part nine page three
Born Billy Franey on 23 June 1889 in Chicago, Illinois, USA, With his rakish moustache and a bowler jauntily pushed to the back of his head, Chicago-born Billy Franey (sometimes billed William Franey) starred in Universal Joker comedies from 1913. In the 1920s, he became a busy presence at almost every poverty row company, almost always supplying brief comic relief in 92; Westerns. Billy appeared in three movies with John Wayne, Picture from Somewhere In Sonora 1933, Billy passed away on 6 December 1940, Hollywood, California, USA.
Born Frank Rice on 13 May 1892 in Muskegon, Michigan, USA, Balding, long-necked character actor Frank Rice made his earliest screen appearance in 1922. In talkies, Rice often appeared in comic bit roles, many of which — notably the butler in Laurel and Hardy's Pack up Your Troubles 1932 — afforded him the opportunity of performing his rolling-eyeballs specialty. From 1931 onward, he successfully pursued a career as a Western comedy sidekick, appearing opposite such sagebrush stars as John Wayne and Buck Jones. Frank appeared in two movies with John Wayne, Picture from Somewhere In Sonora 1933, Frank passed away at an early age on 9 January 1936 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
Born Bob Burns (II) on 21 November 1884 in Glendive, Montana, USA, A Western actor who played leads in early silents, supporting roles, often uncredited, in sound films; not to be confused with comedy actor Bobby Burns or Bob Burns. Bob appeared in seventeen movies with John Wayne, Picture from Telegraph Trail 1933, Bob passed away on 14 March 1957, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Born Bob Fleming on 19 February 1878 in Ontario, Canada, A former cattle rancher turned stock company actor, six-foot, one-inch Bob Fleming sometimes known as Robert Fleming was an imposing presence in Hollywood films from the early 1910s until his death in 1933. Mainly seen in Westerns, Fleming was usually cast as the sheriff, but would occasionally play the villain's chief henchman. He made a strapping Jim Bowie in the low-budget Davy Crockett at the Fall of the Alamo 1926. Bob appeared in three movies with John Wayne, Picture from Somewhere In Sonora 1933, Bob passed away on 4 October 1933.
Born Frank McGlynn Jnr born on 9 July 1904, Marin County, California, USA, Actor. Son of actor Frank McGlynn Sr. Worked in Silent and Sound films. Appeared in films like Hop-a-long Cassidy (1935), Custer's Last Stand (1936 serial) as George Armstrong Custer, The Story of Doctor Carver (1938 short), and Marie Antoinette (1938). Picture from Westward Ho! 1935, Frank McGlynn Jr. passed away on 29th March 1939.
Born Dickie Jones on 25 February 1927 in Snyder, Texas, USA, American actor who achieved some success as a child and as a young adult, especially in B-Westerns and television. The son of a Texas newspaper editor, Jones was a prodigious horseman from infancy, billed at the age of four as the "World's Youngest Trick Rider and Trick Roper". At the age of six, he was hired to perfom riding and lariat tricks in the rodeo owned by Western star Hoot Gibson. Gibson convinced young Jones and his parents that there was a place for him in Hollywood, and boy and his mother went west. Gibson arranged for some small parts for the boy, whose good looks, energy, and pleasant voice quickly landed him more bigger parts, both in low-budget Westerns and in more substantial productions. In 1940, he had one of his most prominent (though invisible) roles, as the voice of Pinocchio in Walt Disney's animated film of the same name. Jones attended Hollywood High School and at 15, took over the role of Henry Aldrich on the hit radio show "The Aldrich Family". He learned carpentry and augmented his income with jobs in that field. He served in the Army in Alaska during the final months of World War II. Gene Autry, who before the war had cast Jones in several Westerns, put him back to work in films and particularly in television, on programs produced by Autry's company. Now billed as Dick Jones, the handsome young man starred as Dick West, sidekick to the Western hero known as the Range Rider, in a TV series that ran for 76 episodes in 1951. Then Autry gave Jones his own series, '"Buffalo Bill Jnr 1953, which ran for 40 episodes. Jones continued working in films throughout the 1950s, then retired and entered the business world. Dickie appeared in two movies with John Wayne, Picture from Westward Ho! 1935, Dickie passed away on July 7, 2014 in Northridge, California, USA.
Born Albert B. Haskell on 4 December 1886, California, USA, Yet another country & western music performer turned B-Western bit player, mustachioed Al Haskell and his accordion joined Johnny Luther, Chuck Baldra, Jack Jones and, to the regret of his fans, a singing Ken Maynard in Honor of the Range 1934 and later performed with Oscar Gahan and Rudy Sooter in Roy Rogers' Frontier Pony Express 1939. As an actor, Haskell would appear in nearly 100 B-Westerns and serials, almost always unbilled and often playing a henchman. His screen career lasted well into the 1950s. Al appeared in three movies with John Wayne, Picture from Texas Cyclone 1932, Al passed away on 6 January 1969, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Born Milton Arthur Dickinson on 16 September 1895 in Tipton, Iowa, USA, There is no information on the character actor Dick Dickinson. His characters were mainly henchmen, he appeared in four movies with John Wayne, three of the four films he appeared in he played a henchman from the Knife Thrower in Texas Cyclone 1932 to Henchman Joe in West Of The Divide 1934. The other two movies are The Desert Trail 1935 & The Night Riders 1939, Picture from Texas Cyclone 1932, Dick passed away on 16 September 1895 in Tipton, Iowa, USA.
Born Agnes Zetterstrand on 11 April 1902, Naugatuck, Connecticut, USA, Shirley Grey was the seventh surviving and youngest child of Swedish immigrants. She graduated from Waterbury's Wilby High School in 1919. Grey began her acting career with Sylvester Poli's Stock Theatre Company, The Poli Players. She made her stage debut in the August 1920 production of "A Tailor Made Man" at the Lyric Theatre in Bridgeport, Connecticut. While with the Poli Players, she performed in weekly stock performances throughout Poli's chain of theatres. She performed with the Poli Players until 1924. During the fall of 1924, Grey was "discovered" by Crane Wilbur while performing in a theatre production in Springfield, Massachusetts. She was subsequently offered a part in Wilbur's play, "The Imported Wife". Although, the play was ultimately a failure, her exposure in this production opened numerous theatrical doors over the next several years. During the balance of the 20s she co-starred with many of the periods more popular theatre performers including, Edward Arnold, William Collier Sr. and George M. Cohan. Grey married Jack Crosby, Ronald Colman's business manager, in 1927. Under Crosby's guidance, she was able to break into film. She performed in bit movie parts at first, but by 1929 and 1930 was working at RKO Radio Pictures' shorts division. In March of 1931, she was offered the opportunity to screen test for Samuel Goldwyn. Busby Berkeley subsequently signed her to a five-year contract for Goldwyn's company. Grey performed in more than 45 films during her brief movie career. Shirley appeared in two movies with John Wayne, Picture from Texas Cyclone 1932, Shirley passed away on 12 August 1981 in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, USA.
Born Walter H. Montague on 23 April 1891 in Somerset, Kentucky, USA, From 1923 until his retirement in 1949, American character actor Monte Montague was an adventure-film "regular." In both his silent and sound appearances, Montague was usually seen in comic-sidekick roles. He was busiest at Universal in the 1930s, where he appeared in such serials as Tailspin Tommy (1934), The Adventures of Frank Merriwell(1934) and Radio Patrol (1938). He also showed up in bit parts in the Universal "A" product; he was, for example, Dr. Praetorius' miniaturized King in Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Monte Montague wound up his career at Republic, playing utility roles in that studio's serial and western efforts. Monte appeared in four movies with John Wayne, Picture from Texas Cyclone 1932, Monte passed away on 6 April 1959, Burbank, California, USA.
Born Wallace MacDonald on 5 May 1891 in Mulgrave, Nova Scotia, Canada, After starting his acting career in Canadian summer stock, Nova Scotian Wallace MacDonald enlisted in the British Army during World War I. After the Armistice, MacDonald emigrated to America, where he continued his theatrical career. Making his first film in 1919, MacDonald became a moderately popular leading man, specializing in westerns after 1925. Talkies interrupted his career momentum, but MacDonald made a successful comeback in character roles in the early 1930s. In 1934, MacDonald forsook acting for writing, becoming script supervisor at the newly formed Republic Studios in 1935. One year later, he accepted a writer/producer post at Columbia Pictures. Wallace MacDonald remained a guiding force of Columbia's program westerns until the 1950s, also dabbling in early television work for Columbia's TV subsidiary Screen Gems. Wallace appeared in four movies with John Wayne, Picture from Texas Cyclone 1932, Wallace passed away on 30 October 1978, Santa Barbara, California, USA.
Born Virginia Grey on 22 March 1917 in Los Angeles, California, USA, Born into a show-business family--her father was a director and her mother was a film cutter--Virginia Grey made her film debut at age 10 as Eva in Uncle Tom's Cabin 1927. After a few more films as a child actress, she left the business to finish her schooling. Returning to films as an adult in the 1930s, she started out getting extra work and bit parts, but soon graduated to speaking roles and was eventually signed to a contract by MGM. The studio gave her leading parts in "B" pictures and supporting roles in "A" pictures. She left MGM in 1942 and went out on her own, working at almost every studio in Hollywood. She worked steadily in both films and TV, and retired from the business in 1970. Virginia appeared only once with John Wayne, Picture from Flame Of The Barbary Coast 1945, Virginia passed away on 31 July 2004, in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Born Harry Cording on 26 April 1891 in Wellington, Somerset, England, UK, Burly bit part actor often seen in the Sherlock Holmes movies of the '40's as a menacing chauffer, sailor or Cockney. His speaking parts were always well done and added considerably to the B grade movies of the period. Cording made his mark from 1925 through 1955 in distinctly American roles, usually portraying sadistic western bad guys. A break from his domestic villainy occurred in the 1934 Universal horror film The Black Cat, in which a heavily-made-up Harry Cording played the foreboding, zombie-like servant to Satan-worshipping Boris Karloff. Harry appeared in seven movies with John Wayne, Picture from Texas Cyclone 1932, Harry passed away on 1 September 1954 in Sun Valley, California, USA.
Born Howard C. Hickman on 9 February 1880 in Columbia, Missouri, USA, Stately stage leading man Hickman entered films through the auspices of producer Thomas H. Ince. Hickman starred as Count Ferdinand, the Messianic protagonist of Ince's Civilization 1916. He co-starred with his actress wife Bessie Barriscale in several productions before returning to the theatre. In the talkie era, he accepted innumerable featured and bit roles as doctors, judges, ministers, senators, and executives. Generations of filmgoers will remember Howard Hickman for his brief appearance as John Wilkes, father of Ashley Wilkes and father-in-law of Melanie Hamilton, in Gone with the Wind 1939. Howard appeared in three movies with John Wayne, Picture from Lady From Louisiana 1941, Howard passed away on 31 December 1949 IN San Anselmo, California, USA.
Born James Carmody Lankton on 25 August 1884 in Helena, Montana, USA, Bald-pated, raspy-voiced stage and vaudeville comedian James C. Morton came to films in 1930. Working almost exclusively in short subjects, Morton spent the better part of his movie career with the Hal Roach and Columbia comedy units. He provided support for such two-reel funsters as Laurel and Hardy, the Three Stooges, Andy Clyde, Charley Chase, ZaSu Pitts, Thelma Todd, Patsy Kelly, Leon Erroll, and Our Gang. His film roles ran the gamut from bartenders to high-ranking military officers; he was frequently decked out with a lavish toupee, which inevitably ended up on the floor in a mangled heap. He was at his best as the cunning woodchopper who talks bandits Laurel and Hardy out of their money in The Devil's Brother 1933 as Paul Pain, "the heartthrob of millions," in Three Stooges' A Pain in the Pullman 1936 and frontier sharpster Quackenbush in Gene Autry's Public Cowboy No. One 1937 one of his handful of Western-feature assignments. Reportedly, James C. Morton served as director of the 1918 film A Daughter of Uncle Sam. James appeared in two movies with John Wayne, Picture from In Old California 1942, James passed away on 24 October 1942 in Reseda, California, USA.
Born Alfred Morton Bridge on 26 February 1891, Philadephia, Pennsylvania, USA, In films from 1931, Alan Bridge was always immediately recognizable thanks to his gravel voice, unkempt moustache and sour-persimmon disposition. Bridge spent a lot of time in westerns, playing crooked sheriffs and two-bit political hacks; he showed up in so many Hopalong Cassidy westerns that he was practically a series regular. From 1940's Christmas in July onward, the actor was one of the most ubiquitous members of writer/director Preston Sturges' "stock company." He was at his very best as "The Mister," a vicious chain-gang overseer, in Sturges' Sullivan's Travels, and as the political-machine boss in the director's Hail the Conquering Hero, shining brightly in an extremely lengthy single-take scene with blustery Raymond Walburn. Alan Bridge also essayed amusing characterizations in Sturges' Sin of Harold Diddlebock 1946, Unfaithfully Yours 1948, as the house detective and the director's final American film, The Beautiful Blonde From Bashful Bend 1949. Al appeared in seven movies with John Wayne, Picture from Lady From Louisiana 1941, Al passed away on 27 December 1957, Los Angeles, California, USA.