Truman Bradley (actor)
Truman Bradley (February 8, 1905 – July 28, 1974) was an actor and narrator in radio, television and film.
Early years
[edit]Bradley was born February 8, 1905, in Sheldon, Missouri. Although he wanted to be an actor, he followed his parents' desires and studied law.[1]
Career
[edit]Radio
[edit]Bradley began his career in the 1930s as a radio broadcaster. Working at WBBM[2] in Chicago, Illinois, some considered him "the Mid-West's leading news commentator."[3] He was selected by Henry Ford to be the announcer for the Ford Sunday Evening Hour, for which he flew to Detroit, Michigan, each weekend.[3] With his distinctive, authoritative voice, he soon became a radio actor as well as a narrator in numerous movies. In the mid-1940s, Bradley was a newscaster with KERN in Bakersfield, California.[4]
Bradley was the announcer for Red Skelton's program,[5] Burns and Allen[6] Easy Aces,[1] the Frank Sinatra Show[7] and Screen Guild Players.[8]
Film
[edit]A newspaper columnist wrote in 1942 that representatives of the film industry "had stalked him [Bradley] in Chicago, pouncing on him with such enthusiasm and rich offers that he could not, in honesty to himself, refuse."[3] He received critical praise for his work in The Night Before the Divorce in 1942.[3] He was also in Northwest Passage (1940),[9] Millionaires in Prison (1940)[10] and Murder Among Friends (1941).[11]
Television
[edit]Bradley was the host of the 1950s syndicated TV series Science Fiction Theatre.[12] He occasionally worked as an actor in films (including two Charlie Chan mysteries in the 1930s) and live theater. He made his final acting appearance in a 1960 episode of the American legal drama Perry Mason entitled "The Case of the Madcap Modiste" playing a grey-haired television interviewer and the episode's narrator. He then retired.
Other business activities
[edit]In 1937, Bradley and his sister bought the Chicago-based Mme. Huntingford Cosmetic Company. He was the company's president, and Elene Bradley was general manager, "active in the sales end of the business."[13]
Family
[edit]Bradley married Evelyn Jane Esenther of Oak Park, Illinois, September 8, 1937.[13] He married actress Myra Bratton January 12, 1940, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bratton filed for divorce in Los Angeles, California, March 17, 1941.[14] The divorce was granted November 17, 1941.[15]
He later had a complex relationship with actress Phyllis Ruth, whom he married in 1942. Three years later, she announced plans to file for divorce.[16] Early in 1946, however, a newspaper columnist reported: "The judge who ruled that Starlet Phyllis Ruth and Radio Announcer Truman Bradley could live in the same house, though separated, did a smart thing. They are reconciled now and are going to have a baby in June."[17] A July 14, 1946, column by Jimmie Fidler reported, "The Truman Bradleys ... got a six-pound baby girl."[18]
Death
[edit]Bradley died July 28, 1974, in Hollywood, California, at the Motion Picture Home.[19]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | Are You Listening? | Radio Announcer | Uncredited | |
| 1938 | Vacation from Love | Mark Shelby | ||
| 1938 | Young Dr. Kildare | Jack Hamilton | ||
| 1938 | Spring Madness | Walter Beckett | ||
| 1939 | The Ice Follies of 1939 | Paul Rodney | Voice, Uncredited | |
| 1939 | The Hardys Ride High | Clerk | ||
| 1939 | 6,000 Enemies | Reporter | Uncredited | |
| 1939 | Stronger Than Desire | Man in Courtroom | Uncredited | |
| 1939 | On Borrowed Time | James Northrup | ||
| 1939 | Miracles for Sale | Nightclub Master of Ceremonies | Uncredited | |
| 1940 | Northwest Passage | Captain Ogden | ||
| 1940 | Millionaires in Prison | Dr. William 'Bill' Collins | ||
| 1940 | We Who Are Young | Commentator | Voice, Uncredited | |
| 1940 | A Night at Earl Carroll's | Radio Announcer | ||
| 1941 | Murder Among Friends | McAndrews | ||
| 1941 | Dead Men Tell | Capt. Kane | ||
| 1941 | The Goose Goes South | Narrator | Voice, Uncredited | short |
| 1941 | Last of the Duanes | Texas Ranger Capt. Laramie | ||
| 1941 | Mob Town | Officer Cutler | ||
| 1941 | Burma Convoy | Victor Harrison | ||
| 1941 | Keep 'Em Flying | Butch | ||
| 1941 | They Died with Their Boots On | 7th Michigan officer | Uncredited | |
| 1942 | Bombay Clipper | Dr. Gregory Landers | ||
| 1942 | Treat 'Em Rough | Jordan Perkins | ||
| 1942 | The Night Before the Divorce | Inspector Bruce Campbell | ||
| 1942 | Lone Star Ranger | Phil Lawson | ||
| 1945 | Objective, Burma! | Narrator - Opening Sequence | Voice, Uncredited | |
| 1945 | The Horn Blows at Midnight | Radio Announcer | ||
| 1946 | Mr. Ace | Radio Forum Moderator | Uncredited | |
| 1947 | I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now | Martin Webb | ||
| 1948 | Call Northside 777 | Narrator | Voice, Uncredited | |
| 1948 | Fighter Squadron | Narrator | Voice, Uncredited | |
| 1949 | Special Agent | Narrator | Voice | |
| 1952 | Macao | Narrator | Voice, Uncredited | |
| 1952 | Confidence Girl | Narrator | Voice, Uncredited | |
| 1953 | Never Wave at a WAC | Narrator | Voice, Uncredited | |
| 1955-1957 | Science Fiction Theatre | Narrator | ||
| 1960 | Perry Mason (1957 TV series) | Grey-Haired Television Interviewer/Narrator | (Episode: The Case of the Madcap Modiste) | (final appearance) |
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Your Announcers Are". Radio Mirror. Vol. 6, no. 6. October 1936. p. 63.
- ^ Wolters, Larry (June 30, 1936). "News of the Radio Stations". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 12. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
- ^ a b c d Boesen, Vic (May 1, 1942). "Meet the Stars". Alton Evening Telegraph. Alton Evening Telegraph. p. 27. Retrieved April 25, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Dial Dates (ad)". The Bakersfield Californian. The Bakersfield Californian. May 25, 1945. p. 12. Retrieved April 26, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Behind the Mike". Broadcasting. February 9, 1942. p. 32. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
- ^ Fisher, George (April 1940). "Hollywood Radio Whispers". Radio and Television Mirror. Vol. 13, no. 6. pp. 40, 74.
- ^ "Frank Sinatra Show". Billboard. January 15, 1944. p. 26. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ^ Abbott, Sam (October 31, 1942). "Hollywood". Billboard. p. 8. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
- ^ "Clipped from the Pantagraph". The Pantagraph. 29 July 1974. p. 1.
- ^ "(movie ad)". The Daily Mail. The Daily Mail. November 11, 1940. p. 2. Retrieved April 26, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Exciting and Funny Murder Mystery at Henry's Theatre". The Daily Mail. The Daily Mail. May 15, 1941. p. 3. Retrieved April 25, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-2834-2. P. 39.
- ^ a b "Bradley Buys Talc Firm But Continues in Radio". September 15, 1937. p. 26. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
- ^ "Truman Bradley Sued Again by Wife". The Times. The Times. March 17, 1941. p. 14. Retrieved April 25, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Divorces". Billboard. November 29, 1947. p. 46. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ^ "Phyllis Ruth To Seek A Divorce". The Morning Herald. The Morning Herald. August 30, 1945. p. 5. Retrieved April 26, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Carroll, Harrison (January 23, 1946). "Behind The Scenes In Hollywood". The Morning Herald. The Morning Herald. p. 9. Retrieved April 26, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood". Joplin Globe. Joplin Globe. July 14, 1946. p. 28. Retrieved April 26, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Truman Bradley dies in Hollywood". The Pantagraph. The Pantagraph. July 29, 1974. p. 1. Retrieved April 25, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.