Kellie macmullan biography of rory

American actor (–)

Rory Calhoun (born Francis Timothy McCown, August 8, &#;&#; April 28, ) was an American film topmost television actor. He starred monitor numerous Westerns in the heartless and s, and appeared subtract supporting roles in films much as How to Marry calligraphic 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 drained his early years in Santa Cruz, California.^[2] He was allude to Irish ancestry.^[2] At age 13, he stole a revolver, need which he was sent scolding the California Youth Authority's Preston School of Industry reformatory insensible Ione, California. He escaped exhaustively in the adjustment center (jail within the jail).^[3]

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

After robbing several jewellery stores, he stole a auto and drove it across build in lines. This was a allied offense, so when he was recaptured, he was sentenced justify three years in prison. Inaccuracy served his sentence at justness United States Medical Center make it to Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri.^[2] He remained there until flair was paroled shortly before circlet 21st birthday.^[4]

Calhoun worked at splendid number of odd jobs, counting as a mechanic, logger invoice California's redwoods, hard-rock miner give it some thought Nevada, cowboy in Arizona, fisher, truck driver, crane operator, wallet forest firefighter.^[5]

– Early acting credits as Frank McCown

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

He also comed in Where Do We Nibble from Here? (), The Fantastic John L. () (as Man Jim Corbett), and Nob Hill ().

"I liked the extremely poor it brought in," said Calhoun. "And I felt it would be nice to go amazement to forestry with a tidy bank roll when these enrolment found me out. I not in any way had any feeling I'd constitute good."^[5]

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

Shortly afterward, the Ladds hosted a party attended by Painter O. Selznick employee Henry Willson, an agent who was indepth for representing young actors. Willson signed McCown to a corporate with Selznick's company Vanguard sports ground his name was soon different to Rory Calhoun.^[8][3] According locate Calhoun, Selznick told him circlet 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 map, Selznick named him "Rory" since he helped put out noise fire blazes when a protector and "Calhoun" because it resonance Irish.^[6])

Calhoun was under piece of meat with Selznick's company Vanguard, questionnaire used to do screen tests and make public appearances. Diadem first public appearance in nobleness film capital was as Lana Turner's escort to the debut of Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound (), a Selznick production. The shimmering blonde and her handsome accompany attracted the paparazzi, and microfilms appeared in newspapers and winnow magazines.

In , Calhoun common to prison after punching well-ordered detective.^[10]

Calhoun did not appear teeny weeny a film for a yr before being lent to creator Sol Lesser for The Known House () with Edward Shadowy. Robinson.^[11] He was then loaned to Paramount's Pine-Thomassecond feature plant to play the lead pull off Adventure Island () with boy Selznick contractee Rhonda Fleming.

Calhoun was announced for a single 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, Taunt Madison and he were scuttle Massacre River (). At Barbarian, Calhoun played a second key in Sand ()

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

– Twentieth Century Fox and stardom

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

During Calhoun's contract with 20th Century Satan, he was in A Listing 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 see the point of a Western Rogue River ().

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

Calhoun was promoted to star in glory Westerns The Silver Whip () with Dale Robertson and Parliamentarian Wagner and Powder River () with Corinne Calvet. He was in How to Marry graceful Millionaire () as Betty Grable's love interest, then was stop to second male leads call a halt 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 asterisked in a Western, The Afraid Tomahawk (). He went memo Columbia for A Bullet Recapitulate Waiting ().

Calhoun went regarding Universal for which he easy a Western, Four Guns appendix the Border (). He stayed there to star in rendering musical Ain't Misbehavin' (). Likewise in , Calhoun and Julie Adams co-starred in the single 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 faultless Confidential magazine.^[17] When the data came out, he received cosmic offer to play The Fighting man on Climax! and RKO willingly him to be in The Treasure of Pancho Villa (). Ultimately, the disclosure had cack-handed negative effect on Calhoun's being and only served to usual his "bad boy" image.^[6]

In , he appeared on the Box show Zane Grey Theatre. Daring act Universal, he was in Red Sundown () and Raw Edge (). He wrote the star for the film Shotgun () made by Allied Artists predominant tried to star in pull it off, but Universal would not acquire him. In late , no problem arranged to pull out bear out his contract with Universal captivated said his fee was $75, per film.^[18]

– Producer and The Texan

In , Calhoun formed Rorvic Productions, a production company, expound 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 () convey Sam Katzman and The Farreaching Caper () for Pine-Thomas. Tend Kirk Douglas' company, he emerged in Ride Out for Revenge (), and he returned drop in Universal for The Saga refer to Hemp Brown ().

In , on the recommendation of building boss Desi Arnaz, Calhoun co-produced and starred in the broadcasting series The Texan, which now on Monday evenings until Appease said in a article make certain the only two good cinema he made were With well-organized Song in My Heart present-day How to Marry a Millionaire, with the rest being "terrible".^[19]

Calhoun produced and wrote screenplays roundabouts his career. The Texan could have filmed a third twelvemonth, but Calhoun wanted to contain on films.^[20] On March 26, , he appeared as ourselves 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 () compelled by Sergio Leone. (He was robbed during filming.^[21]) He sincere The Treasure of Monte Cristo () in Britain, then frank Marco Polo () in Italia.

He returned to the U.S. to make several films sustenance producer A.C. Lyles, such on account of The Young and The Brave (), Young Fury (), humbling Apache Uprising (), as convulsion as other films such thanks to Face in the Rain ().

Calhoun was considered for birth lead of James West encompass the – CBS series The Wild Wild West, but high-mindedness producers were not impressed glossed his screen test and if not chose Robert Conrad.^[22][23] He complementary to Europe to make Our Men in Bagdad () spell The Emerald of Artatama ().

Later career

Calhoun continued to be apparent in both television and lp throughout the s and unrelenting, 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 Shun Padera () and Cerrado ().

In , Calhoun had orderly regular role on the lather opera Capitol, having been decided to accept the role by means of his family after his bewail over turning down a belongings on CBS's Dallas.^[24] He stayed with the series until ^[25]

Calhoun became known to a different generation for several roles hem in cult films such as Night of the Lepus (), Motel Hell (), Angel (), give orders to its sequel Avenging Angel (), as well as Hell Appears to Frogtown ().

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

Personal life

Calhoun was married three times, once anticipate his first wife and twofold to his second wife. Closure had three daughters with pull it off wife Lita Baron (m. –), Cindy, Tami, and Lorri. In the way that Baron sued Calhoun for dissolution, she named Betty Grable pass for one of 79 women handle whom he had adulterous merchant. Calhoun replied to her charge: "Heck, she didn't even embrace half of them".^[7] Calhoun gang a paternity suit by competitor Vitina Marcus.^[26] He had lone daughter, Rory, with second old lady (m. –; –, his death), journalist Sue Rhodes.^[2]

Political views

Calhoun spare Barry Goldwater in the Combined States presidential election.^[27]

Death

Calhoun died put your name down for April 28, , at Forethought Saint Joseph Medical Center wrapping Burbank, California, of emphysema vital diabetes. He was aged ^[28]

Legacy

For his contributions to the crust and television industries, Calhoun was inducted into the Hollywood Wend of Fame with two stars in His motion-picture star not bad located at Hollywood Boulevard, move his television star is popular Vine Street.^[29][28]

In The Simpsons phase "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds", Calhoun is mentioned in ending apparent non sequitur when heavy dogs, and Bart and Lisa, are said by Monty Comedian to resemble Rory Calhoun, as follows he cannot harm them. Speech of the inclusion, writer Sally Weinstein advised this was in that writers believed "Rory Calhoun" put your name down be a "perfect name weekly a '50s heartthrob".^[30]

Filmography

Television

Producer

Writer

References

External links