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Charles Lane

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Guest Banshees Scream

Skinny, hatchet-faced, bespectacled American character actor, ubiquitous in literally hundreds of films. With his prominent nose, his rimless eyeglasses and his permanent scowl, he typically portrayed short-tempered and often loudmouthed bureaucrats, yes-men and other minor minions, principally in lighter fare.

 

 

 

its only a matter of time before the banshee screams again

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Guest Advisor

American movie actor Charles Lane is still going at age 100. He became a centerian in late january and over his acting career has made many appearences acting in movies and sitcoms but could he be considered as a deathlist canidate?

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Wow ... this guy appeared in over 250 films, though he was often uncredited early in his career. He specialised in playing short-tempered, unhelpful bureaucrats.

 

Some of the best -known films he appeared in:

 

It's a Wonderful Life

Mr Deeds Goes to Washington

The Cat and the Canary

Arsenic and Old Lace

 

He also, bizarrely, featured in a TV series of Dennis the Menace (which I thought was a uniquely British comic strip) from 1959-63.

 

I'd have him in if he sees out the year.

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He also, bizarrely, featured in a TV series of Dennis the Menace (which I thought was a uniquely British comic strip) from 1959-63.

.

Dennis the menace British? Hardly!

The creator of this annoying slingshot toting boy was Hank Ketcham who was born in 1920 in Seattle WASHINGTON which the last I checked was still part of the United States of AMERICA. Yup. Dennis was an all American boy, who spent hours and hours of having fun much to the delight of his neighbor Mrs. Wilson and to the chagrin of his other neighbor Mr. Wilson.

 

Back to Charles Lane I remember him mostly as Homer Bedloe from Petticoat Junction (a sort of spin-off from The Beverly Hillbillies). He seemed like he was a 100 back then.

 

Interesting thing about Dennis is that if he had grown up and married Margaret Wade (the bespectacled girl he couldn't stand) she would have been Margaret Mitchell. (and with that, I was Gone With The Wind)

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Dennis the menace British? Hardly!

Hold on chaps,

 

This should explain your misunderstanding. Now please let's not get irate about a childrens cartoon character.

 

 

there's too much of that in the Pope John Paul thread...oops.

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An annoying comeuppance for me really. However the site is also annoying.

First they tell us American Dennis appeared on March 12, 1951 and then that the British Dennis first appeared on March 17 of that same year. This tells us American Dennis appeared first however the site then says 'the British Dennis is far more of a menace than his namesake'. Huh? Namesake? A)they appeared at virtually the same time and B)namesake is applied to being named after someone else; which in reality means British Dennis is the namesake. Of course what this has to do with Rocky and Bullwinkle is beyond me.

 

 

What you don't get the Bullwinkle connection?

Charles Lane--->>Alan 'Rocky' Lane--->>The Rocky and Bullwinkle show.

(This is why I am often called Mr. Know-it-all).

 

But mostly thanks for clearing the Dennis the Menace mystery.

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Namesake? A)they appeared at virtually the same time and B)namesake is applied to being named after someone else; which in reality means British Dennis is the namesake.

Main Entry: name·sake

Pronunciation: -"sAk

Function: noun

Etymology: probably from name's sake

: one that has the same name as another; especially : one who is named after another or for whom another is named

 

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

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Guest A. COSTA

[

 

RE: CHARLES LANE ;)

 

 

I SAW HIM THE OTHER DAY ON THE TODAY SHOW. HE REALLY LOOKS GREAT FOR HIS AGE.

 

I REMEMBER SEEING HIM IN LOTS OF MOVIES IN MY YOUTH.

 

GOOD FOR HIM. I WISH HIM ALL THE BEST.

 

A. COSTA

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Guest Banshees Scream

i allready posted something on him and yes he is 100 and makes a fairly good death list canidate and most for the amount of movies hes appeared in.

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There was a thread on him just a couple of weeks ago; perhaps they could be merged.

 

[Topics now merged - DWB]

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Guest Tom Neiman

What's wrong with Dennis the Menace TV show. I thought that it is was one of the funniest shows around. As far as I'm concerned Joseph Kearn, the original Mr. Wilson, made the show. Jay North, who played the part of Dennis, meant well. He was not deliberately bratty or mischief. The show only suffers because it was made in the "black and white" era of TV and in the age of the phonograph, rotary telephone, manual handling of TV channels, soda fountain, and big-screen cinema. Other than that, the humor--not based on politics, race, profanity, or adultery--is timeless.

Charles Lane, played the part of Mr. Finch, the owner of Finch's drug store. His scowling short temper along with Joseph Kearns' "great scott" irritability, and Jay North's misdeeds were hilarious.

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Guest Guest

My guess is Lane has hung on long enough to make it to 100. Often people who make it that far tend to give up after that big achievement. Mr. Lane will probably pass away in the next few months.

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Is Charles Lane a good choice for '06?

 

Is he famous enough?

 

His imdb page has to be one of the longest, but it's all minor stuff.

 

 

The above early post by Banshees is perfectly spelt, a miracle I thought, until I realised he'd just cut and pasted it from imdb.

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Here's my two cents, I want to present him in a different way. First of all, my age argument applies here. He's certainly old, and almost anything could fell him at this age. So if we came to a consensus not to add him, and he died on January 1, I don't think anyone could be blamed. So right off the bat, let's say that there's a 60% chance he could die next year.

 

He will be over 100 next year, which is streching the limits of the human body. Add another 10%. A long time smoker, he quit in 1990 after having trouble breathing. Add another 5%. Wife died in 2002, add another 5%. Was still performing at age 90, minus 5%. Was healthy enough to do a segment on TV Land for his 100th Birthday, but it was pre-recorded. Minus 3% No health problems (aside from the breathing thing), no heart attacks, no strokes, no illnesses. Minus 9%. Sometimes claims that he's done working, other times claims that he's available for work. No change.

 

Overall final percentage: 63%.

 

I haven't done this for other candidates, but I'd say 75% or better would make for a good DL candidate. Maybe I'll go over some others to see.

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Is Charles Lane a good choice for '06?

 

Is he famous enough?

 

His imdb page has to be one of the longest, but it's all minor stuff.

 

 

The above early post by Banshees is perfectly spelt, a miracle I thought, until I realised he'd just cut and pasted it from imdb.

There is another clear and quite good suggestion. The soon to

be 101 year old Charles Lane.

 

Another thread started by the great Banshees Scream a year ago

before most of our current posters even knew what the DL was.

 

Though i'm sure his fame will be debated - I feel he makes the grade. <_<

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Is Charles Lane a good choice for '06?

 

Is he famous enough?

 

His imdb page has to be one of the longest, but it's all minor stuff.

 

 

The above early post by Banshees is perfectly spelt, a miracle I thought, until I realised he'd just cut and pasted it from imdb.

There is another clear and quite good suggestion. The soon to

be 101 year old Charles Lane.

 

Another thread started by the great Banshees Scream a year ago

before most of our current posters even knew what the DL was.

 

Though i'm sure his fame will be debated - I feel he makes the grade. <_<

Ah yes, the great Banshee's scream who can't be bothered to read posts that don't fit into his own ideas. He is not a "clear and quite good suggestion" old chap. For his age, he is in incredible health in fact. If you want to pick people just based on their age, check out this link http://www.generians.com and just pick the 50 oldest and relatively famous people.

 

It is not his fame that should be debated - I believe he is a fine and proficient actor. It is his health.

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He can apparently still walk only needing to be aided by a walking stick which is particularly good for a man of his age.

Over 100 year olds do, however, have a tendency to deteriorate fairly quickly. The Queen Mother for example.

 

In my opinion Lane is just as famous as Astor.

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He can apparently still walk only needing to be aided by a walking stick which is particularly good for a man of his age.

Over 100 year olds do, however, have a tendency to deteriorate fairly quickly. The Queen Mother for example.

 

In my opinion Lane is just as famous as Astor.

Agreed, but I think that there are more certain candidates than he.

 

50 more? Perhaps.

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He can apparently still walk only needing to be aided by a walking stick which is particularly good for a man of his age.

Over 100 year olds do, however, have a tendency to deteriorate fairly quickly. The Queen Mother for example.

 

In my opinion Lane is just as famous as Astor.

Agreed, but I think that there are more certain candidates than he.

 

50 more? Perhaps.

I love the way the new guy comes along and trys to tell us all what to do.... :blink:

 

:P

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He can apparently still walk only needing to be aided by a walking stick which is particularly good for a man of his age.

Over 100 year olds do, however, have a tendency to deteriorate fairly quickly. The Queen Mother for example.

 

In my opinion Lane is just as famous as Astor.

Agreed, but I think that there are more certain candidates than he.

 

50 more? Perhaps.

I love the way the new guy comes along and trys to tell us all what to do.... :blink:

 

:P

Said at the right time Windsor

 

Charles Lane may not be the number 1 canidate for next

year but he certainly should be included.

 

I suppose Canadian Paul has his math a bit off?

 

50 canidates ahead of him. :D

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I just think picking candidates solely on the basis of age is a craps shoot. No one's trying to tell anyone what to do (especially since in the end, only GR gets to decide), but I'm just voicing my opinion.

 

See, now TF's bet replacing "Estelle Getty" with "Charles Lane" and "this year" to "next year" would be one I'd want to get my hands in. :banghead:

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See, now  Estelle Getty would be one I'd want to get my hands in. 

Now that's just sick Paulie...

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