Richard Arlen (born Sylvanus Richard Mattimore, September 1, 1899 – March 28, 1976) was an American actor of film and television.

Biography

Born in

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...

, Arlen attended the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest- ...

. He served in Canada as a pilot in the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. After the war, he went to the oilfields of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

and

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

and found work as a tool boy. He was thereafter a messenger and sporting editor of a newspaper before going to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

to act in films, but no producer wanted him. He was a delivery boy for a film laboratory when the motorcycle which he was riding landed him a broken leg outside the

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

lot. A sympathetic film director gave him his start as an extra. He appeared at first in

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

s before making the transition to talkies. His first important film role was in '' Vengeance of the Deep'' (1923). He took time out from his Hollywood career to teach as a

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

flight instructor in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Arlen is best known for his role as a pilot in the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-winning '' Wings'' (1927) with

Clara Bow Clara Gordon Bow (; July 29, 1905 – September 27, 1965) was an American actress who rose to stardom during the silent film era of the 1920s and successfully made the transition to " talkies" in 1929. Her appearance as a plucky shopgirl in the ...

, Charles 'Buddy' Rogers,

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, a ...

El Brendel Elmer Goodfellow "El" Brendel (March 25, 1890 – April 9, 1964) was an American vaudeville comedian turned movie star, best remembered for his dialect routine as a Swedish immigrant. His biggest role was as "Single-0" in the sci-fi musical ' ...

, and his second wife, Jobyna Ralston, whom he married in 1927. He was among the more famous residents of the celebrity enclave, Toluca Lake,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

.History of Toluca Lake
Toluca Lake Chamber of Commerce, retrieved on September 15, 2010. He married New York socialite, Margaret Kinsella, in 1946. In 1939, Universal teamed him with Andy Devine for a series of 14 B-pictures, mostly action-comedies with heavy reliance on stock footage from larger-scale films. They are informally known as the "Aces of Action" series, which is how the stars were billed in the trailers. When Arlen left the studio in 1941, the series continued with Devine teamed with a variety of other actors. In the 1950s and early 1960s, Arlen was active in television, having guest starred in several

anthology series An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a dif ...

, including ''

Playhouse 90 ''Playhouse 90'' was an American television anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology drama series of th ...

'', '' The Loretta Young Show'', ''

The 20th Century Fox Hour ''The 20th Century Fox Hour'' is an American drama anthology series televised in the United States on CBS from 1955 to 1957. Some of the shows in this series were restored, remastered and shown on the Fox Movie Channel in 2002 under the title ' ...

'', and in three episodes of the series about

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

men, ''

Crossroads Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to: * Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...

''. In 1960, Arlen was inducted into the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...

with a motion pictures star at 6755

Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It begins in the east at Sunset Boulevard in the Los Feliz district and proceeds to the west as a major thoroughfare through Little Armenia and Thai Town, Hollywoo ...

for his contributions to the film industry. In 1968, he appeared on '' Petticoat Junction'' playing himself. The episode was called "Wings" and it was in direct reference to the 1927 silent movie ''Wings''. Arlen appeared in westerns, such as '' Lawman'', '' Branded'', '' Bat Masterson'', '' Wanted: Dead or Alive'', ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...

'', and '' Yancy Derringer'', and in such drama/adventure programs as '' Ripcord'', '' Whirlybirds'', '' Perry Mason'', '' The New Breed'', ''

Coronado 9 ''Coronado 9'' is an American crime drama series starring Rod Cameron that aired in syndication in 1960. Synopsis Set in San Diego, California, the series follows Dan Adams (Cameron), a former United States Navy intelligence officer turned pri ...

'', and ''

Michael Shayne Michael "Mike" Shayne is a fictional private detective character created during the late 1930s by writer Brett Halliday, a pseudonym of Davis Dresser. The character appeared in a series of seven films starring Lloyd Nolan for Twentieth Century ...

''.

Political views

Arlen supported

Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and United States Air Force officer who was a five-term U.S. Senator from Arizona (1953–1965, 1969–1987) and the Republican Party nominee for president ...

in the 1964 United States presidential election.

Death

On March 28, 1976, Arlen died in North Hollywood, California. He was interred at

Holy Cross Cemetery Holy Cross Cemetery may refer to: United States California * Holy Cross Cemetery (Colma, California) *Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California * Holy Cross Cemetery (Menlo Park, California) * Holy Cross Cemetery (Pomona, California) *Holy ...

Culver City Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. Founded in 1917 as a "whites only" sundown town, it is now an ethnically diverse city with what was called the "third-most ...

, California.

Filmography

Features

*'' Ladies Must Live'' (1921) as Minor Role (uncredited) *'' The Green Temptation'' (1922) (uncredited) *'' The Ghost Breaker'' (1922) as One of the 'Ghosts' (uncredited) *'' Quicksands'' (1923) (uncredited) *'' Vengeance of the Deep'' (1923) as Jean *''

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

'' (1923) as Himself *'' The Fighting Coward'' (1924) as Minor Role (uncredited) *'' Sally'' (1925) as Minor Role (uncredited) *'' In the Name of Love'' (1925) as Dumas Dufrayne *'' The Coast of Folly'' (1925) as Bather (scenes deleted) *''

The Enchanted Hill ''The Enchanted Hill'' is a 1926 American silent Western film directed by Irvin Willat and written by James Shelley Hamilton and Peter B. Kyne. The film stars Jack Holt, Florence Vidor, Noah Beery, Sr., Mary Brian, Richard Arlen, George Bancr ...

'' (1926) as Link Halliwell *''

Behind the Front ''Behind the Front'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Black Eyed Peas released on June 30, 1998 through Interscope Records and will.i.am Music Group. Background Most of the tracks were demos for the '' Grass Roots'' album, ...

'' (1926) as Percy Brown *'' Padlocked'' (1926) as 'Tubby' Clark *'' You'd Be Surprised'' (1926) as Photographer (uncredited) *'' Old Ironsides'' (1926) as Seaman (uncredited) *'' Wings'' (1927) as David Armstrong *'' Rolled Stockings'' (1927) as Ralph Treadway *'' The Blood Ship'' (1927) as John Shreve *'' Sally in Our Alley'' (1927) as Jimmie Adams *''

Figures Don't Lie ''Figures Don't Lie'' is a 1927 American silent comedy film directed by A. Edward Sutherland and written by Ethel Doherty, Grover Jones, Louise Long, Herman J. Mankiewicz, and B. F. Zeidman. The film stars Esther Ralston, Richard Arlen, Ford ...

'' (1927) as Bob Blewe *'' She's a Sheik'' (1927) as Capt. Colton *'' Under the Tonto Rim'' (1928) as Edd Denmeade *'' Feel My Pulse'' (1928) as Her Problem *'' Ladies of the Mob'' (1928) as Red *'' Beggars of Life'' (1928) as The Boy (Jim) *'' Manhattan Cocktail'' (1928) as Fred Tilden *'' The Man I Love'' (1929) as Dum-Dum Brooks *'' The Four Feathers'' (1929) as Lt. Harry Faversham *'' Thunderbolt'' (1929) as Bob Moran *'' Dangerous Curves'' (1929) as Larry Lee *'' The Virginian'' (1929) as Steve *'' Burning Up'' (1930) as Lou Larrigan *'' The Border Legion'' (1930) as Heyst *'' Dangerous Paradise'' (1930) as Dick Bailey *'' The Light of Western Stars'' (1930) as Jim Cleve *'' Paramount on Parade'' (1930, also appeared in Spanish and French-dubbed versions) as Hunter – Episode 'Dream Girl' *''

The Sea God ''The Sea God'' is a 1930 American pre-Code adventure film written and directed by George Abbott. The film stars Richard Arlen, Fay Wray, Eugene Pallette, Ivan Simpson, Maurice Black, and Bob Perry. The film was released on September 13, 1930, ...

'' (1930) as Phillip 'Pink' Barker *'' The Santa Fe Trail'' (1930) as Stan Hollister *'' Only Saps Work'' (1930) as Lawrence Payne *'' The Conquering Horde'' (1931) as Dan McMasters *'' Gun Smoke'' (1931) as Brad Farley *'' The Lawyer's Secret'' (1931) as Joe Hart *''

The Secret Call ''The Secret Call'' is a 1931 American drama film directed by Stuart Walker and written by Arthur Kober, Eve Unsell and William C. deMille. The film stars Richard Arlen, Peggy Shannon, William B. Davidson, Charles Trowbridge, Jane Keithley, ...

'' (1931) as Tom Blake *''

Caught Caught is a method of dismissing a batsman in cricket. A batsman is out caught if the batsman hits the ball, from a legitimate delivery, with the bat, and the ball is caught by the bowler or a fielder before it hits the ground. If the ball h ...

'' (1931) as Lt. Tom Colton *''

Touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...

'' (1931) as Dan Curtis *'' Wayward'' (1932) as David Frost *'' Sky Bride'' (1932) as Bert 'Speed' Condon *''

Guilty as Hell ''Guilty as Hell'' is a 1932 American pre-Code mystery film directed by Erle C. Kenton and written by Arthur Kober and Frank Partos. The film stars Edmund Lowe, Victor McLaglen, Richard Arlen, Adrienne Ames, Henry Stephenson, Ralph Ince and Noel ...

'' (1932) as Frank C. Marsh *'' Tiger Shark'' (1932) as Pipes Boley *'' The All American'' (1932) as Gary King *'' Island of Lost Souls'' (1932) as Edward Parker *''

Song of the Eagle ''Song of the Eagle'' is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film directed by Ralph Murphy and starring Charles Bickford, Richard Arlen, Mary Brian and Jean Hersholt. It was produced and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Its release coincided with th ...

'' (1933) as Bill Hoffman *'' College Humor'' (1933) as Mondrake *'' Three-Cornered Moon'' (1933) as Dr. Alan Stevens *'' Golden Harvest'' (1933) as Walt Martin *'' Hell and High Water'' (1933) as Capt. J.J. Jericho *''

Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatur ...

'' (1933) as Cheshire Cat *'' Come on Marines'' (1934) as Lucky Davis *''

She Made Her Bed ''She Made Her Bed'' is a 1934 American pre-Code romantic drama film directed by Ralph Murphy and written by James M. Cain, Casey Robinson and Frank R. Adams. The film stars Richard Arlen, Sally Eilers, Robert Armstrong, Grace Bradley, Roscoe A ...

'' (1934) as Wild Bill Smith *'' Ready for Love'' (1934) as Julian Barrow *'' Helldorado'' (1934) as Art Ryan *'' Let 'Em Have It'' (1935) as Mal Stevens *'' The Calling of Dan Matthews'' (1935) as Dan Matthews *'' Three Live Ghosts'' (1936) as William 'Bill' Jones, an alias of William Foster *'' The Mine with the Iron Door'' (1936) as Bob Harvey *'' Secret Valley'' (1937) as Lee Rogers *'' The Great Barrier'' (1937) as Hickey *'' Artists and Models'' (1937) as Alan Townsend *''

Murder in Greenwich Village ''Murder in Greenwich Village'' is a 1937 American mystery film directed by Albert S. Rogell and starring Richard Arlen, Fay Wray and Raymond Walburn.Monaco p.14 The screenplay involves an heiress who is falsely accused of murder. The film's set ...

'' (1937) as Steve Havens Jackson Jr. *''

No Time to Marry ''No Time to Marry'' is a 1938 American comedy film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Richard Arlen, Mary Astor and Lionel Stander.Goble p.888 Partial cast * Richard Arlen as Perry Brown * Mary Astor as Kay McGowan * Lionel Stander as A ...

'' (1938) as Perry Brown *''

Call of the Yukon ''Call of the Yukon'' is a 1938 American action/adventure film produced and released by Republic Pictures, directed by John T. Coyle and B. Reeves Eason and starring Richard Arlen and Beverly Roberts. The film features extensive Alaskan locati ...

'' (1938) as Gaston Rogers *''

Straight, Place and Show ''Straight, Place and Show'' is a 1938 American comedy film directed by David Butler and starring the Ritz Brothers, Richard Arlen, and Ethel Merman, and released by 20th Century Fox. It based on the unproduced play ''Saratoga Chips'' by D ...

'' (1938) as Denny Paine *'' Missing Daughters'' (1939) as Wally King * ''

Mutiny on the Blackhawk ''Mutiny on the Blackhawk'' is a 1939 American adventure film, directed by Christy Cabanne. It stars Richard Arlen, Andy Devine, and Constance Moore, and was released on September 1, 1939. Cast list *Richard Arlen as Captain Robert Lawrence *And ...

'' (1939) as Capt. Robert Lawrence *'' Tropic Fury'' (1939) as Dan Burton * '' Legion of Lost Flyers'' (1939) as Gene 'Loop' Gillan * ''

Man from Montreal ''Man from Montreal'' is a 1939 American Western film directed by Christy Cabanne. It stars Richard Arlen, Andy Devine, and Kay Sutton, and was released on December 8, 1939. Cast list * Richard Arlen as Clark Manning * Andy Devine as Constable ...

'' (1939) as Clark Manning *''

Danger on Wheels ''Danger on Wheels'' is a 1940 American film noir sport film directed by Christy Cabanne and starring Richard Arlen and Andy Devine. Plot A test driver (Richard Arlen) tries racing with his girlfriend's (Peggy Moran) father's new engine. Cast ...

'' (1940) as Larry Taylor *''

Hot Steel Hot Steel is a 1940 American film directed by Christy Cabanne and starring Richard Arlen, Andy Devine, and Peggy Moran. Cast *Richard Arlen as Frank Stewart *Andy Devine as Matt Morrison *Peggy Moran as Babe Morrison *Anne Nagel as Rita Martin * ...

'' (1940) as Frank Stewart *'' The Leather Pushers'' (1940) as Dick 'Kid' Roberts * ''

The Devil's Pipeline ''The Devil's Pipeline'' is a 1940 American drama film directed by Christy Cabanne. It stars Richard Arlen, Andy Devine, and John Eldredge, and was released on November 1, 1940. Cast list Reception ''The Film Daily'' gave the picture a lukewar ...

'' (1940) as Dick Talbot * ''

Black Diamonds Carbonado, commonly known as black diamond, is one of the toughest forms of natural diamond. It is an impure, high-density, micro-porous form of polycrystalline diamond consisting of diamond, graphite, and amorphous carbon, with minor crystall ...

'' (1940) as Walter Norton *'' Lucky Devils'' (1941) as Dick McManus *''

Mutiny in the Arctic ''Mutiny in the Arctic'' is a 1941 American action adventure film directed by John Rawlins and starring Richard Arlen, Andy Devine and Anne Nagel. It was part of their Aces of Action series produced and released by Universal Pictures. It was als ...

'' (1941) as Dick Barclay *''

Men of the Timberland ''Men of the Timberland'' is a 1941 American film starring Richard Arlen and Andy Devine. It was part of their Aces of Action series at Universal. Paul Jarrico worked on the script. He later said the film "dealt with the fight Richard Arlen, Andy ...

'' (1941) as Dick O'Hara *''

Power Dive ''Power Dive'' is a 1941 American film directed by James P. Hogan. The film stars Richard Arlen, Jean Parker and Helen Mack. ''Power Dive'' was the first film from the producing team of Pine-Thomas Productions, former press agents who had a pr ...

'' (1941) as Brad Farrell *''

Forced Landing A forced landing is a landing by an aircraft made under factors outside the pilot's control, such as the failure of engines, systems, components, or weather which makes continued flight impossible. For a full description of these, see article on ' ...

'' (1941) as Dan Kendall *''

Raiders of the Desert ''Raiders of the Desert'' is a 1941 American comedy adventure film directed by John Rawlins and starring Andy Devine, Richard Arlen and Linda Hayes. The film was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures. It features an early appearance by ...

'' (1941) as Dick Manning *'' A Dangerous Game'' (1941) as Dick Williams *'' Flying Blind'' (1941) as Jim Clark *''

Torpedo Boat A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of ...

'' (1942) as Skinner Barnes *''

Wildcat The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while th ...

'' (1942) as Johnny Maverick *'' Wrecking Crew'' (1942) as Matt Carney *'' Submarine Alert'' (1943) as Lewis J. 'Lee' Deerhold *'' Aerial Gunner'' (1943) as Sgt / Lt. Jonathan 'Jon' Davis *''

Alaska Highway