1900 - 1910 westerners.
Born 1900 - 1910
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- Robert Carson was born on 8 June 1909 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. He was an actor, known for The Ten Commandments (1956), Jungle Man (1941) and Red Snow (1952). He was married to Ann Kutner. He died on 2 June 1979 in Atascadero, California, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Frank McGlynn Jr. was born on 9 July 1904 in Marin County, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Bar 20 Rides Again (1935), Hop-a-Long Cassidy (1935) and America (1924). He died on 29 March 1939 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
William 'Wee Willie' Davis was born on 7 December 1906 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for The Asphalt Jungle (1950), Reap the Wild Wind (1942) and Swanee River (1939). He died on 9 April 1981 in Louisville, Kentucky, USA.- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Fred Gilman was born on 24 November 1902 in Virginia, USA. He was an actor, known for The Shoot 'Em Up Kid (1926), Clearing the Trail (1928) and The Fighting Parson (1933). He died on 30 March 1988 in Capistrano Beach, California, USA.- Born Lafayette Russell on May 31, 1905, "Reb" Russell grew up in Coffeyville, Kansas. A superb athlete all through his school years, he was a star running back on the University of Nebraska football team, and gained even more fame when he switched to Illinois' Northwestern University, where he played fullback and was named an All-American in 1930.
It was inevitable that a big, good-looking, famous football star would be courted by Hollywood, and Russell was eventually given small parts in a few films at Fox Pictures, but nothing really came of them. However, he did sign a contract with independent producer Willis Kent to star in a series of low-budget westerns. He made nine of them, with titles like The Man from Hell (1934), Lightning Triggers (1935) and Blazing Guns (1935), for Kent during 1934 and 1935, and "low-budget" is perhaps a charitable description of them. For all his athletic prowess, riding ability and good looks, Russell just wasn't much of an actor, but even if he had been he wouldn't have been able to overcome the threadbare production values, lame and trite scripts and overall shoddiness of the films themselves. They were distributed through the states-rights syndication system, which meant that basically not a whole lot of people saw them, and Russell never really made an impression on either fans or Hollywood itself. By 1935 he and Kent had parted ways. He left Hollywood and toured with several traveling circuses during the rest of the 1930s. In the 1940s he returned to Coffeyville, married and raised a family. He bought several ranches, becoming somewhat of an expert on livestock breeding. He died in Coffeyville of a heart attack in 1978.Peeler Benson aka The Muley Kid, Border Vengeance (1935).
The Cheyenne Tornado (1935). 1935.
10 westerns, 34-35.
1905 - 1978, 72. - Edmund MacDonald was born on 7 May 1908 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor, known for Detour (1945), Hangmen Also Die! (1943) and Great Guns (1941). He was married to Augusta. He died on 2 September 1951 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- He had been an all-American center for Indiana University when he graduated in 1921. He coached football for two years in Arizona and tried amateur acting. He won the lead in Leatherstocking (1924), and stayed to coach at Glendale (California) High School. His teams included future film stars John Wayne, Robert Livingston and Jack Randall (Livingston's brother, who would later be known as cowboy star Jack Randall). During a party at Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzana ranch, Burroughs convinced Pierce to play Tarzan. Taking the role (which paid $75 a week) required Pierce to back out of the aviator part already offered him in Wings (1927) (it went to Gary Cooper). Though popular with audiences, the Tarzan film was panned by the critics. He and his wife played the Apeman and Jane on the radio through 364 15-minute episodes of a serial that played in every U.S. state, South America and Western Europe from 1932 to 1934. He quit this to play King Thun the Lion Man in Universal's Flash Gordon (1936) and was featured in Zorro's Fighting Legion (1939) for Republic. During World War II he helped form the National Airmen's Reserve, the foundation for the later Air National Guard.
- Actor
- Editor
- Soundtrack
American light leading man, primarily of Westerns, James Ellison was born James Ellison Smith in Guthrie Center, Iowa, in 1910. He grew up on a ranch in Valier, Montana, where he learned the skills that would stand him in good stead as a movie cowboy. His family moved to Los Angeles when he was a young man, and it was there that he first became interested in the theatre. He studied at the Pasadena Playhouse briefly, traveled to New York (and by some accounts played some minor roles in productions of the visiting Moscow Art Theatre, probably as a supernumerary), then returned to California where he was spotted by a Warner Bros. talent scout at a production of the Beverly Hills Theatre. He played a number of small parts for Warners and MGM before landing the plum part of Hopalong Cassidy's sidekick, "Johnny Nelson", in Paramount's wildly successful series. Ellison played Nelson in eight films between the years 1935 and 1937, also playing in other films in-between. Although he was a supporting player in the Hopalong films, his name was strangely billed in the same size and format as veteran actor and matinee idol William Boyd's. Although not confirmed, the reason for this oddity is thought to be because the character Johnny Nelson was very prominent in the Hopalong Cassidy book series. There were also rumors around Hollywood that Ellison was destined to become "the next Gary Cooper" - a prediction that would fall short, as Ellison never achieved stand-alone stardom. In 1936, just before his exit from the Hopalong Cassidy films, Ellison was plucked by Cecil B. DeMille for the role of Buffalo Bill Cody in De Mille's epic Western, The Plainsman (1936), opposite Gary Cooper. De Mille reportedly hated Ellison's performance and wanted to ensure that Ellison never had as good a part in quite as good a film ever again. In the late 1930s and 1940s, Ellison did follow up with quite a number of romantic leads in a wide variety of films, from musicals and light mysteries, with such co-stars as Maureen O'Hara (They Met in Argentina (1941)), Lucille Ball (Next Time I Marry (1938)), James Stewart and Ginger Rogers (Vivacious Lady (1938)) to the cult horror classic, I Walked with a Zombie (1943). In 1950, Ellison returned to westerns, this time as the lead (along with his Hopalong replacement and longtime friend Russell Hayden) in a series of 11 westerns featuring them as two frontier lawmen, Lucky (Hayden) and Shamrock (Ellison). Of all his roles, however, he is perhaps best remembered for being Hopalong Cassidy's first and most dominant sidekick. In the late 1950s, Ellison retired from movies and became a successful real estate broker. He died in 1993, as the result of a fall in which he broke his neck, at the age of 83. Ellison was married twice, first to Gertrude Durkin, whom he took as his wife in 1937. They had two children, Durk and Trudy. After Gertrude's death in 1970, Ellison married Lois Bretherton on June 25, 1972, and remained married to her until his death.- Actor
- Additional Crew
James Millican was born on 17 February 1910 in Palisades, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for Winchester '73 (1950), The Man from Laramie (1955) and I Died a Thousand Times (1955). He was married to Dorothy Eleanor Gumbrell. He died on 24 November 1955 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
New York-born Morrow developed an interest in the theater as a result of his studies at art school. As "Irving Morrow," he was acting on stage (in Pennsylvania) as early as 1927; he later appeared in such plays as "Penal Law", "Once in a Lifetime", "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "Twelfth Night", "Romeo and Juliet" and "Macbeth", treading the boards opposite stars like Katharine Cornell, Maurice Evans, Katharine Hepburn, Luise Rainer and Mae West. His film career commenced with the Biblical epic "The Robe" in 1953 and continued into the '70s. In his latter years, he worked as a commercial illustrator while taking occasional acting assignments.- Lee Morgan was born on 12 June 1902 in Stanford, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Dangers of the Canadian Mounted (1948), Return of the Lash (1947) and Cheyenne Takes Over (1947). He died on 30 January 1967 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Tom Quinn was born on 22 January 1903 in New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for Daughter of Don Q (1946), The County Fair (1932) and King of the Turf (1939). He was married to Adonell Massie. He died on 26 February 1982 in Orange, California, USA.
- Actor
- Stunts
John Beach was born on 9 November 1903 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Blue Montana Skies (1939), Hopalong Rides Again (1937) and Heroes of the Hills (1938). He was married to Constantine Johnston. He died on 23 October 1997 in Palm Beach, Florida, USA.- David McMahon was born on 11 December 1910 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for It Conquered the World (1956), Cavalcade of America (1952) and Rescue 8 (1958). He was married to Dorothea McMenamin. He died on 27 January 1972 in Pasadena, California, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
American character actor who specialized in average-guy parts and who could be equally effective in sympathetic or unlikeable roles. His parents, the vaudeville team of Ruf and Cusik, took him onstage with them when he was a baby, and Faylen grew up in the theatre. He attended St. Joseph's Preparatory College in Kirkwood, Missouri, but returned to vaudeville as a comic pantomimist. He toured the country throughout the late Twenties and early Thirties as a clown and later as song-and-dance man with acrobatic agility. During a tour stop in Los Angeles, he was screen tested and began a thirty-year career as one of Hollywood's most familiar character players. His most famous film roles were as the vicious male nurse Bim in The Lost Weekend (1945) and as the cabdriver Ernie in It's a Wonderful Life (1946). But his greatest fame came in television, particularly as Dobie's dad Herbert T. Gillis in The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1959). Faylen was married to actress Carol Hughes, with whom he had two daughters. He retired after Funny Girl (1968), and died in 1985.- Actor
- Soundtrack
At age 30, actor Harvey Stephens had a sophisticated charm and staid, long-jawed handsomeness that seemed ideal for the big screen, particularly in elegant or period settings. A veteran of a handful of Broadway shows by the time he made his sudden move to film, he was handed on a silver platter a debut starring role. The drawback was that playing opposite him would be a Broadway legend and one the boldest scenery chewers of all-time -- Tallulah Bankhead. The "leading man" opportunities went quickly downhill from there for Harvey but he redeemed himself quite well in the next few years as a poised second lead player and (later) dependable character actor on TV.
Born on August 21, 1901, the Los Angeles native attended U.C.L.A. before training with Walter Hampden's repertory company for two years as well as in various other stock companies. He had already married Beatrice Nichols in 1929 by the time he established himself on Broadway. Taking his first Broadway bow with a role in "Other Men's Wives" (1929), he went on to appear in "Dishonored Lady" (1930) with the great Katharine Cornell and "Tomorrow and Tomorrow" (1931) with Herbert Marshall and Zita Johann by the time Hollywood came calling.
Paramount's Pre-Code drama The Cheat (1931) was an auspicious first assignment For Harvey in which he was cast as decent, upper-scale guy Jeffrey Carlyle, the concerned husband to voracious party girl and gambler Elsa Carlyle, played to the hilt by Tallulah Bankhead. Bankhead, the larger-than-life celebrity deemed too big for the screen, took no prisoners and Harvey was dwarfed for most of the proceedings. Despite his obvious talent, Harvey's big chance for stardom was snuffed out. This would be his first and only chance at male star movie material.
Continuing diligently on Broadway in such plays as "The Animal Kingdom" (1932) with Leslie Howard, "Best Years" (1932), "Conquest" (1932), "I Loved You Wednesday" (1932) and "The Party's Over" (1933), Fox signed Harvey up in 1933 and from there he appeared in second leads and/or "other man" parts, bolstering a number of quality films and providing a good-looking distraction between some of Hollywood's most popular cinematic stars. His first ruffled up the Janet Gaynor and Warner Baxter coupling in the comedy Paddy the Next Best Thing (1933). From there he enjoyed playing cads, flirts, and various wealthy suitor types who tried to come between some of Hollywood's glossiest and most popular pairings: William Powell and 'Myrna Loy' in Evelyn Prentice (1934); Spencer Tracy and Myrna Loy in Whipsaw (1935); Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray in Maid of Salem (1937); and Carole Lombard and Fred MacMurray in Swing High, Swing Low (1937).
By the end of the decade, however, Harvey was receiving credit much further down the list, especially in the higher-quality films of a Beau Geste (1939), Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940), Sergeant York (1941) and Lady in the Dark (1944). By the end of WWII, his film career had subsided drastically. As such, he returned to Broadway in 1944 with both "Over 21" starring Ruth Gordon and "Violet". In 1949 he had an officious featured role in the musical classic "South Pacific" starring Mary Martin and Ezio Pinza in the non-singing role of Lt. Harbison, only one of two non-singing parts in the show. He stayed with the show for several years.
TV occupied much of Harvey's time in the 1950s, now a well-oiled character actor, but he never found any one series that might have given his character name a noticeable boost. His last Broadway role came with "Time Limit" (1956). Following unbilled roles in The Young Lions (1958), North by Northwest (1959) and Advance to the Rear (1964), he ended his career on TV in 1965 with an episode of "Bonanza," then retired quietly to the Southern California area. Harvey died just a few days before Christmas in 1986 at the Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, California, and was survived by present wife Barbara and three children. He was 85 years old.- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Barton MacLane graduated from Wesleyan University, where he displayed a notable aptitude for sports, in particular football and basketball. Not surprisingly, his physical prowess led to an early role in The Quarterback (1926) with Richard Dix. MacLane once commented that, as an actor, he needed to have the physical strength to tear the bad guys "from limb to limb", if necessary. Ironically, it was usually Barton himself who was destined to be at the end of a hiding (when not getting shot, instead), typically as snarling henchmen, outlaws and other assorted dubious or abrasive types throughout most of his 40-year acting career. In fact, Barton became so typecast, that his name was for a time used proverbially, to generally describe a shouting, hard-nosed ruffian.
After training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, MacLane joined a stock company in Brooklyn. In 1927 he had his first part on Broadway, a brief moment as an assistant district attorney, in the melodrama "The Trial of Mary Dugan". He then played a small featured role as a police officer in "Subway Express" (1929-30), a drama enacted in the interior of a subway car. In mid-1932 MacLane tried his hand at writing his own starring vehicle for the stage, entitled "Rendezvous". While the play closed after just 21 performances, it led to a contract with Warner Brothers.
Barton had already appeared in bit roles for Paramount at their Astoria Studios, including The Marx Brothers' debut film The Cocoanuts (1929). He portrayed mobster Brad Collins in 'G' Men (1935) (with James Cagney), which set the tone for most of his future assignments. Brawny, with squinty eyes and a rasping voice, MacLane was the ideal surly tough guy, particularly suitable for westerns and the type of films noir Warner Brothers excelled at. He was often cast as cops, be they bent or honest. Some of his most representative performances include gangster Al Kruger in Bullets or Ballots (1936), which won him some of the best critical notices of his career; outlaw Jack Slade in Western Union (1941); crooked construction boss Pat McCormick, who gets beaten up by Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt over past-due wages in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948); hard-nosed cops Detective Dundy in The Maltese Falcon (1941) and Lt. Reece in Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950). MacLane, on loan to Universal, also had a starring role in Prison Break (1938) as an innocent tuna fisherman who is framed for murder. He was prominent as a tough but sympathetic cop, foil to sleuthing girl reporter Glenda Farrell in the "Torchy Blaine" series of the mid- to late 1930s. In the 1960s Barton began to cultivate a good-guy image as Marshal Frank Caine in the NBC western series Outlaws (1960) as well as showing up in a small recurring role as Air Force Gen. Martin Peterson in I Dream of Jeannie (1965).
Barton was married to the actress Charlotte Wynters, who appeared with him in six of his films. When not on the set, the couple spent time on their 2000-acre cattle ranch in Madera County, California. For his work in television, Barton has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Attractive Hollywood leading man (and sometime villain) from the late 30s until his death following surgery, Alan Curtis (Harry Ueberroth) was born 24 July 1909 in Chicago, Illinois. He grew up in that area and in the early 1930s became a model, appearing in many magazine and newspaper advertisements. His looks did not go unnoticed in Hollywood, and he soon found himself in the movie business. He became a leading man, and was very popular in the 1940s, appearing in at least 26 movies. He died of complications of surgery on 2 February 1953 in New York City and is buried in the Ueberroth family plot in Evanston, Illinois.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Appeared in over 200 films. He had worked as a salesman and newspaper reporter before breaking into movies near the end of the silent era. Tall and tough, his starring roles in major pictures soon gave way to supporting parts, mainly as a villain, in B movies and serials. His elopement to Yuma, Arizona, in 1930 with a 17-year-old Loretta Young was widely reported. From 1940 on, he took numerous supporting roles, working until his suicide in 1959.Jack Fergus, Last Stagecoach West (1957). 1957.
89 westerns, 26-61.
50 feature westerns.
1905 - 1959, 55.- Wade Crosby was born on 22 August 1905 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA. He was an actor, known for Westworld (1973), Tales of Robin Hood (1951) and Rose of the Yukon (1949). He died on 2 October 1975 in Newport Beach, California, USA.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Furiously prolific and ubiquitous extra Kenner G. Kemp was born on January 3, 1908 in Concho, Arizona. Kemp first started appearing in films in uncredited minor roles in the early 1930's and began popping up in numerous TV shows in the early 1950's. Moreover, Kenner not only also worked as both a stuntman and an occasional stand-in for Walter Pidgeon, but also was a longtime officer in the Screen Extras Guild which included treasurer and vice president. His sister Donna Kempe also worked as an extra. Kemp died at age 77 on May 13, 1985 in Los Angeles, California.- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
A "B" Hollywood leading man who had the requisite tall, dark and handsome features (plus an excellent singing voice) that Hollywood often relied upon, Robert Paige was an extremely capable player worthy of stronger dramatics but was too often trapped in staid and standard leading man roles that prevented him from showcasing properly and moving squarely into the "A" romantic ranks. Born John Arthur Paige on December 21, 1910 in Indiana to English parents, Robert attended West Point but eventually left the Academy and moved to the Los Angeles area to focus on an entertainment career. Initially an usher for the Fox West Coast Theatres, he started using the moniker David Carlyle while singing on a Long Beach radio station and moved into announcing work at radio station KMTR in Hollywood.
He entered short films in 1931 and progressed to feature status within a few years. A studio scout had the hopeful player screen-tested at Columbia, and he was put under contract. In the course of his career he was also a studio player for Warner Bros., Paramount and, more notably, Universal. His first prime second-lead role occurred crooning to Marion Davies in Cain and Mabel (1936). He went on to give a solid performance (still as David Carlyle) in Smart Blonde (1937), which introduced the "Torchy Blane" series, and finally top-lined his own romantic comedy Meet the Boy Friend (1937) opposite Carol Hughes.
In 1938 he returned to his given last name and billed himself as Robert Paige. There he fronted such standard programmers as Highway Patrol (1938), The Main Event (1938) and the serial cliffhanger Flying G-Men (1939). Over at Paramount things went about the same, continuing consistently but without a lot of fanfare, in such films as Emergency Squad (1940) Women Without Names (1940), Golden Gloves (1940) and The Monster and the Girl (1941). He earned his first singing lead with the mini-musical Dancing on a Dime (1940) in which he and co-star Grace McDonald sang the title song. The musical introduced the songs of Burton Lane and Frank Loesser, including "Mañana" (which Peggy Lee later made a signature hit) and the certified hit "I Hear Music."
Paige had his big chance at stardom at Universal in Can't Help Singing (1944) in which he sang "Californ-i-ay" in a duet with the studio's reigning warbler Deanna Durbin. The Gable-esque, often mustachioed baritone co-starred in other Universal musicals where he had plenty of opportunities to display his rich voice such as Hellzapoppin' (1941), Pardon My Sarong (1942), What's Cookin' (1942) and How's About It? (1943) but too often his listless romantic roles were overshadowed by the zany antics of the comic headliners (Abbott & Costello, The Ritz Brothers), the swinging harmonies and steps of The Andrews Sisters, guest musical artists, or the sheer magnetism of his lady co-star such as Durbin and Frances Langford. He fared better in rugged adventures, sprightly comedies, crime yarns and horror opuses, including Son of Dracula (1943) with Lon Chaney Jr. and Fired Wife (1943) with frequent co-star Louise Allbritton.
From 1946 on Paige freelanced. While on tour to promote the movie The Red Stallion (1947), Paige met oil millionaire Glenn McCarthy, who financed the picture The Green Promise (1949) in which Paige produced and starred. By the early 50s, he abandoned films for the most part and sought out TV roles. His well-modulated voice was ideal for hosting/emcee duties and went on to include Bride and Groom (1951) and The Big Payoff (1951) with former "Miss America" Bess Myerson, among his jobs. His last two roles on films were minor bits in The Marriage-Go-Round (1961) and Bye Bye Birdie (1963). From 1966 to 1970 he went full circle, returning to his radio roots as an ABC newscaster in Los Angeles. From there he moved into public relations. Married three times in all, the durable leading man died in 1987.- Director
- Editorial Department
- Editor
The term "style over content" fits director Joseph H. Lewis like a glove. His ability to elevate basically mundane and mediocre low-budget material to sublime cinematic art has gained him a substantial cult following among movie buffs. The Bonnie & Clyde look-alike Gun Crazy (1950), shot in 30 days on a budget of $400,000, is often cited as his best film. This taut gangster flick about two gun-crazy sociopaths on a crime spree is impregnated with an electric atmosphere, zipping along at a breakneck pace. It has been likened to a "tone poem of camera movement" and described by Martin Scorsese as "unrelenting and involving". A master of expressive lighting, tight close-ups, tracking and crane shots and offbeat camera angles and perspectives, Lewis possessed an instinctive sense of visual style, which imbued even the most improbable of his B-grade westerns and crime melodramas. Significant peripheral detail was his stock-in-trade. He acquired these skills working as a camera assistant in the 1920's (his aptitude for the work may have been come from his optometrist father) and further honed them in the MGM editorial department in the early '30s. After that Lewis edited serials at Republic and served the remainder of his apprenticeship as second unit director. He was signed to a full directing contract by Universal in 1937.
During the next two decades, Lewis spent time at Columbia (1939-40, 1946-49), Universal again (1942), PRC (1944), MGM (1950, 1952-53) and United Artists (1957-58), reliably turning out a couple of pictures per year. While he helmed more than his fair share of horse operas, it was invariably his films noir which attracted the most attention. Pick of the bunch were two slick second features during his spell at Columbia, My Name Is Julia Ross (1945), about a diabolical murder plot involving Nina Foch in her first starring role; and So Dark the Night (1946), an offbeat psychological thriller with character actor Steven Geray well cast as a French detective who unwittingly investigates his own crimes. Another candidate for inclusion on any Lewis "best" list would have to be The Big Combo (1955), made for Allied Artists and boasting impressive camera work by John Alton. It marked the beginning of a new cycle of films in which violence became rather more accentuated (the film ran into censorship trouble for that reason) and where the villain (in this case, philosophizing racketeer Richard Conte) was rather more interesting and dynamic than the maniacally obsessive but dullish nominal hero (cop Cornel Wilde).
After suffering a heart attack in 1953, Lewis began to reduce his workload. His cinematic curtain call was the low-budget western Terror in a Texas Town (1958), characterized by deliberate and fluid camera movement and some neat touches, like the hero (Sterling Hayden) sporting a harpoon for the climactic final showdown. The idea of successfully uniting the townsfolk against the tyranny of arbitrary rule was also intended as a veiled attack on McCarthyism. With the credits shot through the spokes of a wagon wheel, "Terror" was a fitting finale to Lewis's career.
He spent a few more years directing episodic TV westerns (including several of the better episodes of The Rifleman (1958)) and finally retired in 1966. When not addressing aspiring directors on the lecture circuit, he spent his remaining decades in leisure pursuits, in particular sailing and deep-sea fishing aboard his much-loved 50-foot trawler "Buena Vista".- Actor
- Soundtrack
Wilton Graff was born on 13 August 1903 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He was an actor, known for Bloodlust! (1961), Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back (1947) and Lili (1953). He was married to Elisabeth Lawrence (Whittemore) Strong and Mary Goodwin. He died on 13 January 1969 in Pacific Palisades, California, USA.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
A minor prototype of the "Runyon-esque" character for more than three decades, Polish-born actor George E. Stone (né Gerschon Lichtenstein, on May 18, 1903) was, in actuality, a close friend of writer Damon Runyan and would play scores of colorful "dees, dem and dos" cronies throughout the 1920s, '30s, and '40s. With great names such as Johnnie the Shiek, Boots Burnett, Ice Box Hamilton, Wires Kagel, Ropes McGonigle, Society Max, and Toothpick Charlie, Stone delighted audiences in scores of crimers for decades.
A vaudeville and Broadway hoofer in the interim, the runt-sized Stone (5'3") finally scored in his first "grownup" part as the Sewer Rat in the silent drama 7th Heaven (1927) starring the once-popular romantic pair Charles Farrell and (Academy Award winner) Janet Gaynor. As "Georgie" sounded too child-like, he began billing himself as "George E. Stone." From there he was featured in a number of "tough guy" potboilers, particularly for Warner Bros. So typed was he as a henchman or thug, that he found few films outside the genre. His gunsels often possessed a yellow streak and could be both broadly comic or threatening in nature, with more than a few of them ending up on a morgue slab before film's end, including his Earl Williams on The Front Page (1931) and Otero in the classic gangster flick Little Caesar (1931).
Included in George's many films were a number of Oscar-quality pictures , including The Racket (1928), Cimarron (1931), Five Star Final (1931), 42nd Street (1933), Viva Villa! (1934), Anthony Adverse (1936), North West Mounted Police (1940), Pickup on South Street (1953), The Robe (1953), Broken Lance (1954), The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), Guys and Dolls (1955), Some Came Running (1958), Some Like It Hot (1959), Pocketful of Miracles (1961). Arguably, Stone's most popular, if not prolific, role was when he replaced Charles Wagenheim as The Runt in the second of the "Boston Blackie" film series, Confessions of Boston Blackie (1941) that starred Chester Morris as the title detective. The series lasted eight years.
Suffering from failing eyesight in later years, George was virtually blind by the late 1950s but, thanks to friends, managed to secure sporadic film and TV work. From 1958 on, Stone could be glimpsed in a recurring role on the popular courtroom series Perry Mason (1957) as a court clerk. Married to second wife Marjorie Ramey in 1946, 64-year-old George died following a stroke on May 26, 1967 in Woodland Hills, California, and was survived by two sisters.Joe Roland, The Prize Fight Story (1958). 1958.
16 westerns, 30-59.
1903 - 1967, 64. Poland. California.- E.J. André was born on 14 August 1908 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He was an actor, known for The Ten Commandments (1956), Papillon (1973) and Shirley Temple's Storybook (1958). He died on 6 September 1984 in Hollywood, California, USA.
- William Challee was born on 6 April 1904 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Five Easy Pieces (1970), Desperate (1947) and Bonanza (1959). He was married to Joan Wheeler, Ella Franklin Crawford, Ruth Nelson and Eleanor Lynn. He died on 11 March 1989 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Buster Collier was born Charles F. Gall Jr. in New York and got his show-business start at the age of seven, his mother being an actress and his father being a theater manager. His parents later divorced and his mother married actor William Collier Sr., who adopted the boy and gave him his new name, William Collier Jr., nicknamed "Buster". Collier's stage experience got him his first film role, The Bugle Call (1916) at age 14. He soon became one of the most popular actors of the 1920s, easily making the transition from child actor to young romantic lead. In 1935 he retired from acting to become a producer, first in the US and then in England, where he moved in 1937 and stayed until the late 1940s. In the 1950s he produced several television series in the US.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Veteran character player Roy Roberts proudly claimed over 900 performances in a 40-year career. He might not have been known necessarily by name, but the face was distinct and obviously familiar. The prototype of the steely executive, the no-nonsense mayor, the assured banker, the stentorian leader, Roberts looked out of place without his patented dark suit and power tie. His silvery hair, perfectly trimmed mustache, nonplussed reactions and take-charge demeanor reminded one of the "Mr. Monopoly" character from the classic board game.
Roberts was born Roy Barnes Jones on March 19, 1906, in Tampa, Florida, the youngest of six children. The year 1900 is given as his birth date in several reference books, which seems compatible with his noticeably aged appearance in the last decade or so of his life, but his final resting stone bears the year 1906. His early career was on the Broadway stage, gracing such plays as "Old Man Murphy" (1931), "Twentieth Century" (1932), "The Body Beautiful" (1935) and "My Sister Eileen" (1942). In 1943 he made a successful switch to films, debuting as a Marine officer in Guadalcanal Diary (1943). Usually billed around tenth in the credits, he played a reliable succession of stalwart roles (captains, generals, politicians, sheriffs, judges, et al.). He was also a semi-standard presence in film noir, appearing in such classics as Force of Evil (1948), He Walked by Night (1948) and The Enforcer (1951) as both good cop and occasional heavy.
When Roberts made the move to TV he began to include more work in comedies. The 1950s and 1960s would prove him to be a most capable foil to a number of prime sitcom stars, including Gale Storm and Lucille Ball. His patented gruff and exasperated executives often displayed their prestige by the mere use of initials, such as "W.W." and "E.J." While he never landed the one role on film or TV that could have led to top character stardom, he nevertheless remained a solid and enjoyable presence, a character player who added stature no matter how far down the credits list.
A stocky man for most his life, Roberts gained considerable girth in the late 1960s, which made his characters even more imposing. He died of a heart attack on May 28, 1975, in Los Angeles and was buried in Fort Worth, Texas. He was survived by his wife, actress Lillian Moore.- A dark, debonair, mustachioed, slick-looking leading man who cut a fine figure in 1930s Fox movies, Michael Whalen's good looks were interestingly offset by a slightly prominent Romanesque nose. Born Joseph Shovlin on June 30, 1902, in Wilkes-Barre, Penssylvania, he took piano lessons as a child but the talent never went anywhere. He eventually was hired by the Woolworths department store chain and worked his way up to manager by the time he resigned at the age of 23. During an extensive period of travel, he stopped in New York City and became hooked on acting after catching a Broadway show. He apprenticed and made his stage debut with Eva Le Gallienne's repertory company. To make do, the handsome hopeful worked as an artist's model, including the renowned 'James Montgomery Flagg'.
Whalen came to Hollywood in 1933 and started out on the L.A. stage with roles in "When Knighthood Was in Flower" (as the Dauphin) and "Common Flesh." Noticed by Twentieth Century-Fox talent agents, he made his debut with a second-lead role in Professional Soldier (1935) starring Victor McLaglen. On screen he appeared opposite a bevy of Hollywood lovelies, notably Alice Faye, Gloria Stuart, Claire Trevor and June Lang, in standard "B" filmmaking, playing a series of virile, flashy roles including Hollywood producers and sports editor types. He also had the adult male leads in two of little Shirley Temple's popular vehicles -- Poor Little Rich Girl (1936) and Wee Willie Winkie (1937). In 1938 he starred as newsman Barney Callahan in a string of murder mystery tales (Time Out for Murder (1938), While New York Sleeps (1938) and Inside Story (1939)) alongside love interest Jean Rogers.
By the early 1940s his leading man career started to falter. He went to Broadway for two years in "Ten Little Indians" (1944), then toured with the show on the road. By the 1950s he was appearing less frequently on film and more and more into character roles. TV became a source of income for him. His last movie was an unbilled bit in Elmer Gantry (1960), and in 1964 he made his final appearance on an episode of My Three Sons (1960).
Once engaged to sultry actress Ilona Massey, the couple never made it to the altar. Whalen remained a bachelor and lived with his mother until her death in the 1960s. He collected antiques and enjoyed gardening until his death of bronchial pneumonia in 1974 at age 71. - Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Former vaudevillian, who acquired a solid reputation as a practical joker and master of insult, second only to the great Groucho Marx. Celebrity hosts would often hire Vince to perform gags and put-on jokes at their lavish parties, where he would insult the guests and create mayhem in his wake. He often posed as heavily-accented journalists with names like 'Timothy Glutzspiegel'. Among the many victims of his pranks were such luminaries as Winston Churchill, Charles Lindbergh, Henry Ford and the Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen. Clark Gable nearly punched him out during a party given by Joan Crawford. Vince greeted Greta Garbo with "Good Morning, Miss Hepburn", and, as 'sound expert' Dr. Hoffman, instructed star Richard Barthelmess to take voice lessons from Texas Guinan or quit acting. During a trip to New York, he even cornered Mae West, posing as a member of the vice squad and threatening to close down her show ('Diamond Lil') unless she cut some of her bawdy dialogue. When the star acquiesced, the phoney inspector ordered her to burn the whole play and take the next train out of town. Not even Jack L. Warner was immune, being told by 'foreign producer' Barnett to learn the basics of film-making.
Roly-poly, moustachioed, bald-pated Barnett followed in the footsteps of his father Luke, who had made a name for himself for playing similar pranks on people for thirty years in his home town of Pittsburgh. After studying at the Carnegie Institute of Technology, Vince, who was an avid amateur pilot, flew mail planes for a couple of years before making his stage debut with "Earl Carroll's Vanities" in 1926. The following year, he acted on Broadway in "George White's Scandals". Movie roles soon followed.
From 1930, Vince appeared, usually as comedy relief, in films and on television in a career spanning 45 years. Among his best-regarded early roles were Scarface (1932),as a dumb gangster; The Big Cage (1933), Thirty Day Princess (1934) and, in a perfectly-suited Runyonesque part, Princess O'Hara (1935). In later years, Vince often relinquished his comedy image and was seen in innumerable small roles, often as careworn little men, undertakers, janitors, bartenders and drunks in pictures ranging from films noir like The Killers (1946), to westerns such as Springfield Rifle (1952).
In one of his last public appearances, Vince showcased his unique brand of humour with a monologue, delivered at Madison Square Garden in the vaudeville revue 'The Big Show of 1936'. It was to his ever-lasting regret that he never got the chance to match wits (and insults) with his illustrious Irish contemporary George Bernard Shaw.- Director
- Actor
- Writer
Abner Biberman was born on 1 April 1909 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. He was a director and actor, known for His Girl Friday (1940), The Golden Mistress (1954) and Winchester '73 (1950). He was married to Sibil Kamban (editor), Helen Churchill Dalby and Tolbie Snyderman. He died on 20 June 1977 in San Diego, California, USA.Latigo Means, Winchester '73 (1950).
Director, Stampede (1957). 1957.
64 westerns, 45-72.
1909 - 1977, 68.- Eugenia Gilbert was born Eugenia Knapp on November 18, 1902 in East Orange, New Jersey. She attended high school in New York City and went to Mallborough College in Los Angeles. When her father became ill she quit school and got a job as a dancer. She made her acting debut in the short film Paul's Peril (1920). Eugenia began entering beauty pageants and in 1923 she won the title of Miss Los Angeles. She became one of Mack Sennett's bathing beauties and he signed her to a long term film contract. Eugenia starred in dozens of comedies including A Rainy Knight (1925), Sinners in Silk (1924), and A Broadway Butterfly (1925) (where she was, as often, credited as Eugenie Gilbert).
In 1927, she starred in the action serial The Crimson Flash (1927). She was also Leo D. Maloney's leading lady in three Westerns (Don Desperado (1927), The Long Loop on the Pecos (1927), and The Man from Hard Pan (1927)). Eugenia was considered one of the most versatile starlets in Hollywood. In her spare time she liked to go to a cabin she bought in the mountains. Although she made more than sixty films she never became a major star. At the age of twenty-seven Eugenia decided to quit making movies. Her final film was the comedy Courtin' Wildcats (1929). During the 1930s, she worked as a model in fashion shows. She eventually got married and changed her last name to Enders. Eugenia spent her final years living in Santa Monica. She died from heart failure on December 8, 1978 and was cremated. - Harry J. Worth (aka Michael Worth) was born on February 6, 1903, in England. All of his films from 1919 to 1929 are British productions. He came to the US in 1929, where his British film experience gave him the background to find his way to the Broadway stage, where he appeared in various productions until coming to Hollywood in 1935.
His first film role was in Universal's Tailspin Tommy in the Great Air Mystery (1935) serial. Worth returned to serials twice more at Republic - as crooked banker banker Calvin Drake in Adventures of Red Ryder (1940) and as the archaeologist who turns out to be the masked "Scorpion" in Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941).
Worth left films after playing a gambler in The Adventures of Mark Twain (1944) and may have returned to the stage, although Social Security records have him in California until 1951. In 1965 he retired to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he lived with an older sister, Beatrice Gregg, a former actress, until his death on November 3, at an Albuquerque hospital. Private cremation services took place at Fairview Park Crematory in Albuquerque. Worth was survived by one sister, Beatrice Gregg of Albuquerque and a cousin in Los Angeles. - Donald Kirke was born on 17 May 1901 in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for Women Won't Tell (1932), The Emperor's Candlesticks (1937) and Paradise Express (1937). He died on 18 May 1971 in Los Angeles County, California, USA.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Joe Ploski was born on 16 April 1904 in New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965), M Squad (1957) and Li'l Abner (1959). He died on 17 May 1993 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Leon Alton enjoyed a fine career on stage, screen, and television starting in the 1920s and lasting until the late 1970s.
In the 1930s he started out on the Broadway stage appearing in various musicals which lasted until the early 1940s. Then like many Broadway actors and dancers, he seemingly drifted his way to Hollywood where he was able to use his talents as a dancer to appear in many party scenes in a suit dancing in some of the most well known films.
Like many dancers though, that was only part of their work as they could not survive on musicals alone and by the mid 1950s musicals started to lose their popularity so he had to find work elsewhere, although he was never unemployed long.
Alton's appearance was ideal for bankers, or distinguished townsman, or whatever was needed. By the late 1950s, he was able to secure some roles in which he received screen credit in shows like Bat Masterson (1958), Tombstone Territory (1957), and Lock Up (1959) all while still appearing at the usual party scenes or the social gatherings.
By the 1960s his career was still going strong as he still found work in the usual places and managed to appear in several well known movies like True Grit (1969), The Cheyenne Social Club (1970), and Airport (1970) and appearing in most of the well known television shows of the time.
His career wound down by the 1970s and while his name will not garner the attention or recognition to film audiences of today, most casting directors could tell you it was a name which should be respected and could be depended upon. - Actor
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Location Management
American film character actor who appeared in primarily comedic roles from the 1920s through the 1950s. Born Fehmer Christy Chandler (named after his uncle, well-known architect Carl Fehmer), in Kingston, New York to Colonel George F. Chandler and the former Martha Schultze (a sportswriter and daughter of Boston Symphony Orchestra conductor Carl Schultze), by the age of 12, he was appearing as a dancer and entertainer in local stage shows. His father, an army surgeon and organizer of the New York State Police, enrolled him in a military academy, The Manlius School, which he attended for three years, serving with distinction and rising to the school rank of corporal. At 16, though he was being groomed by his family for a military career, he dropped out to work on a tramp steamer and, later, to pursue work in vaudeville and to study dance at the school of famed choreographer Ned Wayburn. Chandler maintained a successful career throughout the 1920s as a dancer and comedian in vaudeville and burlesque, at times teamed with Naomi Morton, granddaughter of vaudeville and Broadway star Sam Morton. In 1930, Chandler, still billed as Fehmer Chandler, joined the cast of the Liberty Bell Filling Station radio show starring Chic Sale, as Rodney Gordon, the assistant to Wheel Wilkins (Sale), proprietor of the titular gas station. Two years later, he landed a role in the Ben Hecht-Gene Fowler Broadway play The Great Magoo. Spotting him there, film producer David O. Selznick signed Chandler, now billed under his boyhood nickname Chick, to a film contract at RKO, telling the press that Chandler was "a cross between Lee Tracy and James Cagney." Chandler, who had done behind-the-camera work for director Charles Brabin in 1923 and had appeared in at least one silent film as an actor, turned full-time to movie acting with his first films under contract, Sweepings and Melody Cruise, in 1933. He appeared mainly in supporting roles, mostly comic, in nearly 120 films over the next 36 years. Under the pseudonym Guy Fehmer, Chandler wrote a screenplay about racing called The Quitter. In 1955, Chandler was cast in the starring role of Toubo Smith in the adventure series Soldiers of Fortune, alongside John Russell as Tim Kelly. In the show, Smith and Kelly traveled the world engaging in treasure hunts, rescues, and exploration adventures. It brought Chandler his greatest fame. During the off-seasons, he toured the country in stock and musical theatrical productions such as Harvey and Annie Get Your Gun. He was also a regular on the short-lived 1961 NBC comedy series One Happy Family. In February 1925, Chandler became engaged to Ziegfeld Follies performer and Christy model Dorothy Knapp, whom he had met in his uncle Howard Chandler Christy's studio in or around 1922. Knapp broke off the engagement to pursue her career further, and Chandler then became partnered, both privately and professionally, with 17-year-old Sallie Sharon, whom he met at West Point. The pair formed a vaudeville team, but never married. On April 4, 1931, Chandler married Eugenia "Jean" Frontai, a former contract performer with David Belasco's theatrical company. They were married 57 years, until Chandler's death from a heart attack on September 30, 1988. (Jean Chandler followed her husband in death [from cancer] the next day in the same hospital, South Coast Medical Center.) The couple had no children.- George Lynn was born on 28 January 1906 in Cumberland, Maryland, USA. He was an actor, known for To Be or Not to Be (1942), The Werewolf (1956) and The Great Dictator (1940). He died on 3 December 1964 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Mousie Garner, also known as "The Grand Old Man Of Vaudeville", was a legendary comedian-musician and a true national treasure. He was literally the final performing headliner from the glory days of vaudeville, and the last surviving member of comedian Ted Healy's Stooges. Working right up to his death, Mousie remained one of the hardest-working men in show business, although he gave up being slapped, poked and punched on a daily basis at age 65. Mousie, who celebrated his 75th anniversary as a professional entertainer, was still performing before live audiences in his 90s.
He made his stage debut as a child in 1913, singing, dancing and imitating 'Al Jolson' in a family musical-comedy act developed by his father. While still a child, Mousie entertained soldiers during World War I. By the time he was a teenager in the 1920s, he had already decided upon a career on the vaudeville stage. Garner was part of Ted Healy's new stooges after the departure of Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard (in the 1970s Garner joined Joe DeRita and Frank Mitchell in a short-lived act known as "The New Three Stooges"; Moe Howard allowed DeRita to form his own stooge act after Larry Fine suffered a stroke). In addition to big-time vaudeville, Mousie also appeared on Broadway and in major national touring companies; in short subjects, feature films and documentaries; on network television, cable and radio shows; and in nightclubs, auditoriums and concert halls.
Serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, Mousie was shipped overseas and he achieved the rank of Technical Sergeant before completing his hitch. He participated in the Allied forces' North African campaign, and was injured twice on duty. He received several commendations, including the Purple Heart. After his stint (and after he recovered from his wartime injuries), Mousie joined the U.S.O. to star in their touring company of Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson's show "Hellzapoppin'". The show was staged for servicemen throughout Europe during the Allies' postwar occupation. Mousie is represented twice on the Hollywood "Walk of Fame" via his association with 'The Three Stooges' and musical parodists Spike Jones and His City Slickers. Mousie enjoyed stints as lead performer in both of these unforgettable comedy ensembles. He appeared as a "guest of honor" at the star-unveiling ceremony for The Three Stooges in 1983. It should be noted that he was also a successful television star, having performed in such series as Surfside 6 (1960).
He died in 2004, at age 95.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Toones is one of the most "colorful" character faces in B-Westerns and cliffhangers. He appeared in over 200 films between 1928 and 1951; and during 1936 and 1947, Toones often worked under contract for Republic Pictures, appearing in about 40 of its films.
Toones first appeared as a porter in The Hurricane Express (1932), and was usually typecast as a porter, appearing in over 50 films in such a role. He also played a variety of other service-oriented or domestic worker roles such as stable grooms, janitors, elevator operators, valets, cooks, bellhops, doormen, butlers, and bartenders. Toones played a bootblack or shoeshine man in at least six of his movies, and Toones actually ran the shoeshine stand at Republic Studios. Like other actors of the time, i.e. Anna May Wong and Franklin Pangborn, Toones is a prime example of racial and social stereotyping in the Hollywood film industry.
His standard characterization was that of a middle-aged "colored" man with a high-pitched voice and childlike mannerisms. "Snowflake" was the stage name Toones was best known by, and he used this name as his credit as early as his third film, Shanghaied Love (1931). In "Shanghaied Love" and, likewise over 35 other films, "Snowflake" was also Toones' character name.
Toones acted in films such as Mississippi (1935), Hawk of the Wilderness (1938), and Daredevils of the Red Circle (1939) with Bruce Bennett and in many "B" westerns such as The Lawless Nineties (1936) with John Wayne. He also appeared in dozens of two-reels such as Columbia's Woman Haters (1934) with the Three Stooges, and had a bit role in Laurel and Hardy's classic feature Way Out West (1937). Toones is also a familiar face in four Preston Sturges comedies: Twentieth Century (1934), Remember the Night (1939), Christmas in July (1940), and The Palm Beach Story (1942).- Robert Griffin was born on 31 July 1902 in Hutchinson, Kansas, USA. He was an actor, known for I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957), Serpent of the Nile (1953) and Gunsight Ridge (1957). He was married to Margaret Fuller. He died on 19 December 1960 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Editor
- Editorial Department
- Producer
S. Roy Luby was born on 8 August 1904 in New York City, New York, USA. S. Roy was an editor and producer, known for War Dogs (1942), Tough to Handle (1937) and Confessions of a Vice Baron (1943). S. Roy died on 19 August 1976 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Napoleon Whiting was born on 21 September 1910 in Canton, Mississippi, USA. He was an actor, known for Giant (1956), Farewell, My Lovely (1975) and Every Girl Should Have One (1978). He died on 22 October 1984 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Director
- Sound Department
- Writer
Edward Bernds was born in 1905 in Chicago, Illinois. While in his junior year in Lake View High School, he and several friends formed a small radio club and obtained amateur licenses. In the early '20s there was considerable prestige for an amateur operator (a "ham") to have commercial radio licenses, and Bernds was in a good position to get into broadcasting when he graduated in 1923, a year when radio stations began popping up all over Chicago. He found employment--at age 20--as chief operator at Chicago's WENR. When talking pictures burst onto the scene in the late '20s, Bernds and broadcast operators like him relocated to Hollywood to work as sound technicians in "the talkies". After a brief stint at United Artists, Bernds quit and went to work at Columbia, where he worked as sound man on many of Frank Capra's '30s classics. He later graduated to directing two-reel shorts and then features.The Three Troubledoers (1946). 1946. Director.
The Prescott Kid (1934). 1934, Sound engineer.
30 westerns, 34-65.
1905 - 2000, 94.- Actor
- Soundtrack
James Bush was born on 14 October 1907 in Greenfield, Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for The Return of Peter Grimm (1935), Battle of Greed (1937) and Sky Giant (1938). He died on 9 April 1987 in Van Nuys, California, USA.- Actor
- Writer
Crox Alvarado was born on 3 May 1910 in San Jose, Costa Rica. He was an actor and writer, known for The Aztec Mummy (1957), Una rosa sobre el ring (1973) and The Robot vs. The Aztec Mummy (1958). He died on 30 January 1984 in Mexico, D.F., Mexico.- Additional Crew
- Actor
John S. Peters was an American actor and military technical adviser of films and television series of the 1950s and 1960s whose career goes back to the 1920s. He is not to be confused with another actor, Hans Joby, who doubled for Erich von Stroheim, who he also imitated, and who he also somewhat resembles.Colonel Coffee, The Frontiersman (1927). 1927.
Military advisor, Technical advisor, A Distant Trumpet (1964). 1964.
43 westerns, 26-63.- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Actor
Indiana-born, son of stage actress Mary Palmer Nields and silent screen actor Val Paul (1886-1962), 'Woody' Bredell began his career in films as a lab technician. He worked as a still photographer at RKO and Paramount (1931-34), later joining Universal, as director of photography, 1937-46; then under contract to Warner Brothers, 1947-49. Having served his apprenticeship under the tutelage of veteran cinematographers Arthur C. Miller and Charles Lang, he became an expert at using shadows and diffuse lighting to create expressionist-inspired, darkly sinister imagery for thrillers and films noir. Of particular note are Robert Siodmak's Phantom Lady (1944) and The Killers (1946); and Michael Curtizs The Unsuspected (1947). These films are rightly hailed as among the best examples of the genre. Bredell also effectively captured the seedy side of life for Female Jungle (1955).
In stark contrast, Bredell was equally adept at painting richly textured romantic frames for big budget technicolor musical (Romance on the High Seas (1948)), or comedy (The Inspector General (1949)). One of his best films was the charismatic and cheerful Errol Flynn swashbuckler Adventures of Don Juan (1948). Bosley Crowther of the New York Times described Bredell's lighting and color-photography as "technically superb" (December 25,1948).
'Woody' Bredell has been variously (and incorrectly) cited as English-born and deceased, but according to his granddaughter, he lived most of his life in or around Los Angeles. He was an avid fisherman, owner of a cabin cruiser moored near his home in Newport Beach. He died, aged 66, and is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills.Forbidden Valley (1938). 1938. Cinematography.
Boy, Up or Down? (1917). 1917.
5 westerns, 17-44.
1902 - 1969, 66.- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Director
- Production Manager
Vernon Keays was born on 27 February 1900 in Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA. He was an assistant director and director, known for The Wolf Man (1941), Strictly in the Groove (1942) and Trail to Gunsight (1944). He was married to Zella Ingraham. He died on 22 May 1964 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Sammy Shack was born on 31 March 1906 in New York, New York, USA. He was an actor. He died on 5 July 1985 in Henderson, Nevada, USA.- Eddie Laughton was born on 20 June 1903 in Sheffield, Yorkshire [now South Yorkshire], England, UK. He was an actor, known for Highway Patrol (1938), Girls of the Road (1940) and My Son Is a Criminal (1939). He was married to Dorothea M. Appel, Mary Eaton and Lytha M. Pratt McPhail. He died on 21 March 1952 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA.Cowhand Murph, Lawless Plainsmen (1942). 1942.
38 westerns, 36-45.
1903 - 1952, 48. Yorkshire. California. - Hugh Prosser was born on 2 March 1907 in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota, USA. He was an actor, known for The Adventures of Sir Galahad (1949), Mysterious Island (1951) and Pardon My Past (1945). He was married to Mary Vincent. He died on 8 November 1952 in Gallup, New Mexico, USA.
- Art Felix was born on 18 February 1901 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Riddle Ranch (1935) and Tales of Wells Fargo (1957). He was married to Mary J. Nugent. He died on 9 June 1980 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Dark Feather, Hawk of the Wilderness (1938). 1938.
73 westerns, 30-64.
51 feature westerns.
1901 - 1980, 79. - Actor
- Soundtrack
Joey Ray was born on 5 September 1904 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. He was an actor, known for Pals of the Range (1935), Blonde Comet (1941) and Two Lost Worlds (1951). He died on 27 April 1958 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Art Miles was born on 15 February 1901 in Lowell, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor, known for The Gorilla (1939), Sweetheart of the Navy (1937) and Marked Men (1940). He died on 6 November 1955 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
John Verros was born on 25 December 1905 in Greece. He was an actor, known for The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), One Step Beyond (1959) and The Glass Web (1953). He died on 10 March 1996 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Joe Cloud, Killer Without Cause (1961). 1961.
14 westerns, 54-76.
1905 - 1996, 90. Greece. California.- Writer
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Sloan Nibley was born on 23 June 1908 in Portland, Oregon, USA. Sloan was a writer, known for Jungle Jim (1955), Science Fiction Theatre (1955) and Sea Hunt (1958). Sloan was married to Linda Stirling, Gail Sheridan and Marjorie Seabury Doolittle. Sloan died on 3 April 1990 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Original screenplay, Nighttime in Nevada (1948). 1948.
69 westerns, 47-70.
21 feature westerns.
1908 - 1990, 81.- M. Coates Webster was born on 15 December 1906 in East Orange, New Jersey, USA. M. Coates was a writer, known for Isle of Destiny (1940), Flying with Music (1942) and I Surrender Dear (1948). M. Coates was married to Marian Litonius Earle Webster. M. Coates died on 9 May 1955 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Alma Rayford was born on 24 March 1903 in Muskogee, Indian Territory, USA [now Oklahoma, USA]. She was an actress, known for Cactus Trails (1925), Between Dangers (1927) and The Son of Sontag (1925). She died on 14 February 1987 in El Paso, Texas, USA.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Perc Launders was born on 11 October 1904 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Jet Job (1952), The Great Alaskan Mystery (1944) and Week-End Pass (1944). He died on 2 October 1952 in Hollywood, California, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Lyle Latell was born on 9 April 1904 in Elma, Iowa, USA. He was an actor, known for Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947), Dick Tracy vs. Cueball (1946) and Dick Tracy's Dilemma (1947). He was married to Mary Foy. He died on 24 October 1967 in Hollywood, California, USA.- Sound Department
- Actor
- Music Department
Jack A. Goodrich was born on 8 March 1900 in Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Gog (1954), Only the Brave (1930) and Romance of the Redwoods (1939). He died on 4 July 1991 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Otto Reichow was born on 4 December 1904 in Tempelburg, Pomerania, Germany [now Czaplinek, Zachodniopomorskie, Poland]. He was an actor, known for Ulzana's Raid (1972), Paris Calling (1941) and Rogues' Regiment (1948). He died on 20 October 2000 in Encino, California, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Gene Sheldon was born on 1 February 1908 in Columbus, Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for Babes in Toyland (1961), Susie's Affairs (1934) and Zorro (1957). He was married to Margaret McCann. He died on 1 May 1982 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Sidney Salkow was born on 16 June 1909 in New York City, New York, USA. Sidney was a director and writer, known for This Is Alice (1958), Raiders of the Seven Seas (1953) and The Lone Wolf Keeps a Date (1940). Sidney was married to Patricia Salkow and Katherine Ottesen. Sidney died on 18 October 2000 in Valley Village, California, USA.- Ewing Mitchell was born on 29 December 1910 in Charlestown, South Carolina, USA. He was an actor, known for Tripoli (1950), The Adventures of Champion (1955) and The Gene Autry Show (1950). He died on 3 September 1988 in La Jolla, California, USA.
- William Forrest was born on 10 October 1902 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor, known for The Masked Marvel (1943), Private Eyes (1953) and I'll See You in My Dreams (1951). He was married to Myra Wilhelmina Lane. He died on 26 January 1989 in Santa Monica, California, USA.
75 westerns, 41 - 66.
1902 - 1989, 86.