William Greer, or Dabbs as we know him, was born on April 2,
1917 in Fairview, Missouri, as an only child. His acting career
began at the age of eight in a Children’s Theatre production. He
earned a B.A. in English from Drury College in Springfield,
Missouri in 1939. While at Drury, he was a member of Lambda Chi
Alpha, President of the Drury Lane Troupers, and acted with the
Springfield Little Theatre.
Upon
graduation, he taught speech and drama on the high school level
in Mountain Grove, MO from 1940-43. Dabbs actively volunteered
for Drury and was its class agent for 1939. In 1964, the Drury
Alumni Association honored Dabbs with the Distinguished Alumni
Award for Career Achievement. He was also their 1992
commencement speaker and received an honorary degree at that
time. Leaving his teaching job, his next stepping-stone was the
Pasadena Playhouse. Dabbs was an actor, instructor and
administrator from 1943-50. Tired of his administrative duties,
Dabbs left the Playhouse to further pursue his acting career.
Motion Pictures
Dabbs’ motion picture debut was in Reign of Terror (1949)
with costars Robert Cummings, Arlene Dahl, Beulah Bondi, John
Doucette and Dan Seymour. Mr. Greer’s resume reads like a “Who’s
Who” as he worked with many of the greats that Hollywood has
given us. Some of Dabbs’ films had great depth or meaning to
them. The first of many westerns, The Devil’s Doorway
(1950) with Robert Taylor dealt with prejudice against American
Indians. He followed up with Storm Warning, a
hard-hitting indictment of the Klu Klux Klan featuring
Ronald Reagan, Ginger Rogers, and Doris Day. From thrillers and
drama to comedy, Dabbs did it all. His comedic timing was
evident during MGM ‘s Half A Hero in a scene he did with
Red Skelton. To mention his entire film career, could easily
take over the entire Hall of Fame section! Dabbs believed in the
philosophy of “just keep on working” and this link will
demonstrate that workhorse spirit in him
imdb.com.
On The Small Screen
Mr. Greer was one of the most uncredited, yet recognizable
actors in Hollywood. Dabbs appeared in most major and minor
television series throughout his career from 1950-2003. For the
eight episodes of Perry Mason, Dabbs had a great
admiration for Raymond Burr and his professionalism – always on
time, always ready with his many lines, and somewhat of a
practical joker. Dabbs had a recurring role as Mr. Jonas on
Gunsmoke, and also admired James Arness. He was working on
the first episode of Wanted: Dead Or Alive (1958) with a
very young Michael Landon. Dabbs didn’t think Landon would make
it in the business, as he was unruly and undisciplined. Mr.
Landon must have learned his lessons well as evidenced by
several successful television series! In fact, during his stint
as Reverend Alden on Little House on the Prairie, Dabbs
seemed impressed with Michael Landon who was on the set for
everyone, not just in his own scenes. On the Andy Griffith
Show, Dabbs said when working with Andy, “what you see is
what you got.” Dabbs worked in many westerns, both in film and
on television; however, he did have a problem with horses. For
an amusing account of this, visit the TAC link
Dabbs Greer. Mr. Greer appeared in eight episodes of The
Rifleman, many of which were sinister characters. In 1969,
Minnie Pearl picked Dabbs with his lilting Missouri accent to be
her leading man for the TV pilot of The Minnie Pearl Show,
but the pilot was not green lighted by the networks and was
never seen.
The Adventures of Superman
Dabbs
Greer appeared in three episodes of The Adventures of
Superman. Greer is the very first rescue by the Man of Steel
in season one’s episode, “Superman on Earth”. When cub reporter
James Olson alerts White that an airship has a lone crewman
hanging onto a cable, Lois Lane and Olsen are dispatched to
cover the story. Clark enters the storeroom for the first, of
many to follow changes into his caped costume. The man clinging
desperately to the rope is Dabbs Greer. A close-up reveals
sweat bullets as he loses his grip and falls only to be
intercepted by the Man of Steel and rushed back to White’s
office by Clark Kent. The rescued man says, “Just like I told
Mr. Kent here, I was hanging from the dirigible from that rope
for what seemed like years…and then I lost my grip. I thought
for sure I was a goner as it was a thousand feet up…when all of
a sudden this, this super guy comes flying and catches me! Then
he lands me on top of a hanger just like on a featherbed!”
Perry is incredulous but Lois and Jimmy back up the man’s story
claiming that they too saw something streak across the sky and
rescue him. The man tells Perry, “Well I’m here, aren’t I, Mr.
White?” Unfortunately Dabbs Greer receives absolutely no billing
in the credits of “Superman On Earth” but it’s his character who
actually first labels Clark Kent’s alter ego a super man!
In
Monroe Manning’s memorable Five Minutes to Doom, we see a
masterful Dabbs who speaks with his eyes as well as his voice.
Within a dramatic role, we see him as Joe Winters, a “dead man
walking” and the first scenes are with his wife and son. His
concern is that his son gets an education and that his wife
should relocate to begin a new life. When asked what she is
supposed to do, you feel his resignation in telling her to take
care of Billy, and “Make sure he gets his chance.” When
presented with the prospect of some financial security for his
family in exchange for the exclusive rights to his story, Dabbs’
attempt fails as “It’s no use; I can’t confess to something I
didn’t do.” Dabbs’ character is the heart of the story, even
when he isn’t in the scenes. Mr. Greer seemed to really get
inside the mind of one whose life is going to end in a matter of
hours. It’s the way he looks up at the clock from behind the
bars of his cell at 11:35 am. We see him gazing out the window
later in the day as he awaits his fate. One of the last
sequences with Dabbs is the most dramatic. He puts down the
bible as the warden comes to get him, “Is it time?” We see him
walking and then, with shadows, we watch as Dabbs is strapped
into the chair and the headpiece is lowered. The warden pulls
the switch but Superman arrives in time with a reprieve from the
governor. This fine, dramatic performance puts Dabbs Greer at
the top of the credits for the auxiliary cast, unlike his first
TAOS appearance.
In
the color era, Dabbs had a unique opportunity for dual roles in
“The Superman Silver Mine.” Admittedly, while the script isn’t
as meaty as his previous performance, it did allow him to show
the audience a bit of his range. At the beginning of this
episode, Mr. Pebble shakes Superman’s hand. This is ironic as
Dabbs Greer, once a teacher and administrator of the Pasadena
Playhouse is now shaking hands with one of its students.
Dabbs’ portrayal of this somewhat eccentric former prospector
turned millionaire is quite amusing. As Dan Dobey, his evil
counterpart, we see how well Mr. Greer switches to the sinister
and devious. In the final scenes, we see how comfortable and
easy Dabbs is in front of the camera.
The Last Hurrahs
The role that Dabbs enjoyed the most was that of the elder Paul
Edgecomb in The Green Mile. Whether he knew this would
be his last film or not, he turned in one of the most memorable
performances of his career. It is ironic that 46 years later he
would once again be on “the mile”, only assuming some of the
warden’s duties from his TAOS episode. Despite his age, Mr.
Greer still spoke to us through his eyes and let us get a
glimpse of the love of acting this man had. For more details on
Mr. Greer’s performance, please visit TAC’s
Green Mile. Dabbs continued to work in television up to
2003. Mr. Greer died on April 28, 2007, leaving behind a
treasure trove of noteworthy performances.
Here was a man, a consummate professional and dedicated actor
who enjoyed what he did and the people he worked with. As Jim
Nolt stated, “He was a good friend, wise to human nature, and a
caring, gentle man.” It is our honor to induct Dabbs Greer into
the George Reeves Hall of Fame.
October 2007
Special thanks to
Mr X for Superman on Earth and Superman Silver Mine photos
Jim Nolt, Thom Hamilton for the Five Minutes to Doom photos
Jim for his interviews regarding Dabbs
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0339428/
http://www.dougmacaulay.com/kingspud/sel_by_actor_index_2.php?actor_first=Dabbs&actor_last=Greer
Glass
House Presents