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1-9 of 9
- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Born Rex Lloyd Lease in West Virginia on February 11, 1903 (not 1901, according to Social Security records found), future cowboy actor Rex Lease was raised in Columbus, Ohio and very briefly attended Ohio Wesleyan University initially interested in the ministry. When this fell through, he decided to attempt an acting career instead. Setting his sights on Hollywood at age 19 in 1924, he broke into silent films as an extra and bit player.
Rex's first role of any significance was as the adult son of Irene Rich and Morgan Wallace in the melodrama A Woman Who Sinned (1924). Within a couple of years the strapping, exceedingly handsome actor had made it into the silent co-star ranks of romantic drama, jazz-age comedy, canine adventures and rugged action in such fare as Somebody's Mother (1926), Mystery Pilot (1926), The Timid Terror (1926), The Outlaw Dog (1927), Clancy's Kosher Wedding (1927), The College Hero (1927) and as the murderous bad guy, The Solitaire Kid, in the silent Tim McCoy western The Law of the Range (1928) co-starring a very young Joan Crawford.
Lease made an easy transition come the advent of sound and continued on as heroes and romantic leading men types in such early talkies as Borrowed Wives (1930), Troopers Three (1930), The Sign of the Wolf (1931), Chinatown After Dark (1931), The Monster Walks (1932) and Inside Information (1934). Having appeared in the title role of the western The Utah Kid (1930), within a few years Rex hit minor cowboy hero stardom with such offerings as The Cowboy and the Bandit (1935), Cyclone of the Saddle (1935), Fighting Caballero (1935), The Ghost Rider (1935), Rough Riding Ranger (1935), Custer's Last Stand (1936), Cavalcade of the West (1936) and The Silver Trail (1937). Just as quickly, however, his hero status fell aside and he found himself, more often than not, shuffled back to playing secondary partners or villains for a host of other established or ascending sagebrush stars such as his old pal Tim McCoy, as well as Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Hoot Gibson, Johnny Mack Brown, Tex Ritter, Tom Tyler, Bob Steele, Allan Lane, Bill Elliott and a quickly rising John Wayne.
By the late 1930's, Rex was finding himself with little to no billing at all -- appearing as a bank robber in the Laurel & Hardy comedy A Chump at Oxford (1940), a cop in The Grapes of Wrath (1940), and minor henchmen in such second-string westerns as Saddlemates (1941), Jesse James at Bay (1941), Idaho (1943), King of the Cowboys (1943), Rough Riders of Cheyenne (1945) and Frontier Gal (1945). Occasional featured roles included those in Tenting Tonight on the Old Camp Ground (1943), Springtime in Texas (1945), Days of Buffalo Bill (1946), The People's Choice (1946) and the serial cliffhanger The Crimson Ghost (1946). Lease went on to appear in hundreds of films over a three and a half decade career.
In the 1950's Rex added TV to his extensive résumé with appearances on "The Abbott & Costello Show," "The Roy Rogers Show," "Tales of the Texas Rangers," "Fury," "The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin," "Maverick" and several spots (his last being in 1960) on "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp." A few minor 50's western movie parts also came his way with Ride, Vaquero! (1953), Calamity Jane (1953), Backlash (1956) and Tension at Table Rock (1956).
Rex's personal life was turbulent, what with five marriages and divorces -- his first two being actresses Charlotte Merriam and Eleanor Hunt). He eventually retired and died of undisclosed causes in the Los Angeles area on January 3, 1966, at the age of 62. He was discovered by his son Richard, who was shot to death at age 25 the following year after being involved in a traffic altercation with two teenagers.- Actor
- Director
Fred C. Newmeyer was a professional baseball player from 1909-13 before beginning his career as an extra at Universal Pictures. He worked his way up the ladder to become a prop man, then assistant director and, finally, director. Notable among his films are Seven Keys to Baldpate (1925) with Douglas MacLean and The Potters (1927), starring W.C. Fields. His interest in baseball never waned and sometimes surfaced as a theme in his films, particularly with Warming Up (1928), a vehicle for Jean Arthur and Richard Dix.
Newmeyer specialized almost exclusively in comedy, first as an actor and then as a very capable director. He turned out several entries in the "Our Gang" series, as well as numerous other shorts for Hal Roach. He actually helmed the very first "Our Gang" effort, but it was deemed unsatisfactory and the piece was eventually remade by Robert F. McGowan. However, Newmeyer later worked on some of Harold Lloyd's best films, either as solo director (Grandma's Boy (1922), Dr. Jack (1922)) or in collaboration with Sam Taylor (The Freshman (1925), Safety Last! (1923)).
With the advent of sound Newmeyer, ill-advisedly, forsook daredevil comedy for more serious subjects. Subway Express (1931), a "thriller" he made for Columbia, was plain dull, and General Spanky (1936) (starring ex-"Our Gang" star George 'Spanky' McFarland) was mushy melodrama at its worst. After that, Newmeyer's directing career quietly petered out.- Additional Crew
- Production Manager
William R. Fraser was born on 13 December 1879 in Central City, Colorado, USA. He was a production manager, known for For Heaven's Sake (1926), Girl Shy (1924) and Speedy (1928). He died on 5 November 1952 in Encino, California, USA.- Gregg Howard was born on 25 May 1936 in Central City, Kentucky, USA. He was an actor, known for Dallas (1978) and Walker, Texas Ranger (1993). He died on 23 April 2009 in Dallas, Texas, USA.
- Ziggy Sears was born on 10 January 1892 in Central City, Kentucky, USA. He was an actor, known for The Babe Ruth Story (1948). He died on 16 December 1956 in Houston, Texas, USA.
- Louise Long was born on 15 October 1886 in Central City, Nebraska, USA. She was a writer, known for Woman Trap (1929), Stranded in Paris (1926) and Fashions in Love (1929). She died on 14 July 1966 in San Diego, California, USA.
- Joe Krivak was born on 20 March 1935 in Central City, Pennsylvania, USA. He died on 25 December 2012 in College Park, Maryland, USA.
- Additional Crew
- Writer
Peggy McCall was born on 17 July 1889 in Central City, Colorado, USA. She is known for The Love Cheat (1919), Thunder Mountain (1925) and The Dixie Merchant (1926).- Joe Sampson was born on 31 January 1966 in Central City, Nebraska, USA. He is an actor, known for Two-Minute Heist (2009), Time and Charges (2013) and Heavenly Angle (2014).