Chester B. Conklin-Our Miss Brooks

I know that I just left out 99% of you Dopers.

One of my favorite tv shows in the early '50’s was Our Miss Brooks starring Eve Arden, Richard Crenna and Gale Gordon(as Mr. Conklin, the principal at the school).

There was a real-life actor named Chester Conklin in the silent films era who crossed over into the talkies. He was very prolific. Born 1886, died 1971. 259!! film credits.

Questions: WAS the character in the tv/radio show named Chester B Conklin? That’s how I remember it.

Is there a reason that the tv show named the character of the principal a real-life person?

According to Gale Gordon’s IMDb page, as well as my copy of Alex McNeil’s Total Television, Conklin’s first name was Osgood.

Getting old, I guess. You’re correct.

Maybe it was Osgood B. Conklin.

Showing my age…I remember Our Miss Brooks. One of the earliest memories of TV I have, actually.

Y’know, I thought the principal’s name was Chester Conklin, too! I presume I had encountered the name of the real-life actor, and I mentally tacked the “Chester” onto Mr. Conklin’s name.

Loved that show. I always thought Eve Arden was a funnier gal than Lucille Ball. I liked Joan Davis a lot, too. Remember I Married Joan, co-starring the wonderful Jim Backus?

Hell, I remember Chester Conklin! He was actually a very effective and understated dramatic actor, too, when given the chance.

I’ve never seen the TV version of Our Miss Brooks, but I have every episode of the radio show, and it’s one of my favourites.

Was the TV show as (relatively) racy as the radio show? (ie; all the gags based on Boynton’s interest in biology extending to everything except that one blind spot that Connie found so frustrating – Walter’s perpetual nerdy randiness, etc…)

The radio version was somewhat edgier, but the TV version was saved by Eve Arden being Eve Arden. Yes, Boynton was an oblivious nerd, but Walter Denton was more just a goofy teenager.

FYI, they decided to shake up the show in what turned out to be the final season. Miss Brooks changed schools (but kept the same principal. Robert Rockwell (who turned out to be very good as Boynton) was gone, with Gene Barry playing the new love interest. It ruined the chemistry and the show was canceled.

I woulda bet I’d live to be a gajillion years old before I ever saw someone put up a post about Chester Conklin.

Next thing you know we’ll all be chatting away about Ben Turpin or Andy Clyde…

Wasn’t Wally Cox on Our Miss Brooks as well?

A couple of issues ago Vanity Fair did an article on Marlon Brando (this is right after his death), and who do you suppose Marlon Brando’s best friend in the whole world was?..yep, Wally Cox. Brando had Wally Cox’s ashes on his mantle (actually they were in an urn on his mantle) and he carried them with him whenever he travelled.

Wally Cox’s sitcom, Mr. Peepers, was also set on a high school campus. Which doesn’t mean he couldn’t have appeared on Our Miss Brooks, of course.

I didn’t know there was a TV show, but I’ve greatly enjoyed episodes of the radio show. Ed Walker (formerly part of the Bob & Ray-like The Joyboys with Willard Scott) has an OTR show Sunday evenings on NPR around here and he plays Our Miss Brooks from time to time.

–Cliffy

Me too. I don’t know why I love it so much. Eve Arden just kills me, that’s all. She’s the original Bridget Jones. I never saw the TV show but I watched the movie and I was soooo disappointed by Mr. Boynton’s unsexiness.

BTW, there was another actor named “Heinie Conklin,” who was not related to Chester. Despite that, the resemblance is amazing. They even made a few films together.