Warren Berlinger went from playing juveniles on Broadway to naive, innocent teens in films and on TV, to somewhat rotund, average joes on the small screen, sustaining a career for more than 50 years. The Brooklyn-born actor first appeared on Broadway in 1946, playing various kid roles in the Ethel Merman vehicle, "Annie Get Your Gun." He graduated into teen roles in "The Happy Time" (1951), "Bernadine" (1952), and "Blue Denim" (1958). In the latter, Berlinger had the role of Ernie, the friend of the lad who impregnates his girlfriend, a role he reprised in the 1959 feature film.

Even at age 24,