Tinseltown Talks....about William Schallert

   by Nick Thomas

   The Ubiquitous William Schallert

   Even casual couch potatoes will concede that throughout years of television viewing, there's no avoiding William Schallert.

   His distinctive, mellow voice and comfortingly familiar face have appeared on series since the 1950's, ranging from "Father Knows Best"
to "Desperate Housewives" and everything in between (see www.william.schallert.com)

   "I've never added up the total but I did work a lot!" said Schallert from his home in Pacific Palisades, California.

   The tally of television appearances is close to 300, with another 100 feature films - the first being an uncredited role in "The Foxes of Harrow" in 1947, which Schallert still vividly recalls.

   "I had one line as a banker delivering a message to the New Orleans stock exchange:  'Gentlemen, gentlemen, the bank of the United States in Philadelphia has closed its doors!'"

   Schallert says the scene was memorable because it called for another actor to shoot himself, but was unable to coordinate firing the gun with the gunshot sound produced by crew backstage.

   "They couldn't see each other, so the shot would go off sometimes before or sometimes after the trigger was pulled. It got to be hysterical," laughed Schallert.

   "But they kept me over and I ended up getting three day's pay for one. So I figured this was a great way to make a living!"

   In the beginning, Schallert says roles came slowly, but by 1959 he was hot.

   "I worked 57 times that year, then got a recurring role on 'Dobie Gillis,' and of course as the father on 'The Patty Duke Show' in 1963," he said

   However, the uncertainty of series work could become unsettling.

   "I knew the show was coming to an end, and was concerned what would happen," he said of 'The Patty Duke Show.  "Fortunately, I started doing voice-over work in commercials and that really paid the bills for the next 20 years."

   Schallert has been invited to sci-fi conventions due to roles in '50's film classics such as "The Man from Planet X," "Them," and "The Incredible Shrinking Man."

   He also guest starred in "The Trouble with Tribbles," one of the most popular "Star Trek" episodes.

   But he says one of his favorite TV guest roles was in "Get Smart," where he appeared in several episodes as the very elderly and unsteady Admiral Hargrade who would fall over at the slightest tough - an irony not lost on the 92-year-old Schallert, now coincidentally the exact age as his character during the 1968 "Get Smart" season.

   The admiral was a charming character and looking back as an actor, I still think the ways I made him tumble over were funny," he said. "But now I am getting to the age his character was supposed to be, and the actual falling down part isn't funny anymore?  Falls can become serious health issues for seniors."

   While Schallert says he has experienced some falls, his main health issue is his legs.

   "I have peripheral neuropathy and wear braces," he said. "They help me stay balanced if I use a walker, but it's just easier to get around in a wheelchair."

   Despite the physical limitation, Schallert doesn't entirely rule out working in the future.

   "Although I'm more or less retired, if someone offered me a stage role and it was something I could manage, I'd probably do it", he says. "But working in film or TV would be too difficult now.  Besides, I did my share!"