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Paul Reed, another mop-faced, gruff-looking figure often recognized from a "Where have I seen that face?" perspective, enjoyed a lengthy and diverse career spanning radio, Broadway musicals, television, and commercials. Though shorter in stature, his commanding presence made him appear much taller. Despite having features well-suited for film, he made little impact in movies, aside from minor roles in a few late 1960s comedy flops. He is best remembered as the balding, beleaguered police captain in the police station comedy Car 54, Where Are You? (1961), where he humorously played the "slow burn" adversary to the bumbling officers (and future Munsters) Fred Gwynne and Al Lewis. The show, which also starred another hapless officer, Joe E. Ross, featured plain-looking but outstanding character actors. Though it lasted only two seasons, it has since achieved cult status.
Born Sidney Kahn in Highland Falls, New York, on June 16, 1909, Paul Reed was one of seven children of Russian-Jewish immigrants. His father died when he was very young, and the children were placed in several orphanages. The older siblings eventually reunited the family, settling in Brooklyn. As a teenager, Paul was determined to pursue acting, beginning as a radio singer under the names "Paul Roberts" and later "Paul Reed." With aspirations for Broadway, he made his stage debut at age 31 in a 1940 revival of the operetta The Gondoliers. Known for his strong and forceful presence, Reed appeared in operettas like Trial by Jury (1940) and La Vie Parisienne (1942), as well as musicals including Up in Central Park (1945), Carnival in Flanders (1953), By the Beautiful Sea (1954), and Here's Love (1963). His most notable contributions were to four iconic original Broadway musicals: Guys and Dolls (1950), The Music Man (1957), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1961), and Promises, Promises (1968).
On television, Paul served as a hot-headed foil to Sid Caesar in Caesar's Hour (1954) during the 1956 season and Sid Caesar Invites You (1958). He reached his TV peak as Captain Martin Block in Car 54, Where Are You?, set in a Bronx police station. Afterward, he portrayed Cara Williams' blustery boss on The Cara Williams Show (1964) and made guest appearances on popular sitcoms such as The Munsters (1964), The Donna Reed Show (1958), Bewitched (1964), and The Beverly Hillbillies (1962), often playing authority figures like military officers, business executives, or politicians.
Of the three films Paul appeared in during the late 1960s, two were ill-fated comedies that their leading stars preferred to forget. Critics panned Dick Van Dyke's Fitzwilly (1967) and Phyllis Diller's Did You Hear the One About the Traveling Saleslady? (1968), and both performed poorly at the box office. Nonetheless, Paul excelled in other entertainment mediums.
In his later years, the veteran character actor continued appearing in commercials well into the 1990s as a white-haired octogenarian. Paul Reed passed away on April 2, 2007, at age 97 at Greenwich Hospital in Greenwich, Connecticut. He was survived by his wife of nearly 60 years, June MacLaren, a former Broadway dancer ("Lady in the Dark," "Something for the Boys") whom he met after returning to Up in Central Park in 1947. He was laid to rest in Pemaquid, Maine. June died just over seven weeks later and was buried beside him.
