Arthur Anderson

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Arthur Anderson
Arthur Anderson with others in the cast of Let's Pretend
Born	Arthur Anderson (1922-08-29) August 29, 1922 (age 89) Staten Island, New York
Residence	Albany, New York
Nationality	American
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1930's-present
Home town	New York City, New York

Arthur Anderson (born August 29, 1922) is an American actor of films, television and the stage. His career began on radio during the early 1930s.

Let's Pretend

As a child, he was heard on NBC in the role of the orphan Buddy on the radio network's musical serial drama, Tony and Gus (1935). The following year he joined the cast of Nila Mack's Let's Pretend and continued on that children's program until it came to an end in 1954. In 2004, he wrote a history of the show, "Let's Pretend and the Golden Age of Radio" (BearManor Media), which includes a foreword by Norman Corwin and a complete broadcast log by Derek Tague and Martin Grams, Jr.^[1]

Anderson appeared in Orson Welles' New York production of Julius Caesar and was then in Welles' The Mercury Theatre on the Air. His other radio credits include the juvenile quiz show, March of Games (1938–41), produced by Nila Mack and featuring many of the young actors from Let's Pretend.

From serials to cereals

Beginning in 1963 he was the voice of the General Mills Lucky Charms mascot Lucky the Leprechaun, continuing the character for 29 years even though he is not Irish. In 2005, he recalled:

People have expectations. I just have an Irish-sounding name. I have reason to celebrate. I had the luck of the Irish to get that part. I never got free cereal, but they gave me lots of green money. And it was a fun character to play. Hardly a day goes by when somebody doesn't ask me to sing the Lucky Charms jingle, and I'm proud of that.^[2]

Television

On television he succeeded Lionel G. Wilson as the voice of Eustace Bagge in Courage The Cowardly Dog. His film credits include Green Card and I'm Not Rappaport and three appearances on the television series Law & Order.

In recent years, Anderson has been active in Friends of Old Time Radio, a group that revives classic audio broadcasts, and he is a regular participant in their conventions. He appeared at the convention 30 times, the most of any actor, making his final appearance at the convention's finale on October 23, 2011. In 2012, he took on the role of honorary chairman for the successor event to Friends of Old Time Radio, Celebrating Audio Theater - Old & New, which will take place October 12-13, 2012.

Autobiography

His in-progress autobiography is titled From Orson Welles to Lucky the Leprechaun.^[3]

Now published: An Actor's Odyssey: Orson Welles to Lucky the Leprechaun, by Arthur Anderson. Albany, 2010. BearManor Media. ISBN 1-59393-522-6.

References

External links

• Arthur Anderson at the Internet Movie Database
• New York Public Library: Nila Mack Personal Papers, Photos and Scripts
• Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs: Let's Pretend