Bernard Gorcey

Bernard Gorcey (born Baruch Ugorsky; January 9, 1886 – September 11, 1955) was an American actor. He began in Vaudeville, performed on Broadway, and appeared in multiple shorts and films. He portrayed ice cream shop proprietor Louie Dumbrowski in Monogram Pictures' The Bowery Boys series of B movies, which starred his sons Leo Gorcey and David Gorcey. He also appeared in Charlie Chaplin's 1940 classic The Great Dictator.

Early life Gorcey was born Baruch Ugorsky in Kovno, Russian Empire (now Kaunas, Lithuania), the son of Abraham and Leah Ugorsky. His father, a tailor, immigrated to New York in March 1888; three years later, the rest of the family followed when Bernard was 5. The family moved to Long Branch, New Jersey in the 1900s and changed the surname to Gorcey. His mother died in 1915.

Gorcey was noticeably short in stature, as an adult having a height of .

Career Stage Early in his career, Gorcey found success in comedy roles. Between 1907 and 1937 he played in several stage productions, including Tom Jones (1912), What Ails You? (1918), Somebody's Sweetheart (1920) (as "A Mysterious Conspirator"), Always You (1922) (as "Isaac Cohen"), Abie's Irish Rose (1923), Wildflower (1925) (as "Gaston La Roche"), Song of the Flame (1925) (as “Count Boris”), Cherry Blossoms (1930) (as "George Washington Goto"), Pressing Business (1931), Joy of Living (1931), Wonder Boy (1932) (as "Commodore Cohen"), Keeping Expenses Down (1935) (as "Kent J. Goldstein"), Creeping Fire (1935) (as "Mr. Goodman"), and Satellite (1937) (as "Max Goldblatz").

The most successful show of Gorcey’s theatrical career was Abie's Irish Rose.

Radio and film He also performed some radio work for the Popeye Show. At 42 years old, he began working in movies. From 1928 until 1955, he appeared in 67 movies, with minor roles with both Monogram and Warner Bros.

Forty-four of these were with sons Leo and David in The East Side Kids and The Bowery Boys film series. Between 1946 and 1955, there were between four and five Bowery Boys movies annually, with Bernard playing the role of Louie Dumbrowski, the owner of a sweet shop where the Bowery Boys would hang out, usually getting free sodas while planning their next escapade, much to Dumbrowski's displeasure. He also appeared as Charlie Chaplin's meek Jewish neighbor Mr. Mann in the film classic The Great Dictator (1940).

Personal life In 1914, Gorcey married Josephine Condon (1897-1975), from Wales, and had three sons, Fred, Leo, and David, and a daughter, Audrey.

On 31 August 1955, he crashed his car into a bus on 4th and La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles. He died from his injuries on 11 September.

Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1928 Abie's Irish Rose Isaac Cohen 1931 Words & Music Walter Short film 1933 Pie a la Mode Unknown Short film 1933 Nothing But the Tooth Unknown Short film 1934 Syncopated City Mr. McGillicuddy Short film 1936 Bulldog Edition Newsstand Proprietor 1940 The Great Dictator Mr. Mann 1941 So Ends Our Night Carnival Barker 1941 Footlight Fever Shrimp 1941 Out of the Fog Sam Pepper 1941 Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime Little Man with Car Tires 1942 Joan of Paris Parisian Waiting at Confessional 1942 Black Dragons The Cabbie 1942 A Desperate Chance for Ellery Queen Man with Tires at Nightclub 1942 Bowery at Midnight Shopkeeper 1943 Clancy Street Boys Liquor Store Owner East Side Kids film 1943 A Rookie's Cookie Unknown Short film 1943 The Unknown Guest Messenger with Telegram 1944 Million Dollar Kid Courier East Side Kids film 1944 Follow the Leader Ginsberg East Side Kids film 1944 Block Busters Lippman East Side Kids film 1944 Bowery Champs Mr. Johnson East Side Kids film 1945 I Was a Criminal Second Railroad Employee 1945 Docks of New York Kessel East Side Kids film 1945 The Picture of Dorian Gray Stagehand 1945 Mr. Muggs Rides Again Meyer East Side Kids film 1946 Live Wires Jack Kane Bowery Boys film 1946 The French Key Little Man 1946 In Fast Company Louie Bowery Boys film 1946 Bowery Bombshell Louie Dumbrowski Bowery Boys film 1946 Spook Busters Louie Bowery Boys film 1946 Mr. Hex Louie Bowery Boys film 1947 Hard Boiled Mahoney Louie Bowery Boys film 1947 News Hounds Louie Dumbrowski Bowery Boys film 1947 Bowery Buckaroos Louie Bowery Boys film 1947 High Wall Hirsch 1947 The Peanut Man Unknown 1948 Jinx Money Louie Bowery Boys film 1948 No Minor Vices Mr. Zitzfleisch 1948 Trouble Makers Louie Dumbrowski Bowery Boys film 1949 Fighting Fools Louie Bowery Boys film 1949 The Set-Up Tobacco Man 1949 Hold That Baby! Louie Bowery Boys film 1949 Angels in Disguise Louie Dumbrowski Bowery Boys film 1949 The Doctor and the Girl Patient with Newspaper 1949 Master Minds Louie Bowery Boys film 1950 Blonde Dynamite Louie Dumbrowski Bowery Boys film 1950 Lucky Losers Louie Dumbrowski Bowery Boys film 1950 Triple Trouble Louie Dumbrowski Bowery Boys film 1950 Blues Busters Louie Dumbrowski Bowery Boys film 1951 Bowery Battalion Louie Dumbrowski Bowery Boys film 1951 Ghost Chasers Louie Dumbrowski Bowery Boys film 1951 Pickup Joe 1951 Let's Go Navy! Louie Dumbrowski Bowery Boys film 1951 Journey Into Light Flophouse Clerk 1951 Crazy Over Horses Louis Xavier 'Louie' Dumbrowski Bowery Boys film 1951 Chicago Calling Unknown 1952 Hold That Line Louie Dumbrowski / Morris Dumbrowski Bowery Boys film 1952 Here Come the Marines Louie Dumbrowski Bowery Boys film 1952 Feudin' Fools Louie Dumbrowski Bowery Boys film 1952 No Holds Barred Louie Dumbrowski Bowery Boys film 1953 Jalopy Louie Dumbrowski Bowery Boys film 1953 Loose in London Louie Dumbrowski Bowery Boys film 1953 Clipped Wings Louie Dumbrowski Bowery Boys film 1953 Private Eyes Louie Dumbrowski Bowery Boys film 1954 Paris Playboys Louie Dumbrowski Bowery Boys film 1954 The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters Louie Dumbrowski Bowery Boys film 1954 Jungle Gents Louie Dumbrowski Bowery Boys film 1954 I Married Joan Joe Perkins/Bailiff/Frisbee/Auction Assistant 7 episodes, TV Series 1955 Bowery to Bagdad Louie Dumbrowski Bowery Boys film 1955 High Society Louie Dumbrowski Bowery Boys film 1955 Spy Chasers Louie Dumbrowski Bowery Boys film 1955 Jail Busters Louie Dumbrowski Bowery Boys film; released posthumously 1956 Dig That Uranium Louie Dumbrowski Bowery Boys film; final film role, released posthumously