Jay C. Flippen

John Constantine Flippen Jr. (J.C. or Jay C.) (March 6, 1899 – February 3, 1971) was an American character actor who often played crusty sergeants, police officers or weary criminals in many 1940s and 1950s pictures, particularly in film noir. He was later known as J. C., or Jay C. He lost his father, John Constantine Flippen Sr., a bookkeeper, at age 9 and his older sister, Era, a year later. His mother, Emma Pack Flippen, earned income as a dance and theatre instructor. She produced shows in Little Rock, and Flippen often filled in when someone was unable to perform at the last minute in vaudeville shows that appeared in that city. Picking up on his mother's interest, Flippen joined the Al G. Field Minstrels at age 14. That job lasted three weeks until he was fired for sleeping too late and missing the show's parade. He began performing as a standup comedian in burlesque in 1921 and went on to vaudeville and minstrel shows, which made him a natural in obtaining roles in occasional slapstick and light musical comedy.

Flippen established himself as a respected vaudeville singer and stage actor before his film career. He was discovered by famed African-American comedian Bert Williams in 1920, and was Williams's Broadway understudy and tour replacement for the 1920 musical revue Broadway Brevities. He called himself "The Ham What Am", and his occasional blackface roles included those as Williams' replacement. Flippen attained the most coveted booking in vaudeville, headlining at the Palace Theatre in New York six times between March 1926 and February 1931.

Flippen's work on radio included being master of ceremonies on the Amateur Hour program on WHN. His first film, the 1928 Vitaphone short subject The Ham What Am, captures his vaudeville act, but not in blackface: he does a comedy monologue and finishes with a song. His Southern-drawl delivery may well be the same that he had used in blackface. Flippen became popular as a master of ceremonies on vaudeville bills, and emceed movie shorts in the 1930s.

Flippen was married to Clara Michelsen Dusinberrie (28 July 1940 - ?) and then divorced. His second wife was Cathlyn Young (24 February 1922 - ?) who he also divorced. His last wife was screenwriter Ruth Brooks Flippen His other TV appearances included a 1960 guest-starring role as Gabe Jethrow in the episode "Four Came Quietly" on the CBS Western series Johnny Ringo, starring Don Durant. In 1962, he guest-starred on the ABC drama series Bus Stop, as Mike Carmody in "Verdict of 12" and Follow the Sun and as Fallon in "The Last of the Big Spenders". He also appeared on ABC's The Untouchables as Al Morrisey in "You Can't Pick the Number" (1959) and as Big Joe Holvak in "Fall Guy" (1962). In the 1962–63 season, Flippen was cast as Chief Petty Officer Homer Nelson on the NBC sitcom Ensign O'Toole, with Dean Jones in the starring role.

He guest-starred on CBS' The Dick Van Dyke Show in its first season, playing Rob Petrie's former mentor Happy Spangler. In 1964, he appeared as a loving father and title character in the episode "Owney Tupper Had A Daughter" and in CBS's Gunsmoke with James Arness (S9E27). In 1963, he guest-starred on Bonanza. He appeared four times on NBC's The Virginian in the 1960s; in 1966 he appeared on the ABC comedy Western The Rounders. In 1967 Tom Tryon and he guest-starred in the episode "Charade of Justice" of the NBC Western series The Road West. After a leg amputation in 1965, Flippen continued acting, usually using a wheelchair, such as in his comeback role in a 1966 episode of The Virginian and his 1967 guest appearance in Ironside (season one, "A Very Cool Hot Car").

Personal life While filming Cat Ballou in 1965, he had to have a leg amputated due to a serious infection, originally resulting from a minor scrape with a car door, and likely complicated by diabetes. The problem began with a sore on his leg. Home remedies failed to help, and finally he was unable to move the leg. When he went to a doctor, Flippen said, "He told me it was a mass of infection and gangrene was setting in." After a 10-week hospital stay in which he was in constant pain, his doctor told him that worsening infection meant that if the leg were not amputated he would become unable to function and might even die.

Selected filmography

Television