Jump to content
 
Search In
  • More options...
Find results that contain...
Find results in...

"In the Spotlight"


bansi4
 Share

Recommended Posts

the Spotlight: DALE ROBERTSON

 

Photobucket

 

The handsome movie actor was born Dayle Lamoine Robertson on July 14, 1923 in Harrah, Oklahoma.

 

At the age of 17 he was attending Oklahoma Military College, and boxing in professional prize fights to earn money. He earned 32 athletic awards in football, baseball, boxing, tennis, polo and swimming. And he was named all-around outstanding athlete.

Harry Cohn of Columbia Pictures approached him after a fight in Wichita, Kansas and asked him to come out to Hollywood to test for the role of Joe Bonaparte in a boxing picture called "Golden Boy." Robertson refused, saying he was in the middle of training 17 polo ponies, and could not leave his family at his age. William Holden eventually was cast in the role.

 

After serving in a tank crew and in the combat engineers in North Africa and Europe during World War II, the twice-wounded Robertson never reported to a military medical unit. Wounded by shrapnel, he dressed his own wounds and got on with the mission. Since he never reported it he was overlooked a purple heart.

 

He started his acting career while still on active duty in the U.S. Army. While stationed in California, he had a photograph taken for his mother. A copy of the photo displayed in the photo shop window attracted movie scouts, and the six foot tall, Robertson soon was on his way to Hollywood.

 

After a few small parts in "The Boy with Green Hair", "Flamingo Road", and "The Girl from Jones Beach" as a lifeguard, he signed a contract with 20th Century-Fox.

With Fox he appeared in "Call Me Mister" with Betty Grable, "Take Care of My Little Girl" with Jeanne Crain, "Golden Girl" with Mitzi Gaynor, "The Outcast of Poker Flats" with Anne Baxter, "Lydia Bailey" with Anne Francis, "O. Henry's Full House" with an all star cast, "The Silver Whip", and "The Farmer Takes a Wife" again with Grable.

Other films included primarily westerns, "Devil's Canyon" with Virginia Mayo, "City of Bad Men", "The Gambler from Natchez" (his favorite role), "Sitting Bull", "Dakota Incident", and a romp with Gina Lollobrigida in "Fast and Sexy" aka "Anna of Brooklyn", etc.

 

Robertson sometimes made use of his physique in "beefcake" scenes such as the one in 1952's "Return of the Texan" when he's seen bare-chested and sweaty, repairing a fence.

 

For most of his career, he played in Western movies and TV shows. His two best-remembered series were the "Tales of Wells Fargo", in which he played a roving company 'trouble-shooter' named "Jim Hardie", and "The Iron Horse", in which he won an incomplete railroad line in a poker game and took up the challenge of running it.

 

In 1981 he was part of the original starring cast of ABC's popular "Dynasty". He disappeared after one season.

 

Robertson was also one of the hosts of the syndicated show 'Death Valley Days' during the 1960s.

He is a well known rodeo speaker, having appeared at such events as the Pike's Peak or Bust Rodeo in Colorado Springs.

 

He received the Golden Boot Award in 1985, has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and is also in the Hall of Great Western Performers.

He is an inductee in the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City.

One thing that Dale was never very fond of was the press. And they reciprocated by "awarding" him their "Sour Apple Celebrity Award" for three years in a row.

 

Married 5 times including to actress Mary Murphy, he is the father of 3 daughters.

At 85 the rugged cowboy is retired on a ranch near Oklahoma City.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Joe,

 

So glad to hear that Dale Robertson is still hail & hearty at 85 and living the life he always wanted....

 

My one and only meeting with him was in 1954 at the Oscars. I went there with Mercedes McCambridge, who was presenting an award that night. I was seated farther back than her between Dale Robertson and Phil Carey.

Both were very nice guys and I felt like an equal with them both.

 

It is true that Harry Cohn and Darryl Zanuck both wanted him as a "Clark Gable" clone but I don't think he'd have any of it.

 

Is Phil Carey still alive, do you know??

 

Larry

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Larry,

 

As far as Phil Carey is concerned, he was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2006, yet he is still around and will be 83 in July.

 

No doubt that Dale Robertson was a no nonsense guy. He related this interesting story in a 1998 interview:

 

After he had spent several years in tinseltown, hot-shot Hollywood columnist Louella Parsons, asked Dale's agent whether Dale could appear on her radio program. The agent said yes, but forgot to tell Dale about the guest appearance.

Dale and Ms. Parsons met each other a couple of days later and she said, "I'm happy you're going to be on my show next week."

 

Dale was a bit perplexed and answered, "Oh that's okay. But, by the way, what are you going to pay me?"

 

You'd think he had hit her between the eyes with a two-by-four. "Pay?" Mrs. Parsons exclaimed. Her nationally syndicated program was one that most actors would have paid her to get to be on it.

 

Dale put it to her plainly: "Look, you don't do the show for free. So why should I? When I first came out here, I was willing to do things for free to show off my talent; but now I get good money from my talent. So why shouldn't you pay?"

 

Miss Parsons was a powerful person in the Hollywood community, not a good person to have as an enemy. She turned to walk away and growled, "You're going to be out of this business in a year."

 

A few days later Dale was sitting in the swanky office of Columbia Pictures executive Harry Cohn. The phone rang and it was Louella Parsons. She was absolutely irate. She told Mr. Cohn not to employ an arrogant young actor by the name of Dale Robertson. "He is not only arrogant, but I believe he is also anti-Semitic."

 

Unbeknown to Miss Parsons, Harry Cohn was letting Dale listen in on the conversation. After she hung up, Mr. Cohn looked at the handsome young actor and asked, "Are you anti-Semitic?"

 

Dale thought a minute and said, "What does 'anti-Semitic' mean?"

 

Mr. Cohn explained, "That means you don't like Jews."

 

"Oh, I see, " Dale said. "And are you Jewish, Mr. Cohn?"

 

The movie studio executive said, "I certainly am."

 

Dale smiled that wonderful smile and said, "Well, I sure don't like you!" Their mutal friendship continued until Mr. Cohn died many years later.

 

Good story.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Joe,

 

Ha, ha - that's certainly a good story for sure....

 

Poor old Lollie Parsons - my grandmother thought she was the stupidist person in Hollywood, and said so often even to her face.

Of course Louella couldn't do a thing about it as Nell wasn't in show biz and was richer than most of them - you couldn't touch her.

She did like Hedda but often called her 'an old battle-axe' and was gleeful when Joe Cotton kicked her behind across the room!!!!

 

Nell and W.R. Hearst were very good friends and Nell often said he was a fool to keep a "fat, old & illiterate hag" like Louella around.

 

I bet dale Robertson would agree!

 

Larry

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Joe,

 

Ha, ha - that's certainly a good story for sure....

 

Poor old Lollie Parsons - my grandmother thought she was the stupidist person in Hollywood, and said so often even to her face.

Of course Louella couldn't do a thing about it as Nell wasn't in show biz and was richer than most of them - you couldn't touch her.

She did like Hedda but often called her 'an old battle-axe' and was gleeful when Joe Cotton kicked her behind across the room!!!!

 

Nell and W.R. Hearst were very good friends and Nell often said he was a fool to keep a "fat, old & illiterate hag" like Louella around.

 

I bet dale Robertson would agree!

 

Larry

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 Share

© 2022 Turner Classic Movies Inc. All Rights Reserved Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Settings
×
×
  • Create New...