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{{Infobox actor
| name                    = Parley Baer
| image                   = Parleybaer.jpg
| imagesize               = 240px
| caption                 = Baer in network promotional photo as Mayor Roy Stoner
| birthname               = Parley Edward Baer
| birthdate               = {{birthdate|1914|8|5}}
| birthplace              = [[Salt Lake City, Utah]],<br>[[United States]]
| deathdate               = {{dda|2002|11|22|1914|8|5}}
| deathplace              = [[Los Angeles, California]],<br>[[United States]]
| othername               = 
| occupation              = Actor
| yearsactive             = 1940–1997
| spouse                  = Ernestine Clarke Baer (1946-2000) (her death)
| website                 = 
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}}

'''Parley Edward Baer''' (August 5, 1914 &ndash; November 22, 2002) was an [[United States|American]] [[actor]] in [[film]], [[television]], and [[Radio programming|radio]].

==Radio==
Born in [[Salt Lake City|Salt Lake City, Utah]], Baer had a [[circus]] background, but began his radio career at Utah station [[KSL (AM)|KSL]]. With a fairly high pitched voice often accompanied by a Western twang, he became one of the busiest radio performers in the late 1940s and 1950s.  

His first network show was ''[[The Whistler]]'' which was soon followed by appearances on ''[[Escape (radio program)|Escape]]'' (notably narrating "Wild Jack Rhett" and as the title patriot in an adaptation of [[Stephen Vincent Benet]]'s "A Tooth for Paul Revere"), ''[[Suspense (radio program)|Suspense]]'', ''[[Tales of the Texas Rangers]]'' (as various local sheriffs), ''[[Dragnet (series)|Dragnet]]'', ''The [[CBS Radio Workshop]]'', ''[[Lux Radio Theater]]'', ''[[The Six Shooter]]'', and ''[[Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar]]'', to name a few. 

In 1952, he began playing Chester, the unofficial deputy to [[Marshal Matt Dillon]] on ''[[Gunsmoke]]'', eventually ad-libbing the character's full name, “Chester Wesley Proudfoot”. (The character's name was changed to “Chester Goode” in the television series, which featured an entirely different cast.) Baer's portrayal of Chester was generally considered his finest and most memorable role and, as he often said, the one he found most fulfilling. Baer worked on several other [[Norman MacDonnell]]-produced radio shows, including the [[situation comedy]] ''The [[Harold Peary]] Show'' (aka ''Honest Harold'') as Pete the Marshal, ''Rogers of the Gazette'' (loosely based on the early life of [[Will Rogers]]) as Doc Clemens, ''[[Fort Laramie (radio)|Fort Laramie]]'', and ''The Adventures of [[Philip Marlowe]]''. 

Other recurring roles included Eb the farm hand on ''Granby's Green Acres'' (the radio predecessor to television's ''[[Green Acres]]''), Gramps on ''The Truitts,'' and Rene the manservant on the radio version of ''[[The Count of Monte Cristo]]''. His later radio work included playing  Reginald Duffield and Uncle Joe Finneman on the [[Focus on the Family]] series ''[[Adventures in Odyssey]]'' in the 1980s and 1990s.

==Films and television==
As an on-camera performer, Baer was recognizable by both his voice and his balding, paunchy appearance, often as fussy or obstinate officials or neighbors. Extended television roles included obnoxious Mayor Stoner on ''[[The Andy Griffith Show]]'', neighbor Darby on ''[[The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet]]'', frequent guest appearances on ''[[The Addams Family (TV series)|The Addams Family]]'' as insurance man and city commissioner Arthur J. Henson, and in later years, Miles Dugan on ''[[The Young and the Restless]]'' in the late 1990s. 

Baer guest starred in 1960 in [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''[[The Law and Mr. Jones]]'' with [[James Whitmore]], in the [[Television syndication|syndicated]] [[crime drama]] ''[[Johnny Midnight (TV series)|Johnny Midnight]]'' with [[Edmond O'Brien]], in the ABC sitcom ''[[Harrigan and Son]]'', and on [[NBC]]'s crime drama ''[[Dan Raven]]'' starring [[Skip Homeier]]. In 1961 he guest starred on [[Marilyn Maxwell]]'s short-lived ABC drama series, ''[[Bus Stop (TV series)|Bus Stop]]''. On April 13, 1962, he appeared, along with [[Frank Ferguson]] and [[Royal Dano]] in ABC's [[crime drama]] ''[[Target: The Corruptors!]]'' in the episode "Journey into Mourning".  The 1962 film ''[[Gypsy (1962 film)|Gypsy]]'' had Baer appearing opposite [[Natalie Wood]] and [[Rosalind Russell]] as hotel owner Mr. Kringelein. In 1964, he appeared as a [[sheriff]] in an episode of [[Mickey Rooney]]'s short-lived ''[[Mickey (TV series)|Mickey]]'' sitcom. He was seen in four episodes of ''[[Hogan's Heroes]]'' and eight episodes of ''[[Bewitched]]'' in various roles. Later guest appearances included ''[[Three's Company]]'' (as a cooking competition judge), ''[[The A-Team]]'', ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]'', ''[[The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air]]'', ''[[The Dukes of Hazzard]]'', ''[[Night Court]]'', ''[[Little House on the Prairie]]'', and ''[[Mad About You]]''.

Baer's film roles included parts in several [[live action]] [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]] features, including ''[[Follow Me, Boys!]]'' (again as a mayor), ''[[The Ugly Dachshund]]'',  and ''Those Calloways''. He also appeared in ''[[Two on a Guillotine]]'' and ''[[Dave (film)|Dave]]'' (as the [[Senate majority leader]]).

==Commercials==
He also voiced [[Ernie Keebler]] in the cookie commercials before suffering a [[stroke]] in 1997 which affected both speech and movement. He recovered sufficiently to make a handful of appearances at [[old-time radio]] conventions before finally passing away from related complications in 2002, at the age of 88. He was buried in [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)|Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery]]. 

==Personal life==
In 1946, he met and married circus aerialist and bareback rider Ernestine Clarke. They were together for 54 years until her death and had two daughters, Kim and Dale.

==Listen to==
*[http://goldenaudio.net/glowingdial/TheGlowingDial-No.P14.mp3 Interview with Parley Baer (following ''Dick Tracy'' episode)]

==External links==
*{{imdb name|id=0046373|name=Parley Baer}}
*{{Amg name|3222}}
{{memoryalpha}}
*{{findagrave|6954122}}

{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME              = Baer, Parley
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES = 
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = 
| DATE OF BIRTH     = August 5, 1914
| PLACE OF BIRTH    = [[Salt Lake City, Utah]],<br>[[United States]]
| DATE OF DEATH     = November 22, 2002
| PLACE OF DEATH    = [[Los Angeles, California]],<br>[[United States]]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baer, Parley}}
[[Category:American film actors]]
[[Category:American radio actors]]
[[Category:American television actors]]
[[Category:American voice actors]]
[[Category:Deaths from stroke]]
[[Category:1914 births]]
[[Category:2002 deaths]]

[[fr:Parley Baer]]