Jack Kelk, 81; Radio, TV Actor Known for Role in ‘Aldrich Family’
Jack Kelk, 81, an actor best-known for playing teenager Henry Aldrich’s best friend Homer Brown on the radio and television versions of “The Aldrich Family,” died of a lung infection Thursday at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Kelk began his acting career on Broadway as a child. Billed as Jackie Kelk, he appeared on many radio programs, including “Coast to Coast on the Bus,” “The Children’s Hour,” “The Gumps,” “Dick Tracy” and “Let’s Pretend.”
Kelk, who appeared as Homer Brown in the 1949-1951 seasons of the television version of the long-running radio situation comedy “The Aldrich Family,” once recalled undergoing his change of voice on the air: “It scared me so much I cried, but I just carried on as if nothing had happened.”
Kelk continued working in television, appearing in programs such as “The Donna Reed Show” and “Leave It to Beaver.”
He also appeared in “Born to Be Bad,” “Somebody Up There Likes Me” and other movies.
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