Rusty Hamer
Encyclopedia
Rusty Hamer was an American television actor
best known for his role as Rusty Williams in the popular NBC
/CBS
situation comedy
The Danny Thomas Show
also known as Make Room for Daddy.
in Bergen County
in northeastern New Jersey
, a suburb
of New York City
, Hamer grew up on TV as Rusty Williams, Danny Thomas
's freckle-faced son on Make Room for Daddy. As a five-year-old actor, his wisecracking behavior made him a popular character during the airing of the 351 episodes of the program. Thomas, who occasionally could be spotted trying not to crack up in Hamer's scenes, would later publicly praise the child's extraordinary comic timing.
Hamer attempted a brief return to show business in 1970 as a married medical student in the show Make Room for Grandaddy, a sequel of Make Room for Daddy, but the show was canceled after one season. He appeared occasionally in bit parts on television shows such as CBS's Green Acres
, starring Eddie Albert
and Eva Gabor
, but roles became increasingly sporadic. Hamer eventually moved to Louisiana
where he worked as a short order cook.
in southwestern Louisiana. Hamer's suicide raised awareness of the potential mental fragility of child performers. It inspired fellow child actor Paul Petersen
, formerly of ABC
's The Donna Reed Show
, to establish the support group, "A Minor Consideration," which seeks to improve working conditions for young actors and assists former child stars in making the transition from past fame to adult life.
For his contribution to television Hamer earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
, located on 6323 Hollywood Boulevard
.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
best known for his role as Rusty Williams in the popular NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
/CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
situation comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
The Danny Thomas Show
The Danny Thomas Show
The Danny Thomas Show is an American sitcom which ran from 1953-1957 on ABC and from 1957-1964 on CBS...
also known as Make Room for Daddy.
Career
Born in TenaflyTenafly, New Jersey
Tenafly is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 14,488. Tenafly is an affluent suburb of New York City....
in Bergen County
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
in northeastern New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, a suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Hamer grew up on TV as Rusty Williams, Danny Thomas
Danny Thomas
Danny Thomas was an American nightclub comedian and television and film actor, best known for starring in the television sitcom Make Room for Daddy . He was also the founder of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital...
's freckle-faced son on Make Room for Daddy. As a five-year-old actor, his wisecracking behavior made him a popular character during the airing of the 351 episodes of the program. Thomas, who occasionally could be spotted trying not to crack up in Hamer's scenes, would later publicly praise the child's extraordinary comic timing.
Hamer attempted a brief return to show business in 1970 as a married medical student in the show Make Room for Grandaddy, a sequel of Make Room for Daddy, but the show was canceled after one season. He appeared occasionally in bit parts on television shows such as CBS's Green Acres
Green Acres
Green Acres is an American television series starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a couple who move from New York City to a country farm...
, starring Eddie Albert
Eddie Albert
Edward Albert Heimberger , known professionally as Eddie Albert, was an American actor and activist. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1954 for his performance in Roman Holiday, and in 1973 for The Heartbreak Kid.Other well-known screen roles of his include Bing...
and Eva Gabor
Eva Gabor
Eva Gabor was a Hungarian-born socialite and actress. She was widely known for her role on Green Acres as Lisa Douglas, the wife of Eddie Albert's character, Oliver Wendell Douglas, Duchess in the 1970 Disney film The Aristocats, and Miss Bianca in Disney's The Rescuers and The Rescuers Down Under...
, but roles became increasingly sporadic. Hamer eventually moved to Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
where he worked as a short order cook.
Death
On January 18, 1990, Hamer died at the age of forty-two of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in DeRidder, the seat of Beauregard ParishBeauregard Parish, Louisiana
Beauregard Parish [p] is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Beauregard Parish was formed on 1 January 1913. The parish seat is DeRidder. As of 2000, the population was 32,986. Beauregard Parish is part of the DeRidder Micropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Fort Polk...
in southwestern Louisiana. Hamer's suicide raised awareness of the potential mental fragility of child performers. It inspired fellow child actor Paul Petersen
Paul Petersen
William Paul Petersen is an American movie actor, singer, novelist, and activist. Primarily known for his character-type roles in the 1960s and 1970s, as an adult Petersen established the organization A Minor Consideration to support child stars and other child laborers through legislation,...
, formerly of ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's The Donna Reed Show
The Donna Reed Show
The Donna Reed Show is an American sitcom starring Donna Reed as the upper middle class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz appears as her pediatrician husband Alex, and Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage children Mary and Jeff. The show originally aired on ABC at 10 pm from September...
, to establish the support group, "A Minor Consideration," which seeks to improve working conditions for young actors and assists former child stars in making the transition from past fame to adult life.
For his contribution to television Hamer earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
, located on 6323 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood Boulevard
-Revitalization:In recent years successful efforts have been made at cleaning up Hollywood Blvd., as the street had gained a reputation for crime and seediness. Central to these efforts was the construction of the Hollywood and Highland shopping center and adjacent Kodak Theatre in 2001...
.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Fort Ti | Jed's Nephew | Uncredited |
| 1953 to 1964 | Make Room for Daddy The Danny Thomas Show The Danny Thomas Show is an American sitcom which ran from 1953-1957 on ABC and from 1957-1964 on CBS... |
Rusty Williams | 323 episodes |
| 1954 | Four Star Playhouse Four Star Playhouse Four Star Playhouse is an American television anthology series that ran from 1952 to 1956, sponsored in its first bi-weekly season by The Singer Company; Bristol-Myers became an alternate sponsor when it became a weekly series in the fall of 1953... |
Dickie | Episode: "Vote of Confidence" |
| 1954 | Shower of Stars Shower of Stars Shower of Stars is an American variety television series broadcast in the United States from 1954 to 1958 by CBS. The series was also known as Chrysler Shower of Stars. Unusually at the time for CBS, the series was telecast in color.-Overview:... |
Rusty | Episode: "Entertainment on Wheels" |
| 1956 | Dance with Me, Henry Dance with Me, Henry Dance with Me, Henry is a 1956 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. It is the final film that they starred in together, although Costello went on to star in one more film before his death, The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock.-Plot:... |
Duffer | |
| 1958 | The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour is a CBS television situation comedy. The show is a collection of occasional specials rather than a regular series and originally served as part of Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse... |
Rusty Williams | Episode: "Lucy Makes Room for Danny" |
| 1958 | Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse is an American television anthology series produced by Desilu Productions. The show ran on CBS television between 1958 and 1960... |
Rusty Williams | Episode: "Lucy Makes Room for Danny" |
| 1958 | The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford The Ford Show The Ford Show is a half-hour comedy/variety program, starring singer and folk humorist Tennessee Ernie Ford, which aired in color on NBC television on Thursday evenings from October 4, 1956 to June 29, 1961.... |
Himself | Episode #3.13 |
| 1961 | The Red Skelton Show The Red Skelton Show The Red Skelton Show is an American variety show that was a television staple for two decades, from 1951 to 1971. It was second to Gunsmoke and third to The Ed Sullivan Show in the ratings during that time. Skelton, who had previously been a radio star, had appeared in several motion pictures as... |
Guest drummer | Episode #10.12 |
| 1965 | The Joey Bishop Show | Rusty Williams | 3 episodes |
| 1967 | The Danny Thomas Hour The Danny Thomas Hour The Danny Thomas Hour is an American anthology television series that was broadcast on NBC during the 1967-68 television season.-Synopsis:... |
Rusty | Episode: "Make More Room for Daddy" |
| 1969 | Green Acres Green Acres Green Acres is an American television series starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a couple who move from New York City to a country farm... |
Alfred | Episode: "Oliver's Schoolgirl Crush" |
| 1970 to 1971 | Make Room for Granddaddy The Danny Thomas Show The Danny Thomas Show is an American sitcom which ran from 1953-1957 on ABC and from 1957-1964 on CBS... |
Rusty Williams | 24 episodes |