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Norris Goff (May 30, 1906 – June 7, 1978) was an American comedian in radio and film best known for his portrayal of Abner Peabody on the rural comedy Lum and Abner.
Nicknamed “Tuffy,” Goff was born in Cove, Arkansas, but soon moved to Mena, Arkansas where he met his longtime friend and partner Chester Lauck (Lum) and graduating from Mena High School in 1924. Despite their fame as backwoodsmen, both actors graduated from the University of Arkansas, where Goff became a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.
Goff and his partner had experience as blackface entertainers, but had also worked up a hillbilly skit based on their own life experiences and friends. Performing on local radio, they soon landed their own network series in 1931. In addition to playing the role of the likable but naive, checker-playing Abner (who worked with Lum at the “Jot ‘Em down Store” in fictitious Pine Ridge), Goff co-wrote the earliest episodes with Lauck, and played many of the other recurring characters, including postmaster Dick Huddleston (named after a real life friend in Mena), con-man Squire Skimp, Mousy Gray, and in the sentimental annual Christmas show, Doc Miller.
Goff and Lauck also guest starred as Lum and Abner on radio series such as Bing Crosby’s Kraft Music Hall; Goff also made a handful of solo appearances, notably guesting as the father of Andy Devine in an episode of The Jack Benny Program. Goff reprised his role as Abner for seven films between 1940 and 1956. Unlike Lauck, who virtually retired outside of playing Lum, Goff continued to make occasional guest appearances on television in the 1960s. Goff appeared in one episode apiece of two situation comedies with rural themes: Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (as Gomer’s grandfather) and The Andy Griffith Show (playing a local storekeeper).
Upon retirement he lived in Palm Springs, California. He died of a stroke at the age of 72 in Palm Desert, California.
Norris Goff Biography / Wiki
| Name | Norris Goff |
| Also Know | |
| Gender | Male |
| Known For | Acting |
| Place of Birth | Cove, Arkansas, USA |
| Date of Birth | 1906-05-30 |
| Age(as in 2022) | 72 |
| Deathday | 1978-06-07 |
Norris Goff Acting Movies
| Movie Name | Character | Release Date | Overview |
| Two Weeks to Live | Abner Peabody | 1943-02-26 | When Abner is mistakenly diagnosed as having only two weeks to live, his partner gets the idea that they can make a ton of money by having Abner perfo… |
| Dreaming Out Loud | Abner Peabody | 1940-09-30 | Lum and Abner work at a general store in Arkansas. There they get involved in some misadventures with the locals…. |
| The Bashful Bachelor | Abner Peabody | 1942-03-19 | Lum Edwards is annoyed with his partner in Pine Ridge’s Jot-’em-Down general store, Abner Peabody, because Abner has swapped their delivery car for a … |
| Goin’ to Town | Abner Peabody | 1944-09-01 | General store owners, through a series of contrivances, end up on the better side of a practical joke being played on them…. |
| Partners in Time | 1946-04-04 | Squire Skimp has a new plan to swindle the people of Pine Ridge. However, Lum has something more important on his mind. He has to tell a young engaged… | |
| Lum and Abner Abroad | Abner Peabody | 1956-02-04 | The “boys” from Pine Ridge visit Europe and try to help a Yugoslavian ballerina find her American lover, become involved with French jewel thieves, an… |
| Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood No. 5 | Self | 1942-01-01 | Fifth film in the Hedda Hopper documentary series…. |
Writing
| Movie Name | Job | Release Date | Overview |
| The Bashful Bachelor | Story | 1942-03-19 | Lum Edwards is annoyed with his partner in Pine Ridge’s Jot-’em-Down general store, Abner Peabody, because Abner has swapped their delivery car for a … |
Credit: TMDB
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