Otis the Drunk

 

This week at Six Feet Under Hollywood, we continue our month-long look at actors who have played Santa at one point or another in their careers.

Harold John "Hal" Smith was born in Petoskey, Michigan on August 24, 1916.  From an early age, he aspired to a career in show business, and he didn't waste any time getting started.  After completing high school in 1936, he went to work at WIBX 950 AM in Utica, New York, where he'd spend the next seven years as a DJ and voice talent.

Like many of his generation, Smith decided to serve his country during World War 2.  In 1943, having already learned how to fly, he enlisted in the now-defunct United States Army Air Forces, and was stationed in Manila.  Assigned to the Special Services Division, Smith planned and directed variety shows for his fellow troops, even creating his own one-man show, entitled Strictly From Hunger.  He was discharged in 1946, but not before earning a series of decorations, most notably the World War 2 Victory Medal.

When the war was finally over, Smith returned to the United States, but not to his old job in Utica.  Eager to make a name for himself in show business, he relocated to Hollywood, where he returned to his career as a DJ while also building his acting resume.  He spent the next decade appearing on such TV series as The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriett, The Donna Reed Show and The Red Skelton Show.

Smith's big break came in 1960, when he was cast in the role that would define his career, that of Otis Campbell on The Andy Griffith Show (right). As the town drunk, Otis would often find himself in Sheriff Taylor's jail cell, but he was usually there of his own accord.  Smith appeared on the series for most of its run, but his character was dropped in the final season when sponsors grew concerned that he encouraged excessive drinking.  Ironically, according to his friends Andy Griffith and Don Knotts, Smith never drank in real life.

In 1969, Smith appeared on The Brady Bunch in the role that inspired this blog, playing a department store Santa who makes an unlikely promise to young Cindy Brady (see Trivia below).  It wasn't his first time playing jolly old Saint Nick, and it would by no means be his last.

Smith was also a very prolific voice actor, working for Hollywood's top animators, including Walt Disney Pictures, Hanna-Barbera, and Warner Brothers.  He worked on such classic animated series as The Huckleberry Hound Show, Quick Draw McGraw and Hong Kong Phooey. 

In 1960, he started a two-year run as the voice of Elmer J. Fudd, and by the end of the decade, he was starring as Pluto at Walt Disney.  He also appeared as Owl in three separate Winnie the Pooh features.  But the voice-over role I remember best of all was that of Goliath on the stop-motion animation series Davey and Goliath (left).  Oh Davey, you know you want to listen to it, so here's an episode on YouTube.

I've only scratched the surface with his filmography.  Smith worked excessively in all manners of media and was even voicing video game characters into the 1990s.  The guy never lacked for work.  He was going strong until 1992, when his wife suddenly passed away.  After that, his own health began to deteriorate, and he eventually died of a heart attack on January 28, 1994 at the age of 77.  He was found sitting peacefully in a chair, the radio still turned on.

Hal Smith was interred at the mausoleum at Woodlawn Cemetery in Santa Monica, California.

Rest in peace, Otis.

Trivia

• Like many of the show's regulars, Smith returned to the role of Otis in the 1986 made-for-TV movie Return to Mayberry.  Twenty years later, his character was now completely sober, delivering ice cream but precious few laughs.
  
  
• Smith often appeared in commercials throughout his career, including these for Pizza Hut, Hickory Farms, and this fantastically outdated toy commercial for Mattel.  "You can tell its Mattel - its swell!"
  
  
• You're going to think I'm making this up, but I'm not.  In 1976, Smith appeared in the X-rated film "Once Upon a Girl," a film featuring both live action and animated sequences.  It was created by disgruntled ex-Disney animators and features many voice actors of the time, including Smith and Frank Welker.  Smith played the character of Mother Goose, a woman put on trial for obscenity.  You can hear a sample of his work on YouTube.  Don't worry, this clip is G rated.
  
  
• Smith reprised his signature role of Otis in the 1991 Alan Jackson video "Don't Rock the Jukebox."  Check it out on YouTube.
  
  
• In the 1970s, Smith provided the narration for a series of Disney books, including Pinocchio.  Read along with him on YouTube.
  
  
• Between 1964 and 1993, Smith played Santa Claus no less than ten times.  Here's a complete list, many of which are available on YouTube. The Flintstones (1964), The Brady Bunch (1969), Santa and the Three Bears (1970), A Christmas Story* (1972), A Flintstone Christmas (1977), Casper's First Christmas (1979), Yogi's First Christmas (1980), Midnight Patrol: Adventures in the Dream Zone (1990), Bonkers (1993), The Town Santa Forgot (1993)
  * A Hanna-Barbera cartoon - not the Peter Billingsley movie.
  
  
• Several of Smith's Mayberry co-stars have been featured here at Six Feet Under Hollywood, including Frances Bavier, Don Knotts and George Lindsey.