ROBERT FOULK

May 5, 1908

Robert Foulk was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 5, 1908. He attended the University of Pennsylvania as an architecture student but became interested in theatre and by the age of 23 had made his Broadway debut in 1931. He did six plays on Broadway up until 1939, when he moved to Hollywood.  

His first job in Hollywood was not on screen, but as a dialog director for Warner Brothers, where he worked on ten films (including The Maltese Falcon) before making his feature film acting debut in Road House (1948) starring Ida Lupino. In it, he played a policeman (uncredited), something he would do countless times again in the future.

In June 1951, he made his television debut in an episode of “Racket Squad”.  Television would keep him busy for the rest of his life.

His first job for Desilu was in April 1953, on Desilu’s “Cavalcade of America” anthology series.  He would do six more episodes through November 1956.

In January and May 1956, Foulk did two episodes of Desilu’s hit sitcom “December Bride.”

In 1956 he also did two episodes of Desilu’s co-production of “The Adventures of Jim Bowie”.  

In 1956 and early 1957, he did two episodes of Desilu’s “The Sheriff of Cochise.” In addition to law enforcement, westerns were keeping him busy.

Foulk also did three episodes of Desilu’s “The Texan” in from 1958 to 1960.

Not strictly a western, he was also seen in 1960 episode of Desilu’s “Guestward Ho!”

LUCY (to a Policeman): “Oh, good grief, no. Don’t get a policeman. You know how nosy they are, always asking those foolish questions and then, instead of helping, after you’ve gone through all the trouble of explaining for half an hour, all they do is just mess things up. Don’t get a policeman!”

He had been playing policemen for “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show” so it was natural to cast him as the Cop on the Brooklyn subway platform on “I Love Lucy” in “Lucy and The Loving Cup” (ILL S6;E12), filmed on November 1, 1956, but first aired on January 7, 1957.

After “I Love Lucy” Foulk did two episodes of their copter series “Whirlybirds” in 1957 and 1958.

On Desilu’s “The Real McCoys” he played five different characters in five appearances between 1959 and 1963.

He also did a single episode of their mega-hit “The Untouchables" in 1961. He played a Sheriff (uncredited) in “The Big Train – Part 2″.  

From Brooklyn to Beverly Hills, Foulk played an undercover policeman in “Lucy Goes to a Hollywood Premiere” (TLS S4;E20) on February 7, 1966. He gives Mr. Mooney a hard time for hustling Hollywood maps to the stars homes.

He returned to work for Lucille Ball again, this time with Lucille Ball Productions, in “Lucy and the Raffle” (HL S3;E19) on January 18, 1971, the first of his six appearances on “Here’s Lucy.”  He played a government clerk who gives Lucy a hard time when she seeks a permit for her raffle.

The very next week he was back as one of Harry’s poker pals (with Frank J. Scannell) in “Lucy’s House Guest, Harry” (HL S3;20) on January 25, 1971.  Those are small kegs of beer for such a large man!

Foulk returns for a third week in a row (virtually unheard of with Lucy) to play the janitor in the building where Carter’s Unique Employment Agency rents space. The episode was titled “Lucy and Aladdin’s Lamp” (HL S3;E21) and it aired on February 1, 1971).

He’s back in blue for “Lucy and Mannix Are Held Hostage” (HL S4;E4) on October 4, 1971. Although it is a new season, only six new episodes had passed since his previous appearance.

It had been more than a year, but he kept his uniform on for “The Case of the Reckless Wheelchair Driver” (HL S5;E6) on October 16, 1972.

Foulk looked a bit different for his final appearance with Lucille Ball in “The Big Game” (HL S6;E2) on September 17, 1973, where he dons a beard as a football fan who can’t score a ticket for ‘the big game.’  When Lucy tries to sell him some scalped tickets, he thinks she is trying to sell herself!  

Foulk’s final screen role was playing an old sea captain in the Disney film Pete’s Dragon in 1977.  

In the 1930s, Foulk married actress Alice Frost. In 1947, he married Barbara Slater. They remained married until his death in 1989 at age 80.