Private O'Brien | 1932 |
| Night After Night | Leo | 1932 |
| They Call It Sin | Brandt - Rehearsal Director | 1932 |
| One Way Passage | S.S.Maloa Bartender | 1932 |
| The Crooked Circle | Harry Carter | 1932 |
| Two Against the World | Segall, reporter | 1932 |
| Week-End Marriage | Jim Davis | 1932 |
| The Roadhouse Murder | Jeff Dale / Dale | 1932 |
| Play Girl | Gambler | 1932 |
| Stowaway | Insp. Redding | 1932 |
| High Pressure | Telephone salesman | 1932 |
| Ladies of the Big House | 1931 | |
| Left Over Ladies | 'Scoop' | 1931 |
| Pleasure | Arnie | 1931 |
| Laughing Sinners | Fred Geer | 1931 |
| Dirigible | Sock McGuire | 1931 |
| Many a Slip | Stan Price | 1931 |
| The Gorilla | Simmons | 1930 |
| The Costello Case | Blair | 1930 |
| Man Trouble | Scott | 1930 |
| Little Accident | Gilbert | 1930 |
| Safety in Numbers | Bertram Shapiro | 1930 |
| Troopers Three | Bugs | 1930 |
| New York Nights | Johnny Dolan | 1929 |
| Copy | City Editor John Mack | 1929 |
| The Flying Fleet | Shipwrecked Radio Operator | 1929 |
| The Shopworn Angel | Dance Director | 1928 |
| Object: Alimony | Al Bryant | 1928 |
| Moran of the Marines | Swatty | 1928 |
| Beggars of Life | Lame Hoppy | 1928 |
| Win That Girl | Johnny Norton II | 1928 |
| Warming Up | Hippo | 1928 |
| The Vanishing Pioneer | Ray Hearn | 1928 |
| The Desert Bride | Pvt. Terry | 1928 |
| The Trail of '98 | Man on Ship | 1928 |
| The Jazz Singer | Agent | 1928 |
| Beau Sabreur | Buddy | 1928 |
| Wings | Lt. Cameron / Lieutenant Cameron | 1927 |
| Ten Modern Commandments | Benny Burnaway | 1927 |
| Ritzy | Smith's Valet | 1927 |
| You'd Be Surprised | Party Guest | 1926 |
| Other Men's Daughters | Hubert | 1926 |
| Dollar Down | Gene Meadows | 1925 |
| The Overland Limited | Patrick Henry Madden | 1925 |
| The Foolish Virgin | Chuck Brady | 1924 |
| The Midnight Express | Switch Hogan | 1924 |
| Bluff | Jack Hallowell | 1924 |
| The Ten Commandments | Dan's Pal and Business Associate | 1923 |
| Conquering the Woman | Shorty Thompson | 1922 |
| Afraid to Fight | Bertie | 1922 |
| The Trouper | Neal Selden | 1922 |
| Her Own Money | Jerry Woodward | 1922 |
| Too Much Married | Bob Holiday | 1921 |
| The Life of the Party | Sam Perkins | 1920 |
| The Family Honor | Dal Tucker | 1920 |
| Poor Relations | Henry | 1919 |
| Know Thy Wife | Steve - Bob's Chum | 1918 |
| Beans for Two | Jimmy's Friend | 1918 |
