James Nusser (May 3, 1905 – June 8, 1979) was an American film and television actor. He was known for playing the recurring role of town drunk Louis Pheeters in the American western television series Gunsmoke from 1961 to 1970.[1][2]
James Nusser | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 3, 1905 Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | June 8, 1979 (aged 74) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Film and television actor |
| Years active | 1951–1976 |
Nusser was born in Ohio.[3] He appeared in television programs including I Married Joan, Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, Gunsmoke, Perry Mason, Bat Masterson, The Fugitive, The Virginian, The Wild Wild West, Mannix and Cannon, and also in films such as Bonzo Goes to College, One Girl's Confession, It Should Happen to You, Hell Canyon Outlaws, The Rare Breed, Hillbillys in a Haunted House, Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?, Hail, Hero! and Cahill U.S. Marshal.
Nusser died on June 8, 1979 in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 74.[3][4] He was buried in Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery.[5]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Bonzo Goes to College | Golfer | uncredited |
| 1953 | One Girl's Confession | Warden | |
| 1954 | It Should Happen to You | Board Member | uncredited |
| 1956 | Mohawk | Settler | uncredited |
| 1957 | Hell Canyon Outlaws | Oscar Schultz | |
| 1966 | The Rare Breed | Kelly | uncredited |
| 1967 | Hillbillys in a Haunted House | Janitor | |
| 1968 | Where Were You When the Lights Went Out? | Passenger | uncredited |
| 1969 | Hail, Hero! | Max | |
| 1973 | Cahill U.S. Marshal | Doctor Jones |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Space Patrol | Ben | season 1 episode 34 ("The Underwater Hideout") |
| 1952 | Chevron Theatre | season 1 episode 11 ("Poor Miss Emmie") | |
| 1953 | I Led 3 Lives | Captain Norton | season 1 episode 7 ("Army Infiltration") |
| The Ford Television Theatre | season 5 episode 14 ("Alias Nora Hale") | ||
| 1954–1955 | I Married Joan | miscellaneous roles | 2 episodes (seasons 2–3) |
| 1954–1958 | The Lineup | Willie Martin | 5 episodes (seasons 1, 4) |
| 1955–1956 | Schlitz Playhouse of Stars | miscellaneous roles | 2 episodes (seasons 4–5) |
| 1955 | TV Reader's Digest | Harry Griffin | season 1 episode 9 ("The American Master Counterfeiters") |
| The Man Behind the Badge | Coroner | season 2 episode 21 ("The Case of the Unwelcome Stranger") | |
| Sergeant Preston of the Yukon | Captain Whitman | season 1 episode 14 ("The Mad Wolf of Lost Canyon") | |
| 1956–1970 | Gunsmoke | miscellaneous roles | 5 episodes credited (seasons 1–6) |
| Louie Pheeters | recurring character; 69 episodes credited (seasons 7–15) | ||
| 1956 | The Star and the Story | season 2 episode 22 ("The Lonely Ones") | |
| Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theatre | Cab Driver | season 2 episode 7 ("No More Tears") | |
| Dragnet | season 6 episode 13 ("The Big Handcuffs") | ||
| 1957 | Broken Arrow | Al Perkins | season 1 episode 17 ("The Missionaries") |
| Dr. Christian | McKnight | season 1 episode 21 ("Mother's Boy") | |
| Perry Mason | Judge | season 1 episode 12 ("The Case of the Negligent Nymph") | |
| 1958 | The Court of Last Resort | Judge | season 1 episode 25 ("The Todd–Loomis Case") |
| The Texan | Shanks | season 1 episode 4 ("The First Notch") | |
| 1959 | Peter Gunn | Bartender | season 1 episode 36 ("Vendetta") |
| 1960–1961 | Bat Masterson | miscellaneous roles | 2 episodes (seasons 2–3) |
| 1960 | This Man Dawson | season 1 episode 24 ("Accessory to Murder") | |
| Riverboat | Hotel Clerk | season 2 episode 9 ("The Quota") | |
| 1961 | Mrs. G. Goes to College | Telephone Man | season 1 episode 13 ("Mrs. G.'s Private Telephone") |
| 1962 | Ben Casey | Burleigh Hanks | season 1 episode 15 ("Imagine a Long Bright Corridor") |
| Target: The Corruptors! | Stickface's Accomplice | season 1 episode 26 ("A Man's Castle") | |
| 1963 | Temple Houston | Flytrap | season 1 episode 10 ("Billy Hart") |
| 1965 | The Fugitive | Smiley | season 2 episode 28 ("A.P.B.") |
| The Long, Hot Summer | Pliny | season 1 episode 7 ("No Hiding Place") | |
| 1966 | The Road West | Amos | season 1 episode 3 ("The Gunfighter") |
| 1967–1968 | The Virginian | miscellaneous roles | 3 episodes (seasons 6–7) |
| 1967 | Cimarron Strip | Judge Homer Padgett | season 1 episode 10 ("Till the End of Night") |
| The Wild Wild West | Reeves | season 3 episode 12 ("The Night of the Legion of Death") | |
| 1968 | The Outsider | Thin Man | season 1 episode 10 ("I Can't Hear You Scream") |
| 1969 | Then Came Bronson | Ben Crosswell | season 1 episode 2 ("The Old Motorcycle Fiasco") |
| 1970 | The Wonderful World of Disney | Ben Forrester | season 16 episodes 18–19 ("Menace on the Mountain: Parts 1 and 2") |
| The Mod Squad | Gus | season 3 episode 2 ("See the Eagles Dying") | |
| 1972 | The Waltons | Jake the Junkman | season 1 episode 4 ("The Hunt") |
| 1976 | Cannon | Ryan | season 5 episode 16 ("The Reformer") |
References
edit- ^ Witbeck, Charles (February 14, 1969). "The Character Pays Off For Actor James Nusser". The Shreveport Journal. Shreveport, Louisiana. p. 52. Retrieved November 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "James Nusser Parleys Few Lines As Town Drunk Into Tradition". The Indianapolis Star. Indianapolis, Indiana. January 19, 1969. p. 128. Retrieved November 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Doyle, Billy; Slide, Anthony (1999). The Ultimate Directory of Silent and Sound Era Performers: A Necrology of Actors and Actresses. Scarecrow Press. p. 411. ISBN 9780810835474 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Rites Set for James Nusser, Veteran Television, Film Actor". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. June 12, 1979. p. 29. Retrieved November 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Wilson, Scott (August 19, 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 555. ISBN 9781476625997 – via Google Books.
