There aren't too many actors left who could say they worked with Carole Lombard, and we just lost one of them. Charles Lane, one of the great comedic character actors, passed away Monday night at age 102.
Lane, who had more than 300 acting credits, appeared with Lombard in "Twentieth Century." His parts were rarely big, but they were almost always memorable. He appeared in nine Frank Capra films and made numerous television appearances with Lucille Ball; he normally portrayed a hotel clerk, banker or some other stuffy authority type. No one did "crotchety" better.
When Lane celebrated his 100th birthday a few years back, his many friends in the industry held a party for him:
Not long after that, Lane spoke at a Santa Monica showing of the film "The Music Man," noting it was the first time his name had ever appeared on a theater marquee:
Thank you, Mr. Lane.