Ken Murray

Ken Murray (born Kenneth Abner Doncourt, July 14, 1903 – October 12, 1988) was an American comedian, actor, radio and television personality and author. After finding success on the vaudeville stage, Murray moved to Hollywood and made his film debut in the 1929 romantic drama Half Marriage, followed by a role in Leathernecking in 1930. Murray was the host of a weekly radio variety show (The Ken Murray Show) on NBC 1932-33 and on CBS 1936–37. He later was the original host (1945-57) of Queen for a Day, on the Mutual Broadcasting System radio show, which was simulcast on KTSL (now KCBS-TV), Channel 2 in Los Angeles. During World War II, Murray was one of the many celebrities to volunteer at the Hollywood Canteen. In 1947, he produced Bill and Coo, a feature film using trained birds and other animals as actors. Bill and Coo won a special Academy Award for "novel and entertaining use of the medium of motion picture" and "artistry and patience" . He was also the host of The Ken Murray Show, a weekly music and comedy show on CBS Television that ran from 1950 to 1953. The show was the first to win a Freedom Foundation Award. Murray also guest starred on several television series, including The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford and The Bing Crosby Show. Murray produced and co-starred as "Smiling Billy Murray" in a 1953 film, The Marshal's Daughter, a western that featured his protege Laurie Anders in the title role, her sole film performance. In 1962, Murray portrayed the top hat wearing, cigar chewing, drunken Doc Willoughby in John Ford's The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance starring John Wayne and James Stewart, arguably his most memorable screen role. Paired off for most of the picture with Edmond O'Brien as an alcoholic newspaper editor, he drunkenly rolls over the gunshot corpse of villain Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin) with his boot, looks around off-handedly, and says "Dead" to the surrounding crowd of euphoric Mexicans. In 1964, Murray played Whipsaw, the operator of a stagecoach depot in the episode "Little Cayuse" of the television series Death Valley Days, hosted by Stanley Andrews. He and his partner take in a Cayuse orphan (Larry Domasin), who demonstrates his loyalty to the men during an Indian attack. In 1965, Murray played a THRUSH financier and owner of a caribbean casino in The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. In 1966, Murray was cast as Melody Murphy in the Walt Disney film Follow Me, Boys! starring Fred MacMurray, Vera Miles and Kurt Russell.

Known For: Acting

Born: New York City, New York, USA, 1903-07-14

Died: 1988-10-12

No.	Year	Title	Role	Vote Average
1	1929	Half Marriage	Charles Turner	52
2	1930	Leathernecking	Frank	0
3	1932	Ladies of the Jury	Spencer B. Dazy	64
4	1932	Crooner	Peter Sturgis	50
5	1933	Disgraced!	Jim McGuire	60
6	1933	A Preferred List		70
7	1933	From Headquarters	Mac	58
8	1937	You're a Sweetheart	Don King	42
9	1938	Swing, Sister, Swing	Nap Sisler	0
10	1940	A Night at Earl Carroll's	Barney Nelson	35
11	1941	Screen Snapshots Series 21 No. 1	Self	0
12	1941	Swing It Soldier	Jerry Traynor	50
13	1942	Juke Box Jenny	Malcolm Hammond	0
14	1946	Peeks at Hollywood		0
15	1948	Bill and Coo	Ken Murray	64
16	1949	Red Light	Ken Murray	58
17	1953	The Marshal's Daughter	'Smiling Billy' Murray	35
18	1962	The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance	Doc Willoughby	78
19	1963	Son of Flubber	Mr. Hurley	59
20	1963	Hollywood Without Make-Up	Self - Host	59
21	1965	Hollywood My Home Town	Self	53
22	1966	Follow Me, Boys!	Melody Murphy	66
23	1968	The Power	Grover	62
24	1976	Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood	Souvenir Salesman	41
25	1997	Frank Capra's American Dream	Self (archive footage)	62

No.	Year	Title	Role	Vote Average
1	1948	The Ed Sullivan Show	Self	68
2	1950	The Ken Murray Show		70
3	1950	What's My Line?	Self	69
4	1952	This Is Your Life	Self	64
5	1957	The Lux Show	Self	60
6	1963	The Greatest Show on Earth		50
7	1963	Burke's Law	Charles P. Banner	60
8	1963	Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre		57
9	1963	The Judy Garland Show	Self	80
10	1964	The Hollywood Palace	Self - Film Narrator	45
11	1964	The Bing Crosby Show		50

Ken Murray

Film

Television