Grady Sutton

Grady Sutton
File:Florence Bates-Grady Sutton in My Dear Secretary.jpg Florence Bates and Grady Sutton in My Dear Secretary (1949)
Born	Grady Harwell Sutton (1906-04-05)April 5, 1906 Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S.
Died	Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1925-1979
Spouse(s)	never married

Grady Harwell Sutton (April 5, 1906 – September 17, 1995) was an American film and television actor from the 1920s to the 1970s.

Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Sutton was raised in Florida where he attended St. Petersburg High School. He began his career during the silent film era and made the transition to sound films with the college themed shorts The Boy Friends. He moved on to countless character roles, where he frequently played dimwitted country boys. His most well-known roles were as Frank Dowling, Katharine Hepburn's dancing partner, in Alice Adams (1935) and as a foil to W.C. Fields in three films, Man on the Flying Trapeze (1935), You Can't Cheat an Honest Man (1939), and The Bank Dick (1940).

Film historian William J. Mann characterizes Sutton as a typical "Hollywood Sissy," that is as a gay actor who ordinarily portrayed an effeminate character for comedic effect.

He continued to work throughout the 1950s and 1960s, finally retiring from acting in 1979. The strength of his association with Fields was such that it was mentioned in the commentary for My Fair Lady. Sutton has a non-speaking role in some of the formal-dress scenes, and subtly performs some comic shtick. The commentator refers to him as "an old W. C. Fields actor".

Sutton died at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California at the age of 89.

Selected filmography

Film
Year	Film	Role	Notes
1925	The Freshman	Student who goes to dean	Uncredited Alternative title: College Days
1926	Brown of Harvard	One of the Dickeys	Uncredited
1930	Hit the Deck
1932	Hot Saturday	Archie
1932	Pack Up Your Troubles	Eddie
1932	Movie Crazy	Man afraid of mice	Uncredited
1933	Only Yesterday	Charlie Smith, Party Guest	Uncredited
1935	Gridiron Flash	Pudge Harrison
1935	Man on the Flying Trapeze	Claude Neselrode	Alternative title: The Memory Expert
1936	Palm Springs	Bud
1936	My Man Godfrey	Charlie Van Rumple	Uncredited
1937	Stage Door	Butch
1938	Having Wonderful Time	Gus	Alternative title: Having a Wonderful Time
1938	Three Loves Has Nancy	George
1938	Vivacious Lady	Culpepper
1939	The Angels Wash Their Faces	Gildersleeve (Mayor's secretary)	Alternative title: Angels Wash Their Faces
1939	You Can't Cheat an Honest Man	uncredited
1940	The Bank Dick	Og Oggleby, Bank Teller
1940	Torrid Zone	Sam, Steve's Secretary
1941	She Knew All the Answers	Ogleby
1942	The Affairs of Martha	Justin I. Peacock, Jr
1943	A Lady Takes a Chance	Malcolm Scott	Alternative title: The Cowboy and the Girl
1943	What a Woman	Mr. Clark	Alternative title: The Beautiful Cheat
1944	The Great Moment	Homer Quimby
1945	Captain Eddie	Lester Thomas
1945	Anchors Aweigh	Bertram Kraler - Susan's beau
1946	Dragonwyck	Astor House clerk	Uncredited
1946	Nobody Lives Forever	Horace	Uncredited
1948	Romance on the High Seas	Ship Radio operator	Uncredited Alternative title: It's Magic
1954	A Star Is Born	Artie Carver	Uncredited
1954	White Christmas		Uncredited
1962	The Chapman Report	Simon	Uncredited
1963	Come Blow Your Horn	Clothing Store Manager	Uncredited
1964	My Fair Lady	Ascot Extra/Guest at Ball	Uncredited
1965	Tickle Me	Mr. Dabney
1966	Paradise, Hawaiian Style	Mr. Cubberson
1968	I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!	Funeral Director	Alternative title: Kiss My Butterfly
1970	Myra Breckinridge	Kid Barlow
1971	Support Your Local Gunfighter	Storekeeper
1979	Rock 'n' Roll High School	School Board President
Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1954	I Married Joan	Newsroom Walk Through	1 episode
1960	The Ann Sothern Show	Swann	2 episodes
	Shirley Temple's Storybook	Simon	1 episode
1960-1961	Lawman	Ben Toomey	8 episodes
1964	Mickey	Mr. Freebish	1 episode
1965	Burke's Law	Hubie	1 episode
	Petticoat Junction	Chef	1 episode
1967	Batman	Irving Cash	1 episode
1972	Hawaii Five-O	Minister	1 episode
1974	The Odd Couple	Pops Belkin	1 episode

External links

• Grady Sutton at the Internet Movie Database
• Grady Sutton at AllMovie
• Literature on Grady Sutton