HARRY BARTELL

November 28, 1913

Harry Bartell was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, but grew up in Houston, where he got his start in radio as an announcer. He had one younger brother who died at age 23. With his youthful sounding voice, Bartell was one of the busiest West Coast radio actors from the early 1940s until the end of the 1960s. He also served in the United States Army. 

His first film experience was as an uncredited sailor in the Cary Grant film Destination Tokyo in 1943, but didn’t do another film until 1952, spending all his time doing radio. 

Although he was most popular on westerns such as “Gunsmoke” (he later did ten episodes of the television series as well), he also was heard on Lucille Ball’s radio comedy “My Favorite Husband” where he played a drunk in “George is Messy” (June 1950).  

In Fall 1952, Bartell did three television series: “Dangerous Assignment,” “Life With Luigi” and “I Love Lucy,” although records are unclear about which was his first filmed or first to premiere.  

Bartell did three episodes of “I Love Lucy,” starting with “The Courtroom” (ILL S2;E7) which first aired on November 10, 1952, but was filmed on August 8, 1952.  Bartell plays a process server who seems to arrive at the wrong apartment, looking for Miss Lewis. He recognizes bandleader Ricky Ricardo and asks for an autograph. Ricky doesn’t realize he’s signed for a summons and is served papers to appear in small claims court in the matter of “Mertz v Ricardo”!  

Bartell returned to the series to play the headwaiter who serves William Holden at the Hollywood Brown Derby in “Hollywood at Last!” (ILL S4;E16).  Bartell is apologetic that Holden is being ogled by Lucy, but hasn’t got another table to re-seat the star. 

His third an final appearance was as the jewel thief in “The Great Train Robbery” (ILL S5;E5).

The jewel thief gains Lucy’s confidence in order to get to Mr. Estes (Lou Krugman), the jeweler in the next compartment.  As with all of his “Lucy” characters, he does not have a name and he appears uncredited. 

He did two episodes of the Desilu helicopter series “Whirlybirds” in 1957 and 1959. 

He did two episodes of the hit Desilu crime drama “The Untouchables” in 1959 and 1961. This would be his final time working for Lucy and Desi. 

His last screen appearance was in the TV film Mobile Two in 1975. This was a pilot for a reboot of “Mobile One”, a series tarring Jackie Cooper. 

On February 26, 2004, Harry Bartell died in Ashland, Oregon. He was 90 years old.