Life literally began at 60 for American actor Burt Mustin, who didn't enter show business until that age and didn't make his film debut until Detective Story (1951), at which time he was 68. After a decade of uncredited movie roles as hillbilly patriarchs and Town's Oldest Citizens, Mustin began getting name recognition for numerous TV appearances in the late '50s and early '60s. The actor was a particular favorite of producer/actor Jack Webb, who cast Mustin several times on Dragnet; in one episode Burt was an octogenarian burglar, and in another was a retired detective who solved a murder case - and chewed out a young cop for not knowing the proper way to take fingerprints! Situation comedy producers made good use of Burt Mustin as well, and he was featured in innumerable cameos on such programs as The Dick Van Dyke Show, Get Smart and The Jack Benny Program, usually stealing most of the laughs from the stars. Mustin had regular TV roles as eccentric neighbor Finley on Date with the Angels, Gus the Fireman on Leave It to Beaver, barber shop patron Jud Crowley on The Andy Griffith Show, the amorous senior-citizen husband of Queenie Smith on The Funny Side, and nursing-home refugee Justin Quigley on All in the Family. Mustin got the biggest press coverage of his career when, in character as Arthur Lanson, he married Mother Dexter - played by 82-year-old Judith Lowry - on the December 13, 1976 episode of Phyllis. It was a hilarious and, in retrospect, poignant moment in TV history: Judith Lowry had died a few days before the program was aired, and Burt Mustin, who was too ill to watch the show, passed away six weeks later.
| Title | Year | Editors' Rating | User Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Historic Reruns, Vol. 8: Date with the Angels
Archival Appearance |
1995 | |||
| 1976 | ||||
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Baker's Hawk
Actor |
1976 | |||
| 1975 | ||||
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Emergency!: 905-Wild
Actor |
1975 | |||
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Emergency!: Smoke Eater
Actor |
1975 | |||
| 1975 | ||||
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Train Ride to Hollywood
Actor |
1975 | |||
| 1974 | ||||
| 1974 | ||||
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Big Rose
Actor |
1974 | |||
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Mame
Actor |
1974 | |||
| 1973 | ||||
| 1973 | ||||
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Miracle on 34th Street
Actor |
1973 | |||
| 1973 | ||||
| 1973 | ||||
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Adam-12: The Chaser
Actor |
1972 | |||
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A Time for Dying
Actor |
1971 | |||
| 1971 | ||||
| 1971 | ||||
| 1971 | ||||
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Skin Game
Actor |
1971 | |||
| 1970 | ||||
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Tiger by the Tail
Actor |
1970 | |||
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Hail, Hero!
Actor |
1969 | |||
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The Great Bank Robbery
Actor |
1969 | |||
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The Witchmaker
Actor |
1969 | |||
| 1968 | ||||
| 1968 | ||||
| 1968 | ||||
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Speedway
Actor |
1968 | |||
| 1967 | ||||
| 1967 | ||||
| 1967 | ||||
| 1967 | ||||
| 1967 | ||||
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The Reluctant Astronaut
Actor |
1967 | |||
| 1966 | ||||
| 1966 | ||||
| 1966 | ||||
| 1966 | ||||
| 1966 | ||||
| 1966 | ||||
| 1966 | ||||
| 1966 | ||||
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Bonanza: Meredith Smith
Actor |
1965 | |||
|
Cat Ballou
Actor |
1965 | |||
| 1965 | ||||
| 1965 | ||||
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The Cincinnati Kid
Actor |
1965 | |||
|
Sex and the Single Girl
Actor |
1964 | |||
| 1964 | ||||
| 1964 | ||||
| 1964 | ||||
| 1964 | ||||
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The Killers
Actor |
1964 | |||
| 1964 | ||||
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What a Way to Go!
Actor |
1964 | |||
| 1963 | ||||
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Son of Flubber
Actor |
1963 | |||
| 1963 | ||||
| 1963 | ||||
| 1963 | ||||
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The Thrill of It All!
Actor |
1963 | |||
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Twilight of Honor
Actor |
1963 | |||
| 1962 | ||||
| 1962 | ||||
| 1962 | ||||
| 1962 | ||||
| 1961 | ||||
| 1961 | ||||
| 1961 | ||||
| 1961 | ||||
| 1961 | ||||
| 1961 | ||||
| 1961 | ||||
| 1961 | ||||
|
Home from the Hill
Actor |
1960 | |||
| 1960 | ||||
| 1960 | ||||
| 1960 | ||||
| 1959 | ||||
| 1959 | ||||
| 1958 | ||||
| 1958 | ||||
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The Big Country
Actor |
1958 | |||
| 1957 | ||||
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Raintree County
Actor |
1957 | |||
|
Storm Center
Actor |
1956 | |||
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These Wilder Years
Actor |
1956 | |||
| 1955 | ||||
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The Desperate Hours
Actor |
1955 | |||
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Cattle Queen of Montana
Actor |
1954 | |||
| 1954 | ||||
|
Executive Suite
Actor |
1954 | |||
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Silver Lode
Actor |
1954 | |||
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A Lion Is in the Streets
Actor |
1953 | |||
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One Girl's Confession
Actor |
1953 | |||
|
The Moonlighter
Actor |
1953 | |||
|
The Silver Whip
Actor |
1953 | |||
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Vicki
Actor |
1953 | |||
|
Just Across the Street
Actor |
1952 | |||
|
She Couldn't Say No
Actor |
1952 | |||
|
Talk About a Stranger
Actor |
1952 | |||
|
The Lusty Men
Actor |
1952 | |||
|
Detective Story
Actor |
1951 | |||
|
The Sellout
Actor |
1951 | |||
|
Date with the Angels
Actor |
1950 |

