John Litel
John Litel | |
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John Litel in the trailer for Little Miss Thoroughbred (1938) | |
Born |
John Beach Litel December 30, 1892 Albany, Wisconsin, U.S. |
Died |
February 3, 1972 79) Woodland Hills, California, U.S. | (aged
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1929–1967 |
Spouse(s) |
Ruth Pichens (1920-1955; her death) Beatrice West (1955-1972; his death) |
John Litel (December 30, 1892 – February 3, 1972) was an American film and television actor.
During World War I, Litel enlisted in the French Army and was twice decorated for bravery.
Back in the U.S. after the war, Litel enrolled in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and began his stage career. In 1929, he started appearing in films. Part of the "Warner Bros. Stock Company" beginning in the 1930s, he appeared in dozens of Warner Bros. films. He often played supporting roles such as hard-nosed cops, district attorneys, etc. He appeared in over 200 films, including They Drive by Night (1940), Knute Rockne, All American (1940), They Died with Their Boots On (1941), Scaramouche (1952), and his final film role in Nevada Smith (1966).
In the second season of the Disney series Zorro, he played the Governor of California in several episodes. From 1960 to 1961, he was cast as Dan Murchison in nine episodes of the ABC western television series, Stagecoach West, starring Wayne Rogers and Robert Bray.
He appeared in many other series as well, including the role of Captain David Rowland in the episode "Don't Get Tough with a Sailor" on the ABC/Desilu western series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp starring Hugh O'Brian. In the story line, Rowland, a former captain in the United States Navy, is a wealthy Arizona Territory rancher who operates his own law and private jail near the Mexican border.[1]
He appeared as Mr. Crenshaw in the episode "The Giant Killer" (March 3, 1959) of the ABC/Warner Brothers western series Sugarfoot with Will Hutchins in the title role. In the segment, Patricia Barry plays the recently widowed Doreen Bradley who, with the assistance of Sugarfoot, exposes to a grateful town the corruption and cowardice of Lou Stoner (R. G. Armstrong), a leading candidate for a territorial governorship. Others in the segment are Dorothy Provine, Russ Conway, and child actor Jay North.[2]
Partial filmography
- Always Faithful (1929)
- Give Me Liberty (1936 short)
- The Life of Emile Zola (1937)
- Back in Circulation (1937)
- Alcatraz Island (1937)
- Marked Woman (1937)
- The Man Without a Country (1937 short)
- Black Legion (1937) as Tommy Smith
- Comet Over Broadway (1938)
- A Slight Case of Murder (1938)
- Gold is Where You Find It (1938)
- Jezebel (1938)
- My Bill (1938)
- Love, Honor and Behave (1938)
- The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse (1938) as Mr. Monroe, the prosecuting attorney
- Declaration of Independence (1938 short)
- Nancy Drew... Reporter (1938)
- Secret Service of the Air (1939)
- On Trial (1939)
- Dodge City (1939)
- Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (1939)
- Nancy Drew... Reporter (1938)
- Dust Be My Destiny (1939)
- You Can't Get Away with Murder (1939)
- On Dress Parade (1939)
- The Return of Doctor X (1939) as Dr. Francis Flegg
- The Fighting 69th (1940)
- Castle on the Hudson (1940)
- Father is a Prince (1940)
- Virginia City (1940) as Thomas Marshall
- It All Came True (1940) as "Doc" Roberts
- They Drive by Night (1940) as Harry McNamara
- Knute Rockne, All American (1940)
- Santa Fe Trail (1940)
- Father's Son (1941)
- Kid Glove Killer (1942)
- Madame Spy (1942)
- The Mystery of Marie Roget (1942)
- So Proudly We Hail! (1943)
- Submarine Base (1943)
- Crime Doctor (1943)
- Faces in the Fog (1944)
- Lake Placid Serenade (1944)
- Brewster's Millions (1945)
- The Enchanted Forest (1945)
- Northwest Trail (1945)
- San Antonio (1945)
- Crime Doctor's Warning (1945)
- Swell Guy (1946)
- Night in Paradise (1946)
- Sister Kenny (1946)
- She Wrote the Book (1946)
- Smart Woman (1948)
- The Beginning or the End (1947)
- The Guilty (1947)
- Christmas Eve (1947)
- Cass Timberlane (1947)
- Pitfall (1948)
- Woman in Hiding (1950)
- Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950)
- The Fuller Brush Girl (1950)
- Two-Dollar Bettor (1951)
- Cuban Fireball (1951)
- Flight to Mars (1951)
- Scaramouche (1952)
- Montana Belle (1952)
- Jet Job (1952)
- The Kentuckian (1955)
- Double Jeopardy (1955)
- Texas Lady (1955)
- Comanche (1956)
- Runaway Daughters (1956)
- Decision at Sundown (1957)
- Houseboat (1958)
- Pocketful of Miracles (1961)
- Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961)
- The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)
- Nevada Smith (1966)
References
- ↑ "Don't Get Tough with a Sailor (February 23, 1960)". Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
- ↑ ""The Giant Killer", March 3, 1959". Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to John Litel. |
- John Litel at the Internet Movie Database
- John Litel at the Internet Broadway Database
- John Litel at Find a Grave