Robert "Bob" Hastings
(April 18, 1925 - June 30, 2014) was an American radio, film, and television
character actor. He has also provided voices for animated cartoons.
Hastings was born in Brooklyn,
New York, a son of Charles and Hazel Hastings, Sr. His father was a salesman.
Hastings started in radio on
"Coast-to-Coast on a Bus" (NBC). After serving in World War II as a
navigator on B-29s, he played the role of Archie Andrews in a series based on
the Archie comic book series on the NBC Red Network, later just the NBC Radio
Network, after NBC divested itself of its Blue Network in 1942. Archie Andrews
was sponsored by Swift & Company food products.
Hastings later moved to
television in 1949, performing in early science-fiction series, including Atom
Squad. His first recurring role was as a lieutenant on Phil Silvers' Sergeant
Bilko television series in the late 1950s. At that time he guest starred on
Walter Brennan's ABC sitcom, The Real McCoys.
Most of his career has been
spent in television, including two episodes on CBS's Green Acres as an Air
Force officer and as a sheriff. Hastings was cast as Lt. Bolt in the 1960
episode "Space Man" of the CBS military sitcom/drama, Hennesey,
starring Jackie Cooper.
Hastings guest starred in the
ABC/Warner Brothers sitcom, Room for One More, starring Andrew Duggan and Peggy
McCay, on the Robert Young CBS sitcom/drama, Window on Main Street, and on the
NBC police sitcom, Car 54, Where Are You?.
In 1962, Hastings played a
railroad executive in the episode "Substitute Sheriff" of the NBC
western series, The Tall Man.
He appeared five times on CBS's
Dennis the Menace, with Jay North, most notably as Coach Gilmore in the 1963
episode, "The Big Basketball Game".
He appeared three times from
1961 to 1962 on the CBS sitcom, Pete and Gladys, with Harry Morgan and Cara
Williams.
Hastings portrayed the aide to
Captain Binghamton (Joe Flynn), the yes-man Lieutenant Elroy Carpenter on ABC's
McHale's Navy, humorously called "Carpy" and "Little
Leadbottom" by McHale and his men. Hastings played Captain Ramsey on ABC's
General Hospital.
He was also the voice of The
Raven on episodes of CBS's The Munsters. He briefly hosted the game show
Dealer's Choice and had a recurring role as bar owner Tommy Kelsey on All in
the Family.
After McHale's Navy, Hastings
was a regular on the Universal Studios lot, where Universal paid actors during
downtime to be on the grounds and talk to tourists. According to an interview
on Time Travel Radio, he got along so well with the people that he became one
of the few regulars on the tour.
Hastings played "Cousin
Phantom of the Opera" in the television movie The Munsters' Revenge.
Hastings was in the 1968 Universal film Did You Hear the One About the
Traveling Saleslady? starring Bob Denver.
Hastings was cast in the 1971 comedy movie How
to Frame a Figg, starring Don Knotts. Hastings also was in the movie Harper
Valley PTA in which he played Skeeter Duggan, a member of the PTA board who had
been kidnapped at the orders of its dishonest president to commit election
fraud.
In 1967, Hastings recorded an
LP for Home Records Inc. entitled Bob Hastings Sings For The Family (HR-101),
with 12 songs arranged and conducted by Bob Caudana.
Hastings has also done voice
work for animation and commercials, including Beany on Beany and Cecil, The
Raven on the Munsters series, Superboy in the The New Adventures of Superboy
cartoons of the 1960s, D.D. on Hanna-Barbera's Clue Club, and the voice of
Commissioner Jim Gordon in the popular Batman: The Animated Series and its
various spinoffs in the DC animated universe, such as Batman: Mask of the
Phantasm, Superman: The Animated Series, The New Batman Adventures and several
Batman video games.
His earlier work in animation
includes, doing the voice Henry Glopp on Hanna-Barbera's animated series
Jeannie in 1973 and additional voices on Challenge of the Superfriends.
Hastings is the older brother
of longtime As the World Turns star Don Hastings. He has been married to wife
Joan (Rice) Hastings for 66 years and has four children, 10 grandchildren, and
eleven great-grandchildren.
He continued to tour the
country as a participant in various Old-Time Radio Conventions, reading scripts
for such shows as Archie Andrews and The Bickersons. He recently appeared at
the 2013 Cincinnati Nostaglia Expo, the Radio Enthusiasts of Puget Sound
Showcase 2013 in Bellevue, Washington in June, and at the Friends of Old Time
Radio Convention in Newark, New Jersey in October 2010.
He died on June 30, 2014 from
pancreatic cancer at the age of 89.