Cliff Norton

Cliff Norton
Cliff Norton
	Norton on The Monkees (1967)
Born	Clifford Charles Nathan; March 21, 1918; Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	January 25, 2003 (aged 84); Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupations	Actor; radio announcer;
Years active	1949–1994

Clifford Charles Norton (born Clifford Charles Nathan;^[1] March 21, 1918^[2] – January 25, 2003) was an American character actor and radio announcer who appeared in various movies and television series over a career spanning four decades.

Quick Facts Born, Died ...

Close

Born and raised in Chicago,^[3] Norton was one of three children born to Benjamin W. Nathan and Sophia Sholdar.^[1]^[4] He attended Sullivan High School, and graduated in 1935.^[5]^[6] His early jobs included selling shoes and working as a floorwalker.^[7] His first broadcasting experience came as a disc jockey on Chicago's WAAF-AM.^[6] During World War II he was a bombardier in the U.S. Army Air Corps.^[3]

On old-time radio, Norton was probably best known as the announcer for Dave Garroway's radio program; Norton was also a member of the cast of Terry and the Pirates.^[8]

Norton started working on television in the 1950s. He was a regular on Your Show of Shows,^[9]^: 1209 Sid Caesar Presents Comedy Preview,^[9]^: 966-967Garroway at Large,^[9]^: 379 Caesar's Hour^[9] and The Dave Garroway Show.^[9]^: 239 He performed standup comedy on The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show.^[10] He was a regular panelist and presenter on the 1954 ABC game show What's Going On. He also had guest roles in series such as Studio One, The United States Steel Hour, The Alcoa Hour, and Kraft Television Theater.^[10] In 1952, he starred in the short-lived NBC comedy series The Public Life of Cliff Norton. ^[9]^: 863

He was the star and announcer for the 1960s syndicated program The Funny Manns,^[9]^: 372 which involved silent film footage used for broad comedic effect.^[11]

Throughout the 1960s, Norton guest starred on programs such as The Cara Williams Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Hogan's Heroes, The Munsters, The Monkees, The Lucy Show, and Bewitched. He also created and starred in a spoofing weather spot called Your Weather and Mine, which aired on KTLA in Los Angeles^[3] in 1963.

He had a regular role in the 1966–1967 sitcom It's About Time as "Boss", the chief of a prehistoric caveman tribe.^[9]^: 516 He also provided the voice for the lead character, Ed Huddles, in Hanna-Barbera's 1970 animated prime-time series Where's Huddles?

In 1971, he appeared in the final episode of Green Acres; this episode was a backdoor pilot for another sitcom that CBS later rejected.^[12]

Norton appeared in several films in the 1960s and 1970s, including Kiss Me, Stupid (1964); Harlow (1965); Munster, Go Home! (1966); The Ghost and Mr. Chicken; The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966); Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came (1970); Harry and Tonto (1974); Funny Lady (1975); and all-star comedy films such as It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) and Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976).

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Norton guest starred in shows such as The Feather & Father Gang, The San Pedro Beach Bums, and Remington Steele.

On January 25, 2003, Norton died of lung cancer at his home in Studio City, California at age 84.^[6] He was survived by three children and four grandchildren.^[3]

More information Year, Title ...

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1952	The Public Life of Cliff Norton	Himself	Lead role
1954	What's Going On	Himself	Panelist
1958	Country Music Holiday	Morty Chapman
1961	The Funny Manns	Himself/Various	Host
1962	The Dick Van Dyke Show	Game Warden	Season 2, Episode 11; "A Bird in the Head Hurts"
1963	It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World	Reporter	Scene deleted
1964	Kiss Me, Stupid	Mack Gray
1964	The Munsters	Police Chief Harris	Season 1, Episode 3; "A Walk on the Mild Side"
1965	The Cara Williams Show	Various	2 episodes
1965	Harlow	Billy
1965	McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force	Maj. Bill Grady
1966	The Ghost and Mr. Chicken	Charlie, the Bailiff
1966	Frankie and Johnny	Eddie	Uncredited
1966	The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming	Charlie Hinkson
1966	Munster, Go Home!	Herbert
1966–1967	It's About Time	Boss	Regular role
1967	Hogan's Heroes	Captain Kurtz	Season 2, Episode 23; "Everyone Has a Brother-in-Law"
1967	The Monkees	J. L.	Season 2, Episode 23; "The Picture Frame"
1967	The Lucy Show	Ike	Season 5, Episode 20; "Lucy the Fight Manager"
1968-1970	Bewitched	Various	7 episodes
1970	Where's Huddles?	Ed Huddles	Lead role; Voice over
1970	Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came	Herman Hyde
1970	The Phantom Tollbooth	Kakofonous A. Dischord / Tollbooth Speaker	Voice
1971	Green Acres	Harry Grant	1 episode
1973	The Odd Couple	Lloyd
1974	Harry and Tonto	Used Car Salesman
1975	Funny Lady	Stage Manager
1976	Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood	Dog Catcher
1977	The Mouse and His Child	Crow #2	Voice
1977	The Feather & Father Gang		Season 1, Episode 6; "Never Con a Killer" (originally made as series pilot)
1977	The San Pedro Beach Bums		Season 1, Episode 4; "Godfathers Five"
1982	Pandamonium	Timothy	Voice
1983	Remington Steele	Morrie Singer	Season 1, Episode 15; "To Stop a Steele"

Close

[1]
"United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6KQ4-SYGY : 10 February 2023), Clifford Charles Nathan, .
[2]
Leszczak, Bob (2014). The Odd Couple on Stage and Screen: A History with Cast and Crew Profiles he Odd Couple on Stage and Screen: A History with Cast and Crew Profiles . Jefferson,NC: McFarland & Company. p. 94. ISBN 978-0-7864-7790-6.
[3]
Oliver, Myrna (January 31, 2003). "Cliff Norton, 84; Began Acting Career in Radio". Los Angeles Times. p. B11. Retrieved August 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
[4]
"United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MJ7R-QBT : Thu Jul 20 22:03:31 UTC 2023), Entry for Benjamin Nathan and Albert Nathan, 1920.
[5]
Webber, Brad (February 17, 1935). "SULLIVAN HIGH SENIORS TO EDIT JOINT YEARBOOK: Dual Staf Directs Work of Publication". Chicago Tribune. p. III-7. ProQuest 181659261. February and June graduating classes of Sullivan High School will combine their yearbooks into one annual publication to be placed on sale the latter part of this semester. [...] The circulation managers are Clifford Nathan (February) and Miss Kathryn Kropf (June).
[6]
Webber, Brad (January 28, 2003). "CLIFF NORTON, 84 ; Veteran character actor known for comic touch: [North Sports Final Edition]". Chicago Tribune. p. II-8. ProQuest 419544162. Mr. Norton, 84, died of lung cancer Saturday, Jan. 25, in his Studio City, Calif., home. [..] Born in Chicago, Mr. Norton graduated from Sullivan High School in 1935. By the end of that decade, he was a disc jockey with a morning show on WAAF-AM 1000. He enlisted in the Army Air Forces during World War II and was a bombardier in the India-Burma-China war zone--a role he would claim made him the 'American record-holder for intake of quinine.' After the war, he became a regular on Chicago's radio scene and appeared on 'Captain Midnight,' 'Tom Mix' and 'Terry and the Pirates.' He met Garroway, an NBC staff announcer who would soon employ him as a regular on 'Garroway at Large,' a musical revue and talk show that moved to New York in 1952.
[7]
Remenih, Anton (February 26, 1950). "Seeing Funny Side Is Way of Life With Cliff". Chicago Tribune. p. C10. Retrieved August 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
[8]
Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company. p. 328. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
[9]
Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
[10]
"Cliff Norton, 84, Television Actor". The New York Times. 2003-02-01. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
[11]
King, Rob (2017). Hokum! : The Early Sound Slapstick Short and Depression-Era Mass Culture. Oakland, California: University of California Press. p. 196. ISBN 9780520288119.
[12]
Cox, Stephen (1993). The Hooterville handbook : A Viewer's Guide to Green Acres. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 203. ISBN 0-312-08811-6.

Cliff Norton at IMDb

[USSSNIF-1] [1]
"United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6KQ4-SYGY : 10 February 2023), Clifford Charles Nathan, .

[2] [2]
Leszczak, Bob (2014). The Odd Couple on Stage and Screen: A History with Cast and Crew Profiles he Odd Couple on Stage and Screen: A History with Cast and Crew Profiles . Jefferson,NC: McFarland & Company. p. 94. ISBN 978-0-7864-7790-6.

[lat-3] [3]
Oliver, Myrna (January 31, 2003). "Cliff Norton, 84; Began Acting Career in Radio". Los Angeles Times. p. B11. Retrieved August 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[4] [4]
"United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MJ7R-QBT : Thu Jul 20 22:03:31 UTC 2023), Entry for Benjamin Nathan and Albert Nathan, 1920.

[5] [5]
Webber, Brad (February 17, 1935). "SULLIVAN HIGH SENIORS TO EDIT JOINT YEARBOOK: Dual Staf Directs Work of Publication". Chicago Tribune. p. III-7. ProQuest 181659261. February and June graduating classes of Sullivan High School will combine their yearbooks into one annual publication to be placed on sale the latter part of this semester. [...] The circulation managers are Clifford Nathan (February) and Miss Kathryn Kropf (June).

[CTobit-6] [6]
Webber, Brad (January 28, 2003). "CLIFF NORTON, 84 ; Veteran character actor known for comic touch: [North Sports Final Edition]". Chicago Tribune. p. II-8. ProQuest 419544162. Mr. Norton, 84, died of lung cancer Saturday, Jan. 25, in his Studio City, Calif., home. [..] Born in Chicago, Mr. Norton graduated from Sullivan High School in 1935. By the end of that decade, he was a disc jockey with a morning show on WAAF-AM 1000. He enlisted in the Army Air Forces during World War II and was a bombardier in the India-Burma-China war zone--a role he would claim made him the 'American record-holder for intake of quinine.' After the war, he became a regular on Chicago's radio scene and appeared on 'Captain Midnight,' 'Tom Mix' and 'Terry and the Pirates.' He met Garroway, an NBC staff announcer who would soon employ him as a regular on 'Garroway at Large,' a musical revue and talk show that moved to New York in 1952.

[ct-7] [7]
Remenih, Anton (February 26, 1950). "Seeing Funny Side Is Way of Life With Cliff". Chicago Tribune. p. C10. Retrieved August 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[rp-8] [8]
Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company. p. 328. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.

[etvs-9] [9]
Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.

[:0-10] [10]
"Cliff Norton, 84, Television Actor". The New York Times. 2003-02-01. Retrieved 2024-10-08.

[11] [11]
King, Rob (2017). Hokum! : The Early Sound Slapstick Short and Depression-Era Mass Culture. Oakland, California: University of California Press. p. 196. ISBN 9780520288119.

[12] [12]
Cox, Stephen (1993). The Hooterville handbook : A Viewer's Guide to Green Acres. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 203. ISBN 0-312-08811-6.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

Cliff Norton

Wikiwand in your browser!

Early years

Career

Death

Filmography

References

External links

Cliff Norton
Norton on The Monkees (1967)
Born	Clifford Charles Nathan (1918-03-21)March 21, 1918 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	January 25, 2003(2003-01-25) (aged 84) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupations	Actor radio announcer
Years active	1949–1994