Spoiler : prolific radio actor John Brown passed at only 53. Ironically, he was on his way to a doctor's appointment whenever he suffered a fatal heart attack. He was one of radio's most prolific character actors. When Fred Allen first started strolling down Allen's Alley on the Texaco Star Theater he played John Die, was cast as Irma Peterson's shiftless boyfriend, Al on My Friend Irma with Marie Wilson, was Ozzie Nelson's next-door neighbor, Thorny on The Adventures Of Ozzie And Harriet and there were his two most famous roles - Digby O'Dell, the friendly undertaker on The Life Of Riley (he also played James Gillis opposite Jackie Gleason's Chester A. Riley in the first television version) and Broadway the host/narrator on the wonderful Damon Runyon Theater. When Hal March left the role of Harry Morton on the Burns And Allen television series, John Brown became the second actor who played him and was eventually replaced by Fred Clarke. He can also be seen on one of the early episodes of I Love Lucy when Ricky Ricardo grows a moustache and was in films such as Strangers On A Train and The Wild One. Yet, there's not that much biographical information around about one of the Top 5 most prolific radio actors in the history of the medium. When he started playing Harry Morton on the Burns And Allen television series, the madman, McCarthy came after him and his accusations and the blacklist are probably the two reasons why he left the series so quickly. Yet in the absolutely brilliant film, Trumbo, lots of the people associated with the practice of blacklisting and actors and writers who were blacklisted themselves are prominently featured. Yet John Brown isn't even mentioned throughout the entire movie. Even in this sensational film, he still seems to have been forgotten. What a brilliant, prolific radio actor he was, with one of the finest voices we've ever had the pleasure of listening to. RIP John Brown.

Spoiler : One of my heroes!

Spoiler : Awesome, awesome actor!

Spoiler : John Brown (John H. Brown) Born Yorkshire, England, April 4, 1904 Died West Hollywood, California, May 16, 1957 Age 53 (heart attack) Lots of roles on Ozzie & Harriet, Damon Runyon, Life of Riley, and more. Was unemployed after 1952 because he was blacklisted.