RUSTY HAMER 1947-1990 CHILD ACTOR autograph Danny Thomas Show signed card a

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Seller: memorabilia111 ✉️ (808) 100%, Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan, US, Ships to: US & many other countries, Item: 176283104101 RUSTY HAMER 1947-1990 CHILD ACTOR autograph Danny Thomas Show signed card a. Vintage signed 3x5 card from child actor Rusty Hamer (1947-1990). Rusty was most famously known for playing on The Danny Thomas show. He committed suicide at age 42 in 1990. Card is dated on the back when it was signed in 1962.
 
Rusty Hamer, a child actor in the television series ''Make Room for Daddy'' in the 1950's and 60's, was found dead of a gunshot wound in his home on Thursday. He was 42 years old. Mr. Hamer apparently shot himself in the head, the Sheriff's Office said. On the television series, Mr. Hamer was cast as the son of Danny Thomas, who played a nightclub singer and comedian. In a sequel to the series in 1970-71, ''Make Room for Granddaddy,'' Mr. Hamer played a married medical student. He is survived by a brother, John, of De Ridder. Rusty Hamer, the precocious young star of television's legendary "Make Room for Daddy" series and a talent Danny Thomas called "the best boy actor I ever saw in my life," has killed himself. He was 42 when he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home in DeRidder, La. "He hasn't really been happy since his early 20s," said Hamer's brother, John, in announcing the death Friday. "But he didn't show any signs of this happening. It was just all of a sudden. "I've heard of a lot of child actors who have become unhappy with their lives after they've left the industry," he added. Hamer also said his brother had been complaining of extreme back pain but refused to see a doctor. Hamer found his brother's body Thursday night in the trailer where he lived near DeRidder, about 40 miles north of Lake Charles in southwestern Louisiana. Chief Detective Robert McCullough of the Beauregard Parish Sheriff's Office said death was caused by a shot to the head from a .357-caliber revolver. Hamer had appeared in several Abbott and Costello films before joining Danny Thomas' "Make Room for Daddy" in 1953, the year the situation comedy went on the air. He was only 6. "He was the best boy actor I ever saw in my life," Thomas recalled Friday shortly after learning of his TV son's death. The boy's own father had recently died, and Thomas said he came to feel that Hamer was his son, both on and off the set. "He had a great memory . . . great timing, and you could change a line on him at the last minute and he came right back with it. . . ." Thomas said that if Hamer had a single problem as a youth, it was when the show went off the air in 1964 after 11 years, and a then 17-year-old Hamer had to go from a film lot school to a public one. "He had been one of only two or three students in a studio classroom, and it seemed to bother him when he went to public school. He was still a happy kid but seemed like a fish out of water." On the series, Hamer played the bratty but lovable boy whose father was a nightclub singer and comedian. The show was a reflection of Thomas' own life, and it dwelt on the problems generated by the many times entertainers are forced to be away from their families. Initially Jean Hagen played Thomas' loving wife but after she left the show, Thomas had her written out of the scripts as having died. Marjorie Lord played Thomas' second wife, Kathy, and Sherry Jackson, Penney Parker and Angela Cartwright successively played her daughter, Linda, from a previous marriage. Highlighted by the periodic visits of Hans Conried as Uncle Tonoose, it became one of television's most durable and popular situation comedies. After three seasons it became "The Danny Thomas Show." Most of the cast, including Hamer, returned in 1970-71 with a sequel "Make Room for Granddaddy," in which Rusty was a married medical student. It lasted one season. Hamer's career declined sharply after that. By the time he was 20, he was working for a Los Angeles messenger service and was bitter and depressed, his brother said. After moving to southwestern Louisiana, his jobs included delivering a newspaper, working offshore for Exxon and occasional work at his brother's restaurant. Russell Craig "Rusty" Hamer (February 15, 1947 – January 18, 1990) was an American stage, film and television actor. He is best known for portraying Rusty Williams, the wise cracking son of entertainer Danny Williams (Danny Thomas), on the popular ABC/CBS situation comedy Make Room for Daddy (later retitled The Danny Thomas Show), from 1953 to 1964. He reprised the role in three reunion specials and the sequel series, Make Room for Granddaddy, that aired on ABC from 1970 to 1971. Contents  [hide]  1 Career 2 Later years 3 Death 4 Legacy 5 Filmography 6 References 7 External links Career[edit] Born in Tenafly, New Jersey,[1] Hamer was the youngest of three sons of Arthur Walter John, Sr., a men's shirt salesman and Dorothy Hamer (née Chretin), a former silent film actress.[2] He had two elder brothers, John and Walter.[3] As a child, Hamer was nicknamed "Rusty" because of his red hair and freckles.[4] Due to his parents' involvement in community theatre productions, Hamer and his brothers also began performing in stage productions. As a toddler, Hamer memorized and recited stories and performed skits for service club luncheons, women's clubs and church groups.[5] In 1951, the Hamers moved to Los Angeles where Arthur Hamer worked as representative for a manufacturer of men's sport shirts (Arthur Hamer died eight months after his son was cast in The Danny Thomas Show).[2][6][7] Shortly after arriving, Hamer's elder brother John was discovered by an agent while performing in a local stage production in which Hamer was also performing. The agent signed both boys to a film contract.[3] The following year, Hamer won his first acting role in the 3-D Western Fort Ti, starring George Montgomery and Joan Vohs.[8] In 1953, entertainer Danny Thomas' secretary saw Hamer in a stage production and was impressed by the child's talent and charm. She suggested that Thomas audition Hamer for a role in his upcoming sitcom Make Room for Daddy. Thomas was also impressed by the 6-year old and cast Hamer as his precocious and quick-witted son, Rusty Williams.[3] Thomas later said of Hamer, "He was the best boy actor I ever saw in my life. He had a great memory...great timing and you could change a line on him at the last minute and he came right back with it."[9] Make Room for Daddy debuted on ABC on September 29, 1953 and, while critically acclaimed, garnered poor ratings.[10][11] After three seasons, the series moved to CBS where it was re-tooled and retitled The Danny Thomas Show.[11] The retooled version quickly became a hit with audiences and was a Top 20 hit for its remaining seven seasons.[12] During the run of The Danny Thomas Show, Hamer attempted to launch a singing career. He first performed a song in a 1956 episode of Danny Thomas entitled "The Talented Kid". In 1959, Hamer released his only single, a "rockaballad" called "Two-of-a-Kind" (with the b side "If Only Mother Would Let Me") written by Wally Gold and Aaron Schroeder, through Mercury Records. The single was a commercial failure and Hamer never released another single.[4][13] By late 1963, The Danny Thomas Show had garnered five Primetime Emmy Awards (among other awards) and was still ranked in the Top 10. However, Danny Thomas announced that he had decided to end the show in order to produce and star in other projects.[12][14] After the series ended, 17-year old Hamer enrolled at Palisades High School (years later restructured as Palisades Charter High School), but had difficulty adjusting to public school as he was accustomed to being privately tutored on the set.[7][9] Shortly before graduating in June 1964, Hamer granted an interview with reporter Bob Thomas. He stated that he intended to continue his acting career and hoped to branch out into dramatic roles. Hamer said that he was under consideration for roles in several television series including Mr. Novak, Arrest and Trial and Ben Casey. Hamer also said that he planned to attend college on the advice of Danny Thomas, whom he considered a second father, since his own father had died in 1953.[7] A year after The Danny Thomas Show ended, Hamer reprised the role of Rusty Williams in the reunion special The Danny Thomas TV Family Reunion, which aired on NBC.[15] On December 27, 1966, Hamer underwent emergency surgery at Santa Monica Emergency Hospital after sustaining a gunshot wound to the abdomen when a gun he was carrying in a shoulder holster slid out, fell to the ground and discharged. Hamer was carrying the gun after having just returned from an overnight hunting trip.[16] After recovering, he appeared in a second reunion special, "Make More Room For Daddy", that aired during a segment of the NBC anthology series The Danny Thomas Hour, in 1967.[15] Throughout the mid to late 1960s, Hamer continued to attempt a transition into adult roles and, according to Danny Thomas, enrolled in acting classes, but was unable to land any acting jobs. By the end of the decade, he had grown increasingly bitter and depressed over his waning career.[8][17] To support himself, he began working for a messenger service in Los Angeles and later worked as a carpenter's apprentice.[8][17] Hamer's only post Danny Thomas Show acting role was a guest spot on the CBS sitcom Green Acres, that aired in November 1969.[18] Hamer (top left) in 1970 with co-stars in Make Room for Granddaddy. In 1969, Hamer again reprised his role as Rusty Williams in a third reunion special, Make Room for Granddaddy. The special aired on CBS on September 14.[19] Due to the ratings success of the reunion specials, ABC created a weekly sequel series, also titled Make Room for Grandaddy, for their Fall 1970 schedule.[20] The series premiered on September 24, 1970, but failed to catch on with audiences.[21] Make Room for Granddaddy was canceled after one season.[22] It was Hamer's final acting role. Later years[edit] In the 1970s, Hamer moved to southwestern Louisiana where he worked on an off-shore oil rig for Exxon and delivered newspapers.[9][23][24] In 1976, he relocated to DeRidder, Louisiana to be closer to his ailing mother, Dorothy, who was suffering from Alzheimer's disease and lived with his elder brother John. John Hamer had moved to the area and opened a cafe where, in his final years, Hamer occasionally worked as a short order cook.[9] In October 1981, Hamer reunited with former co-stars Danny Thomas and Angela Cartwright. The reunion was televised as part of the ABC special What Became Of...?, that aired on October 25.[25] Death[edit] On the night of January 18, 1990, John Hamer found his brother's body in his trailer home in DeRidder, Louisiana. Hamer had shot himself in the head with a .357 Magnum revolver.[26] John Hamer later said he believed that his brother had remained bitter over his inability to transition into acting as an adult. He also said he believed that his brother's chronic and debilitating back pain (for which Hamer refused to seek medical treatment) and their mother's illness had contributed to Hamer's depression.[8] He stated: "He hasn't really been happy since his early 20s. But he didn't show any signs of this happening. It was just all of the sudden. [...] He was a very unhappy, very confused young man. No one does something like that if he isn't confused. I've heard of a lot of child actors who have become unhappy with their lives after they've left the industry."[27][28] Hamer's body was cremated and no service was held.[27] Legacy[edit] On February 8, 1960, Hamer was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in television. His star is located at 6323 Hollywood Boulevard.[29] Hamer's suicide raised awareness of the potential mental fragility of child performers and inspired fellow former child actor Paul Petersen, formerly of ABC's The Donna Reed Show, to establish the support group A Minor Consideration. The group seeks to improve working conditions for young actors and assists former child entertainers in making the transition from past fame to adult life.[30] Filmography[edit] Year Title Role Notes 1953 Fort Ti Jed's Nephew Uncredited 1953 to 1964 Make Room for Daddy Rusty Williams 323 episodes 1954 Four Star Playhouse Dickie Episode: "Vote of Confidence" 1954 Shower of Stars Rusty Episode: "Entertainment on Wheels" 1956 Dance with Me, Henry Duffer 1958 The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour Rusty Williams Episode: "Lucy Makes Room for Danny" 1958 Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse Rusty Williams Episode: "Lucy Makes Room for Danny" 1958 The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford Himself Episode #3.13 1961 The Red Skelton Show Guest drummer Episode #10.12 1965 The Joey Bishop Show Rusty Williams 3 episodes 1967 The Danny Thomas Hour Rusty Episode: "Make More Room for Daddy" 1969 Green Acres Alfred Episode: "Oliver's Schoolgirl Crush" 1970 to 1971 Make Room for Granddaddy Rusty Williams 24 episodes Born Feb. 15, 1947 in Tenafly, NJ Died Jan. 18, 1990 of self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in DeRidder, La. Rusty Hamer was a precocious child actor, famous for starring in the television series "Make Room for Daddy" for 11 years. Born in Tenafly, N.J., Hamer had appeared in several Abbott and Costello films before landing the leading role in "Make Room for Daddy" at the age of 6. On the series, Hamer played the bratty but lovable boy whose father was a nightclub singer and comedian. The show was a reflection of star Danny Thomas' own life, and it dwelt on the problems generated by the many times entertainers are forced to be away from their families. When the show ended in 1964, 17-year-old Hamer had to go from a film lot school to a public one. He attempted a brief return to show business in the 1970s, appearing in bit parts for television series such as "Green Acres," but never landed any steady roles. By the time he was 20, he was working for a Los Angeles messenger service and was bitter and depressed, his brother said. After moving to southwestern Louisiana, his jobs included delivering a newspaper, working offshore for Exxon and occasional work at his brother's restaurant. Hamer's suicide raised awareness of the potential mental fragility of child performers, and inspired fellow child actor Paul Petersen to found A Minor Consideration, a support group for young actors. — Burt A. Folkart in the Los Angeles Times Jan. 20, 1990  Related  'Make Room for Daddy' Child Star Rusty Hamer Related stars Danny Thomas Danny Thomas Actor Marjorie Lord Marjorie Lord Costar Eva Gabor Eva Gabor Costar Rusty Hamer played Danny Thomas' freckle-faced son on "Make Room for Daddy" for 11 years. Points of interest + - Powered by Leaflet — Bing, Earthstar Geographics SIO, © 2017 HERE, © 2017 Microsoft Corporation Click for more information Place of death: DeRidder, La. Place of birth: Tenafly, NJ Hollywood Walk of Fame Star: TV Three thoughts about Rusty Hamer  It breaks my heart to hear about Rusty and his life after high school. It's not true that he went off the stage school at age 17 because I went to school with him at Corpus Christi Catholic School in Pacific Palisades. And we were both around 13 years old and in the 8th grade, with the boys and girls being in separate rooms. Rusty was a very good and decent person as I remember him. My little memory story of Rusty Hamer is about him going up to another 8th grade boy, extending his hand to shake and congratulate him for graduating from the 8th grade and the boy being really mean and nasty to him. He was so nasty that, as shy as I was, I went up to this boy and reprimanded him for doing that because Rusty had looked so hurt. And years later when I had heard that Rusty had committed suicide I wrote a letter to the head priest of Corpus Christi School to tell Rusty's story and ask that they put anti-bullying policies in their educational programming. I never got an anwer to that letter, which should give parents in Pacific Palisades a good reason for not sending their children there. Rusty spent his most socially formative parts of his life in a stage school before he came to us. He got his lessons with either no other kids being present or just one or two others there. The methods and tools were also different because of this. So he came to Corpus Christi School thinking that it was okay to bring his typewriter along just as he did in Hollywood. And he probably got immediately labeled as "different" because of it. Then once that label was applied it was probably all down hill from there. Public school kids can make life miserable for newcomers, especially ones that they may be jealous of unless they have a life coach or someone that shows them the ropes. Meanwhile, I absolutely feel that Rusty Hamer deserves his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and not because of how sadly his life turned out. He deserves it because of what Danny Thomas said, which was that Rusty Hamer was the best young boy actor around. He had a great memory for lines and could easily ab lib when the dialog took an unexpected turn. That is a sign of a really good, professional actor. Too bad that he didn't get paid like one. Shame. Shame on Hollywood. And shame on Corpus Christi School and the bullies there. — Cristi Currie, January 3, 2014 at 6:42 p.m.  As I grew up watching Make Room For Danny, and the Danny Thomas Show, which I enjoyed very much. I just read the story regarding Rusty Hamer school years I had no idea that there were bullies that targeted Rusty, where were the teachers, or student to speak up. On Make Room For Danny, Rusty was an enjoyable, intelligent and quite talented. It hard for me to believe that of all people that Rusty had a hard life, he showed so much self esteem. Why didn't his parents help him, or even Danny himself, and Danny was a great person. My heart really hurts to hear of Rusty, but God Bless him and forgive him for giving too soon. "God Bless you Rusty" You made me laugh Rusty Thank You! — Norma Aspeitia, May 5, 2014 at 5:33 p.m.  I enjoyed watching make room for daddy I still watch it now it's too bad rusty did what he did with no disrespect I feel that many people blame others for their problems in life I believe Hollywood has many pressures but that's how it is there is no reason for anyone to take their own life there are many people that have gone through far worst life is too precious to destroy I have gone through many bad trials in my life I have been homeless and almost starved but I refuse to end a beautiful life I believe rusty should have got professional help anyone that shoots their self in the head the way he did is very unbalanced it's not normal without being cruel he had a severe mental problem.
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