Russell Craig "Rusty" Hamer was an American stage, film and television
actor. He is best known for portraying Rusty Williams, the wise cracking son of
entertainer Danny Williams, on the popular ABC/CBS situation comedy Make
Room for Daddy, from 1953 to 1964. He reprised the role in three reunion
specials and the sequel series, Make Room for Granddaddy, that aired on ABC
from 1970 to 1971. Career
Born in Tenafly, New Jersey, Hamer was the youngest of three sons of Arthur
Walter John, Sr., a men's shirt salesman and Dorothy Hamer, a former silent film
actress. He had two elder brothers, John and Walter. As a child, Hamer was
nicknamed "Rusty" because of his red hair and freckles. Due to his parents'
involvement in community theatre productions, Hamer and his brothers also
began performing in stage productions. As a toddler, Hamer memorized and
recited stories and performed skits for service club luncheons, women's clubs
and church groups. In 1951, the Hamers moved to Los Angeles where Arthur Hamer
worked as representative for a manufacturer of men's sport shirts.
Shortly after arriving, Hamer's elder brother John was discovered by an agent
while performing in a local stage production in which Hamer was also
performing. The agent signed both boys to a film contract. The following year,
Hamer won his first acting role in the 3-D Western Fort Ti, starring George
Montgomery and Joan Vohs. In 1953, entertainer Danny Thomas'
secretary saw Hamer in a stage production and was impressed by the
child's talent and charm. She suggested that Thomas audition Hamer for a role in
his upcoming sitcom Make Room for Daddy. Thomas was also impressed by the 6-year
old and cast Hamer as his precocious and quick witted son Rusty Williams. Thomas
later said of Hamer, "He was the best boy actor I ever saw in my life. He had
a great memory...great timing and you could change a line on him at the last
minute and he came right back with it." Make Room for Daddy debuted on ABC on
September 29, 1953 and, while critically acclaimed, garnered poor ratings. After
three seasons, the series moved to CBS where it was re-tooled and retitled The
Danny Thomas Show. The retooled version quickly became a hit with audiences and
was a Top 20 hit for its remaining seven seasons. During the run of The Danny
Thomas Show, Hamer attempted to launch a singing career. He first performed a
song in a 1956 episode of Danny Thomas entitled "The Talented Kid". In 1959,
Hamer released his only single, a "rockaballad" called "Two-of-a-Kind"
written by Wally Gold and Aaron Schroeder, through Mercury Records. The
single was a commercial failure and Hamer never released another single.
By late 1963, The Danny Thomas Show had garnered five Primetime Emmy Awards and
was still ranked in the Top 10. However, Danny Thomas announced that he had
decided to end the show in order to produce and star in other projects.
After the series ended, 17-year old Hamer enrolled at Palisades Charter High
School, but had difficulty adjusting to public school as he was accustomed to
being privately tutored on the set. Shortly before graduating in June 1964,
Hamer granted an interview with reporter Bob Thomas. He stated that he intended
to continue his acting career and hoped to branch out into dramatic roles. Hamer
said that he was under consideration for roles in several television series
including Mr. Novak, Arrest and Trial and Ben Casey. Hamer also said that he
planned to attend college on the advice of Danny Thomas whom he considered a
second father since his own father had died in 1953.
A year after The Danny Thomas Show ended, Hamer reprised the role of Rusty
Williams in the reunion special The Danny Thomas TV Family Reunion, which
aired on NBC. On December 27, 1966, Hamer underwent emergency surgery at
Santa Monica Emergency Hospital after sustaining a gunshot wound to the
abdomen when a gun he was carrying in a shoulder holster slid out, fell to the
ground and discharged. Hamer was carrying the gun after having just
returned from an overnight hunting trip. After recovering, he appeared in a
second reunion special, "Make More Room For Daddy", that aired during a segment
of the NBC anthology series The Danny Thomas Hour, in 1967. Throughout the mid
to late 1960s, Hamer continued to attempt a transition into adult roles
and, according to Danny Thomas, enrolled in acting classes, but was unable to
land any acting jobs. By the end of the decade, he had grown increasingly bitter
and depressed over his waning career. To support himself, he began working for a
messenger service in Los Angeles and later worked as a carpenter's
apprentice. Hamer's only post Danny Thomas Show acting role was a guest spot
on the CBS sitcom Green Acres, that aired in November 1969.
In 1969, Hamer again reprised his role as Rusty Williams in a third reunion
special, Make Room for Granddaddy. The special aired on CBS on September 14.
Due to the ratings success of the reunion specials, ABC created a weekly
sequel series, also titled Make Room for Grandaddy, for their Fall 1970 schedule.
The series premiered on September 24, 1970, but failed to catch on with
audiences. Make Room for Granddaddy was canceled after one season. It was
Hamer's final acting role. Later years
In the 1970s, Hamer moved to southwestern Louisiana where he worked
on an off-shore oil rig for Exxon and delivered newspapers. In 1976, he
relocated to DeRidder, Louisiana to be closer to his ailing mother, Dorothy,
who was suffering from Alzheimer's disease and lived with his elder brother
John. John Hamer had moved to the area and opened a cafe where, in his final
years, Hamer occasionally worked as a short order cook.
In October 1981, Hamer reunited with former co-stars Danny Thomas and Angela
Cartwright. The reunion was televised as part of the ABC special What Became
Of...?, that aired on October 25. Death
On the night of January 18, 1990, John Hamer found his brother's body in his
trailer home in DeRidder, Louisiana. Hamer had shot himself in the head with
a .357 Magnum revolver. John Hamer later said he believed that his brother had
remained bitter over his inability to transition into acting as an adult. He
also said he believed that his brother's chronic and debilitating back pain and
their mother's illness had contributed to Hamer's depression. He stated:
"He hasn't really been happy since his early 20s. But he didn't show any signs
of this happening. It was just all of the sudden. [...] He was a very unhappy,
very confused young man. No one does something like that if he isn't
confused. I've heard of a lot of child actors who have become unhappy with
their lives after they've left the industry."
Hamer's body was cremated and no service was held.
Legacy On February 8, 1960, Hamer was awarded a
star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in television. His star is
located at 6323 Hollywood Boulevard. Hamer's suicide raised awareness of the
potential mental fragility of child performers and inspired fellow former
child actor Paul Petersen, formerly of ABC's The Donna Reed Show, to establish
the support group A Minor Consideration. The group seeks to improve working
conditions for young actors and assists former child entertainers in making the
transition from past fame to adult life. Filmography
References External links
Rusty Hamer at the Internet Movie Database
Rusty Hamer at Find a Grave