JAY NOVELLO. 1904 - 1982.
When I was a kid I saw Irwin Allen's production of The Lost World and the classic seance episode of I Love Lucy many times, but I never made the connection between the simpering South American "Costa" of the former and the nerdy but lovable "Mr. Merriweather" of the latter. ("We're all odd, aren't we?" he says to Lucy and Ricky.) Novello, who has 205 credits to his name, also appeared on two other I Love Lucy episodes, playing Mario from Italy and a nervous trial witness who only wants some peace and quiet which, of course, he doesn't get from Lucy. He was in dozens of films, appeared in virtually every famous TV show, had parts in cliffhanger serials, and was always first-rate in everything he did. Why did it take me so long to recognize that Costa and Mr. Merriweather were played by the same actor? Because Novello was one of those rare birds, a very gifted, genuinely versatile performer who could lose himself in every role he played, convincingly portraying any kind of person and affecting whatever accent was required by the role. (In The Mad Magician with Vincent Price you'd have thought he was actually a British actor. And he played an Eskimo chief in The Great Alaskan Mystery!) Jay Novello left behind more than his share of very memorable portrayals and was one of those really great character actors who was a boon to every production he took part in.
12 comments:
I loved him on LUCY, especially Mr Merriweather! I thought of him today because I seen a film with john waters in it and he totally resembles him! I am going to post a picture on my blog of Jay Novello, I will link yours as well. Thanks!
Thank you! Always a pleasure to meet another Jay Novello admirer. I think he'll probably always be best remembered for his "Mr. Meriweather!" Now that you mention it, there is some resemblance to John Waters!
Thanks again for your comment. William
Here is the post I did on him on my blog. I posted a picture of John waters as well and did a side by side comparison. http://swapmeetlives.blogspot.com/2012/02/remembering-mr-merriweather-i-love-lucy.html
Great post about Novello and Waters!
I loved him in the Rocky Jordan radio program, with Jack Moyles. He was a wonderful actor.
I'm not familiar with that show but maybe they put some episodes on CD or in the Internet Archives; I'll check it out. Thanks for mentioning it and thanks for your comments. Best, William
Hey, great site. Found it by accident while searching Jay's name. Jay is my Great Uncle's cousin, his real name was Michael Romano, and like me was born in Chicago. Even though I never met him, he was always talked about at family functions. Thank you all for the kind words.
Michael
My pleasure, Michael! Thanks for your comments. You had a very talented relative in Jay Novello. Best, William
Jay Novello is my cousin, his dad was my grandmothers brother. When I was little I would sit on his lap and he would tell me how they did things in the movies. I have pictures of him that were my mom’s. He is greatly missed.
Thank you for sharing this. He was one of the greatest and most versatile character actors in the world. It must have given you a kick when you saw him in films and television, the same man who'd tell you stories about the movies when you sat on his lap -- great! I'm a great admirer of his and I'm sorry that I never met him. He appeared in so many of my favorite shows and films and always gave an excellent performance.
Very kind words William! Jay was my grandfather and I am his namesake. My mother Yvonne was his only child. He was an amazing talent. Thanks again William, Mike Harscher
Very glad to hear from the grandson of the wonderful Jay Novello! And it must be nice to know that he still has so many admirers! He was, as you so accurately put it, amazing!
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