Charles Clarence Robert Orville Cummings — known to audiences as Robert Cummings, and later as Bob Cummings — was a multitalented American actor whose career spanned six decades of Broadway, Hollywood films, radio, and television. Robert Cummings had a gift for making people like him no matter the situation.
He trained formally at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City and earned his first film contract with Paramount in 1935. He went on to star in more than 80 films, earn multiple Emmy nominations.
In 1968, Robert Cummings brought his considerable talents to Denver, directing and starring in Generation at the Historic Elitch Theatre — a fitting capstone to a career that had always balanced the sophistication of stage work with the broad appeal of popular entertainment.
Robert Cummings directed and starred in the show Generation at the Historic Elitch Theatre in 1968, but he was best known for film roles, including The Devil and Miss Jones and Dial M for Murder, plus The Bob Cummings Show that ran on TV for five seasons.
Seasons at the Theatre
- 1968
Elitch Theatre Productions/Roles:
- 1968 — Generation (Director and Star)
Notable Roles, Awards, and Other Work:
- Alfred Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder (1954) Working with the Master of Suspense was a career highlight for many actors,
- The Bob Cummings Show (1955–1959) Running for five seasons and 173 episodes on NBC, The Bob Cummings Show (later syndicated as Love That Bob) made Cummings one of the most recognizable faces in American living rooms during the 1950s.
- Emmy Award-Winning Performance in Twelve Angry Men (1954) Before Sidney Lumet’s film version made it a Hollywood milestone, Twelve Angry Men was a live television event on Westinghouse Studio One — and Cummings played the pivotal Juror Number Eight. Cummings won the Emmy for his portrayal of Juror Number Eight — the very role Henry Fonda would later play in the celebrated 1957 feature film.
- Alfred Hitchcock’s Saboteur (1942) and the Classic Films Cycle of 1941–1942 In a remarkable two-year run, Cummings appeared in a string of films that are now considered classics: The Devil and Miss Jones (1941), It Started with Eve (1941), Kings Row (1942), and Saboteur (1942). Film historian Stephen Vagg noted that “few male actors had a hot streak like Robert Cummings from 1941 to 1942.” His range — from comedy to Hitchcock thriller to period drama — was on full display.
- Primetime Emmy Nominations (×5) In addition to his win, Cummings received four additional Emmy nominations over the course of his television career, including nominations for his work on The Bob Cummings Show and his early series My Hero.
Elitch Theatre Connections:
- In the 1954 film, Dial M for Murder, Cummings appeared opposite Elitch alum Grace Kelly.
- Julie Newmar — In the 1964–65 CBS series My Living Doll, Cummings starred opposite Julie Newmar
- Allan Jones — Cummings and Allan Jones were cast together as the comic leads in One Night in the Tropics (1940), though both were famously overshadowed in that film by the supporting debut of Abbott and Costello.
Wikipedia Link:
