Frank Chase (February 22, 1923 - July 2, 2004) was an American character actor and screenwriter. As an actor, he is probably remembered for his role as Deputy Charlie in ''

Attack of the 50 Foot Woman ''Attack of the 50 Foot Woman'' is a 1958 independently made American science fiction horror film directed by Nathan H. Juran (credited as Nathan Hertz) and starring Allison Hayes, William Hudson and Yvette Vickers. It was produced by Berna ...

''. As a writer, his most prolific work was in the television series '' Bonanza''. Other television series for which he wrote scripts were '' The Virginian'' and ''

The High Chaparral ''The High Chaparral'' television series, which was broadcast on NBC from 1967 to 1971, is an American Western action adventure drama set in the 1870s. It stars Leif Erickson and Cameron Mitchell. The series was made by Xanadu Productions ...

''.

Background

Frank Chase was born in

Potsdam, New York Potsdam ( moh, Tsi tewate’nehtararénies) is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The town population was 14,901 at the 2020 census. The ZIP Code is 13676. When SUNY Potsdam and Clarkson University are in session, the popul ...

, in 1923. His father was screenwriter Borden Chase. He started out as an actor but moved to writing for television around the end of the 1950s. His sister is actress/dancer Barrie Chase. He died on July 2, 2004.

Acting career

1930s, 1940s

Chase appeared in at least two films in his youth: '' One in a Million'', which was released around 1936/1937, and '' Thin Ice'', released in 1937.

1950s

His acting career as an adult began around the early 1950s with small parts in films such as ''

Winchester '73 ''Winchester '73'' is a 1950 American Western film directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart, Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea and Stephen McNally. Written by Borden Chase and Robert L. Richards, the film is about the journey of a pr ...

'', '' Bend of the River '', ''

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'' and ''

The World in His Arms ''The World in His Arms'' is a 1952 seafaring adventure film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Gregory Peck, Ann Blyth and Anthony Quinn, with John McIntire, Carl Esmond, Andrea King, Eugenie Leontovich, Hans Conried, and Sig Ruman. Made by U ...

''. Later he portrayed Borden in the 1952 western, ''

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'' . He portrayed Keller in ''

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'' (1954). He played Stone in ''

Walk the Proud Land ''Walk the Proud Land'' is a 1956 CinemaScope Technicolor Western film directed by Jesse Hibbs and starring Audie Murphy and future Academy Award winner Anne Bancroft. Filmed at Old Tucson Studios, it recounts the first successful introduc ...

'', a 1956 western. He also played Deputy Charlie in ''

'', a sci-fi film about a giant woman released in 1958. His part was as a corny deputy who in one scene comes across a giant footprint in a garden.

1960s

Chase's last acting work in the 1960s was an episode in ''Bonanza'' and a couple in ''The Virginian''. He played the part of Jim in the ''Bonanza'' episode, ''The Artist''. In 1963, he played the part of a wrangler in ''The Evil That Men Do'', an episode of ''The Virginian''. In 1965, he appeared in ''The Virginian'' again, in the episode ''Shadows of the Past'', playing the part of a husband. He also wrote the script for the episode.

Writer

His earliest writing work was for the ''Johnny Tuvo'' episode of '' The Texan'' starring

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in the series' titular role and featuring

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as Johnny Tuvo. From 1961 to 1969, he scripted 14 episodes of ''Bonanza''. An episode entitled ''The Ballerina'', which aired in January 1965, is said to have been written by Chase with his ballerina sister Barrie Chase in mind. He also scripted 10 episodes for ''The Virginian'', with airing dates from 1963 to 1970. He also wrote 4 episodes of ''The High Chaparral''. He wrote the story for the 1967 film, '' Sullivan's Empire'', his only film.''World Filmography: 1967'', By Peter Cowie, Derek Elley
Page 604 Sullivan's Empire
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chase, Frank 1923 births 2004 deaths American male actors American male screenwriters Place of death missing People from Potsdam, New York 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters