From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Olin Ross Howland (February 10, 1886 – September 20, 1959) was an American film and theatre actor. Howland was born in Denver, Colorado, to Joby A. Howland, one of the youngest enlisted participants in the Civil War, and Mary C. Bunting. His older sister was the famous stage actress Jobyna Howland. From 1909 to 1927, Howland appeared on Broadway in musicals, occasionally performing in silent films. The musicals include Leave It to Jane (1917), Two Little Girls in Blue (1921) and Wildflower (1923). He was in the film Janice Meredith (1924) with Marion Davies. With the advent of sound films, his theatre background proved an asset, and he concentrated mostly on films thereafter, appearing in nearly two hundred movies between 1918 and 1958. Howland often played eccentric and rural roles in Hollywood. His parts were often small and uncredited, and he never got a leading role. He was a personal favorite of David O. Selznick, who cast him in his movies Nothing Sacred (1937) as a strange luggage man, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938, as the teacher Mr. Dobbins) and Gone with the Wind (1939) as a carpetbagger businessman. He also played in numerous westerns from Republic Pictures, including the John Wayne films In Old California (1942) and Angel and the Badman (1947). As a young man, Howland learned to fly at the Wright Flying School and soloed on a Wright Model B. This lent special sentiment in his scenes with James Stewart in the film The Spirit of St. Louis (1957), as Stewart was also a pilot in real life. The Spirit of St. Louis and Them (1954),where he played a drunken old man, and The Blob (1958) were his last films. He also played in telelevision shows during the 1950s. In 1958 and 1959, he was cast as Charley Perkins in five episodes of ABC's sitcom The Real McCoys, starring Walter Brennan. Howland never married and had no children. He worked until his death in Hollywood, California, at the age of 73.
Movie | Complicated Women | Self (archive footage) | 2003-05-06 |
Movie | Creepy Classics | Old Man - (archive footage) | 1987-10-01 |
Movie | Horrible Horror | Old Man in 'The Blob' | 1986-01-01 |
Movie | The Blob | The Old Man | 1958-09-10 |
Movie | The Storm Rider | Will Collins | 1957-03-01 |
Movie | Bombers B-52 | Joe (uncredited) | 1957-11-22 |
Series | The Real McCoys | Unknown | 1957-10-03 |
Series | The Adventures of Jim Bowie | Unknown | 1956-09-07 |
Movie | The McConnell Story | Sam | 1955-09-29 |
Movie | Them! | Jensen | 1954-06-16 |
Movie | A Star Is Born | Charley (uncredited) | 1954-10-01 |
Movie | So This Is Love | Mailman | 1953-07-15 |
Series | Hopalong Cassidy | Unknown | 1952-09-19 |
Movie | The Fabulous Senorita | Justice of the Peace (as Olin Howlin) | 1952-03-31 |
Series | Mr. & Mrs. North | Unknown | 1952-10-03 |
Movie | Santa Fe | Dan Dugan | 1951-04-01 |
Movie | Fighting Coast Guard | Desk Clerk (as Olin Howlin) | 1951-05-31 |
Movie | The Nevadan | Rusty (uncredited) | 1950-01-11 |
Movie | Father Makes Good | Milo Williams | 1950-05-07 |
Series | Lux Video Theatre | Unknown | 1950-10-02 |
Movie | Rock Island Trail | Saloonkeeper | 1950-05-18 |
Movie | Bad Men of Tombstone | Store Proprietor (as Olin Howlin) | 1949-01-21 |
Movie | A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court | Sam - Connecticut Postman (uncredited) | 1949-04-18 |
Movie | Grand Canyon | Windy | 1949-05-19 |
Movie | Mr. Soft Touch | Skinny Santa Claus (Uncredited) | 1949-07-28 |
Movie | Leave It to Henry | Milo Williams | 1949-06-12 |
Movie | Hellfire | 1949-05-29 | |
Movie | The Dude Goes West | Finnegan | 1948-05-30 |
Movie | The Return of the Whistler | Jeff Anderson | 1948-03-18 |
Movie | Relentless | Veterinarian (uncredited) | 1948-06-15 |
Movie | Last of the Wild Horses | Remedy Williams | 1948-12-27 |
Movie | Station West | Cook | 1948-09-01 |
Movie | The Paleface | Jonathan Sloane, undertaker | 1948-12-17 |
Movie | Apache Rose | Alkali | 1947-02-15 |
Movie | Angel and the Badman | Bradley | 1947-02-15 |
Movie | Easy Come, Easy Go | Gas Man | 1947-03-07 |
Movie | I Walk Alone | Ed the Watchman (uncredited) | 1947-12-31 |
Movie | Living in a Big Way | Gardener | 1947-06-10 |
Movie | Home Sweet Homicide | Luke | 1946-10-02 |
Movie | The Strange Love of Martha Ivers | Newspaper Clerk (uncredited) | 1946-08-19 |
Movie | Crime Doctor's Man Hunt | Marcus Le Blaine | 1946-10-24 |
Movie | Sheriff of Cimarron | Pinky Snyder | 1945-02-28 |
Movie | Her Lucky Night | Prince de la Mour | 1945-02-09 |
Movie | Grissly's Millions | Andrews | 1945-01-16 |
Movie | Santa Fe Saddlemates | Dead Eye | 1945-06-01 |
Movie | Senorita from the West | Justice of Peace | 1945-10-12 |
Movie | Dakota | Devlin's Driver (as Olin Howlin) | 1945-12-15 |
Movie | Captain Eddie | Census Taker | 1945-06-18 |
Movie | Fallen Angel | Joe Ellis (uncredited) | 1945-11-15 |
Movie | Sing Your Way Home | Steward | 1945-11-14 |
Movie | Man from Frisco | Eben Whelock | 1944-06-15 |
Movie | Bermuda Mystery | Gas Station Owner | 1944-05-01 |
Movie | Twilight on the Prairie | Jed (as Olin Howlin) | 1944-04-30 |
Movie | Sing, Neighbor, Sing | Joe the Barber | 1944-08-12 |
Movie | Nothing But Trouble | Room painter | 1944-12-06 |
Movie | In the Meantime, Darling | Moorehousse | 1944-09-22 |
Movie | Can't Help Singing | Bigelow (as Olin Howlin) | 1944-12-25 |
Movie | The Town Went Wild | Bit Part | 1944-12-15 |
Movie | I'll Be Seeing You | Train Vendor (uncredited) | 1944-12-31 |
Movie | The Falcon Strikes Back | Sheriff (uncredited) | 1943-04-01 |
Movie | Dixie | Mr. Deveraux (as Olin Howlin) | 1943-06-23 |
Movie | A Stranger in Town | Homer Todds | 1943-04-01 |
Movie | The Sky's the Limit | Driver (uncredited) | 1943-07-13 |
Movie | The Falcon and the Co-Eds | Goodwillie, Bluecliff Driver | 1943-11-10 |
Movie | The Good Fellows | Reynolds | 1943-08-11 |
Movie | Dr. Broadway | The professor | 1942-05-09 |
Movie | Almost Married | Bright | 1942-05-22 |
Movie | Home in Wyomin' | Sunrise (as Olin Howlin) | 1942-04-29 |
Movie | Blondie's Blessed Event | Office Worker (uncredited) | 1942-04-09 |
Movie | Sappy Birthday | 1942-02-05 | |
Movie | This Gun for Hire | Blair Fletcher | 1942-04-24 |
Movie | The Man Who Wouldn't Die | Jonathan Meek | 1942-04-27 |
Movie | In Old California | Undetermined Minor Role | 1942-05-31 |
Movie | Ridin' Down the Canyon | Jailer | 1942-12-30 |
Movie | Henry and Dizzy | Frank Stevens | 1942-06-05 |
Movie | You Can't Escape Forever | Cemetery Organist (uncredited) | 1942-10-10 |
Movie | Secrets of the Underground | Oscar Mayberry | 1942-12-18 |
Movie | Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch | Jacob Diezel | 1942-10-01 |
Movie | Ten Gentlemen from West Point | Carpenter (uncredited) | 1942-06-26 |
Movie | Belle Starr | Jasper Trench | 1941-09-12 |
Movie | The Shepherd of the Hills | Corky | 1941-07-18 |
Movie | One Foot in Heaven | Train Station Master (uncredited) | 1941-11-01 |
Movie | Buy Me That Town | Constable Sam Smedley (as Olin Howlin) | 1941-10-03 |
Movie | Two-Faced Woman | Frank (uncredited) | 1941-12-31 |
Movie | You're in the Army Now | Farmer | 1941-12-25 |
Movie | Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring | Dr. Williams | 1941-11-18 |
Movie | Young Tom Edison | Telegrapher (Indian Attack) | 1940-03-15 |
Movie | The Doctor Takes a Wife | Hotel Clerk | 1940-04-25 |
Movie | Young People | Station Master | 1940-08-30 |
Movie | Just a Cute Kid | Dr. Clump | 1940-10-05 |
Movie | Chad Hanna | Cisco Tridd | 1940-12-25 |
Movie | Zenobia | Attorney Culpepper | 1939-04-21 |
Movie | Nancy Drew... Reporter | Police Sergeant Entwhistle | 1939-02-18 |
Movie | Made for Each Other | Farmer (uncredited) | 1939-02-10 |
Movie | Blondie Brings Up Baby | Encyclopedia Salesman | 1939-11-08 |
Movie | Four Wives | Joe - a Policeman (uncredited) | 1939-12-22 |
Movie | The Return of Doctor X | Undertaker | 1939-11-23 |
Movie | Days of Jesse James | Muncie Undersheriff | 1939-12-20 |
Movie | Gone with the Wind | A Carpetbagger Businessman | 1939-12-15 |
Movie | Kentucky Moonshine | Tom Slack | 1938-05-20 |
Movie | The Girl of the Golden West | Trinidad Joe | 1938-03-18 |
Movie | The Adventures of Tom Sawyer | Mr. Dobbins - Schoolmaster | 1938-02-11 |
Movie | Merrily We Live | Jed Smith | 1938-03-04 |
Movie | When Were You Born | Peter Finlay | 1938-06-18 |
Movie | Little Tough Guy | Baxter | 1938-07-22 |
Movie | Brother Rat | Slim | 1938-10-29 |
Movie | Sweethearts | Appleby | 1938-12-30 |
Movie | The Mad Miss Manton | Mr. X, the Safecracker | 1938-10-21 |
Movie | Marry the Girl | Southern sales manager | 1937-07-13 |
Movie | Wife, Doctor and Nurse | Doorman | 1937-09-17 |
Movie | Men in Exile | Jones | 1937-04-04 |
Movie | The Bad Man of Brimstone | Stagecoach Driver | 1937-12-31 |
Movie | Stand-In | Hotel manager | 1937-10-29 |
Movie | Nothing Sacred | Baggage Man | 1937-11-25 |
Movie | I Married a Doctor | Dave Dyer | 1936-04-25 |
Movie | Snowed Under | Bridgeport Sheriff (uncredited) | 1936-03-29 |
Movie | Man Hunt | Court Starrett | 1936-01-29 |
Movie | The Case of the Velvet Claws | Wilbur Strong | 1936-07-03 |
Movie | Road Gang | Prison Farm Doctor | 1936-03-28 |
Movie | The Big Noise | Harrison | 1936-06-22 |
Movie | Gold Diggers of 1937 | Dr. MacDuffy | 1936-12-28 |
Movie | The Longest Night | Smythe, Floorwalker | 1936-10-02 |
Movie | Country Gentlemen | Lawyer | 1936-11-08 |
Movie | Satan Met a Lady | Detective Dunhill | 1936-07-22 |
Movie | Earthworm Tractors | Mr. Blair | 1936-07-24 |
Movie | The Case of the Curious Bride | Wilbur Strong | 1935-04-13 |
Movie | Folies Bergère | Stage Manager | 1935-02-22 |
Movie | Love Me Forever | Carlton | 1935-06-28 |
Movie | Naughty Marietta | Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited) | 1935-03-29 |
Movie | The Case of the Lucky Legs | Dr. Croker | 1935-10-05 |
Movie | Little Big Shot | Doc (uncredited) | 1935-09-07 |
Movie | The Widow from Monte Carlo | Eaves | 1935-12-19 |
Movie | Dr. Socrates | Bob Catlett | 1935-10-19 |
Movie | Treasure Island | Pirate of the Spanish Main | 1934-08-17 |
Movie | Wagon Wheels | Bill O'Leary | 1934-09-15 |
Movie | Blondie Johnson | Eddie | 1933-02-25 |
Movie | Golden Harvest | Wheat Farmer (uncredited) | 1933-09-21 |
Movie | Little Women | Mr. Davis (uncredited) | 1933-11-24 |
Movie | So Big! | Jacob Dogadunk (uncredited) | 1932-04-30 |
Movie | Over the Hill | Isaac as an Adult | 1931-11-29 |
Movie | Zander the Great | Elmer Lovejoy | 1925-05-01 |
Movie | Janice Meredith | Philemon | 1924-12-08 |
Movie | Danse macabre | Death | 1922-03-08 |
Movie | Independence, B'Gosh | Horation Whiffle | 1918-12-08 |