Allan Melvin...RIP

[Halloween Jeff]

Sat Jan 19, 2:17 PM ET



LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Allan Melvin, a character actor known for appearances in such TV staples as "The Phil Silvers Show," "All in the Family" and "The Brady Bunch," has died, the Los Angeles Times reported on Saturday.


Melvin succumbed to cancer on Thursday at his home in Los Angeles, the paper said, quoting his wife, Amalia. He was 84.

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, and raised in New York City, Melvin got his big break on "The Phil Silvers Show," which ran from 1955 to 1959, playing Cpl. Henshaw, the right-hand man to Silvers' Sgt. Ernie Bilko.

He went on to play Archie Bunker's neighbor Barney in "All in the Family," and different roles on at least eight episodes of "The Andy Griffith Show." Fans of "The Brady Bunch" knew him as Sam the butcher, the boyfriend of Alice the housekeeper.

Melvin also worked in cartoons, providing the voices of Magilla Gorilla in the Hanna-Barbera series of the same name and Bluto on "Popeye," the Times said.

(Reporting by Dean Goodman; Editing by Vicki Allen)

[Mike Scott]

[typhooforme]

A beloved character actor  (thanks for posting that photo, Mike!)--he joins Alice Ghostley and Charles Lane in the Green Room in the Sky!

[Mike Scott]

playing Cpl. Henshaw, the right-hand man to Silvers' Sgt. Ernie Bilko.

Melvin also played in several episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show, mostly as Rob's army buddy Sam/Sol. In one episode, he is reporting to the Capt. that they have caught the soldier that has commited some infraction, or other. When asked the soldier's name, Melvin clears his throat and says "It was Henshaw, sir."

[gracebuster]

Ahhh crap, I hate to see the character actors go!

He was a solid actor. Think of all of the different kind of parts he played beside Sam.

As for Charles Lane, I didn't know he died. Sent him a note a few years ago on his 100 something birthday.

Imagine what our TVs would have been like without great actors like these to fill in on almost every show.

God Bless them and thier families.