Rusty Hamer

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Russell Craig "Rusty" Hamer (February 15, 1947 – January 18, 1990) was an American stage, film, and television actor.

On the ABC/CBS situation comedy Make Room for Daddy, Rusty Williams, the wisecracking son of entertainer Danny Williams (Danny Thomas), from 1953 to 1964, he is best known for his portrayal of Rusty Williams, the nascent brother of entertainer Danny Williams (Danny Thomas).

In three reunion specials and the sequel series Make Room for Granddaddy, which aired on ABC from 1970 to 1971, he reprised his role.

Early life

Hamer was born in Tenafly, New Jersey, and was the youngest of Arthur Walter John Hamer, Sr., a men's shirt salesman, and Dorothy Hamer (née Chretien), a Maltese silent film actress. John and Walter were his two elder brothers. Hamer was nicknamed "Rusty" as a boy, but also because of his red hair and freckles.

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Career

Hamer and his brothers also performed in stage plays due to his parents' involvement in community theatre productions. Hamer recalled and recited tales for service club luncheons, women's clubs, and church groups as a youth.

The Hamers migrated to Los Angeles, where Arthur Hamer served as the representative for a manufacturer of men's sport shirts (Arthur Hamer died eight months after his son was cast in The Danny Thomas Show).

Hamer's elder brother John was discovered by an agent while performing in a local theatre production in which Rusty was also performing. Both boys have committed to a film career, according to the agent. Hamer also appeared in the 3-D Western Fort Ti, starring George Montgomery and Joan Vohs, in the upcoming year.

Danny Thomas' secretary saw Hamer in a stage performance and was impressed by the child's talent and charisma. She suggested that Thomas audition Hamer for a part in his forthcoming sitcom Make Room for Daddy. Rusty Williams, Thomas' precocious and quick-witted son, was also impressed by his 6-year-old cast Hamer. "He was the best boy actor I ever saw in my life," Thomas said of Hamer. He had a great memory, good timing, and he's a natural performer.

Make Room for Daddy debuted on ABC on September 29, 1953, and though critically acclaimed, it received weak ratings. After three seasons, the series was re-tooled and retitled The Danny Thomas Show on CBS, where it was re-tooled and retitled The Danny Thomas Show. The retooled version became a hit with audiences and was a Top 20 hit for the remaining seven seasons.

Hamer attempted to begin performing during The Danny Thomas Show's run. He performed a song in a 1956 Danny Thomas episode titled "The Talented Kid." Hamer's only single, a "rockaballad" written by Wally Gold and Aaron Schroeder, was released in 1959. The single was a commercial failure, and Hamer has yet to release another single.

The Danny Thomas Exhibition had five Primetime Emmy Awards (among other accolades) by late 1963 and was still ranked in the Top 10 by farewell. Danny Thomas, on the other hand, has revealed that he had to cancel in order to produce and appear in other projects.

After the series ended, the 17-year-old Hamer began attending Palisades High School (later restructured as Palisades Charter High School), but he had trouble adjusting to public school because he was used to being privately tutored on the curriculum.

Hamer was briefly interviewed by reporter Bob Thomas shortly before graduating in June 1964, and he said he wanted to keep his acting career and hoped to branch out into dramatic roles. Hamer said he was being considered for several television shows, including Mr. Novak, Arrest and Trial, and Ben Casey. Hamer also stated that he decided to attend college on Danny Thomas' recommendation, who regarded him as a second father after his own father died in 1953. Hamer reprised Rusty Williams in the NBC's reunion special The Danny Thomas TV Family Reunion, a year after The Danny Thomas Show ended, and he resurrects the role.

Hamer suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen while carrying a shoulder holster collapsed to the ground and discharged on December 27, 1966. The hunter was firing just returned from an overnight hunting trip. He appeared in his second reunion special, "Make More Space For Daddy," which aired on NBC's anthology series The Danny Thomas Hour in 1967.

Hamer continued to pursue a career transition into adulthood through the 1960s, although Danny Thomas said he had been enrolled in acting classes but was unable to find any acting jobs. By the end of the decade, he had become increasingly angry and depressed over his waning career. He started working as a messenger service in Los Angeles and later became a carpenter's apprentice. Danny Thomas Show acting role on CBS' Green Acres, the first appearance on the CBS sitcom Green Acres in November 1969, was Hamer's only post-Break Acting Role.

In 1969, Hamer reprised his role as Rusty Williams in a new reunion special, Make Room for Granddaddy. On September 14, CBS' special aired on CBS. ABC created a weekly sequel series, also titled Make Room for Grandaddy, for the fall 1970 schedule due to the popularity of the reunion specials. On September 24, 1970, the series premiered, but audiences were unable to catch up. After one season, Make Room for Granddaddy. It was Hamer's last acting role.

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