Tom Ewell (born Samuel Yewell Tompkins; April 29, 1909 – September 12, 1994) was an American film, stage and television actor, and producer. His most successful and most identifiable role was that of Richard Sherman in The Seven Year Itch, a character he played in the Broadway production (1952–1954) and reprised for the 1955 film adaptation. He received a Tony Award for his work in the play and a Golden Globe Award for his performance in the film. Although Ewell preferred acting on stage, he accepted several other screen roles in light comedies of the 1950s, most notably The Girl Can't Help It (1956). He appeared in the film version of the musical State Fair (1962) and in a small number of additional ones released between the early 1960s and 1980s.
Early life Ewell was born in Owensboro, Kentucky, the son of Martine (née Yewell) and Samuel William Tompkins. His family expected him to follow in their footsteps as lawyers or whiskey and tobacco dealers, but Ewell decided to pursue acting instead. He began acting in summer stock in 1928 with Don Ameche before moving to New York City in 1931. He enrolled in the Actors Studio.
Career He made his Broadway debut in 1934 and his film debut in 1940, and for several years, he played comic supporting roles. His acting career was interrupted during World War II when he served in the United States Navy.
After World War II, Ewell attracted attention with a strong performance in the film Adam's Rib (1949), and he began to receive Hollywood roles more frequently. Ewell continued acting in summer stock through the 1940s: He starred opposite June Lockhart in Lawrence Riley's biographical play Kin Hubbard in 1951, the story of one of America's greatest humorists and cartoonists, Kin Hubbard. With this play, he made his debut as a producer. In 1947, he won a Clarence Derwent Award for his portrayal of Fred Taylor in the original Broadway cast of John Loves Mary.
His most successful and, arguably, most identifiable role came in 1952, when he joined the Broadway production of The Seven Year Itch as protagonist Richard Sherman. With Vanessa Brown as "The Girl", Ewell played the part more than 950 times over three years, as he indicated in a mystery guest appearance on the June 12, 1955, airing of What's My Line? to promote the 1955 film adaptation. He earned both the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for portraying Sherman.
He enjoyed other film successes, including The Lieutenant Wore Skirts with Sheree North and The Girl Can't Help It (both 1956) opposite Jayne Mansfield. In The Girl Can't Help It, Julie London appears as a mirage to Tom Miller (Ewell) singing her signature song, "Cry Me a River". He played Abel Frake in the 1962 version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical State Fair. In 1956, at the Coconut Grove Playhouse, he co-starred with Bert Lahr in the U.S. premiere of Waiting for Godot.
However, as his film and theater careers seemed to have reached their peaks, he turned his attention to television. Over several years, he played guest roles in numerous series, and received an Emmy Award nomination for his continuing role in Baretta. His final acting performance was in a 1986 episode of Murder, She Wrote.
From September 1960 to May 1961, Ewell starred in his own television series, in the self-titled The Tom Ewell Show, which lasted for one season.
In 1970, Ewell played Hoy Valentine in The Men From Shiloh (the rebranded name of The Virginian) in the episode titled "With Love, Bullets and Valentines". In the mid-1970s, Ewell enjoyed popular success with a recurring role as retired veteran policeman Billy Truman in the 1970s Emmy-winning TV series Baretta. Ewell appeared in 36 episodes of the television-cop series, which starred Robert Blake as Detective Tony Baretta, until its end in 1978. In 1979, he was a guest star on the television series Taxi. Ewell also co-starred from 1981 to 1982 as the drunken town doctor in the short-lived television series Best of the West.
Personal life and death
On March 18, 1946, he married Judy Abbott, daughter of Broadway director George Abbott; the short-lived marriage ended in divorce a year later. Ewell then married Marjorie Sanborn on May 5, 1948; they had a son, Taylor.
Ewell died of undisclosed causes at the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital on September 12, 1994. His widow, Marjorie, said he had suffered a long series of illnesses. Ewell was also survived by his son, Taylor (known as Tate Ewell, born November 2, 1954), and by his mother, Martine Yewell Tompkins (1889–1998), who lived in Curdsville, Kentucky, where she died at age 109.
Legacy In 2003, Ewell was inducted into the Owensboro High School Hall of Fame.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes1940They Knew What They Wanted New Hired Hand Uncredited1941Back in the Saddle Fight Spectator Uncredited1941Desert Bandit Ordway - Texas Ranger 1947Babies, They're WonderfulHaroldShort Film1948Mr. Groundling Takes the AirMr. GroundlingShort Film1949Adam's Rib Warren Attinger 1949Southward Ho Ho!TomShort Film1949The Football FanTom - The Football FanShort Film1949Caribbean CapersTom the TouristShort Film1950A Life of Her Own Tom Caraway 1950American Guerrilla in the Philippines Jim Mitchell 1950Mr. Music Haggerty 1950How Green Is My SpinachMan in AudienceUncredited (Short Film)1950The Rhumba SeatTomShort Film1951Up Front Willie 1952Finders Keepers Tiger Kipps 1952Lost in Alaska Nugget Joe McDermott 1952Back at the Front Willie 1955The Seven Year Itch Richard Sherman 1956The Lieutenant Wore Skirts Gregory Whitcomb 1956The Great American Pastime Bruce Hallerton 1956The Girl Can't Help It Tom Miller 1958A Nice Little Bank That Should Be Robbed Max Rutgers 1962Tender Is the Night Abe North 1962State Fair Abel Frake 1968Columbia Musical Travelark: Wonders of KentuckyColonel TomShort Film1970Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came Billy Joe Davis 1972To Find a Man Dr. Hargrove 1972They Only Kill Their Masters Walter 1974The Great Gatsby Mourner Uncredited1979Butterflies in Heat Hadley Crabtree 1983Easy Money Scrappleton
Television YearTitleRoleNotes1948Kraft TheatreStephen Brewster"Suppressed Desires"1948–49Actors StudioHimself4 episodes1949NBC Presentshimself2 episodes1951The Billy Rose ShowHimself"Whirling of Life"1951Dangerunknown role"The Night of March Fifteenth"1951Search for TomorrowSheriff Bill Langunknown episode(s)1951Studio One in HollywoodWillie Mason"Mighty Like a Rogue"1951Lights OutCharlie Drome"The Deal"1951Cosmopolitan Theatreunknown role"Mr. Pratt and the Triple Horror Bill"1952Robert Montgomery Presentsunknown role"See No Evil"1955Playwrights '56William Bingham"Daisy, Daisy"1955Alfred Hitchcock PresentsAlbert PelhamSeason 1 Episode 10: "The Case of Mr. Pelham"1956The Alcoa HourEarl Carleton"Man on Fire"1959The United States Steel HourBarney Henderson"The Square Egghead"1959General Electric TheatreJohn Emmet Owens"The Day of the Hanging"1960–61The Tom Ewell ShowTom Potterseries regular (32 episodes)1962The Sound and the Fidelityunknown roleTV movie1963The Dick Powell TheatreCongressman Albert Higgins"The Honorable Albert Higgins"1964Wagon TrainHector Heatherton"The Hector Heatherton Story"1965Burke's LawLeander Clement"Who Killed Nobody Somehow?"1966Summer Fununknown role"Kwimper of New Jersey"1970The Governor & J.J.Uncle Charley"Charley's Back in Town"1970The VirginianHoy Valentine"With Love, Bullets and Valentines"1971The Name of the GameDistrict Attorney Simpson"A Sister from Napoli"1971Alias Smith and JonesDeputy Treadwell"The Root of It All"1973The New Temperatures Rising ShowHarry Butler"Diagnosis: Who Knows?"1974The Wide World of MysteryLebow"The Spy Who Returned from the Dead"1975Promise Him AnythingJudgeTV movie1975–78BarettaBilly Trumanseries regular (44 episodes)1978Fantasy IslandBurt "Fingers" Lonegan"The Over the Hill Caper / Proof! You're a Movie Star"1979The Return of Mod SquadCookTV movie1979EischiedSuper2 episodes1979TaxiDr. Richmond"Nardo Loses Her Marbles"1979Flying HighWilliams"Eye Opener"1981–82Best of the WestDoc Kullensseries regular (22 episodes)1982Terror at AlcatrazJohnsonTV movie1982Trapper John, M.D.Earl Tendermeyer"The Good Life"1986Murder, She WroteJosh Corbin"Trial by Error"
Theatre YearTitleRoleNotes1934They Shall Not DieRed, Young Man1934Geraniums is My WindowDenver1934–35The First LegionNovices and Choir1935–36Let Freedom RingSmall HardyYoung Frank Martin at 211936Ethan FromeDennis Eady1936–37Stage DoorLarry Westscott1938–39The Merchant of YonkersCornelius Hackl1939Family PortraitSimon1939–1940Key LargoGage (replacement)replaced Crahan Denton1941Liberty JonesDick Brown1941–42Sunny RiverDaniel Marshall1946Apple of His EyeGlen Stover1947–48John Loves MaryFred Taylor1948–49Small Wonderunknown1952–55The Seven Year ItchRichard Sherman1957–58The Tunnel of LoveAugie Poole1958PatateLeon Rollo1960A Thurber CarnivalGrant / He / Anderson / The Pet Counselor / James Thurber / Narrator / Walter Mitty1965Xmas in Las VegasEdward T. Wellspot
Accolades YearAssociationCategoryNominated workResultsRef1947Clarence Derwent AwardsBest Supporting Male (USA)1953Tony AwardBest Actor in a PlayThe Seven Year Itch1956Golden Globe AwardsBest Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or ComedyThe Seven Year Itch1977Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama SeriesBaretta
References
External links