by Len Lear

Mort Paterson’s show business resume may not be as impressive as that of Bing Crosby, but just like the world-famous crooner, Mort is playing the role of Frank Elgin in “Country Girl,” a 1950 dramatic play by American playwright Clifford Odets which was subsequently adapted as a film of the same name in 1954. Crosby starred in the Frank Elgin role in the 1954 movie with William Holden and Grace Kelly, who won a Best Actress Oscar for her performance.

(The play, which is being performed at Stagecrafters Theater, 8130 Germantown Ave. from April 8 to 24, was subsequently remounted on Broadway twice, in 1972 and 2008, twice Off-Broadway, in 1984 and 1990, and was produced for television twice, in 1974 and 1982.)

In the play, Frank Elgin is a once-famous Broadway star who's hit the skids. Hotshot young director Bernie Dodd, a longtime admirer of Elgin, tries to get the old-timer back on his feet with a starring role in a new play. But Dodd must contend with Elgin's hard, suspicious wife, Georgie, who seemingly runs roughshod over her husband. Dodd holds Georgie responsible for Elgin's reliance upon the bottle, a suspicion fueled by Elgin himself, who insists that Georgie has been suicidal ever since the death of their son.

Paterson, who said his age is “over 65,” grew up in Crawfordsville, Indiana, and went on to earn a B.A. from Wesleyan University in Connecticut and a Ph.D. in English from Yale University.

After college, he spent 25 years with Smith, Kline & French Labs (now known as GlaxoSmithKline) in marketing research and health economics.

However, Paterson, who has lived in East Mt. Airy since 2007 and before that on West Mermaid Lane in Chestnut Hill for 26 years, caught the acting virus in junior high and could not find a cure because “I liked that I could hold people's attention.”

While not earning a living for his family, Mort trained extensively as an actor, including Walnut Street Theater acting classes in Shakespeare.

He has had more than 50 roles on stage, including King Lear, Prospero in “The Tempest,” Polonius in “Hamlet,” Leonato in “Much Ado About Nothing,” Serebriakoff in “Uncle Vanya,” Algernon in “The Importance of Being Earnest,” etc.

Mort, who admits it is more difficult to remember all the dialogue than it was years ago, persists because of “the pleasure of moving people and the opportunity to apply and refine a technique.”

When asked what was the hardest thing he ever had to do in life, the local actor replied, “In life, recover from the deaths of two wives. In the theater, it was the lead role in Moliere's ‘Imaginary Invalid’ because of the demands of the style.”

Paterson is certainly no one-trick pony. In addition to his “day jobs” and acting, he has become quite skillful at oil painting and playwriting.

He recently had an article published in the Fall issue of Shakespeare Bulletin “that I am most proud of, as it combines both practical acting experience and my academic efforts in prosodic theory.”

And Mort is by no means the only talented member of his family. His wife of 20 years, Susan, works part-time as a paralegal in a Philadelphia law firm, but she is also “a very talented singer and actress, whom I love to act and live with.”

Mort’s son, Ben, 33, who was profiled in the Local on Jan. 14 of this year, is a jazz pianist in New York; Mort’s middle son is John, 39, who lives in San Francisco and is a talented singer/songwriter with his own rock band. His oldest son, James, 49, also lives in San Francisco and is an executive for a survey research firm.  All three sons are Germantown Friends School alumni.

What is Mort’s greatest regret, if any? “If you mean in the theater, it would be never having gotten to play Hamlet.”

Which talent that he does not have would he most like to have and why? “Operatic baritone, because I love the emotional intensity and force of opera.”

What is Mort’s most treasured possession? “Oil paintings I have done. I taught myself how to copy some Renaissance painters, and I have done several.”

More information about ”Country Girl” at Stagecrafters at www.thestagecrafters.org or 215-247-8881.