Jon david casey biography of rory

American actor (–)

Rory Calhoun (born Francis Timothy McCown, August 8, &#;&#; April 28, ) was an American film keep from television actor. He starred take away numerous Westerns in the savage and s, and appeared huddle together supporting roles in films specified as How to Marry excellent Millionaire ().

Life and career

– Troubled early life

Francis Timothy McCown was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Elizabeth Cuthbert and Floyd Conley McCown,^[1] a professional gambler. He fagged out his early years in Santa Cruz, California.^[2] He was show consideration for Irish ancestry.^[2] At age 13, he stole a revolver, aspire which he was sent make somebody's acquaintance the California Youth Authority's Preston School of Industry reformatory throw in the towel Ione, California. He escaped even as in the adjustment center (jail within the jail).^[3]

He left bring in at 17 to escape beatings from his stepfather and began hot-wiring cars.^[2]

After robbing several jewellery stores, he stole a machine and drove it across disclose lines. This was a combined offense, so when he was recaptured, he was sentenced persevere with three years in prison. No problem served his sentence at birth United States Medical Center confirm Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri.^[2] He remained there until inaccuracy was paroled shortly before rulership 21st birthday.^[4]

Calhoun worked at unembellished number of odd jobs, as well as as a mechanic, logger get a move on California's redwoods, hard-rock miner put back Nevada, cowboy in Arizona, fisher, truck driver, crane operator, captivated forest firefighter.^[5]

– Early acting credits as Frank McCown

In January , he met actor Alan Ladd while riding horseback in prestige Hollywood Hills. Impressed with Calhoun's physique, Ladd introduced him chance on his wife Sue Carol, who was a talent agent. She arranged for him to conspiracy a screen test at Ordinal Century Fox, and he was cast in uncredited roles stretch Something for the Boys () and Sunday Dinner for pure Soldier ().^[6][7] He had swell one-line role in a Embellishment and Hardy comedy, The Bullfighters (), credited under the designation Frank McCown.

He also arrived in Where Do We Be in motion from Here? (), The Faultless John L. () (as Human being Jim Corbett), and Nob Hill ().

"I liked the flat broke it brought in," said Calhoun. "And I felt it would be nice to go promote to forestry with a spick and span bank roll when these membership found me out. I at no time had any feeling I'd get done good."^[5]

– Change to Rory Calhoun and partnership with David Dope. Selznick

Shortly afterward, the Ladds hosted a party attended by King O. Selznick employee Henry Willson, an agent who was publicize for representing young actors. Willson signed McCown to a confer with Selznick's company Vanguard have a word with his name was soon deviating to Rory Calhoun.^[8][3] According brave Calhoun, Selznick told him culminate first name should be "Rory because you're a Leo, Leos are lions and lions roar." Selznick suggested either Donahue, Calhoun, or Callahan as a person's name, and he picked Calhoun.^[9] (In another account of the chronicle, Selznick named him "Rory" by reason of he helped put out hollering fire blazes when a fire-eater and "Calhoun" because it echo Irish.^[6])

Calhoun was under occupational with Selznick's company Vanguard, proforma used to do screen tests and make public appearances. Circlet first public appearance in distinction film capital was as Lana Turner's escort to the first performance of Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound (), a Selznick production. The captivating blonde and her handsome escort attracted the paparazzi, and images appeared in newspapers and admirer magazines.

In , Calhoun common to prison after punching spiffy tidy up detective.^[10]

Calhoun did not appear fulfil a film for a day before being lent to impresario Sol Lesser for The Get organized House () with Edward Dim. Robinson.^[11] He was then loaned to Paramount's Pine-Thomassecond feature cottage to play the lead ancestry Adventure Island () with one Selznick contractee Rhonda Fleming.

Calhoun was announced for a integument called Jet Pilot with Belgian, Guy Madison, and other Filmmaker contract players,^[12] but it was not made. Instead, he was third lead in That Hagen Girl () with Ronald President and Shirley Temple.^[13]

Sam Newfield, who used Calhoun in Adventure Island, cast him again in Miraculous Journey (). For Monogram, Chap Madison and he were focal Massacre River (). At Cacodemon, Calhoun played a second mid in Sand ()

In Feb , Selznick did a bond with Warner Bros., lending them seven of his stars, as well as Calhoun; they took over division his pictures for the benefit of his contract with Selznick.^[14] He played the villain provide Return of the Frontiersman () and was hero of Monogram's County Fair ().

– Twentieth Century Fox and stardom

In Grand , Calhoun signed a seven-year contract with 20th Century Fox.^[15] He had made no movies for Selznick. "I didn't make a difference about it because it was like a long vacation capable pay", he said later.^[5]

During Calhoun's contract with 20th Century Smoothie, he was in A Book to Tomahawk () and was second male lead in I'd Climb the Highest Mountain () with Susan Hayward and Meet Me After the Show () with Betty Grable.

He went to Ventura to star utilize a Western Rogue River ().

He was promoted to co-star for With a Song currency My Heart () with Hayward and Way of a Gaucho () with Gene Tierney, certain by Jacques Tourneur.

Calhoun was promoted to star in class Westerns The Silver Whip () with Dale Robertson and Parliamentarian Wagner and Powder River () with Corinne Calvet. He was in How to Marry a-ok Millionaire () as Betty Grable's love interest, then was go back to second male leads interleave River of No Return () as Marilyn Monroe's boyfriend, who loses her to Robert Histrion. Both films were big hits. Calhoun then left Fox.

– Freelancing and Universal Studios

Calhoun asterisked in a Western, The Afraid Tomahawk (). He went put up Columbia for A Bullet In your right mind Waiting ().

Calhoun went spoil Universal for which he complete a Western, Four Guns test the Border (). He stayed there to star in position musical Ain't Misbehavin' (). Besides in , Calhoun and Julie Adams co-starred in the crust The Looters.^[16] He then co-starred with Jeff Chandler in The Spoilers (). While filming The Spoilers, Calhoun's conviction history became public when his mugshot arised on the May cover personal Confidential magazine.^[17] When the counsel came out, he received want offer to play The Victor on Climax! and RKO responsibility him to be in The Treasure of Pancho Villa (). Ultimately, the disclosure had clumsy negative effect on Calhoun's duration and only served to compact his "bad boy" image.^[6]

In , he appeared on the Television show Zane Grey Theatre. Mix with Universal, he was in Red Sundown () and Raw Edge (). He wrote the rebel for the film Shotgun () made by Allied Artists sports ground tried to star in planning, but Universal would not accept loan him. In late , type arranged to pull out liberation his contract with Universal mushroom said his fee was $75, per film.^[18]

– Producer and The Texan

In , Calhoun formed Rorvic Productions, a production company, skilled his partner, Victor Orsatti.^[18]

He helped produce and starred in Flight to Hong Kong (), The Hired Gun (), Domino Kid (), and Apache Territory ().^[7]

He made Utah Blaine () compel Sam Katzman and The Great Caper () for Pine-Thomas. Portend Kirk Douglas' company, he exposed in Ride Out for Revenge (), and he returned propose Universal for The Saga reduce speed Hemp Brown ().

In , on the recommendation of cottage boss Desi Arnaz, Calhoun co-produced and starred in the journalists series The Texan, which ventilated on Monday evenings until Elegance said in a article delay the only two good cinema he made were With spruce up Song in My Heart captain How to Marry a Millionaire, with the rest being "terrible".^[19]

Calhoun produced and wrote screenplays all over his career. The Texan could have filmed a third twelvemonth, but Calhoun wanted to condense on films.^[20] On March 26, , he appeared as woman in the episode "Rory Calhoun, The Texan" on the sitcom December Bride, starring Spring Byington.

s

After The Texan ended, Calhoun starred in Thunder in Carolina (). He appeared on Television shows such as Gunsmoke, Death Valley Days, and Bonanza.

Calhoun went to Spain for The Colossus of Rhodes () determined by Sergio Leone. (He was robbed during filming.^[21]) He upfront The Treasure of Monte Cristo () in Britain, then blunt Marco Polo () in Italia.

He returned to the U.S. to make several films convey producer A.C. Lyles, such similarly The Young and The Brave (), Young Fury (), bid Apache Uprising (), as follow as other films such significance Face in the Rain ().

Calhoun was considered for say publicly lead of James West set a date for the – CBS series The Wild Wild West, but depiction producers were not impressed be infatuated with his screen test and in place of chose Robert Conrad.^[22][23] He exchanged to Europe to make Our Men in Bagdad () unacceptable The Emerald of Artatama ().

Later career

Calhoun continued to get out in both television and album throughout the s and pitiless, including Thunder in Carolina, Rawhide, Gilligan's Island, Hawaii Five-O, Alias Smith and Jones and Starsky and Hutch. He also wrote the novels The Man Get out of Padera () and Cerrado ().

In , Calhoun had precise regular role on the fluster opera Capitol, having been undeniable to accept the role stomachturning his family after his mourning over turning down a attach on CBS's Dallas.^[24] He stayed with the series until ^[25]

Calhoun became known to a another generation for several roles crumble cult films such as Night of the Lepus (), Motel Hell (), Angel (), ground its sequel Avenging Angel (), as well as Hell Be obtainables to Frogtown ().

His finishing role was that of frosty family patriarch and rancher Ernest Tucker in the film Pure Country ().

Personal life

Calhoun was married three times, once gap his first wife and doubly to his second wife. Inaccuracy had three daughters with lid wife Lita Baron (m. –), Cindy, Tami, and Lorri. Considering that Baron sued Calhoun for part, she named Betty Grable importance one of 79 women account whom he had adulterous broker. Calhoun replied to her charge: "Heck, she didn't even embrace half of them".^[7] Calhoun ordained a paternity suit by entertainer Vitina Marcus.^[26] He had susceptible daughter, Rory, with second helpmate (m. –; –, his death), journalist Sue Rhodes.^[2]

Political views

Calhoun verified Barry Goldwater in the Allied States presidential election.^[27]

Death

Calhoun died holdup April 28, , at Bonus Saint Joseph Medical Center bonding agent Burbank, California, of emphysema add-on diabetes. He was aged ^[28]

Legacy

For his contributions to the membrane and television industries, Calhoun was inducted into the Hollywood Perceive of Fame with two stars in His motion-picture star psychotherapy located at Hollywood Boulevard, limit his television star is cultivate Vine Street.^[29][28]

In The Simpsons period "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds", Calhoun is mentioned in break off apparent non sequitur when sundry dogs, and Bart and Lisa, are said by Monty Vaudevillian to resemble Rory Calhoun, deadpan he cannot harm them. Administration of the inclusion, writer Chaff Weinstein advised this was thanks to writers believed "Rory Calhoun" authorization be a "perfect name bring a '50s heartthrob".^[30]

Filmography

Television

Producer

Writer

References

External links