J. Scott Smart (born John Kenley Tener Smart, November 27, 1902 – January 15, 1960) was an American radio, film and stage actor during the 1930s, 1940s and early 1950s.
Early years Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 27, 1902 and his family later moved to Buffalo, New York, where he was a 1922 graduate of Lafayette High School. He also attended the Miami Military Institute.
Smart told a reporter that before entering show business, he held thirty jobs in three years, including selling shoe polish, heaving coal on a boat, being a fire chief in a factory, drawing cartoons for a newspaper, and designing ads for an advertising agency.
Career When he was twenty-one, Smart began acting in stock theater in Buffalo. He acted there for five years. After that, a friend set up an audition for a program on NBC. The result was Smart's first role on radio, that of a singing waiter on Whispering Tables. His Broadway credits include A Bell for Adano (1944) and Separate Rooms (1939).
Smart is best known for his lead as Brad Runyon in the detective show The Fat Man, which aired on ABC Radio from 1946 to 1951. (See Laughlin 1994, Dunning 1976, Buxton and Owen 1996.) A regular on The March of Time and The Fred Allen Show, he played so many character roles during the early days of radio drama that he became known as the "Lon Chaney of Radio". He was also an accomplished stage actor and played roles in major productions of A Bell For Adano and Waiting for Godot. He appeared in many movies, including Kiss of Death and the movie version of The Fat Man. In his later life, Smart's roles in radio programs included those shown in the table below. Program Role Blondie Mr. Fuddle Joe and Ethel Turp Uncle Ben (as Jack Smart) Meet Mr. Meek Uncle Louie (as Jack Smart) Mr. and Mrs. Joe (as Jack Smart) Nine to Five J. Aubrey Bloomer, Jr. (as Jack Smart) The Top Guy Police commissioner The Wonder Show Owner
He was also a member of the casts of The Family HourTerrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. . Pp. 113-114. and The Teen-Timers Club and was heard frequently on Grand Central Station and Inner Sanctum Mystery.DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 245.
Personal life Smart married Alice Coy Wright on July 23, 1931. He was married to Mary-Leigh Smart from 1951 until his death in 1960. They had no children, but were an established part of the local arts community in Ogunquit, Maine.
Later years Smart continued to live in Ogunquit, where he directed a summer theater. He also became a painter and sculptor.
Death Smart died of pancreatic cancer in Springfield, Illinois.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes1936 Three Smart Girls Newspaper Editor on Phone Uncredited1937 Girl Overboard Wilbur Jenkins 1937 Top of the Town Beaton 1937 When Love Is Young Winthrop Grove 1937 The Wildcatter Smiley 1937 Love in a Bungalow Wilbur Babcock 1937 One Hundred Men and a Girl Stage Doorman 1937 That's My Story Henchman 1938 Cipher Bureau Carlson Uncredited1939 Panama Patrol Eli Maing 1939 Some Like It Hot Joe - Hamburger Man 1939 Million Dollar Legs Splash Gordon, Sweet Shop Owner Uncredited1940 Johnny Apollo Leader of Conga Uncredited1943 The Adventures of Smilin' Jack Japanese Colonel Serial, Uncredited1945 Danger Signal Mrs. Crockett's Roomer Uncredited1946 Shadow of a Woman Timothy Freeman 1947 Kiss of Death Uncredited1947 That Hagen Girl Man in Drugstore Uncredited1948 Embraceable You Minor Role (scenes deleted)1951 The Fat Man Brad Runyan
References
Buxton, Frank and Bill Owen (1996) The Big Broadcast: 1920-1950 (second edition), New York: Scarecrow Press. Dallman, V.Y. (1960) Obituary in the Illinois State Register, January 15, 1960. Dunning, John (1976) Tune In Yesterday: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, 1925–1976, Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall. Laughlin, Charles D. (1994) J. Scott Smart, a.k.a. The Fat Man. York, Maine: Three Faces East Press. MacDonald, J. Fred (1979) Don't Touch That Dial: Radio Programming in American Life, 1920–1960. Chicago: Nelson-Hall, p. 173. Plante, William C. (1960) "J. Scott Smart". The Players Bulletin, spring issue. Taylor, Robert (1989) Fred Allen: His Life and Wit. Boston: Little, Brown and Company.
Listen to Internet Archive: The Fat Man (29 episodes) Note: Only the last six episodes in this archive are from the original American J. Scott Smart series; the rest are from the Australian series.
External links
J. Scott Smart official website