Joe Conley
Joe Conley (March 3, 1928 – July 7, 2013) was an American actor who played many small roles on television and is most remembered for his role as the storekeeper Ike Godsey in The Waltons.[3][4]
Joe Conley | |
|---|---|
 Conley at The Waltons 40th Anniversary in 2012 | |
| Born | March 3, 1928 Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
| Died | July 7, 2013 (aged 85) Newbury Park, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1950–2002 |
| Spouse | Jacqueline Stakes (about 1962) Louise Ann Teechen (1969 – 2013; his death)[1][2] |
| Children | Kevin (b. 1960) Julie (b. 1961) |
Personal life and career
Joe Conley was born in Buffalo, New York. He started acting after returning from military service in Korea, and was running three real-estate agencies in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles by the early 1970s after beginning this second career in 1961. While acting, he continued to work in real estate and, as a result, became wealthy.[5]
By the early 1970s, his career as an actor was in limbo. After twenty years of small parts, mainly in television shows, he performed with Pat Harrington in an AT&T educational film called How to Lose Your Best Customer Without Even Trying.[6] Before long, he was cast as storekeeper Ike Godsey in The Waltons. Conley was paired with Ronnie Claire Edwards, who portrayed his wife Corabeth Walton Godsey; their characters married on the show in 1975. In 2009, Conley published his autobiography, Ike Godsey of Walton's Mountain.[7]
In real life, Conley was married to and later divorced from Jacqueline Stakes, with whom he had two children. He married Louise Teecher in 1969, and had two children with her.
Death
Conley died on July 7, 2013, at a care facility in Newbury Park, California of complications from dementia. He was 85 and is survived by his wife, three daughters and son.[8]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | The Sound of Fury | Man in Crowd | Uncredited |
| 1955 | Big Town | Albert Hayes | Episode: "Honest Cop" |
| The People's Choice | Ernie | Episode: "Socks new Secretary" | |
| 1956 | The Scarlet Hour | Car Salesman | Uncredited |
| The Adventures of Jim Bowie | Raino Tante | Episode: "The Ghost of Jean Battoo" | |
| 1957 | Crime of Passion | Deliveryman | |
| Lassie | Episode: "Lassie's Day" | ||
| The Silent Service | Baker | Episode: "The Seahorse Story" | |
| House of Numbers | Convict | Uncredited | |
| Casey Jones | Conductor Addrel | Episode: "The Old Timer" | |
| The Danny Thomas Show, also known as Make Room For Daddy | Earl the Elevator Operator | Episode: "Honesty is the Best Policy" | |
| 1957-1959 | Dragnet | 2 episodes | |
| 1958 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Insurance Agent | Season 3 Episode 27: "Disappearing Trick" |
| 1958 | Juvenile Jungle | Duke | |
| Boots and Saddles | Private Spanner | Episode: "The Superstition" | |
| A Nice Little Bank That Should Be Robbed | Benjy | Uncredited | |
| When Hell Broke Loose | Rookie | Uncredited | |
| 1959 | The D.A.'s Man | Smiley | Episode: "The Pushter's" |
| Wanted: Dead or Alive | Henry Jackson | Episode: "The Hostage" | |
| M Squad | Jack Moreno | Episode: "Mama's Boy" | |
| Flight | Sgt. Pachek | Episode: "Chopper Four" | |
| Richard Diamond, Private Detective | Joe / Bartender | 3 episodes | |
| 1960 | Stagecoach West | Henry | Episode: "The Saga of Jeremy Boone" |
| The Best of the Post | Elevator boy | Episode: "The Little Terror" | |
| Death Valley Days | Alf | Episode: Devil's Bar | |
| 1960-1962 | Dennis the Menace | Nelson / Open House Looker | 2 episodes |
| 1961 | Blueprint for Robbery | Jock Mcgee | |
| All Hands on Deck | Sailor | Uncredited | |
| 1962 | Patty | Johnny | |
| The Dick Powell Theater | Tom | Episode: "Special Assignment" | |
| 1963-1965 | Mister Ed | TV Man / Sam Easterbrook / Joe / Frank / Photographer / Charley Grant | 6 episodes |
| 1964 | Kraft Suspense Theater | Dom | Episode: "Charlie, he couldn't kill a fly" |
| Gunsmoke | Carl (Stagecoach Driver) | Episode: "Help me Kitty" | |
| 1966 | Green Acres | Heston Haney | Episode: "The Deputy" |
| 1967 | The Beverly Hillbillies | Sergeant | Episode: "The Army Game" |
| Felony Squad | Cabbie | Episode: "Time of Trial" | |
| 1969 | 80 Steps to Jonah | Jenkins | |
| 1969-1970 | Bracken's World | Alvin Sloane / Art Director | 2 episodes |
| 1970 | The Brady Bunch | Delivery man | Episode: "The Hero" |
| 1971 | How to Lose Your Best Customer Without Really Trying | Charlie | |
| 1972-1981 | The Waltons | Ike Godsey | 172 episodes |
| 1972 | The Longest Night | Salesman | TV movie |
| 1982 | A Day for Thanks on Walton's Mountain | Ike Godsey | |
| Mother's Day on Walton's Mountain | |||
| A Wedding on Walton's Mountain | |||
| 1983 | Knight Rider | Manager | Episode: "Short Notice" |
| 1986 | Impure Thoughts | Father Minnelli | |
| 1993 | A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion | Ike Godsey | TV movie |
| 1995 | A Walton Wedding | ||
| 1996 | Night Stand with Dick Dietrick | Claude | Episode: "Dick Goes Home" |
| 1999 | Whatever it Takes | Frank | |
| 2000 | Cast Away | Joe Wally | |
| 2001 | Blind Obsession | (final film role) |
References
- "Rome News-Tribune - Google News Archive Search".
- "The Waltons - Ike Godsey - Joe Conley".
- Scott, Vernon (1 July 1977). "Waltons' storekeeper juggles four careers". Boca Raton News. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- Pearson, Howard (27 February 1978). "T. V. star set for S. L. show". Deseret News. p. C5. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- Anthony Hayward "Joe Conley: Actor best known as Ike Godsey in The Waltons", The Independent (London), 25 July 2013
- "How to Lost Your Best Customer Without Even Trying". AT&T. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
- "Actor Joe Conley, who played Ike Godsey on 'The Waltons,' dies at 85". NBC Today. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
- "TV'S 'Walton's Storekeeper Joe Conley Dies at 85". AP. Archived from the original on 15 July 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
Bibliography
- Zoobilee Zoo (1986)
- Ike Godsey of Walton's Mountain. Albany: BearManor Media, 2010. ISBN 978-1-59393-508-5.