Chester Lauck
Chester Lauck
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Chester "Chet" Lauck (February 9, 1902 – February 21, 1980) was a comic actor who played the character of Lum Edwards on the classic American radio comedy Lum and Abner. Chester Lauck was born in Alleene, Arkansas and raised in Mena, Arkansas. He graduated from Mena High School in 1920. In Mena, Chet met his future comedy partner Norris Goff. Though both began as blackface comics, they soon found success on local station KTHS with a recurring hillbilly skit, leading to a network series, recorded in Chicago, Illinois, in 1931. In addition to starring as storekeeper Lum (full name Columbus Edwards, with surname usually pronounced "Eddards"), Lauck also played several other recurring characters, including Cedric Weehunt, Grandpappy Spears, and Snake Hogan. He reprised his radio role, opposite Goff, in seven motion pictures between 1940 and 1956. Lauck adopted grey hair and a moustache on-camera, to better match the picture most audiences would have of his radio character. In his later years, Lauck recorded new introductions for commercial cassette releases of the series and for syndication. For a brief time during the 1950s he bought and upgraded a ranch fifteen miles west of Las Vegas, later bought by Howard Hughes. It was turned into Spring Mountain Ranch State Park. On August 27, 1957, he appeared as a guest challenger on To Tell the Truth. He died on February 21, 1980, aged 78, and was buried in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Chester Lauck is a member of the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame.
Known For Acting
Popularity 0.578
Birthday 1902-02-09
Place of Birth Allene, Arkansas, USA
Also Known As Chet Lauck, Lum, Chester "Chet" Lauck,
Lum and Abner
1949

Lum and Abner

Two Weeks to Live
1943

Two Weeks to Live

Dreaming Out Loud
1940

Dreaming Out Loud

The Bashful Bachelor
1942

The Bashful Bachelor

Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 5
1942

Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 5

So This Is Washington
1943

So This Is Washington

Goin' to Town
1944

Goin' to Town

Partners in Time
1946

Partners in Time

Lum and Abner Abroad
1956

Lum and Abner Abroad