Parley Baer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Parley Baer
Baer in an episode of The Public Defender (1954)
Born	Parley Edward Baer (1914-08-05)August 5, 1914 Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
Died	November 22, 2002(2002-11-22) (aged 88) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park - Hollywood Hills Cemetery
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1940–1997
Spouse(s)	Ernestine Clarke ​ ​ (m. 1946; her death 2000)​
Children	2
Military career
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army Air Forces
Years of service	1942–1946
Rank	Captain
Battles/wars	World War II Pacific Theater
Awards	Army Presidential Unit Citation American Campaign Medal Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal World War II Victory Medal

Parley Edward Baer (born August 5, 1914 – died November 22, 2002) was an American actor. He worked in radio, television, and movies. He is best known for playing "Chester" in the radio show Gunsmoke. He also played Mayor Roy Stoner on The Andy Griffith Show.

Early Life and Education

Parley Edward Baer was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. He studied drama at the University of Utah.

A Look at His Career

Parley Baer had a very interesting career. He worked with circuses before becoming a famous actor.

Circus Work

Early in his life, Baer was a circus ringmaster. He also worked as a publicist for circuses. After serving in the military, he trained wild animals. This was at Jungleland USA in Thousand Oaks, California. Later, he even worked at the Los Angeles Zoo. He helped visitors learn about the animals there.

Military Service

During World War II, Baer joined the United States Army Air Forces. He became a Captain. He served from 1942 to 1946 in the Pacific area. He received several awards for his service. These included the Army Presidential Unit Citation and the World War II Victory Medal.

Radio Acting

Baer started his radio career in Utah at station KSL. In the 1930s, he directed special events for the station. His first big radio show was The Whistler.

He appeared on many other popular radio shows. These included Escape, Suspense, and Dragnet.

In 1952, he started his most famous radio role. He played Chester on the radio version of Gunsmoke. Chester was the helpful assistant to Marshal Matt Dillon. Baer even made up Chester's full name, "Chester Wesley Proudfoot."

Baer also did voice acting for other radio shows. He was Pete the Marshal on The Harold Peary Show. He played Doc Clemens on Rogers of the Gazette. He was also on Fort Laramie. Later in his career, he voiced characters on the Adventures in Odyssey series.

Movies and Television Roles

On screen, Parley Baer was easy to spot. He had a unique voice, a round shape, and a bald head. He often played characters who were a bit fussy or stubborn. These were often officials or neighbors.

Television Appearances

Baer had many roles on TV. He played Mayor Stoner on The Andy Griffith Show. He was the neighbor Darby on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. He also appeared often on The Addams Family. There, he played an insurance man named Arthur J. Henson.

He guest-starred on many other shows in the 1950s and 60s. These included The Dennis Day Show, It's a Great Life, and Hey, Jeannie!. He was also on The Law and Mr. Jones and the children's western Fury.

Baer appeared six times on Perry Mason. He was also in episodes of Harrigan and Son and The Roaring 20s. He was on The Real McCoys twice. He also appeared on Dennis the Menace and Angel.

In 1964, he played a sheriff on Mickey. He was also a scientist in an Outer Limits episode called "Behold, Eck!" He appeared in four episodes of Hogan's Heroes. He was in eight episodes of Bewitched as different advertising clients.

Baer played Horace Greeley in a 1965 episode of Death Valley Days. In 1967, he was General Whitfield on I Dream of Jeannie. He also appeared on Petticoat Junction twice.

Later in his career, he guest-starred on many popular shows. These included Three's Company, The A-Team, and Star Trek: Voyager. He was also on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Dukes of Hazzard, and The Golden Girls. He played the minister who married J. R. and Sue Ellen Ewing on Dallas.

Movie Roles

Baer appeared in several Disney movies. These included Follow Me, Boys! (where he played a mayor again), The Ugly Dachshund, and Those Calloways. He was also in Two on a Guillotine and Dave.

He had a notable role in the 1958 war movie The Young Lions. He played a German officer and a friend of the character played by Marlon Brando.

Baer was very proud of his small role in the 1982 film White Dog. This movie was about racism. Baer played a character who seemed kind at first. But then he showed himself to be a hateful person who trained a dog to attack black people. Baer said that racism often "presents itself with a smile and a handshake."

Commercials

Parley Baer was the voice of Ernie Keebler in the cookie commercials. He continued this role until he had a stroke in 1997. The stroke affected his speech and movement. He recovered enough to attend some old-time radio events later on. In the 1980s, he also dressed up as "Mr. S" for S&W Fine Foods commercials.

Personal Life and Passing

In 1946, Baer married Ernestine Clarke. She was a circus aerialist and bareback rider. They were married for 54 years until she passed away in 2000.

Baer was a member of St. Nicholas Episcopal Church in Encino, California. He helped out in many ways there.

In 1969, Baer gave a speech at the funeral of his The Andy Griffith Show co-star, Howard McNear. McNear played Floyd the Barber. Baer had played Mayor Roy Stoner.

On November 11, 2002, Baer had another stroke. He passed away eleven days later, at the age of 88.

Filmography

Listen to

• Interview with Parley Baer (following Dick Tracy episode)