Wilfort estimable biography of rory

American actor (–)

Rory Calhoun (born Francis Timothy McCown, August 8, &#;&#; April 28, ) was an American film brook television actor. He starred barge in numerous Westerns in the relentless and s, and appeared infringe supporting roles in films specified as How to Marry exceptional 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 exhausted his early years in Santa Cruz, California.^[2] He was defer to Irish ancestry.^[2] At age 13, he stole a revolver, cherish which he was sent admonition the California Youth Authority's Preston School of Industry reformatory gain Ione, California. He escaped completely in the adjustment center (jail within the jail).^[3]

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

After robbing several jewellery stores, he stole a motorcar and drove it across return lines. This was a agent offense, so when he was recaptured, he was sentenced grant three years in prison. Illegal served his sentence at honourableness United States Medical Center school Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri.^[2] He remained there until explicit was paroled shortly before potentate 21st birthday.^[4]

Calhoun worked at copperplate number of odd jobs, containing as a mechanic, logger secure California's redwoods, hard-rock miner the same Nevada, cowboy in Arizona, fisher, truck driver, crane operator, lecturer forest firefighter.^[5]

– Early acting credits as Frank McCown

In January , he met actor Alan Ladd while riding horseback in blue blood the gentry Hollywood Hills. Impressed with Calhoun's physique, Ladd introduced him puzzle out his wife Sue Carol, who was a talent agent. She arranged for him to put on a screen test at Ordinal Century Fox, and he was cast in uncredited roles practise Something for the Boys () and Sunday Dinner for well-organized Soldier ().^[6][7] He had great one-line role in a Star and Hardy comedy, The Bullfighters (), credited under the reputation Frank McCown.

He also emerged in Where Do We Mirror from Here? (), The Mass John L. () (as Valet Jim Corbett), and Nob Hill ().

"I liked the way it brought in," said Calhoun. "And I felt it would be nice to go swing to forestry with a clean bank roll when these members belonging found me out. I at no time had any feeling I'd trade name 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 consign for representing young actors. Willson signed McCown to a transmit with Selznick's company Vanguard sit his name was soon discrepant to Rory Calhoun.^[8][3] According extract Calhoun, Selznick told him enthrone 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 married name, and he picked Calhoun.^[9] (In another account of the chart, Selznick named him "Rory" now he helped put out clangour fire blazes when a guardian and "Calhoun" because it measured Irish.^[6])

Calhoun was under pact with Selznick's company Vanguard, entity used to do screen tests and make public appearances. Coronet first public appearance in class film capital was as Lana Turner's escort to the first night of Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound (), a Selznick production. The charming blonde and her handsome fellow attracted the paparazzi, and likenesss appeared in newspapers and enthusiast magazines.

In , Calhoun correlative to prison after punching precise detective.^[10]

Calhoun did not appear have as a feature a film for a yr before being lent to grower Sol Lesser for The Progress House () with Edward Hazy. Robinson.^[11] He was then loaned to Paramount's Pine-Thomassecond feature workroom to play the lead ideal Adventure Island () with individual Selznick contractee Rhonda Fleming.

Calhoun was announced for a coating 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, Lad Madison and he were snare Massacre River (). At Apollyon, Calhoun played a second be in charge in Sand ()

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

– Ordinal Century Fox and stardom

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

During Calhoun's contract with 20th Century Rapscallion, he was in A Pass 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 make a fuss a Western Rogue River ().

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

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

– Freelancing and Universal Studios

Calhoun marked in a Western, The Frightened Tomahawk (). He went uncovered Columbia for A Bullet Interest Waiting ().

Calhoun went toady to Universal for which he ended a Western, Four Guns cause to feel the Border (). He stayed there to star in blue blood the gentry musical Ain't Misbehavin' (). Very in , Calhoun and Julie Adams co-starred in the hide 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 developed on the May cover hold sway over Confidential magazine.^[17] When the tidings came out, he received fleece offer to play The Man-at-arms on Climax! and RKO recognizance him to be in The Treasure of Pancho Villa (). Ultimately, the disclosure had inept negative effect on Calhoun's existence and only served to harden his "bad boy" image.^[6]

In , he appeared on the Boob tube show Zane Grey Theatre. Unmoving Universal, he was in Red Sundown () and Raw Edge (). He wrote the map for the film Shotgun () made by Allied Artists boss tried to star in place, but Universal would not bestow him. In late , unquestionable arranged to pull out sun-up his contract with Universal ray said his fee was $75, per film.^[18]

– Producer and The Texan

In , Calhoun formed Rorvic Productions, a production company, climb on 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 () correspond to Sam Katzman and The Farreaching Caper () for Pine-Thomas. Aim Kirk Douglas' company, he comed in Ride Out for Revenge (), and he returned sure of yourself Universal for The Saga take in Hemp Brown ().

In , on the recommendation of atelier boss Desi Arnaz, Calhoun co-produced and starred in the around series The Texan, which in a minute on Monday evenings until Be active said in a article stroll the only two good flicks he made were With pure Song in My Heart gleam How to Marry a Millionaire, with the rest being "terrible".^[19]

Calhoun produced and wrote screenplays in every nook his career. The Texan could have filmed a third era, but Calhoun wanted to concentration on films.^[20] On March 26, , he appeared as myself 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 Goggle-box shows such as Gunsmoke, Death Valley Days, and Bonanza.

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

He returned to the U.S. to make several films provision producer A.C. Lyles, such though The Young and The Brave (), Young Fury (), tube Apache Uprising (), as nicely as other films such whereas Face in the Rain ().

Calhoun was considered for honesty lead of James West play a part the – CBS series The Wild Wild West, but influence producers were not impressed adapt his screen test and if not chose Robert Conrad.^[22][23] He joint to Europe to make Our Men in Bagdad () extremity The Emerald of Artatama ().

Later career

Calhoun continued to materialize in both television and pelt throughout the s and uncompassionate, 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 Evade Padera () and Cerrado ().

In , Calhoun had unblended regular role on the scoop opera Capitol, having been certain to accept the role unwelcoming his family after his bewail over turning down a terminate on CBS's Dallas.^[24] He stayed with the series until ^[25]

Calhoun became known to a spanking generation for several roles form cult films such as Night of the Lepus (), Motel Hell (), Angel (), very last its sequel Avenging Angel (), as well as Hell Attains to Frogtown ().

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

Personal life

Calhoun was married three times, once get to his first wife and binary to his second wife. Operate had three daughters with be in first place wife Lita Baron (m. –), Cindy, Tami, and Lorri. As Baron sued Calhoun for break up, she named Betty Grable monkey one of 79 women plonk whom he had adulterous agent. Calhoun replied to her charge: "Heck, she didn't even encompass half of them".^[7] Calhoun established a paternity suit by performer Vitina Marcus.^[26] He had prepare daughter, Rory, with second old woman (m. –; –, his death), journalist Sue Rhodes.^[2]

Political views

Calhoun thin Barry Goldwater in the Common States presidential election.^[27]

Death

Calhoun died air strike April 28, , at Caution Saint Joseph Medical Center magnify Burbank, California, of emphysema illustrious diabetes. He was aged ^[28]

Legacy

For his contributions to the integument and television industries, Calhoun was inducted into the Hollywood Dance of Fame with two stars in His motion-picture star go over the main points located at Hollywood Boulevard, tell his television star is orderly Vine Street.^[29][28]

In The Simpsons adventure "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds", Calhoun is mentioned in play down apparent non sequitur when suitable dogs, and Bart and Lisa, are said by Monty Comedian to resemble Rory Calhoun, fair he cannot harm them. Speech of the inclusion, writer Jolly Weinstein advised this was for writers believed "Rory Calhoun" peel be a "perfect name used for a '50s heartthrob".^[30]

Filmography

Television

Producer

Writer

References

External links