27 Facts About Parley Baer

Parley Edward Baer was an American actor in radio and later in television and film.

Parley Edward Baer was born in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Early in his career, Parley Baer was a circus ringmaster and publicist.

Parley Baer left those roles for military service in World War II.

Parley Baer was commissioned as an officer in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II, attaining the rank of Captain.

Parley Baer worked as a voice actor on several other radio shows produced by Norman MacDonnell, performing as Pete the Marshal on the situation comedy The Harold Peary Show, as Doc Clemens on Rogers of the Gazette, and as additional characters on Fort Laramie and The Adventures of Philip Marlowe.

Parley Baer appeared as a telephone executive on Gomer Pyle, USM.

Parley Baer made six guest appearances on Perry Mason during the last five seasons of the CBS legal drama, including the role of Edward Farraday in the 1962 episode, "The Case of the Captain's Coins," and Willard Hupp in the 1963 episode, "The Case of the Bouncing Boomerang".

Parley Baer was cast twice on Walter Brennan's sitcom, The Real McCoys.

Parley Baer guest-starred on the CBS sitcoms Dennis the Menace with Jay North, The Tom Ewell Show with Tom Ewell, and Angel, starring Annie Farge.

In 1961, Parley Baer guest-starred on Marilyn Maxwell's short-lived ABC drama series, Bus Stop.

Parley Baer was cast as hotel owner Mr Kringelein in the 1962 film, Gypsy, opposite Natalie Wood and Rosalind Russell.

In 1963, Parley Baer appeared with Charles Aidman and Karl Swenson in the three-part episode "Security Risk", a story of international blackmail and intrigue, on the CBS anthology series, GE True, hosted by Jack Webb.

Parley Baer was cast as Horace Greeley, who came to Colorado in 1859 in the Pikes Peak Gold Rush, in the 1965 episode "The Great Turkey War" of the syndicated series, Death Valley Days.

In 1967, Parley Baer appeared as General Whitfield on the I Dream of Jeannie episode, "Fly Me to the Moon".

Parley Baer played the role of the minister who married JR and Sue Ellen Ewing for their second marriage on Dallas.

Parley Baer appeared in Two on a Guillotine and Dave.

Parley Baer had a featured role in the 1958 war drama The Young Lions, portraying a German officer and friend of Marlon Brando.

Parley Baer was especially proud of his brief appearance in the film, White Dog, a powerful story about racism.

Parley Baer plays a character seen at first as a kindly grandfather, only to reveal himself as a hateful bigot who has trained the title character to attack black skin.

Parley Baer remarked, "Often racism, like true evil, presents itself with a smile and a handshake".

Some 10 years earlier, Parley Baer played a closet racist in a Christmas episode of Bewitched.

Parley Baer voiced Ernie Keebler in the cookie commercials before he suffered a stroke in 1997 which affected both speech and movement.

Parley Baer recovered sufficiently to make a handful of appearances at old-time radio conventions in his later years.

In 1946, Parley Baer met and married circus aerialist and bareback rider Ernestine Clarke.

Parley Baer was a long-term member of St Nicholas Episcopal Church in Encino, California, where he served in many capacities, including head usher.

In 1969, Parley Baer gave the eulogy at the funeral of The Andy Griffith Show castmate Howard McNear.