Allan "Rocky" Lane (born Harry Leonard Albershardt; September 22, 1909 – October 27, 1973) was an American

studio A studio is a space set aside for creative work of any kind, including art, dance, music and theater. The word ''studio'' is derived from the , from , from ''studere'', meaning to study or zeal. Types Art The studio of any artist, esp ...

leading man A leading actor, leading actress, or leading man or lady or simply lead (), plays a main role in a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person w ...

and the star of many

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the ''vaquero'' ...

B-movies in the 1940s and 1950s. He appeared in more than 125 films and TV shows in a career lasting from 1929 to 1966. He is best known for his portrayal of

Red Ryder ''Red Ryder'' is a Western comic strip created by Stephen Slesinger and artist Fred Harman which served as the basis for a wide array of character merchandising. Syndicated by Newspaper Enterprise Association, the strip ran from Sunday, Novem ...

and for being the voice of the talking horse on the television series ''

Mister Ed ''Mister Ed'' is an American television sitcom produced by Filmways that aired in syndication from January 5 to July 2, 1961, and then on CBS from October 1, 1961, to February 6, 1966. The show's title character is a talking horse which orig ...

'', beginning in 1961.

Biography

Lane was born Harry Leonard Albershardt or Albershart (sources differ) in

Mishawaka, Indiana Mishawaka () is a city on the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States. The population was 51,063 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Its nickname is "the Princess City". Misha ...

to Linnie Anne and William H. Albershardt. He grew up in

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

. Lane had been a photographer, model and stage actor by age 20. He played varsity sports,

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

but dropped out to pursue his interests in acting.

Film career

Lane's first film role for Fox was as a romantic lead opposite

June Collyer June Collyer (born Dorothea Heermance; August 19, 1906 – March 16, 1968) was an American film actress of the 1920s and 1930s. Early life Born in New York City, Collyer chose to use her mother's maiden name when she decided to pursue acting. ...

in the 1929 release, ''Not Quite Decent'' (now a lost film). He made several other films at Fox but jumped ship to

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

While at Warner his career foundered, and after a number of bit parts he left films in the early 1930s. By 1936, Lane returned to films and to 20th Century Fox, taking supporting roles in the drama ''Laughing at Trouble'' and the

Shirley Temple Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple; April 23, 1928 – February 10, 2014) was an American actress, singer, dancer, and diplomat, who was Hollywood's number-one box-office draw as a child actress from 1934 to 1938. Later, she was na ...

film ''Stowaway''. After several more supporting roles at Fox, Lane longed for a starring role; therefore, he took the lead in a Republic Pictures' short feature, ''The Duke Comes Back'' (1937). From 1929 through 1936, he appeared in twenty-four films. He was in 1938's ''The Law West of Tombstone''. In 1940, he portrayed "RCMP Sergeant Dave King", the role becoming one of his most notable successes. The first was '' King of the Royal Mounted'', a 12-part 1940 serial adaptation of

Zane Grey Pearl Zane Grey (January 31, 1872 – October 23, 1939) was an American author and dentist. He is known for his popular adventure novels and stories associated with the Western genre in literature and the arts; he idealized the American frontier ...

's '' King of the Royal Mounted''. He starred in several

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

films, including the serials '' The Yukon Patrol'' and '' King of the Mounties''. He is best remembered for these today. In 1946 and 1947, he portrayed ''

'' in seven films, replacing

Wild Bill Elliott Wild Bill Elliott (born Gordon Nance, October 16, 1904 – November 26, 1965) was an American film actor. He specialized in playing the rugged heroes of B Westerns, particularly the Red Ryder series of films. Early life Elliott was born G ...

in that role. The following year, he became "Rocky Lane" in

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

films. Between 1940 and 1966, Lane made eighty-two film and

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

appearances, mostly in westerns. Between 1947 and 1953, he made over 30 B-movie westerns (as "Rocky" Lane) with his faithful horse 'Black Jack'. His last roles were in voice-over acting, including providing the speech for ''

'' (1961–1966). He was never credited on-screen for providing the voice for Mister Ed.

Death

Lane died in California of cancer in 1973, at age 64. He was interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery.

In popular culture

Between 1965 and 1968 a celebrity comic was created around Rocky Lane's cowboy persona, written and drawn by Brazilian comics artist Primaggio Mantovi. Lane was one of the movie cowboys named in the lyrics of the song “Whatever Happened To Randolph Scott” by

The Statler Brothers The Statler Brothers (sometimes simply referred to as The Statlers) were an American country music, gospel, and vocal group from Staunton, Virginia. The quartet was formed in 1955 performing locally, and from 1964 to 1972, they sang as opening a ...

, which became a hit single in 1974.

Selected filmography

* ''

Not Quite Decent ''Not Quite Decent'' is a 1929 American sound part-talkie Pre-Code film, produced and distributed by Fox Film Corporation, directed by Irving Cummings, and starring June Collyer and Louise Dresser. In addition to sequences with audible dialo ...

'' (1929) as Jerry Connor * '' The Forward Pass'' (1929) as Ed Kirby * '' Love in the Rough'' (1930) as Johnson * '' Madame Satan'' (1930) as Zeppelin Majordomo (uncredited) * '' Night Nurse'' (1931) as Intern (uncredited) * '' The Star Witness'' (1931) as Young Deputy at the Leeds Home (uncredited) * '' Honor of the Family'' (1931) as Joseph * '' Expensive Women'' (1931) as Party Boy with Bobby (uncredited) * '' Local Boy Makes Good'' (1931) as Runner with a Bad Knee (uncredited) * '' The Famous Ferguson Case'' (1932) as Reporter (uncredited) * '' The Tenderfoot'' (1932) as Actor (uncredited) * '' Week-End Marriage'' (1932) as Office Clerk (uncredited) * '' Winner Take All'' (1932) as Monty - Joan's Friend (uncredited) * '' Miss Pinkerton'' (1932) as Herbert Wynn (scenes deleted) * ''

Crooner A crooner is a singer who performs with a smooth, intimate style that originated in the 1920s. The crooning style was made possible by better microphones that picked up quieter sounds and a wider range of frequencies, allowing the singer to acce ...

'' (1932) as Heckler on Dance Floor (uncredited) * '' A Successful Calamity'' (1932) as Polo Player (uncredited) * '' The Crash'' (1932) as Geoffrey's Associate (uncredited) * '' One Way Passage'' (1932) as Friend of Joan's (uncredited) * '' Laughing at Trouble'' (1936) as John Campbell * ''

Stowaway A stowaway or clandestine traveller is a person who secretly boards a vehicle, such as a ship, an aircraft, a train, cargo truck or bus. Sometimes, the purpose is to get from one place to another without paying for transportation. In other c ...

'' (1936) as Richard Hope * '' Step Lively, Jeeves!'' (1937) as Party Guest (uncredited) * '' Charlie Chan at the Olympics'' (1937) as Richard Masters * '' The Jones Family in Big Business'' (1937) as Ted Hewett * '' Fifty Roads to Town'' (1937) as Leroy Smedley * '' Sing and Be Happy'' (1937) as Hamilton Howe * '' The Duke Comes Back'' (1937) as Duke Foster * '' Night Spot'' (1938) as Pete Cooper * '' Maid's Night Out'' (1938) as Bill Norman * '' This Marriage Business'' (1938) as Bill Bennett * '' Having Wonderful Time'' (1938) as Maxwell Pingwell aka Mac * '' Crime Ring'' (1938) as Joe Ryan * '' Fugitives for a Night'' (1938) as John Nelson * '' The Law West of Tombstone'' (1938) as Danny Sanders * '' Pacific Liner'' (1939) as Bilson * '' Twelve Crowded Hours'' (1939) as Dave Sanders * '' They Made Her a Spy'' (1939) as James Huntley * '' Panama Lady'' (1939) as Dennis McTeague * ''

The Spellbinder ''The Spellbinder'' is a 1939 American drama film directed by Jack Hively, written by Thomas Lennon (screenwriter, born 1896), Thomas Lennon and Joseph Fields, and starring Lee Tracy, Barbara Read, Patric Knowles, Allan Lane and Linda Hayes (actr ...

'' (1939) as Steve Kindal * ''

Conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, ploy, or scheme, is a secret plan or agreement between people (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder, treason, or corruption, especially with a political motivat ...

'' (1939) as Steve Kendall * ''

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a regular live country music, country-music Radio broadcasting, radio broadcast originating from Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM (AM), WSM, held between two and five nights per week, depending on the ...

'' (1940) as Fred Barnes * '' King of the Royal Mounted'' (1940, Serial) as Dave King * '' All-American Co-Ed'' (1941) as Second Senior * '' King of the Mounties'' (1942) as Sergeant Dave King * ''

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

'' (1943) as Marine (uncredited) * '' Daredevils of the West'' (1943) as Duke Cameron * ''

The Dancing Masters ''The Dancing Masters'' is a 1943 black and white American comedy film directed by Malcolm St. Clair, produced by 20th Century-Fox, and featuring Laurel and Hardy. A young Robert Mitchum has a small, uncredited role as a gangster posing as an ...

'' (1943) as George Worthing * '' Call of the South Seas'' (1944) as Kendall Gaige * '' The Tiger Woman'' (1944) as Allen Saunders * '' Silver City Kid'' (1944) as Jack Adams * '' Stagecoach to Monterey'' (1944) as Bruce Redmond - Posing as Chick Weaver * '' Sheriff of Sundown'' (1944) as Tex Jordan * '' The Topeka Terror'' (1945) as Chad Stevens * '' Corpus Christi Bandits'' (1945) as Captain James Christie / Corpus Christi Jim * '' Bells of Rosarita'' (1945) as Himself * '' Trail of Kit Carson'' (1945) as Bill Harmon * '' Gay Blades'' (1946) as Andy Buell * '' A Guy Could Change'' (1946) as Michael 'Mike' Hogan * '' Night Train to Memphis'' (1946) as Dan Acuff * '' Santa Fe Uprising'' (1946) as Red Ryder * '' Out California Way'' (1946) as Himself * '' Stagecoach to Denver'' (1946) as Red Ryder * '' Vigilantes of Boomtown'' (1947) as Red Ryder * '' Homesteaders of Paradise Valley'' (1947) as Red Ryder * '' Oregon Trail Scouts'' (1947) as Red Ryder * '' Rustlers of Devil's Canyon'' (1947) as Red Ryder * '' Marshal of Cripple Creek'' (1947) as Red Ryder * '' The Wild Frontier'' (1947) as Rocky Lane * '' Bandits of Dark Canyon'' (1947) as Rocky Lane * '' Oklahoma Badlands'' (1948) as Allan Rocky Lane * '' The Bold Frontiersman'' (1948) as Rocky Lane * '' Carson City Raiders'' (1948) as Rocky Lane * '' Marshal of Amarillo'' (1948) as Marshal Rocky Lane * '' Desperadoes of Dodge City'' (1948) as Rocky Lane * '' The Denver Kid'' (1948) as Rocky Lane Posing as the Denver Kid * '' Sundown in Santa Fe'' (1948) as Rocky Lane * '' Renegades of Sonora'' (1948) as Rocky Lane * '' Sheriff of Wichita'' (1949) as Sheriff Rocky Lane * '' Death Valley Gunfighter'' (1949) as Rocky Lane * '' Frontier Investigator'' (1949) as Rocky Lane * '' The Wyoming Bandit'' (1949) as Marshal Rocky Lane * '' Bandit King of Texas'' (1949) as Rocky Lane * '' Navajo Trail Raiders'' (1949) as Rocky Lane * '' Powder River Rustlers'' (1949) as Rocky Lane * '' Gunmen of Abilene'' (1950) as Rocky Lane * '' Code of the Silver Sage'' (1950) as Lieutenant Rocky Lane * '' Salt Lake Raiders'' (1950) as Deputy Marshal Rocky Lane * '' Covered Wagon Raid'' (1950) as Rocky Lane * '' Vigilante Hideout'' (1950) as Rocky Lane * '' Frisco Tornado'' (1950) as Marshal Rocky Lane * '' Rustlers on Horseback'' (1950) as Marshal Rocky Lane * '' Trail of Robin Hood'' (1950) as Rocky Lane * '' Rough Riders of Durango'' (1951) as Rocky Lane * '' Night Riders of Montana'' (1951) as Rocky Lane * '' Wells Fargo Gunmaster'' (1951) as Rocky Lane * '' Fort Dodge Stampede'' (1951) as Deputy Sheriff Rocky Lane * '' Desert of Lost Men'' (1951) as Rocky Lane * '' Captive of Billy the Kid'' (1952) as Marshal 'Rocky' Lane * '' Leadville Gunslinger'' (1952) as U. S. Marshal Rocky Lane * '' Black Hills Ambush'' (1952) as Rocky Lane * '' Thundering Caravans'' (1952) as Marshal Rocky Lane * '' Desperadoes' Outpost'' (1952) as Rocky Lane * '' Marshal of Cedar Rock'' (1953) as Marshal Rocky Lane * '' Savage Frontier'' (1953) as U.S. Marshal Rocky Lane * '' Bandits of the West'' (1953) as Marshal Rocky Lane * '' El Paso Stampede'' (1953) as Rocky Lane * '' The Saga of Hemp Brown'' (1958) as Sheriff * '' Hell Bent for Leather'' (1960) as Kelsey * '' Posse from Hell'' (1961) as Burl Hogan

Television

;Series * ''

'', 1961–1966 syndicated and later

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

TV series. Lane provided the voice for Mister Ed. This was an uncredited role. * ''

'', 1956–1957 TV series. Lane portrayed Red Ryder ;Guest appearances * ''

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for th ...

'', episode "Massacre at Gunsight Pass", originally aired May 1, 1961 * ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

'', episode "Long Hours, Short Pay", originally aired April 29, 1961 * ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...

'', episode "The Blood Line", originally aired December 31, 1960 * ''

'', episode "The Badge", originally aired November 12, 1960 * '' Lawman'', episode "The Payment", originally aired May 8, 1960 * ''

Bronco A bucking horse is any breed of horse, male or female, with a propensity to buck. They have been, and still are, referred to by various names, including bronco, broncho, and roughstock. The harder they buck, the more desirable they are for ro ...

'', episode "Death of an Outlaw", originally aired March 8, 1960 * '' Colt .45'', episode "Arizona Anderson", originally aired February 14, 1960 * ''

Tales of Wells Fargo ''Tales of Wells Fargo'' is an American Westerns on television, Western television series starring Dale Robertson in 201 episodes that aired from 1957 to 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until i ...

'', episode "The Reward", originally aired April 21, 1958 * ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western television series that aired for eight seasons, first on the NBC television network (1957–1962) and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and reached the top of the ...

'', episode "The Daniel Barrister Story", originally aired April 16, 1958 * ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

'' (Season 3 Episode 28: "Lamb to the Slaughter") (originally aired April 13, 1958) as Patrick Maloney * ''

'', episode "Texas Cowboys", originally aired April 5, 1958 * '' Mike Hammer'', episode "Husbands Are Bad Luck", originally aired 1957

References

External links

*
Rocky Lane westernsFanBase page - Notre Dame Football
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lane, Allan 1909 births 1973 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors Burials at Inglewood Park Cemetery Deaths from cancer in California Male actors from Indiana People from Mishawaka, Indiana University of Notre Dame alumni