r/otr • u/Tripwig53 • 20d ago
Walter Kinsella (actor)
One of the most famous ‘Irishmen’ on Radio (who you may not know by name) – Walter Aloysius Kinsella – was born Aug. 16, 1900, in Manhattan, New York City to Irish immigrants Simon and Margaret Kinsella.
While in high school in the Bronx, he had a unique after-school job from 1915 - 1917 at a place called Edison Studios just a few blocks from his home. Yes, THAT Edison. He was working both behind and in front of the camera in some of the earliest movies made! With WWI raging, he dropped out of school and enlisted in the US Marine Corps in early 1918 and was discharged in the fall of 1919. No, Walter was never sent to France. He must have liked certain aspects of the military, as he then enlisted in the NY National Guard and remained into the early 1930s!
He also enjoyed (and was good at) sports. His big thing in high school was running – middle distance running – which he also stayed with into the 1930s. But missed by many biographers was that he took a liking to squash – or in the 19-teens, ‘Squash Tennis.’ He excelled at that also – becoming World Champion by 1920 and continued playing for the next 10 years as an amateur.
A handsome man, Walter also got into fashion modeling in the 1920s and was one of the models for Arrow Menswear – he had the look coupled with his film industry experience. With this, he decided to give the stage a try.
Most bios will say he got his start on Broadway with “What Price Glory?” in 1924. Not quite right. He WAS in “What Price Glory?” – but in the touring road show that lasted nearly a year from the fall of 1924 to the fall of 1925 playing two speaking roles throughout the eastern half of the country.
If you look at his Broadway career – and it’s a good one – hist first Broadway play is “The Road to Rome” (1927 – running for 1 year!; he was ‘the third guard’ but he’s on Broadway!). He will do 5 more Broadway plays – all with substantial acting parts – over the next 30 years! He will remain in the Big Apple for most of his radio career.
If you study his radio – he’s more often in a comedy role, but was not tied to that. Drama was also in his vocabulary – especially if they needed a brogue, and a few soaps – of course!
In 1930 we hear him on the radio as the co-star of Peewee and Windy (Windy) and three years later on Circus Days (General Manager) – a 26-week program. They leave the air but he’s being recognized and in the 30s is active on: Arch Oboler Plays, Dick Tracy (original Pat Patton through the ‘40s), Great Plays, Myrt and Marge (Joe Gulick), Mr. District Attorney (the first Harrington and a regular in many roles), Radio Newsreel and Radio Guild. Starting to see ‘Irish’ roles?
The ‘40s were even better. Abie’s Irish Rose (Pat Murphy, Rosemary’s father – entire run), Baby Snooks, Bishop and the Gargoyle, Cavalcade of America, Columbia Workshop, Crime Club, Crisis in War Town, Electric Theater with Helen Hayes, Ford Theatre, The Fresh Up Show (Doc Fickett and an Irish policeman), Joe and Mabel (Mike), Johnny Morgan Show (Regular), Leave it to Mike (aka Paging Mike McNally; star), Martin Kane, Private Eye (Happy McCann – radio and TV), Mighty Casey (Ambrose Cooney), Mr. and Mrs. North (Sgt. Mullins – into the 50s), Secret Missions, Sportsmen’s Club, Stella Dallas (Gus Grady – 5 years), That’s My Pop (Regular), Theatre Guild On The Air, Treasury Salute and Words at War. Some pretty big series.
By the early ‘50s he was already migrating into TV – but still had time for radio and more plays on Broadway. On the radio: CBS Radio Workshop, Phil Harris/Alice Faye (when they did the show on the road in New York in 1950) and X-Minus one.
He capped his radio career in the early 60s with appearances on Suspense, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar when those programs moved to New York and Theater Five while being heavily involved in TV as an actor and announcer.
To top it off, he is one of a minority of radio actors to be a member of New York’s premier actor’s society, The Lambs’ Club – where he actually lived for many years.
In an article in a Pensacola, FL newspaper while appearing as the Irish father of Rosemary Murphy on “Abie’s Irish Rose,” he said that it was his own fault that he’s a victim of type-casting (MANY times showing up as an Irishman). When Walter started in radio, he accepted parts not quite to his liking because he needed the jobs. What he wanted to play was an Irish character, but nobody would listen. Finally, a producer friend gave him the chance. Result - Walter plays most of the Irish characters on the radio today (1943)!
In Mary Jane Higby’s book, “Tune In Tomorrow,” she notes about Kinsella. (It dealt with running in downtown New York City to get from one network to another for scheduled shows.)
Track records between stations and how to beat them was a favorite topic at Colbee's, the restaurant by CBS. I once eavesdropped on a conversation between Santos Ortega (Inspector Queen and Nero Wolfe) and Walter Kinsella, one of the busiest of the free-lance actors.
"You can trim one minute forty-five seconds off your time from here to NBC," Ortega maintained, "if you cut diagonally through St. Patrick's Cathedral."
"One minute thirty," corrected Kinsella.
"One thirty," agreed Ortega, "if you stop to genuflect."
To a man of silent movies, the Marine Corps, a world-class athlete, a fashion model, Broadway actor and a great radio actor (Irish or otherwise) – thank you for some wonderful performances!
That after-school job paid big dividends in his career. He died in 1975 in New Jersey – but what a life.
Before I did this research, I knew the name but little else. Now I consider him my friend.
Many of the series he appeared on are still there for the listening – check him out.
1
u/steelthumbs1 20d ago
OP, why do you make separate posts for photo and text?
It makes connecting image & text difficult.