Walter Abel Biography (1898-1987)

Born June 6, 1898, in St. Paul, MN; died in Essex, CT, March 26, 1987; son ofRichard Michael and Christine (Becker) Abel; married Marietta Bitter, September 24, 1926 (died, 1970); children: two sons.

Nationality: American
Gender: Male
Birth Details: June 6, 1898; St. Paul, Minnesota, United States
Death Details: March 6, 1987; Essex, Connecticut, United States

Famous Works

Credits
BROADWAY DEBUT--Vincent Moretti, Forbidden, Manhattan Opera House, 1919.
LONDON DEBUT--Michael Jeffery, Coquette, Apollo Theatre, 1929.
Credits; PRINCIPAL STAGE APPEARANCES; ALL IN NEW YORK CITY UNLESS INDICATED
Acis, Back to Methusela, Garrick Theatre, 1922.
Eugene Huckins, A Square Peg, Punch and Judy Theatre, 1923.
Jacques, Lord, As You Like It, 44th Street Theatre, 1923.
Sheriff, Desire Under the Elms, Greenwich Village Theatre, 1924.
Sir Sampson Legend, Love for Love, Greenwich Village Theatre, 1925.
Carl Behrend, The Enemy, Times Square Theatre, 1925.
Hortensio, The Taming of the Shrew, Klaw Theatre, 1925.
Dermot McDermot, Hangman's House, Forrest Theatre, 1926.
John Roberts, Seed of the Brute, Little Theatre, 1926.
Robert Mayo, Beyond the Horizon, Mansfield Theatre, 1926.
Henry Bascom, The House of Women, Maxine Elliott's Theatre, 1927.
Wayne Trenton, III, Skidding, Bijou Theatre, 1928.
Elmer Gray, First Mortgage, Royale Theatre, 1929.
Boris Trigorin, The Seagull, Comedy Theatre, 1929, then Waldorf Theatre,1930.
Vaska, At the Bottom, Waldorf Theatre, 1930.
George, I Love an Actress, Times Square Theatre, 1931.
Orin Mannon, Mourning Becomes Electra, Alvin Theatre, 1932.
Niko, A Divine Drudge, Jimmie Lee, When Ladies Meet, both Royale Theatre,1933.
Andre Roussel, The Drums Begin, Shubert Theatre, 1933.
Morgan Chadwick, Wife Insurance, Ethel Barrymore Theatre, 1934.
Dr. Linton, Invitation to a Murder, Masque Theatre, 1934.
Jonathan Crale, Merrily We Roll Along, Music Box Theatre, 1934.
Nathaniel McQuestion, Wingless Victory, Empire Theatre, 1936.
John Shand, What Every Woman Knows, County Theatre, Suffern, NY, 1938.
David Hudson, The Birds Stopped Singing, Princeton, NJ, 1939.
Benjamin de Wolfe, No Code to Guide Her, Playhouse Theatre, 1939.
Clement Waterlow, The Mermaids Singing, Empire Theatre, 1945.
Charles Burnett, Parlor Story, Biltmore Theatre, 1947.
Dr. Jay Stewart, The Biggest Thief in Town, Mansfield Theatre, 1949.
Gavin Leon Andree, The Wisteria Trees, Martin Beck Theatre, 1950.
Capt. Mike Dorgan, The Long Watch, Lyceum Theatre, 1952.
narrator, King David, Philadelphia Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, 1952.
title role, Noah, Parkland College, Seattle, WA, 1953.
reader, Under Milk Wood, Kaufmann Auditorium, 1954.
Jim Dougherty, The Pleasure of His Company, Longacre Theatre, 1958.
Scrooge, A Christmas Carol, Fulton Theatre, 1959.
Nat Miller, Take Me Along, State Fair Theatre, Dallas, TX, 1962.
Lew, Night Life, Brooks Atkinson Theatre, 1962.

Malvolio, Twelfth Night, Fresno State College, Fresno, CA, 1963.
Bill Hastings, The Ninety-Day Mistress, Biltmore Theatre, 1972.
Antonio, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Martin Beck Theatre, 1974.
William Gower, Trelawny of the Wells, Vivian Beaumont Theatre, 1975.
Appeared in A Woman's Way, Harvest, Nocturne, Garside's Career, all withthe American Academy of Dramatic Art, 1918.
Affairs of State, Papermill Playhouse, Millburn, NJ, 1965.
Maggie, Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, CT, 1966.
narrator, Lincoln Portrait, Philadelphia Orchestra; and in a number of summer theatre productions including Romeo and Juliet, Our Town, The Skin of Our Teeth, Inherit the Wind.
With the Provincetown Playhouse Company, Provincetown, MA, and New York City: student, The Spook Sonata, Colonel Howard, Fashion, Ted, The Crime in the Whistler Room, Olson, S.S. Glencairn, all 1924.
Raul, Beyond, Armand Blondeau, Michel Auclair, both 1925.
Olson, S.S. Glencairn, 1929.
Credits; MAJOR TOURS
Orin Mannon, Mourning Becomes Electra, U.S. cities, 1932.
Cedric Trent, West of Broadway, U.S. cities, 1939.
Claudius, Hamlet, Elsinore, Denmark, and West German cities, 1949.
Argan (also director), The Imaginary Invalid, U.S. cities, 1964.
Chief Justice Harry Griffin, A Conflict of Interests, U.S. cities, 1972.
Mark Walters, In Praise of Love, U.S. cities, 1975.
Also Come Out of the Kitchen, U.S. cities, 1918; Toby's Bow, U.S. cities,Friendly Enemies, U.S. cities, both 1919.
Credits; PRINCIPAL FILM APPEARANCES
FILM DEBUT--Out of a Clear Sky, Paramount, 1918.
The North Wind's Malice, Goldwyn, 1920.
Liliom, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1930.
The Three Musketeers, RKO, 1935.
The Lady Consents, Two in the Dark, The Witness Chair, Second Wife, all RKO, 1936.
Fury, We Went to College, both Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), 1936.
Portia on Trial, Republic, 1937.
Wise Girl, RKO, 1937.
Green Light, Warner Brothers, 1937.
Racket Busters, Warner Brothers, 1938.
Men with Wings, Paramount, 1938.
Arise, My Love, Paramount, 1940.
Hold Back the Dawn, Paramount, 1941.
Beyond the Blue Horizon, Wake Island, Star Spangled Rhythm, Holiday Inn,all Paramount, 1942.
Follow the Boys, Universal, 1943.
Mr. Skeffington, Warner Brothers, 1944.
An American Romance, MGM, 1944.
The Affairs of Susan, Warner Brothers, 1945.
Kiss and Tell, Columbia, 1945.
Duffy's Tavern, Paramount, 1945.
The Kid from Brooklyn, RKO, 1946.
13 Rue Madeleine, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1946.
Dream Girl, That Lady in Ermine, both Twentieth Century-Fox, 1948.
So This Is Love, Island in the Sky both Warner Brothers, 1953.
Night People, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1954.
Indian Fighter, United Artists, 1955.
The Steel Jungle, Warner Brothers, 1956.
Bernardine, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1957.
Raintree County, MGM, 1957.
Zora (also known as Night of the Dark Full Moon), Cannon, 1971.
Grace Quigley, Cannon, 1983.
Also appeared in Miracle on Main Street, 1939; Michael Shayne, Private Eye, and Dance, Girl, Dance, both 1940; Skylark, 1941; So Proudly We Hail, 1943; The Fabulous Joe, 1947; Handle with Care, 1958; The Confession, 1964 (unreleased); Mirage, 1965; Silent Night, Bloody Night, 1973; and in Law of the Underworld; King of the Turf; Who Killed Auntie Maggie?; Glamour Boy; Fired Wife.
Credits; PRINCIPAL TELEVISION APPEARANCES; EPISODIC
East Side/West Side, CBS, 1964.
Credits; SPECIALS
Gaslight, NBC, 1948.
The Enchanted, NBC, 1961.
Eugene O'Neill: A Glory of Ghosts, PBS, 1986.
Also We've Come of Age, 1973.
Credits; MOVIES
Man without a Country, 1973.

Further Reference

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

Variety, April 1, 1987.

User Contributions:

Richard Rodriguez

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Was it he who played the part of Darla Hood's Father in one of the "Little Rascals" shorts? Where some of Darla's friends showed up during dinner with birthday presents for Mr. Hood? Where they individually sang "Happy Birthday Mr. Hood, Happy Birthday to you. And to make your birthday wish come true, I give this present to you"? Where it begins to rain and Darla's Mom phone calls their parents to inform them that they will be spending the night?

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