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Stanley Clements

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Stanley Clements
Clements in 'Neath Brooklyn Bridge (1942)
Born
Stanislaw Klimowicz

(1926-07-16)July 16, 1926
Long Island, New York, U.S.
DiedOctober 16, 1981(1981-10-16) (aged 55)
Pasadena, California, U.S.
Resting placeRiverside National Cemetery, Riverside
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
Years active1941–1978
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1945; div. 1948)​
Maria Walek
​
​
(m. 1951; div. 1974)​
Children1

Stanley Clements (born Stanislaw Klimowicz; July 16, 1926 – October 16, 1981) was an American actor and comedian, best known for portraying "Stash" in the East Side Kids film series, and group leader Stanislaus "Duke" Coveleskie in The Bowery Boys film series.[1]

Life and career

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Clements was born in Long Island, New York. "Stosh" (the Polish diminutive nickname for "Stanislau") realized that he wanted a show-business career while he was in grammar school, and after he graduated from Brooklyn's P.S. 49 in 1938, he toured in vaudeville and found work in radio for the next two years. He then joined the touring company of the Major Bowes Amateur Hour. His career stalled in 1940, and Clements was reduced to panhandling for a time to survive. In 1941, he was signed to a contract by 20th Century-Fox and appeared in juvenile/teen roles in several B films for the studio.

East Side Kids

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In 1942, he was loaned to Monogram Pictures. Among his friends, he was known offscreen as "Stosh", so he adopted the nickname "Stash" in the ensemble-cast film series the East Side Kids. He appeared as an East Side Kid in Smart Alecks, 'Neath Brooklyn Bridge, and Ghosts on the Loose. He retained the character name of "Stash" in other films: Right to the Heart, Military Academy with That Tenth Avenue Gang, and Boots Malone.

Marriage

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In August 1945, Clements married actress Gloria Grahame, who played Violet Bick in It's a Wonderful Life, and who later won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for The Bad and The Beautiful. The marriage was a stormy one, with Grahame objecting to Clements's drinking and gambling, and Clements being jealous of her dalliances with other men, and it ended in 1948. He married Maria Walek in 1951. In 1964, they adopted her eight-year-old nephew, Sylvester, bringing him to the United States from Poland.

Other roles

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After the East Side Kids, Clements then set out on his own again, this time landing roles in more prestigious pictures. He was featured in perhaps his best-known role as Tony Scaponi in the 1944 Bing Crosby film Going My Way, and scored a great success as a jockey in the 1945 Alan Ladd feature Salty O'Rourke.

Clements's acting career was interrupted by U.S. Army service as a private first class just after World War II. When he returned in 1947, he began appearing in more adult roles in lower-budgeted films, including Johnny Holiday (cast against type as a psychopath) and Destination Murder (as a hired killer). He starred in a series of action/detective pictures at the successor to Monogram Pictures, Allied Artists, for producer Ben Schwalb and director Edward Bernds.

The Bowery Boys

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In 1945, after Leo Gorcey left the East Side Kids in a salary dispute with producer Sam Katzman, Gorcey's teammate Bobby Jordan arranged a meeting with his agent, Jan Grippo. Gorcey partnered with Grippo to produce a new "gang" series called The Bowery Boys, with Gorcey owning a 40% share in the franchise. Gorcey's real-life father Bernard Gorcey was added to the cast as Louie Dumbrowski, proprietor of Louie's Sweet Shop, the headquarters of The Bowery Boys. Younger brother David Gorcey, formerly one of the East Side Kids, returned to appear in the new series.

After Bernard Gorcey was killed in an auto accident in 1955, a grief-stricken Gorcey turned to alcohol for solace and became a disruptive presence in the studio during the filming of Crashing Las Vegas, trashing scenery and destroying props. In 1956, Gorcey demanded a larger share of ownership from Allied Artists, which was denied, and after a heated conversation, Gorcey stormed off the studio lot and quit the series.

When the series's then-producer Ben Schwalb needed a replacement for Gorcey, he asked Clements to step in as The Bowery Boys' new ringleader, Stanislaus "Duke" Coveleskie (although Huntz Hall received top billing). Clements comfortably settled into the role of Huntz Hall's sidekick, and co-starred in the final seven Bowery Boys comedies, beginning with Fighting Trouble.

Later career and death

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Following the end of The Bowery Boys franchise in 1958, Clements went on to a steady career of supporting roles in film and television. Clements co-wrote the film The Devil's Partner (1958, not released until 1961). In 1960, Clements appeared as Clyde Simpson in the TV western Tales of Wells Fargo, starring Dale Robertson, in the episode "Doc Dawson". He appeared in a 1962 episode of the adventure drama series Straightaway. Clements also appeared in an episode of Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. entitled "Sergeant of The Guard" in 1965. One of his last jobs was an appearance in a nationally advertised commercial for Pringle's potato crisps.

On October 16, 1981, Clements died at age 55 from emphysema in Pasadena, California, 11 days after the passing of his first wife Gloria Grahame. He is buried at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California.[2]

Films

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 • - East Side Kids or Bowery Boys series

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1954 The Lone Ranger Lou Compton Episode "Ex-Marshal"
1955 Death Valley Days Red Episode "Reno"
1960 Death Valley Days Steve Nelson (uncredited) Episode "A Woman's Rights"
1960 Gunsmoke Brad Episode "The Tragedian"
1961 Wanted Dead or Alive Krebs Season 3, Episode 24 "The Long Search"
1961 Leave It to Beaver Shoe salesman (who sells Beaver a pair of skates) Season 5, episode 6
1969 Gunsmoke McInnerny Episode "The Mark of Cain"
1969 The Virginian Matt season 8 episode 08 (The substitute)
1970 Gunsmoke Ed Jacobi Episode "The Gun"
1973 Gunsmoke Red Episode "Arizona Midnight"

References

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  1. ^ Getz, Leonard (2015). "The Bowery Boys". From Broadway to the Bowery: A History and Filmography of the Dead End Kids, Little Tough Guys, East Side Kids and Bowery Boys Films, with Cast Biographies. McFarland & Co. pp. 173–175. ISBN 9780786487424. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  2. ^ Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 25047-25048). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.
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