Charley Weaver

Charley Weaver was the best known characterization of comic character actor Cliff Arquette (1905-1974). A specialist in playing little old men (often rustic) on radio since the 1930s, Arquette debuted Charley Weaver in 1952 (appearing first on the daytime series Dave and Charley and then as a regular on The Dennis Day Show). 
The character continued to pop up here and there, including a 1956 episode of Dragnet, before reaching wide national exposure in 1959 on the Jack Paar hosted The Tonight Show. Weaver would typically read a letter from his mama and relate anecdotes from his Southern hometown of Mount Idy. Arquette continued to use Weaver for almost all of his subsequent work, including guest spots, regular stints on the variety shows of Roy Rogers and Jonathan Winters, and finally as a panelist on Hollywood Squares.
Arquette's family followed him in show business, and his grandchildren include David Arquette.
==References==
*Cliff Arquette as Charley Weaver was a recurring guest on The Jimmy Dean Show, appearing seven times between 1965 and 1966 (always reading a letter from Mama). Rowlf mentions him, along with Jimmy's other guests that week, as attending Thanksgiving dinner at Jackie Gleason's house on the November 26, 1965 broadcast.
*A few weeks later, for the December 24 broadcast, Charley dresses as Santa Claus. Before getting to his letter, he tells Jimmy about the gift he got for Rowlf the Dog (though he's interrupted at the start by Jimmy's observation that his moustache is in his mouth). He got Rowlf six visits to a Beverly Hills psychoanalyst, but since Rowlf's not allowed on the couch, he got him a big bone: "About this long and about as thin as a pencil. And he can eat it or play pool with it, I don't care."
*In the same show, during his usual spot, Rowlf returns the favor by responding to Jimmy's description of the little old fat man with an impression of Charley Weaver: "I just got a letter from Mama in Mount Idy." 
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Category:Celebrity References