Roger Pryor (August 27, 1901 – January 31, 1974) was an American film actor.

Early years

The son of bandmaster

Arthur Pryor Arthur Willard Pryor (September 22, 1869 – June 18, 1942) was a trombone virtuoso, bandleader, and soloist with the Sousa Band. He was a prolific composer of band music, his best-known composition being "The Whistler and His Dog". In lat ...

, Roger Pryor was born in New York City.DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960'', p. 221. McFarland & Company, Inc.; He had a brother, Arthur Pryor Jr., who was also a bandmaster. Pryor attended the

Dwight School Dwight School is a private independent for-profit college preparatory school located on Manhattan's Upper West Side in New York City. Dwight offers the International Baccalaureate curriculum to students ages two through grade twelve. History Fou ...

in New York. While there, he became so interested in performing on stage that "he and the school parted company by mutual consent."

Stage

Pryor's debut on stage came in stock theater when he was 18, after which he worked with several

repertory theatre A repertory theatre, also called repertory, rep, true rep or stock, which are also called producing theatres, is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom ...

companies.Katz, Ephraim (1979). ''The Film Encyclopedia: The Most Comprehensive Encyclopedia of World Cinema in a Single Volume''. Perigee Books. . P. 936. His

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

credits include ''The Backslapper'' (1925), ''The Sea Woman'' (1925), ''Paid'' (1925), ''Saturday's Children'' (1927), ''The Royal Family'' (1927), ''See Naples and Die'' (1929), ''Apron Strings'' (1930), ''Up Pops the Devil'' (1930), ''A Modern Virgin'' (1931), ''Here Goes the Bride'' (1931), ''Blessed Event'' (1932), '' There's Always Juliet'' (1932), and ''Message for Margaret'' (1947).

Film

Pryor often had leading roles in

B movies A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second half of a double feature, ...

in the 1930s and 1940s.Aylesworth, Thomas G. and Bowman, John S. (1987). ''The World Almanac Who's Who of Film''. World Almanac. . P. 346. He appeared in more than 50 films between 1930 and 1945, including the A picture ''

Belle of the Nineties ''Belle of the Nineties'' is a 1934 American Western film directed by Leo McCarey and released by Paramount Pictures. Mae West's fourth motion picture, it was based on her original story ''It Ain't No Sin'', which was also to be the film's title ...

'' with

Mae West Mary Jane "Mae" West (August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American actress, singer, comedian, screenwriter, and playwright whose career spanned more than seven decades. Recognized as a prominent sex symbol of her time, she was known ...

Radio

Pryor was host of "a number of prestigious network programs," including ''

The United States Steel Hour ''The United States Steel Hour'' is an anthology series which brought hour-long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the United States Steel Corporation (U.S. ...

'', ''The Pause That Refreshes'',, ''The Coca-Cola Summer Show''Terrace, Vincent (1999). ''Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 79. and ''

The Screen Guild Theater ''The Screen Guild Theater'' is a radio anthology series broadcast from 1939 until 1952 during the Golden Age of Radio. Leading Hollywood stars performed adaptations of popular motion pictures. Originating on CBS Radio, it aired under several d ...

''. He starred as Dan McGarry in ''McGarry and His Mouse'' and was the producer of ''

Cavalcade of America ''Cavalcade of America'' is an anthology drama series that was sponsored by the DuPont Company, although it occasionally presented musicals, such as an adaptation of ''Show Boat'', and condensed biographies of popular Composer, composers. It was ...

''.Sies, Luther F. (2014). ''Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 122. He also had his own music program, featuring the Roger Pryor Orchestra.

Advertising agency

In 1947, Pryor changed careers, becoming vice president in charge of broadcasting at

Foote, Cone and Belding FCB (previously Foote, Cone & Belding) is one of the largest global advertising agency networks. It is owned by Interpublic Group and was merged in 2006 with Draft Worldwide, adopting the name Draftfcb. In 2014 the company rebranded itself as F ...

advertising agency.

Family and death

Pryor was married to Priscilla Mitchell, the daughter of vaudeville star Bessie Clayton; they had one daughter, Priscilla, before divorcing in 1936.Staff.
"Miss Bessie Clayton, Retired Ballerina"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', July 17, 1948, p. 15. Accessed October 25, 2015. "Surviving are a daughter, Mrs. Andrew Allison, former wife of Roger Pryor, movie actor and band leader, and a granddaughter, Priscilla Mitchell Pryor, with whom she lived at West Long Branch." He married, secondly, in 1936, actress

Ann Sothern Ann Sothern (born Harriette Arlene Lake; January 22, 1909 – March 15, 2001) was an American actress who worked on stage, radio, film, and television, in a career that spanned nearly six decades. Sothern began her career in the late 1920s ...

; they divorced in 1942. Pryor died January 31, 1974, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Selected filmography

* '' Moonlight and Pretzels'' (1933) as George Dwight * ''

I Like It That Way ''I Like It That Way'' is a 1934 American pre-Code musical film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Gloria Stuart, Roger Pryor and Marian Marsh. Plot A telephone operator quits her job to become a singer at a nightclub. Main cast * Gloria S ...

'' (1934) as Jack Anderson * '' I'll Tell the World'' (1934) as William S. Briggs * ''

Romance in the Rain ''Romance in the Rain'' is a 2001 Chinese-Taiwanese television period drama. The series was adapted by Chiung Yao from her 1964 novel ''Fire and Rain (novel), Fire and Rain'' (as well as a 1986 adaptation ''Lovers Under the Rain''), with the sett ...

'' (1934) as Charles Denton * '' Gift of Gab'' (1934) as Kelly * ''

'' (1934) as Tiger Kid * '' Wake Up and Dream'' (1934) as Charles Sullivan * '' Lady by Choice'' (1934) as Johnny Mills * ''

Strange Wives ''Strange Wives'' is a 1934 American comedy film directed by Richard Thorpe, written by James Mulhauser, Barry Trivers, and Gladys Buchanan Unger, and starring Roger Pryor, June Clayworth, Esther Ralston, Hugh O'Connell, Ralph Forbes, and Cesa ...

'' (1934) as Jimmy King * '' Straight from the Heart'' (1935) as Andy MacLean * '' One Frightened Night'' (1935) as Masked Killer (uncredited) * ''

Dinky Dinky may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Dinky Toys, a brand of die-cast toy vehicles * Dinky (film), a 1935 film starring Jackie Cooper * Dinky Bossetti, protagonist of the 1990 film ''Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael'', played by Winona Ryde ...

'' (1935) as Tom Marsden * '' The Headline Woman'' (1935) as Bob Grayson * ''

The Girl Friend ''The Girl Friend'' is a musical comedy with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart and book by Herbert Fields. This was the longest running show for the trio to that date.Secrest, Meryle. ''Somewhere for me:a biography of Richard Rodge ...

'' (1935) as George Thorne * '' The Case of the Missing Man'' (1935) as Jimmy Hudson * ''

1,000 Dollars a Minute ''$1,000 a Minute'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Aubrey Scotto and starring Roger Pryor and Leila Hyams. The film was released on October 22, 1935. It was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Sound Recording category. Plot ...

'' (1935) as Wally Jones * '' To Beat the Band'' (1935) as Larry Barry * '' The Return of Jimmy Valentine'' (1936) as Gary Howard * '' Ticket to Paradise'' (1936) as Terry Dodd aka Jack Doe * ''

Missing Girls ''Missing Girls'' is a 1936 American crime drama film directed by Phil Rosen and starring Roger Pryor, Muriel Evans and Sidney Blackmer. It was produced and distributed by Chesterfield Pictures. Plot Cast * Roger Pryor as Reporter Jimmie ...

'' (1936) as Jimmie Dugan * ''

Sitting on the Moon ''Sitting on the Moon'' is a 1936 American musical film directed by Ralph Staub and released by Republic Pictures. Plot Songwriter Danny West wakes up with an unknown woman in a taxi outside the film studio Regent Pictures Inc. where he works ...

'' (1936) as Danny West * '' The Man They Could Not Hang'' (1939) as District Attorney Drake * '' Sued for Libel'' (1939) as District Attorney Willard Corbin * '' The Man with Nine Lives'' (1940) as Dr. Tim Mason * '' The Lone Wolf Meets a Lady'' (1940) as Pete Rennick * ''

A Fugitive from Justice ''A Fugitive from Justice'' is a 1940 film starring Roger Pryor, Lucile Fairbanks and Eddie Foy Jr. Plot Fugitive Lee Leslie ( Donald Douglas) is wanted by three groups; the police, the gangsters who fear his testimony in court and the insura ...

'' (1940) as Dan Miller * '' Gambling on the High Seas'' (1940) as Max Gates * ''

Money and the Woman ''Money and the Woman'' is a 1940 American drama film directed by William K. Howard and written by Robert Presnell Sr.. The film stars Jeffrey Lynn, Brenda Marshall, John Litel, Lee Patrick, Henry O'Neill and Roger Pryor. The film was releas ...

'' (1940) as Charles Patterson * '' Glamour for Sale'' (1940) as Jim Daly * '' She Couldn't Say No'' (1940) as Wallace Turnbull * '' Bowery Boy'' (1940) as J. R. Mason * '' South of Panama'' (1941) as Mike Lawrence * '' Power Dive'' (1941) as Daniel McMasters * ''

Bullets for O'Hara ''Bullets for O'Hara'' is a 1941 American crime drama film directed by William K. Howard, written by Raymond L. Schrock, and starring Joan Perry, Roger Pryor, Anthony Quinn, Maris Wrixon, Dick Purcell and Richard Ainley. It was released by Wa ...

'' (1941) as Mike O'Hara * '' Gambling Daughters'' (1941) as Chance Landon * '' The Richest Man in Town'' (1941) as Tom Manning * '' Flying Blind'' (1941) as Rocky Drake * ''

The Officer and the Lady ''The Officer and the Lady'' is a 1941 American crime film directed by Sam White and starring Rochelle Hudson, Bruce Bennett, Roger Pryor and Richard Fiske. The film was produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures. Synopsis Helen Regan's fat ...

'' (1941) as Johnny Davis * ''

So's Your Aunt Emma ''So's Your Aunt Emma'' is a 1942 American comedy film directed by Jean Yarbrough and starring ZaSu Pitts and Roger Pryor (actor), Roger Pryor. The film is also known as ''Meet the Mob''. Plot Emma Bates is an old spinster living with her equall ...

'' (1942) as Terry Connors * ''

I Live on Danger ''I Live on Danger'' is a 1942 film noir thriller film directed by Sam White and starring Chester Morris and Jean Parker. Plot Jeff Morrell is an ambitious radio reporter. The news of the day is the prison release of gambler Eddie Nelson, who ...

'' (1942) as Bert Jannings * '' Smart Alecks'' (1942) as Joe Reagan * '' A Man's World'' (1942) as Bugsy Nelson * '' Lady Bodyguard'' (1943) as George MacAlister * ''

Submarine Alert ''Submarine Alert'' is a 1943 American film directed by Frank McDonald (director), Frank McDonald, produced by Pine-Thomas Productions and released by Paramount Pictures. The film stars Richard Arlen, Wendy Barrie, Nils Asther, Roger Pryor, Marc L ...

'' (1943) as G. B. Fleming * ''

Thoroughbreds The Thoroughbred is a horse breed developed for horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are considered ...

'' (1944) as Harold Matthews * '' The Kid Sister'' (1945) as Waldo Barnes * ''

The Cisco Kid Returns ''The Cisco Kid Returns'' is a 1945 American Western film. Released on April 3, 1945, it was the first of three Cisco Kid films made that year with Duncan Renaldo as Cisco and Martin Garralaga as Pancho. In this release, Cisco's real name is Jua ...

'' (1945) as John Harris * '' High Powered'' (1945) as Rod Farrell * '' Identity Unknown'' (1945) Rocks Donally * '' Scared Stiff'' (1945) as Richardson * ''

The Man from Oklahoma '' The Man from Oklahoma '' is a 1945 American western film directed by Frank McDonald and starring Roy Rogers, Dale Evans and George 'Gabby' Hayes. It was produced and distributed by Republic Pictures.Hurst p.232 Plot Jim Gardner, hoping to ...

'' (1945) as Jim Gardner (final film role)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pryor, Roger 1901 births 1974 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors Dwight School alumni Male actors from New York City