Earle Hodgins

Earle Hodgins (October 6, 1893 – April 14, 1964) was an American actor.

Career Early in his career, Hodgins was active in stock theater, including working in the Ralph Cloninger troupe of Salt Lake City, Utah, the Siegel Stock company of Seattle, Washington,

He appeared in more than 330 films and television shows between 1932 and 1963. He specialized in playing fast-talking con men—often in westerns, such as The Lone Ranger, Judge Roy Bean, The Cisco Kid, The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, Rawhide, Maverick (in the episode "Shady Deal at Sunny Acres" with James Garner and Jack Kelly), Lawman, The Rifleman, Cheyenne, Have Gun – Will Travel, Gunsmoke (In a recurring role as the town judge, plus in the title role in “Uncle Oliver”, where he ambushes and shoots “Chester”), and Hopalong Cassidy. In 1959 Hodgins appeared as Mr. Fane on Lawman in the episode "The Outsider." In the 1960–1961 season, he appeared in three episodes of Joanne Dru's ABC sitcom, Guestward, Ho! as the aging ranch wrangler known as "Lonesome." In one of those episodes, "Lonesome's Gal", he was cast opposite ZaSu Pitts. Thereafter, the two died within a year of each other.

Hodgins' other television roles were as carnival barkers, medicine-show salesmen, and the like. He was known for shooing away obstreperous children from his stage, snapping at them, "Get away, son, ya bother me".

Hodgins married Sue Hanley, who was described in an article of the Salt Lake Telegram as "a Seattle society girl."

Hodgins was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Selected filmography

The Circus Clown (1934) (First credited film role) Paradise Canyon (1935) The Cyclone Ranger (1935) Aces and Eights (1936) Oh, Susanna! (1936) Border Caballero (1936) Ticket to Paradise (1936) I Cover the War (1937) Range Defenders (1937) Heroes of the Alamo (1937) A Lawman Is Born (1937) Round-Up Time in Texas (1937) Sky Racket (1937) Nation Aflame (1937) Texas Trail (1937) Outlaws of the Prairie (1937) Roaring Six Guns (1937) The Purple Vigilantes (1938) The Old Barn Dance (1938) Barefoot Boy (1938) Call the Mesquiteers (1938) Lawless Valley (1938) The Rangers' Round-Up (1938) Long Shot (1939) Law and Order (1940) The Range Busters (1940) The Sagebrush Family Trails West (1940) Under Texas Skies (1940) Scattergood Baines (1941) Red River Robin Hood (1942) The Bashful Bachelor (1942) Inside the Law (1942) Hoppy Serves a Writ (1943) The San Antonio Kid (1944) The Utah Kid (1944) Mystery of the River Boat (1944) Oregon Trail (1945) Gun Smoke (1945) Unexpected Guest (1947) Oregon Trail Scouts (1947) Vigilantes of Boomtown (1947) Borrowed Trouble (1948) Oklahoma Badlands (1948) Henry, the Rainmaker (1949) Jiggs and Maggie in Jackpot Jitters (1949) Up in Smoke (1957) Saintly Sinners (1962) (Last credited film role)

Selected television 1958 "Have Gun-Will Travel" Leadhead Kane S1 E33 "The Silver Queen"1951 Front Page Detective Season 1, Episode 20, "Recipe for Murder" (First credited television role)1952 Sky King Worthless Jones Season 1, Episode 10, "The Man Who Forgot"1953 Death Valley Days Micah Bisbee Season 2, Episode 4, "Which Side of the Fence"1954 Hopalong Cassidy Picture Pete Season 2, Episode 15, "Copper Hills"1955 The Lone Ranger Barnaby Boggs Season 4, Episode 40, "The Swami"1956 The Cisco Kid Orlando the Magician Season 6, Episode 25, "Magician of Jamesville"1957 Gunsmoke Title Role Season 2, Episode 35, "Uncle Oliver"1957 Maverick Johnson Season 1, Episode 7, "Relic of Fort Tejon"1958 Decision Undertaker Season 1, Episode 4, "The Tall Man"1958 Colgate Theatre Season 1, Episode 2, "The Last Marshal"1958 The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok Tobias Riddle Season 8, Episode 13, "Counterfeit Ghost"1959 The Rifleman Auctioneer Season 1, Episode 33, "The Money Gun"1959 Tales of Wells Fargo Pop Shannon Season 3, Episode 22, "Lola Montez"1959 Have Gun - Will Travel Colonel Jeremiah Pike Season 2, Episode 20, "Juliet"1960 Death Valley Days Deacon Season 8, Episode 35, "Pete Kitchen's Wedding Night"1961 Gunsmoke Tubby Season 7, Episode 8, "Chesterland"1961 Bus Stop Chet Season 1, Episode 1, "Afternoon of a Cowboy"1962 Gunsmoke Dobie Season 8, Episode 3, "Quint Asper Comes Home"1962 Mister Ed Side Show Barker Season 2, Episode 19, "Ed's Word of Honor"1962 The Twilight Zone Agee Season 3, Episode 21, "Kick the Can"1962 The Donna Reed Show Mr. Coxley Season 4, Episode 29, "Explorer's Ten"1963 Gunsmoke Judge Season 8, Episode 27, "Two of a Kind" (Last credited television role)