William Benedict (April 16, 1917 – November 25, 1999) was an American actor, perhaps best known for playing “Whitey” in Monogram Pictures’ The Bowery Boys series.
Early years
Benedict was born in Haskell, Oklahoma, After his father’s death when William was 3 years old, his mother supported him and his two sisters. He took part in school theatricals, and on leaving school he made his way to Hollywood.
Career
Benedict’s first film was $10 Raise (1935) starring Edward Everett Horton, which launched the blond-haired young man on a busy career. He almost always played juvenile roles, such as newsboys, messengers, office boys, and farmhands.
In 1939, when Universal Pictures began its Little Tough Guys series to compete with the popular Dead End Kids features, Benedict was recruited into the cast. These films led him into the similar East Side Kids movies (usually playing a member of the East Side gang, but occasionally in villainous roles). The East Side Kids became The Bowery Boys in 1946, and Benedict stayed with the series (as “Whitey”) through the end of 1951.
Other films included My Little Chickadee (1940) starring W. C. Fields and Mae West, The Ox-Bow Incident (1943), Ed Wood’s Bride of the Monster (1955), The Sting (1973) and Farewell, My Lovely (1975). Benedict never shook his juvenile image completely, and continued to play messengers and news vendors well into his sixties. He also worked often in television commercials.
Death
Benedict died at age 82 on November 25, 1999, at Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, following heart surgery.
Selected filmography
$10 Raise (1935) as Jimmy
College Scandal (1935) as ‘Penny’ Parker
Silk Hat Kid (1935) as Uncle Sam (uncredited)
Doubting Thomas (1935) as Caddie
The Farmer Takes a Wife (1935) as Boy Announcing Dan’s Arrival Before Fight (uncredited)
Welcome Home (1935) as Bit (uncredited)
Steamboat Round the Bend (1935) as Breck (uncredited)
Ladies Love Danger (1935) as Newsboy (uncredited)
Way Down East (1935) as Amos
Three Kids and a Queen (1935) as Flash
Bad Boy (1935) as Grocery Clerk (uncredited)
Show Them No Mercy (1935) as Willie (uncredited)
Your Uncle Dudley (1935) as Cyril Church
The Country Doctor (1936) as The Gawker
Captain January (1936) as Bud – Telegram Delivery Boy (uncredited)
The Witness Chair (1936) as Benny Ryan
Meet Nero Wolfe (1936) as Johnny – Barstow’s Caddy
M’Liss (1936) as Archer Morpher
A Son Comes Home (1936) as Cabin Boy (uncredited)
Ramona (1936) as Joseph Hyar
Adventure in Manhattan (1936) as Office Boy (uncredited)
Libeled Lady (1936) as Johnny
Theodora Goes Wild (1936) as Henry (uncredited)
Can This Be Dixie? (1936) as Shenandoah Peachtree (uncredited)
Laughing at Trouble (1936) as Wilbur
Crack-Up (1936) as Office Boy (uncredited)
After the Thin Man (1936) as Blond Young Man Who Approaches Car (uncredited)
They Wanted to Marry (1937) as Freckles
Jim Hanvey, Detective (1937) as Copy Boy (uncredited)
That I May Live (1937) as Kurt Plivens
The Road Back (1937) as Boy Leader (uncredited)
Rhythm in the Clouds (1937) as Clyde (uncredited)
Love in a Bungalow (1937) as Telegraph boy
Flying Fists (1937) as Monk, Tall Kid
A Dangerous Adventure (1937) as Blister (uncredited)
The Last Gangster (1937) as Freddy – the Office Boy (uncredited)
Tim Tyler’s Luck (1937) as Spud
I Met My Love Again (1938) as Billy – Boy at Party (uncredited)
No Time to Marry (1938) as Farm Boy (uncredited)
Bringing Up Baby (1938) as David’s Caddy (uncredited)
Walking Down Broadway (1938) as Eddie
King of the Newsboys (1938) as Squimpy
There’s Always a Woman (1938) as Bellhop (uncredited)
Hold That Kiss (1938) as Boy Delivering Suit (uncredited)
Young Fugitives (1938) as Jud
Hold That Co-ed (1938) as Sylvester
Little Tough Guys in Society (1938) as Trouble
Say It in French (1938) as Red-Haired Boy (uncredited)
Newsboys’ Home (1938) as Trouble
Code of the Streets (1939) as Trouble
Man of Conquest (1939) as Tommy (uncredited)
Timber Stampede (1939) as Tiny Tim – Printer’s Devil (uncredited)
Pack Up Your Troubles (1939) as Office Boy (uncredited)
Call a Messenger (1939) as Trouble
Legion of the Lawless (1940) as Eddie
My Little Chickadee (1940) as Lem (uncredited)
And One Was Beautiful (1940) as Delivery Man (uncredited)
Prairie Law (1940) as Teenage Voter (uncredited)
Grand Ole Opry (1940) as Newsboy (uncredited)
Adventures of Red Ryder (1940, Serial) as Dan Withers [Ch. 1] (uncredited)
The Great McGinty (1940) as Farm Boy (uncredited)
Stage to Chino (1940) as Happy (uncredited)
Lucky Partners (1940) as Delivery Boy (uncredited)
Young People (1940) as Boy (uncredited)
Rhythm on the River (1940) as Elevator Boy (uncredited)
The Mad Doctor (1940) as Mickey Barnes – Copy Boy (uncredited)
Melody Ranch (1940) as Slim
Give Us Wings (1940) as Link
Second Chorus (1940) as Ticket Taker (uncredited)
Bowery Boy (1940) (uncredited)
The Great Mr. Nobody (1941) as Jig
Scattergood Baines (1941) as Lafe Hopper (uncredited)
The Man Who Lost Himself (1941) as Messenger Boy (uncredited)
Mr. District Attorney (1941) as Office Boy (uncredited)
Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941, Serial) as Whitey Murphy
In Old Cheyenne (1941) as Train Vendor (uncredited)
She Knew All the Answers (1941) as Singing Telegraph Boy
Time Out for Rhythm (1941) as Messenger (uncredited)
Citadel of Crime (1941) as Wes Rankins
The Richest Man in Town (1941) as Young Man (uncredited)
Dressed to Kill (1941) as Telegram Boy (uncredited)
Great Guns (1941) as Recruit at Corral (uncredited)
Jesse James at Bay (1941) as Young Davis (uncredited)
Unholy Partners (1941) as Copyboy Wanting Paper (uncredited)
Tuxedo Junction (1941) as Thomas ‘Piecrust’ Murphy
Cadet Girl (1941) as Soldier at Camp Show (uncredited)
Confessions of Boston Blackie (1941) as Ice Cream Man
A Tragedy at Midnight (1942) as Newsboy (uncredited)
On the Sunny Side (1942) as Messenger
Rings on Her Fingers (1942) as Newsboy
Two Yanks in Trinidad (1942) as Messenger (uncredited)
The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine (1942) as Bellboy
Junior G-Men of the Air (1942, Serial) as Whitey [Ch. 11] (uncredited)
Home in Wyomin’ (1942) as Usher (uncredited)
I Live on Danger (1942) as Nightclub Waiter (uncredited)
Lady in a Jam (1942) as Barker (uncredited)
Perils of Nyoka (1942) as Red Davis
The Talk of the Town (1942) as Western Union Boy (uncredited)
Wildcat (1942) as Bud Smithers
The Glass Key (1942) as Farr’s Receptionist (uncredited)
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch (1942) as Usher in Opera House (uncredited)
Get Hep to Love (1942) as Soda Jerk (uncredited)
Valley of Hunted Men (1942) as Ranch Boy (uncredited)
Heart of the Golden West (1942) as Telegraph Messenger (uncredited)
A Night to Remember (1942) as Messenger Boy (uncredited)
The Powers Girl (1943) as Office Boy (uncredited)
Aerial Gunner (1943) as Pvt. Jackson ‘Sleepy’ Laswell
Hangmen Also Die! (1943) as Kylar (uncredited)
Clancy Street Boys (1943) as Butch – Cherry Street Leader
The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) as Greene
All by Myself (1943) as Telegraph Messenger (uncredited)
Ghosts on the Loose (1943) as Benny
Nobody’s Darling (1943) as Sammy (uncredited)
Adventures of the Flying Cadets (1943) as Cadet Zombie Parker
Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943) as Busboy (uncredited)
Mr. Muggs Steps Out (1943) as Pinky
Minesweeper (1943) as Inoculations Corpsman (uncredited)
Moonlight in Vermont (1943) as Abel
Whispering Footsteps (1943) as Jerry Murphy
Million Dollar Kid (1944) as Skinny
Cover Girl (1944) as Florist Delivery Boy (uncredited)
The Whistler (1944) as The Deafmute (uncredited)
Follow the Boys (1944) as Joe (uncredited)
Follow the Leader (1944) as Spider O’Brien
Goodnight Sweetheart (1944) as Bellboy
Block Busters (1944) as Butch
Janie (1944) as Soda Jerk (uncredited)
That’s My Baby! (1944) as Office Boy
The Merry Monahans (1944) as Messenger (uncredited)
They Live in Fear (1944) as Thomas ‘Mack’ Knight (uncredited)
Bowery Champs (1944) as Skinny
My Gal Loves Music (1944) as Bellboy (uncredited)
Night Club Girl (1945) as Winnebago boy (uncredited)
Youth on Trial (1945) as Soda Jerk (uncredited)
Brenda Starr, Reporter (1945, Serial) as Pesky [Ch 1,3,5-8,11,13] (uncredited)
Docks of New York (1945) as Skinny
Patrick the Great (1945) as Joey (uncredited)
Hollywood and Vine (1945) as Joe – Newsboy (uncredited)
The Story of G.I. Joe (1945) as Pvt. Whitey (uncredited)
Mr. Muggs Rides Again (1945) as Skinny
Come Out Fighting (1945) as Skinny
Road to Utopia (1945) as Second Newsboy (uncredited)
People Are Funny (1946) as NBC Usher
Live Wires (1946) as Whitey
Gay Blades (1946) as Newsboy (uncredited)
The Gentleman Misbehaves (1946) as Bellboy (uncredited)
The Kid from Brooklyn (1946) as Newsboy #2 (uncredited)
Without Reservations (1946) as Western Union Telegraph Boy (uncredited)
Do You Love Me? (1946) as Singing Western Union Boy (uncredited)
One More Tomorrow (1946) as Stakey – Bantam Office Boy (uncredited)
In Fast Company (1946) as Whitey
A Boy, a Girl and a Dog (1946) as Messenger Boy (uncredited)
Bowery Bombshell (1946) as Whitey
Spook Busters (1946) as Whitey
No Leave, No Love (1946) as Expectant Father on Hospital Phone (uncredited)
Never Say Goodbye (1946) as Messenger Boy (uncredited)
Mr. Hex (1946) as Whitey
The Pilgrim Lady (1947) as Bellboy
Hard Boiled Mahoney (1947) as Whitey
Fun on a Weekend (1947) as Hotel Bellboy (uncredited)
The Hucksters (1947) as Bellboy at Blue Penguin Inn (uncredited)
News Hounds (1947) as Whitey
Bowery Buckaroos (1947) as Whitey
Merton of the Movies (1947) as Von Strutt’s Assistant (uncredited)
Angels’ Alley (1948) as Whitey
Secret Service Investigator (1948) as Counterman
Jinx Money (1948) as Whitey
Night Wind (1948) as Irv Bennett (uncredited)
Smugglers’ Cove (1948) as Whitey
Trouble Makers (1948) as Whitey
Fighting Fools (1949) as Whitey
Riders of the Pony Express (1949) as Eddie Lund
Hold That Baby! (1949) as Whitey
Angels in Disguise (1949) as Whitey
Master Minds (1949) as Whitey
Blonde Dynamite (1950) as Whitey
Lucky Losers (1950) as Whitey
Triple Trouble (1950) as Whitey
Blues Busters (1950) as Whitey
Bowery Battalion (1951) as Whitey
Ghost Chasers (1951) as Whitey
Let’s Go Navy! (1951) as Whitey
Crazy Over Horses (1951) as Whitey
The Magnetic Monster (1953) as Albert
Bride of the Monster (1955) as Newsboy
The Killing (1956) as American Airlines Clerk
Rally Round the Flag, Boys! (1958) as Bellhop (uncredited)
The Hanging Tree (1959) as Trapper (uncredited)
Last Train from Gun Hill (1959) as Small Man in Horseshoe (uncredited)
Lover Come Back (1961) as Musician in Elevator (uncredited)
Dear Heart (1964) as Stu (uncredited)
Zebra in the Kitchen (1965) as Toy Shop Proprietor (uncredited)
The Hallelujah Trail (1965) as Simpson – Miner
Harlow (1965) as Bespectacled Hero in Movie (uncredited)
What Am I Bid? (1967) as Clem
Funny Girl (1968) as Western Union Boy (uncredited)
Rogue’s Gallery (1968) as Jocko
Big Daddy (1969)
Hello Dolly! (1969) as News Vendor (uncredited)
The Dirt Gang (1972) as Station Attendant
The Sting (1973) as Jimmy, Roulette dealer
Homebodies (1974) as Watchman
Farewell, My Lovely (1975) (uncredited)
Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976) as Man on Bus
Sherlock Holmes in New York (1976) as Telegraph Office Manager
The Last Hurrah (1977) as Willie Degman
Born Again (1978) as Leon Jaworski
External Links
Actor William Benedict – Wikipedia
