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Sam Flint

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Sam Flint
Flint in The Monster Maker (1944)
Born
Samuel A. Ethridge

(1882-10-19)October 19, 1882
Gwinnett County, Georgia, U.S.
DiedOctober 17, 1980(1980-10-17) (aged 97)
Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1933–1968
Spouse(s)Ella Ethridge
(m. 19??)

Sam Flint (born Samuel A. Ethridge; October 19, 1882 – October 17, 1980) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 200 films, and is perhaps most familiar to today's audiences from Charlie Chan mysteries, adventure serials (notably The Phantom as the Phantom's father), It's a Wonderful Life (as the relieved bank manager mopping his brow in Mr. Potter's office), and the Three Stooges short Micro-Phonies (as singer Christine McIntyre's wealthy father).

Flint was born in Guinette County, Georgia.[1] As a young man, he became interested in the theater and appeared in many dramatic plays.

By 1933 he was a member of the Los Angeles company appearing in the hit play The Drunkard, under his real name of Sam Ethridge, and broke into movies with the small, independent Monogram Pictures. Comedian W. C. Fields wanted to include The Drunkard in one of his films, and arranged for Paramount Pictures to sign members of the company -- including Ethridge -- to movie contracts.[2] While most of the actors returned to the live theater, Ethridge continued to work in pictures. Under the screen name Sam Flint, he became familiar for his weathered face, distinguished mustache, and dignified bearing, typecasting him profitably as authority figures: doctors, lawyers, judges, ship's captains, military officers, bankers, racetrack stewards, and senior officials. His last film was the satirical feature Head (1968), starring The Monkees.

Personal life

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Flint was married to actress Ella Ethridge, whom he met after she watched him in a play in Galveston, Texas. Later they had an agreement: "Neither will accept a part with any company unless the contract includes the other."[3]

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. ^ The International 1946-47 International Motion Picture Almanac, Terry Ramsaye, ed., Quigley Publications, p, 98.
  2. ^ The Hollywood Reporter, Apr. 21, 1934, p. 3.
  3. ^ Monahan, Kaspar (October 9, 1932). "The Show Shops". The Pittsburgh Press. Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh. p. 31. Retrieved November 9, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ Hal Erickson. "Sam Flint". AllMovie. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
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