By Char Petersen
Although he left Susanville more than seven decades ago, at the end of his life Frank Cady – television and movie star – is being remembered around the world as one of our town’s most famous sons.
His death this week has been noted in newspapers and television, and today both the New York Times and Forbes Magazine have run very nice articles on Cady’s life and career.
Cady was born in Susanville, the youngest of three children, to Ted and Clara Cady in 1915.
As a student at Lassen High School in the 1930’s he followed his passion for journalism, working each day after school for the Lassen Advocate newspaper, first as a copy boy, then as a writer.
Cady is remembered as saying that at this point his dream was to someday become a great news reporter.
It was at Stanford University, the place where he met his wife Shirley, where he realized his true calling in life.
He was asked to write a skit and compose a tune that would later become part of the annual student musical show, and in which he would star in. This was the opening act for Cady’s new found love and career as an actor.
After graduating in 1938 from Stanford’s drama department Cady appeared in some experimental television in New York and made his west coast television debut in hectic live shows of the late 1940’s; shows as diverse as CBS’s Studio One, Life with Father and other character roles, both dramatic and comedic.
In 1943 he enlisted in the Army Air Force and after being discharged from military service in 1946 Cady appeared in a series of plays in the Los Angeles area, which led to movie roles.
1950 saw Cady with an un-credited speaking role in the film drama, D.O.A. as Sam the Bartender, and another un-credited role in Father of the Bride. He appeared in more than thirty Hollywood movies including Elia Kazan’s dramatic ‘Ace in the Hole’ and Hitchcock’s ‘Rear Window’ with Jimmy Stewart.
Throughout Frank Cady’s career he was seen in 46 television shows. Some of his most prominent TV roles were in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (as Ozzie and Harriet’s neighbor Doc Williams), Petticoat Junction and These are the Days.
He is probably most well known for his role as shop-keeper Sam Drucker in Green Acres, a show that he dedicated more than a decade of his life to, performing as Drucker in over 300 episodes.
That role allowed Cady to appear as Drucker regularly on several shows, logging 145 episodes of Green Acres, 152 episodes of Petticoat Junction and 11 episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies, making him the first television character to appear on three top ten television shows at once. A accomplishment that hasn’t been repeated since.
In 1978, after an amazing career as a genuine American icon, Frank Cady retired from acting and moved to Camelot on California’s central coast with his wife.
He returned to television briefly in 1990 for the movie Return to Green Acres.
In retirement Frank once again returned to his first passion and began writing for the local newspaper.
Retirement for Cady also included hiking in the Swiss Alps, and playing in his beloved celebrity golf tournaments in cities throughout the country.
In 1991 he and his wife moved to Wilsonville, Oregon to be nearer their daughter and their son who lived in Truckee. Along with his two children, Cady has three grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and numerous relatives who still reside in the Susanville area.
Cady died June 8th at the age of 96. He was preceded in death by his wife Shirley who died in 2008.
