{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}} {{Short description|American actor (1916–1989)}} [[File:Mandell Kramer, Counterspy 1952 (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Kramer in the TV rendering of the ''Counterspy'' radio show, 1952]]
'''Mandel Kramer''' (March 12, 1916 – January 29, 1989) was an American actor. As a voice actor, he is best known as the last Johnny Dollar from ''Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar'' radio show.<ref>[http://www.greatdetectives.net/detectives/tag/mandel-kramer/ "Radio’s Most Essential People Countdown: #85-#81"]</ref>
==Early years== Kramer grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, where his father had a shoe store, and attended Cleveland Heights High School.<ref name="rtm">{{cite news|title=Mandel Kramer|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/Archive-Radio-Mirror-IDX/IDX/50s/53/Mirror-1953-Mar-OCR-Page-0005.pdf|accessdate=April 12, 2016|agency=Radio-TV Mirror|date=March 1953|page=5}}{{dead link|date=May 2026|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> He also studied law at Case Western Reserve University for "a couple of years."<ref>{{cite news|title=Mr. & Mrs. North|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/Archive-Tune-In-IDX/IDX/Tune-In-1944-06-OCR-Page-0011.pdf|accessdate=April 12, 2016|agency=Tune In|date=June 1944|page=13}}{{dead link|date=May 2026|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
Kramer graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts<ref name=bde>{{cite news|title=(photo caption)|newspaper=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4921925/the_brooklyn_daily_eagle/|agency=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle|date=June 25, 1939|location=New York, Brooklyn|page=18|via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = April 12, 2016}} {{Open access}}</ref> and acted for a year in the Cleveland Play House.<ref name=rtm/>
==Career== Kramer's first work in radio came at WTAM in his native Cleveland, Ohio.<ref name=rtm/>
For 20 years he played police chief Bill Marceau on the soap opera ''The Edge of Night'' a role he originated during the shows run on CBS from 1959–1975 & playing the part four years when the show moved to ABC from (1975–1979). His other roles in old-time radio included those shown in the table below. Kramer also appeared in 130 episodes of ''CBS Radio Mystery Theater'' between 1974 and 1982. {| class="wikitable" |- ! Program !! Character |- | ''Backstage Wife'' || Tom Byron<ref name="rp">{{cite book|last1=Terrace|first1=Vincent|title=Radio Programs, 1924–1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows|date=1999|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc.|isbn=978-0786445134|page=33}}</ref> |- | ''Counterspy'' || Harry Peters{{r|rp|page1=83–84}} |- | ''The Falcon'' || Sergeant Johnny Gleason{{r|rp|page1=113}} |- | ''It's a Crime, Mr. Collins'' || Greg Collins{{r|rp|page1=165–166}} |- | ''Mr. and Mrs. North'' || Mahatma McGloin{{r|rp|page1=232}} |- | ''Perry Mason'' || Arthur Tragg{{r|rp|page1=269}} |- | ''The Shadow'' || Shrevie{{r|rp|page1=301}} |- | ''Stella Dallas'' || Sam Ellis{{r|rp|page1=314}} |- | ''Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar'' ||Johnny Dollar |}
He was also heard on ''Light of the World'',<ref>{{cite news|title=Daytime Programs|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Miscellaneous/Radio-Vision-1946-11.pdf|access-date=April 13, 2016|agency=Radio-Vision|date=November 30, 1946|page=29}}</ref> ''Call the Police'',<ref>{{cite news|agency=Variety|title=Radio Reviews: Call the Police|url=http://archive.org/stream/variety166-1947-06#page/n92/mode/1up|accessdate=April 13, 2016|date=June 11, 1947|page=38}}</ref> ''Gang Busters'',<ref>{{cite journal|title=Favorite Radio Mystery-Adventure Program|journal=TV Radio Mirror|date=May 1957|volume=47|issue=6|page=30|url=http://archive.org/stream/radiotvmirr00mac#page/n425/mode/1up|accessdate=April 13, 2016}}</ref> ''21st Precinct''<ref>{{cite news|title=Evening Highlights|newspaper=The Bridgeport Telegram |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4922090/the_bridgeport_telegram/|agency=The Bridgeport Telegram|date=April 13, 1955|location=Connecticut, Bridgeport|page=16|via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = April 12, 2016}} {{Open access}}</ref>, ''X Minus One'' and ''Inner Sanctum Mystery''.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tonight's Highlights|newspaper=The Evening Sun |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4922028/the_evening_sun/|agency=The Evening Sun|date=March 26, 1951|location=Pennsylvania, Hanover|page=9|via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = April 12, 2016}} {{Open access}}</ref> He once said of his work on ''Gang Busters'' that after he began playing criminals, "I probably played more gangsters than anybody in the business for the next 10 or 15 years."<ref name=bct/>
In later years he was often heard on ''CBS Radio Mystery Theater''.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hirsch|first1=Lynda|title=Daytime Stars Moonlight At Night|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19780527&id=rjxPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZgIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5545,6301558&hl=en|accessdate=April 13, 2016|agency=Toledo Blade|date=May 27, 1978|location=Ohio, Toledo}}</ref>
=== Television === Kramer played Bill Marceau in ''The Edge of Night'' on CBS.<ref>{{cite journal|title=(photo caption)|journal=TV Radio Mirror|date=January 1962|volume=57|issue=2|page=35|url=http://archive.org/stream/radiotvmi00ma#page/n49/mode/2up|accessdate=13 April 2016}}</ref> In 1976, he had become the longest-tenured member of the program's cast, having had the role of Marceau for 17 years.<ref name=bct>{{cite news|title=Radio's bad guy now is TV crime-fighter|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2002&dat=19760424&id=-fkuAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ctsFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4955,5198998&hl=en|accessdate=13 April 2016|agency=Beaver County Times|date=April 24, 1976|page=9}}</ref> His work earned him a nomination for a Daytime Emmy Award for Supporting Actor in 1979.<ref>{{cite news|title=Awards Show Thursday|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1310&dat=19790511&id=UwtWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AOIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5462,3733149&hl=en|accessdate=13 April 2016|agency=Eugene Register-Guard|date=May 11, 1979}}</ref>
==Personal life== In 1939, Kramer was engaged to Ruth Valeche, a fellow graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.<ref name=bde/> They married and had two daughters, Kathryn and Susan.<ref>{{cite news|title=Paid Notice: Deaths: Kramer, Ruth (née Valeche) |work=The New York Times |url=http://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/14/classified/paid-notice-deaths-kramer-ruth-nee-valeche.html|accessdate=April 13, 2016|agency=The New York Times|date=September 14, 1998}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kramer, Mandel}} Category:1916 births Category:1989 deaths
Category:American voice actors Category:American male radio actors Category:20th-century American male actors