Frank Cady, the actor best remembered for his role as storekeeper Sam Drucker in the popular 60s TV series Green Acres , died Friday at his home in Wilsonville, Oregon. He was 96.
Born in 1915 in Susanville, California, Cady spent his teen years as a writer for a local newspaper before he and his family moved to Oregon, where he studied journalism and drama at Stanford University.
After serving in the military during World War II, he worked as a radio broadcaster before landing acting jobs in the late 40s and early 50s.
Besides his role as Mr. Drucker on Green Acres , Petticoat Junction and The Beverly Hillbillies , Cady had parts on other popular television shows such as Ozzie And Harriet , The Andy Griffith Show , and Hawaii Five-O .
Outside the small screen, Frank could also been seen in several important films from that decade, including Billy Wilder’s Ace in the Hole and Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window .
Wikipedia notes that Cady also appeared on some radio programs, including the Gunsmoke episode 140 “Outlaw Robin Hood” on January 8, 1955, and in a number of television commercials for (among other products) Shasta Grape Soda.
In his later years, Cady reprised his Sam Drucker role for the 1990 TV movie “Return to Green Acres.” It would be the final acting role of his entertainment career.
Reflecting on his TV career, Cady told the Portland Oregonian in 1995,
“You get typecast. I’m remembered for those shows and not for some pretty good acting jobs I did other times. I suppose I ought to be grateful for that. Because otherwise I wouldn’t be remembered at all. I’ve got to be one of the luckiest guys in the world.”
Mr. Cady is survived by two children, three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Frank Cady talks about his Hollywood career in an interview with YouTube user Johnswackyworld in the clip below: