Sam Buffington

Sam Buffington (October 12, 1931 – May 15, 1960) was an American actor whose short career included performances on stage, radio, film, and television. He was the star of the CBS radio series Luke Slaughter of Tombstone during 1958 and was one of three regular cast members on the Whispering Smith television series. His stage and screen roles were limited to character parts. His career was going strong and had good prospects when, at age 28, he committed suicide.

Early years He was born in Swansea, Massachusetts, the youngest of four children for Carl Buffington, a lumber company manager, and Annette Gendron. His parents were in their forties when Buffington was born, and his nearest sibling was eight years older. when he was attending the Leland Powers School of Radio and Theater. According to a 1951 newspaper article, he was working in nightclubs as an MC and comic dancer.

Early career Buffington's first known professional stage credits come from summer stock with the Allegheny Players at the Mishler Theatre in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He was signed to perform character parts in six plays, each with a week-long run.

Radio and stage For the years 1952 through 1955 Buffington worked in both radio and on the stage. His radio work was at a station in Providence, Rhode Island, where according to a later interview, he had three shows under three different names and as many voices. Buffington lamented, "The unfortunate thing about it was that I only got the salary of one man".

West Coast career Screen beginnings Discouraged by lack of work on the East Coast, Buffington and his wife moved to the West Coast during 1956. He told a later interviewer: "We figured it couldn't be any worse. But it was. We had just $90 when we got here. The first eight months she had to work to support me". Reviews claimed "...it's Sam Buffington's portrayal of a rude, sloppy hypochondriac which steals the show". Within the next six months he would have roles in six films, all released in 1958, and five more television shows, an auspicious first year. Another reported "Sam Buffington's cunning small-time gambler is about twice as convincing as the real thing would be and also very amusing". This was the high point of his film career; in no other movie did he capture critical attention. His career would continue to thrive on the small screen, as he completed more television episodes with each succeeding year.

Buffington appeared as himself on a local interview program called Meet the People during February 1958. This was a lead-in to his starring role on a new CBS national radio program.

Luke Slaughter of Tombstone While filming an episode of The Gray Ghost, Buffington had asked Lillian Buyeff how she had gotten a gig on the radio drama Suspense. He portrayed a Civil War cavalryman, who after the war becomes a cattleman in Arizona. The nationally heard program began five minutes after the hour, following a short CBS News break. It was one of three western series broadcast by CBS on Sunday afternoons. The program ran twenty-five minutes per episode, including commercials.

Despite his radio commitment, Buffington still managed to appear in sixteen episodes of television during 1958. He also completed film work for They Came to Cordura, released the following year. For 1959 he did seventeen more television episodes, before landing a regular cast member spot in early 1960 on a new western series.

Whispering Smith

This half-hour western series made at Revue Studios for NBC starred Audie Murphy and Guy Mitchell as frontier detectives for the Denver Police Department. Buffington, who was third-credited, played their superior officer, Chief of Police John Richards. In the film Unwed Mother he played husband to actress Dorothy Adams.

Death and controversy While Buffington's wife Pat was in Palm Springs, California, he wrote a note to her, locked himself in the bathroom, sealed air passages under the door and window, and turned on a gas jet. When she returned home to West Hollywood, California, on Sunday evening, May 15, 1960, she had to break-in the bathroom door. Buffington was dead; his note apologized to her for not being able to support her, and requested cremation. and had good career prospects. but was carried by only one out-of-state newspaper. There were no follow-up stories to the original UPI release, nor did any newspapers carry the original story after the first day. This was a highly unusual story arc for such a newsworthy event, and suggests UPI pulled the original release.

When a year had passed, and Whispering Smith was finally set to debut on NBC television, newspaper announcements made only a brief reference to "the late Sam Buffington, who died after only 20 episodes were filmed".

Personal life An accomplished painter of portraits in oil, Buffington once tried to make a living of it.

Buffington married Patricia Ann Whitehouse on July 15, 1953, in Vance County, North Carolina. They remained married until his death in 1960. Ah, Wilderness! Nat Miller Mishler Theatre See How They Run Bishop of Lax Mishler Theatre Night Must Fall Hubert Laurie Mishler Theatre Petticoat Fever Rector Mishler Theatre Bertha the Typewriter Girl Daniel Desmond Mishler Theatre Buffington's first lead role was as a melodrama villain. Brighten the Corner Neil Carson Centre Theatre This was a 1945 comedy by John Cecil Holm that lasted only one month on Broadway. A single set version that starred Scott Forbes, Felicia Farr, and Darryl Hickman. James Willard Filmed during October 1957. The Brothers Karamazov Tipsy Merchant Uncredited Damn Citizen DeButts At least one newspaper account had the working title as Damned Citizen. King Creole Dr. Martin Cabot Uncredited The Light in the Forest George Owens Filmed during August and September 1957. Unwed Mother Mr. Paully Filmed during December 1957, Buffington and Dorothy Adams play a married couple who are prospective adoptee parents. Highway Patrol Trojan Horse Whitey Larkin Cheyenne The Spanish Grant Sam Tyson Tales of Wells Fargo The Lynching Sheriff Bill Egan Alfred Hitchcock Presents Season 2 Episode 35: "The West Warlock Time Capsule" Waldren Reviewers praised Buffington's portrayal of the hypochondriac brother-in-law. Schlitz Playhouse The Face of a Killer The Adventures of Jim Bowie Epitaph for an Indian Sheriff Pete Webber The Adventures of McGraw Lucky's Diner Lucky General Electric Theater The Iron Rose Bill Meadows Buffington was impressed with the acting talent of episode star Vincent Price. Maverick The Quick and the Dead Ponca Brown The Gray Ghost Jimmy Matt Dawson

Alfred Hitchcock Presents Season 3 Episode 15: "Together" Charles Directed by Robert Altman, it starred Joseph Cotten and Christine White. Sugarfoot Deadlock Ruby Martin Meet the People (1958-02-05) Himself Local noontime interview program on KTLA Channel 5 in Los Angeles. Maverick The Seventh Hand Logan Buffington uses Samantha Crawford (Diane Brewster) as a catspaw to strike at Bret Maverick (James Garner). The Adventures of Jim Bowie Up the Creek Sheriff 77 Sunset Strip Casualty Vincent Manchester Wanted Dead or Alive The Favor Fred the Bartender Maverick The Thirty-Ninth Star Bigelow Peter Gunn Death House Testament Professor Olford As an alcoholic professor, Buffington administers a truth serum to Peter Gunn. Sugarfoot Yampa Crossing Henry Dixon Buffinton's role in this was described as "a genial opportunist". Wanted Dead or Alive Eight Cent Reward Hap Haefer A Christmas story with Buffington as one of three frontier "wise men".

Zane Grey Theater Day of the Killing Frank - Bartender Wanted Dead or Alive Six-Up to Bannach Abb Crawford Buffington rides shotgun on a stagecoach transporting dynamite. Perry Mason The Case of the Foot Loose Doll Fred Ernshaw Buffington is a junior partner to an unscrupulous detective. Maverick Yellow River Professor von Schulenberg Steve Canyon Blackmail Karl Janosek Black Saddle Client: Jessup Noah Bailey The Ann Sothern Show The Square Peg Mr. Stewart Gunsmoke Buffalo Hunter Cook Alfred Hitchcock Presents Season 4 Episode 30: "A Night with the Boys" Smalley Buffington is a bullying boss who forces his employee (John Smith) into a poker game. Bat Masterson The Death of Bat Masterson Judge D.B. Hodie As a crooked judge, Buffington conspires to steal Masterson's (Gene Barry) money. The Thin Man Hamilton Hollered Help Doc The Rough Riders Reluctant Witness Ephraim Hoggs Buffington, at age 27, plays an old hermit. Whirlybirds The Perfect Crime Mayor Edwards The Alaskans Gold Sled Count Meshikov Buffington plays a treacherous guide to lost gold. 77 Sunset Strip Thanks for tomorrow Mr. Anton Maverick A Fellow's Brother Burgess When Bret Maverick gets a local reputation, it attracts bounty hunter Burgess (Buffington). Mr. Lucky Little Miss Wow Freddy Furlong Buffington and Don Gordon are inept kidnappers of Yvonne Craig.

Alcoa Theatre The Last Flight Out Informer Story set in Quemoy during the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis. Hawaiian Eye Then There Were Three Big Jim MacIntosh Buffington is a treacherous estate manager who seeks an inheritance. The Man from Blackhawk Execution Day Josiah Cartwright Laramie Saddle and Spur Franklin Bourbon Street Beat Ferry to Algiers Junius Rattner

Whispering Smith 17 episodes John Richards Buffington had been filmed in 17 episodes prior to his death in May 1960. The Barbara Stanwyck Show A Man's Game Vic Trenton First broadcast in July 1961, it must also have been filmed prior to May 1960.