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Vincent Beck was a character actor who appeared on many TV shows in the 60’s. He also appeared live in our living room when I was a kid. Beck was a friend of my mother’s from her time at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Click the thumbnail pictures to see scans from her yearbook. Look for the name Joanne Waffle.
I’ve placed thick double borders around the pictures of my mother and Vince Beck. A third picture I’ve highlighted has a thin outside border. That’s David Andrews, or “Tige” Andrews. He was on an episode of “Star Trek” and he was one of the principal actors on the unforgettable “The Mod Squad.” I remember my mother once making light of Tige’s toupee.
Vince Beck’s resume of 60’s TV shows includes:
- Bonanza
- Get Smart
- Gilligan’s Island
- Gunsmoke
- Lost in Space
- The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
- The Monkees
- The Time Tunnel
Vince excelled at playing broad comic villains, particularly Russians. He was cast in no fewer than three episodes of The Monkees, which is one of my all-time favorite childhood shows. A clip from the Monkees episode “Royal Flush” is at the top of this post. Beck played the chauffeur.
Vince Beck’s worst movie credit is undoubtedly “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.” His best is perhaps “… And Justice for All,” despite the profanity the part called for, which you won’t hear in this clip.
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You can imagine what a kick it was for us kids, having Beck visit! He stopped by our house in Norwalk, CT on his way to spend the summer at a theatre in Boothbay, Maine. I think he had a financial interest in the place.
I don’t know if Beck was just a friend of my mother’s, or if he was a former boyfriend. Vince Beck was a character actor and not a star, yet in person he was decidedly larger than life, and his presence added to the aura that my mother’s past retains to this day.
I’m pretty sure we weren’t! DAMN! Can’t check with Mom on THIS one! We would have already seen Vince on at least ONE show by then! Unless he came up to visit more than once, and I don’t remember the second visit.
I’m pretty sure we were older than 7 or 8.
I, of course, was TOO YOUNG to remember the event! Or if I was old enough, nevertheless still too young for his visit to have made a memorable impression. Ah well. Thanks for the details and family history. There are so many things just beyond my own memory that the rest of us Pratts remember.
I’ve had Davy’s arms around me, too! He hugs fans whens he’s in a good mood. Of course, we were both fully clothed; he was 56 and I was 45 … . He really IS tiny! CRIPES, you mean he physically bumped into Vince and he STILL can’t remember him? Doesn’t the girl he rescue remind you of Lindsay Lohen? Davy is exactly the same height as me, 5’4′ tall. As you can see, Vince is way over six feet!
It’s all true! If my memory serves, my parents and all six of us kids went into NYC to pick Vince up for a visit (hmm, no license?) I remember Dad said Vince had a beard and told us not to call him a “beatnik.” How’s THAT for aging ourselves? I think my mother said he wasn’t terribly fond of kids, so we were to make ourselves scarce. Vince got each of Pratt kids one of those cheap strings of lollipops you could buy at Woolworths. Doug and I were only seven or maybe eight at the time. When we got back ot our house, he asked me what my name was, and he said, “Ah, Jean the Queen!” Naturally, we were all star-struck, and we hadn’t even seen him on a single sitcom yet. A highlight was seeing him painted completely in silver on “Lost in Space!” Even with the paint job, you couldn’t miss the mile-deep lines in his face.
Oh, Vince also holds the record for guest-starring the most on “The Monkees.” As my siblings know, I live less than 40 miles from Davy Jones (a long story). On the many occasions I’ve met and talked to Davy, he honestly cannot remember Vince or much of even his own working on the shows, period! He admits there was a lot of booze and drugs (and girls) distracting the boyz back then!