In March, 1950, Pasadena Playhouse student Clois Lyn Osborn was of- fered a professional, paying TV role 10 days before he was to have been graduated. He took it. He has been playing the role-that of Cadet Happy in ABC's Space Patrol-ever since.
"I was the only one in that entire class who didn't graduate," he says thoughtfully. "I am also the only one who is a working actor today." To the tune of around $45,000 a year, it should be added.
Osborn's great worry, however, is his inability to break away from the role by which millions of kids know him. "Happy is the only role I've ever had," he says. "And I don't know whether or not producers will take a chance with me. With this face, how could I be mistaken for anyone else but Happy?"
"Eventually," he says, "I want to be a comic. A good one. But I look around and see young guys like Donald O'Connor and Sammy Davis, Jr., and I figure I'd better get started."
A native of Detroit, Osborn went to: dramatic school on the GI Bill after three years as a Navy radioman and gunner in World War II.
Now 28 and an established national figure, he still figures himself for a small-time lad seeking the big break. He lives alone in a Hollywood apartment, feels uncomfortable in such posh beaneries as the Brown Derby, and would rather play with an electric train than go to a Hollywood party.
Osborn to date has played the Happy role over 500 times on TV and for a total of 110 hours on. radio. This year, for the first time, Space Patrol is airing only once a week and Happy is finally getting a chance to look around for other roles. "But no villains," he hastens to add. "Nothing that might hurt Space Patrol. After four and a half years, I almost feel like a space man for real. That show comes first."
.jpg)
Social Plugin