Rory Calhoun

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Rory Calhoun (born Francis Timothy McCown, August 8, 1922 – April 28, 1999) was an American film and television actor, screenwriter, and producer.

He appeared in many Western films in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as in supporting roles in films such as How to Marry a Millionaire (1953).

Personal life

Calhoun was married three times, once to his first wife and twice to his second wife. Lita Baron, his first wife, had three children (m. 1948-1970). Betty Grable was one of 79 women with whom he had adulterous affairs when Baron sued Calhoun for divorce. Calhoun retaliated after her accusation: "She didn't even include half of them." Calhoun had one daughter with actress Vitina Marcus and one daughter with second wife (m. 1971-1999, his death) and journalist Sue Rhodes.

In the 1964 United States presidential election, Calhoun endorsed Barry Goldwater.

Calhoun died of emphysema and diabetes on April 28, 1999 at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California. He was 76 years old when he died.

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Life and career

Francis Timothy McCown was born in Los Angeles, California, and the son of Elizabeth Cuthbert and Floyd Conley McCown, a professional gambler. He spent his youth in Santa Cruz, California, and was a member of the Santa Cruz, California. He was of Irish descent. He took a revolver at age 13, which was sent to the Preston School of Industry reformatory in Ione, California. He escaped while in the correction center (jail inside the prison).

He escaped beatings from his stepfather at 17 and began hot-wiring vehicles.

He robbed several jewelry shops and sped it across state lines after robbing multiple jewelry stores. This made it a federal criminal offense, and he was sentenced to three years in jail for being recaptured. He served his time at the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, in Springfield, Missouri. He stayed there until he was released just before his 21st birthday.

Calhoun worked in various odd jobs, including as a mechanic, a logger in California's redwoods, a hard-rock miner in Nevada, a cowboy, a crane operator, and a forest firefighter.

He met actor Alan Ladd in the Hollywood Hills in January 1944 while riding horseback. Calhoun's physique delighted him, Ladd introduced him to his wife Sue Carol, who was a talent agent. She arranged for him to take a screen test at 20th Century Fox, and he appeared in uncredited roles for Something for the Boys (1944) and Sunday Dinner for a Soldier (1944). He appeared on One-Line in a Laurel and Hardy comedy The Bullfighters (1945), credited under the name Frank McCown.

He also appeared in Where Do We Go From Here? (1945) The Great John L. (1945) (as Gentleman Jim Corbett) and Nob Hill (1945).

Calhoun said, "I liked the money it brought in." "I thought it would be nice to return to forestry with a swanky bank roll," these coworkers discovered me out. I had no expectation that I'd do well."

The Ladds hosted a party attended by David O. Selznick employee Henry Willson, an agent who was known for representing young actors, shortly after. Willson accepted McCown's employment with Selznick's company Vanguard, but his name was changed to Rory Calhoun soon. Selznick said his first name should be "Rory," since he is a Leo, Leos are lions and lions roar, according to Calhoun. Selznick suggested that instead of Donahue, Calhoun, or Callahan, and he chose Calhoun. (In another account of the tale, Selznick named him "Rory" because he sparked roaring fires when a firefighter and "Calhoun" were out, and "Calhoun" because it sounded Irish.)

Calhoun was under contract with Selznick's firm Vanguard, and the company was used to perform screen tests and make public appearances. Lana Turner's debut in the film capital was as an escort to Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound (1945), a Selznick film. The glamorous blonde and her handsome companion attracted the paparazzi, and photographs from newspapers and fan magazines accompanied them.

Calhoun was returned to prison for punching a detective in 1945.

Calhoun did not appear in a film for a year before being loaned out to producer Sol Lesser for The Red House (1947) with Edward G. Robinson. He was then loaned to With fellow Selznick contractee Rhonda Fleming, he was then loaned to Paragua (1947).

Calhoun was scheduled for a film called Jet Pilot starring Fleming, Guy Madison, and other Selznick contract players, but it was not created. Rather, he was the third lead in That Hagen Girl (1947) with Ronald Reagan and Shirley Temple.

In Miraculous Journey (1948), Sam Newfield, who used Calhoun in Adventure Island, cast him again. In Massacre River (1949), Monogram and Guy Madison were in Massacre River. Calhoun led Sand (1949) by a second shot at Fox.

Selznick's contract with Warners ended in February 1949, they signed seven of his actors, including Calhoun, for the remainder of his work. In Return of the Frontiersman (1950), he played the villain and was hero of Monogram's County Fair (1950).

Calhoun signed a seven-year deal with twentieth Century Fox in August 1950. Selznick had no films to film. Later, he said, "I didn't worry about it because it was like a long vacation with pay."

Calhoun was in A Ticket to Tomahawk (1950) and was second male lead in I'd Climb the Highest Mountain (1951) with Susan Hayward (1951) and Meet Me After the Exhibition (1951) with Betty Grable.

In 1951, he went to Ventura to appear in a Western Rogue River (1951).

With a Song in My Heart (1952) with Hayward and Way of a Gaucho (1952) directed by Jacques Tourneur, he was promoted to co-star with With a Song in My Heart (1952).

Calhoun was invited to appear in The Silver Whip (1953) with Dale Robertson and Robert Wagner, and Powder River (1953) with Corinne Calvet. He was in How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) as Betty Grable's boyfriend in River of No Return (1954) as the boyfriend of Marilyn Monroe who loses her to Robert Mitchum. Both films were huge hits. Calhoun left Fox later this year.

Calhoun appeared in The Yellow Tomahawk (1954), a Western. A Bullet Is Waiting (1954) - He went to Columbia for A Bullet Is Waiting (1954).

Calhoun returned to Universal for a Western, Four Guns to the Border (1954). He stayed on to appear in Ain't Misbehavin' (1955).

Calhoun and Julie Adams co-starred in the film The Looters, a tale of a plane crash in the Rocky Mountains in 1955. In central Colorado, part of the video was shot about Tarryall Creek in Park County, Colorado. "Five homeless guys, as well as a young girl who didn't care... stranded on a mountain of gale-lashed rock!" the advertisement boasts.

He co-starred with Jeff Chandler in The Spoilers (1955). Calhoun's conviction history became known when his mugshot appeared on the front page of Confidential magazine in May 1955. On Climax, he was invited to play "The Champion" when the news broke. RKO begged him to be in The Treasure of Pancho Villa (1955). In the end, Calhoun's employment had no impact on him, and it only served to solidify his "poor" image.

He appeared on the television show Zane Grey Theatre in 1956.

He appeared in Red Sundown (1956) and Raw Edge (1956).

He wrote the script for the film Shotgun (1955), which was produced by Allied Artists, and wanted to be in it, but Universal refused to loan him out.

He also wrote the books The Man From Padera (1979) and Cerrado (1980).

He decided to resign from his Universal contract in late 1956, and said his fee was $75,000 per film.

Calhoun founded Rorvic Productions, a production firm with his partner, Victor Orsatti, in 1957.

He produced and appeared in Flight to Hong Kong (1956), The Hired Gun (1957), Domino Kid (1957) and Apache Territory (1958).

Sam Katzman and The Big Caper (1957) for Pine-Thomas made the Utah Blaine (1957) for the Utah Blaine (1957). He appeared in Ride Out for Revenge (1958), and he returned to Universal for The Saga of Hemp Brown (1958).

Calhoun produced and appeared in the television series The Texan, which aired on Monday evenings until 1960, on studio manager Desi Arnaz's suggestion. With a Song in My Heart and How to Marry a Millionaire, he said in a 1959 article, the rest being "terrible."

Calhoun wrote and produced screenplays throughout his career. Calhoun intended to film a third year, but Calhoun wanted to concentrate on films. He appeared as himself in the episode "Rory Calhoun, The Texan," starring Spring Byington on March 26, 1959.

Calhoun appeared in Thunder in Carolina (1960), following The Texan's demise. He appeared on television shows like Gunsmoke, Death Valley Days, and Bonanza.

Calhoun travelled to Spain for Sergio Leone's film The Colossus of Rhodes (1961). (He was robbed while filming). He did The Treasure of Monte Cristo (1961) in the United Kingdom, then Marco Polo (1962) in Italy.

He returned to the United States to film several films for producer A.C. Lyles, including The Young and The Brave (1963), Young Fury (1965), and Face in the Rain (1963).

Calhoun had been considered for the lead of James West in the CBS series The Wild West (1966-1969), but the designers were not impressed with his screen test and instead went for Robert Conrad.

He returned to Europe to make Our Men in Bagdad (1966) and The Emerald of Artatama (1969).

Calhoun continued to appear on television and film throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including Thunder in Carolina, Rawhide, Gilligan's Island, Hawaii Five-O, Alias Smith and Jones, and Starsky and Hutch.

Calhoun appeared on television's Washington in 1982, and he was a regular participant in the soap opera Capitol, having been persuaded to accept the position by his relatives after he regretted his decision not to attend a broadcast in Dallas. He remained with the series until 1987.

Calhoun appeared in several cult films, including Night of the Lepus (1972), Motel Hell (1980) and its sequel Avenging Angel (1985), as well as Hell Comes to Frogtown (1987).

In the film Pure Country (1992), Ernest Tucker, a grizzled family patriarch and rancher, appeared in his final role.

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