A few thoughts about TV's supporting characters

The late Frank Banks as Clarence "Lumpy" Rutherford.

    News of the recent passing of Frank Banks, the actor who played Clarence "Lumpy" Rutherford in the “Leave it Beaver” TV series from the late 1950s set me to thinking about something I find lacking in contemporary television shows.

    This isn't about the absence of quality in the writing and programming, although I think that is significant.

    I am thinking about the absence of what I consider to be original supporting characters and truly talented actors to play those roles. Many TV viewers might challenge my assertion, and that’s OK.

    I don't like much of what TV offers these days. I detest "reality" TV, and I don't like the extended story arcs that make up most of today's TV dramas. I don't care for the soap-opera style of storytelling that is the foundation of most current TV dramas. I find the stories predictable and the pacing terribly slow.

    Television programming from the 1950s through the 1970s had a lot of flaws, and most of it doesn't stand the test of time. However, it did have many strengths, and one of them, I think, was its ability to contain engaging stories to a single episode while developing recurring characters that audiences grew to like nearly as much as the central characters. Banks’ Lumpy Rutherford was one such character, but many other comes to mind.

    The most recent TV producers who were successful with the "old school" use of supporting actors were Stephen J. Cannell ("The Rockford Files," "Wiseguy") and Donald P. Bellisario ("The Rockford Files," "Magnum, P.I."). Both producers effectively used recurring supporting characters, although Cannell adopted the extended story arc for "Wiseguy."

    Many critics and fans slam the recurring supporting role as a device that leads to the typecasting of actors. 

Stuart Margolin

    It's a point that has some merit, but I think that's an issue that most viewers are not concerned about. Besides, I never heard Stuart Margolin complain about being typecast because of his work as Angel Martin on "The Rockford Files." I once saw an interview with Margolin in which he said the voice messages that he left on Rockford's answering machine were some of the funniest, most original lines he ever spoke as an actor.

    To a larger point, I think some of the supporting actors who gained popularity through their TV work also provided some strong performances in motion pictures, too. 

    One example is "Hour of the Gun," a John Sturges' 1967 film about the aftermath of the shootout at the OK Corral. 

   

William Windom

While not a great film, I think most viewers would find it entertaining. It has some big names, including James Garner, Robert Ryan and Jason Robards, but the supporting actors contribute mightily to the film's value. The cast includes some great supporting actors from the era, including Monte Markham, William Schallert and the truly talented William Windom. 

    Markham and Schallert are still with us, but Windom is part of heaven's Cavalcade of Stars that now includes Frank Banks.

— Email comments to kbotterman@gmail.com.