Byron Kane (May 9, 1923 – April 10, 1984) was a radio and film actor and producer. He was known for his collaborations with
Blake Edwards
Blake Edwards (born William Blake Crump; July 26, 1922 – December 15, 2010) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter.
Edwards began his career in the 1940s as an actor, but he soon began writing screenplays and radio scripts ...
and for his voice work.
["Obituaries". '']Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
''. May 9, 1984. 315, 2. Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive. p. 560.
Biography
Kane was born in Vermont, and he grew up in California. His debut in radio came when, at age 17, he followed actress
Jane Morgan
Jane Morgan (born Florence Catherine Currier; May 3, 1924) is an American former singer and recording artist of traditional pop. Morgan initially found success in France and the UK before achieving recognition in the US, receiving six gold re ...
into CBS studios. Once inside, he read an audition for
Norman Corwin
Norman Lewis Corwin (May 3, 1910 – October 18, 2011) was an American writer, screenwriter, producer, essayist and teacher of journalism and writing. His earliest and biggest successes were in the writing and directing of radio drama during th ...
and gained the juvenile lead for the program being cast.
Kane narrated the short ''Polly Wants a Doctor'' (1944).
While Kane was stationed at
Camp Fannin in 1943, he helped with
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...
's production of a radio program "to officially launch the Fifth War Loan drive."
Kane had been a member of Welles's ''
The Mercury Theatre on the Air
''The Mercury Theatre on the Air'' is a radio series of live radio dramas created and hosted by Orson Welles. The weekly hour-long show presented classic literary works performed by Welles's celebrated Mercury Theatre repertory company, with mus ...
''.
[ He worked in a war plant in 1944.
Kane appeared on many radio programs during the 1940s and '50s, including '' Favorite Story'', '']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 ...
'', ''The NBC University Theater'', ''Plays for Americans'', ''Suspense
Suspense is a state of anxiety or excitement caused by mysteriousness, uncertainty, doubt, or undecidedness. In a narrative work, suspense is the audience's excited anticipation about the plot or conflict (which may be heightened by a viol ...
'', ''Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar
''Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar'' is a radio drama that aired on CBS Radio from February 18, 1949 to September 30, 1962.
The first several seasons imagined protagonist Johnny Dollar as a private investigator drama, with Charles Russell, Edmond O ...
'' and '' On Stage''.
Kane served as associate producer of Blake Edwards' detective television series ''Peter Gunn
''Peter Gunn'' is an American detective fiction, private eye television series, starring Craig Stevens (actor), Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn with Lola Albright as his girlfriend, lounge singer Edie Hart. The series was broadcast by NBC from Sept ...
'' (1958-61); He also appeared uncredited in the show in the recurring role of Barney, the bartender.
He voiced Peter Jones, a Black character, on the animated series ''The Hardy Boys
The Hardy Boys, brothers Frank and Joe Hardy, are fictional characters who appear in a series of mystery novels for young readers. The series revolves around teenage amateur sleuths, solving cases that often stumped their adult counterparts. ...
'' (1969).
Beginning in 1979, Kane performed on multiple episodes of ''Sears Radio Theater
''Sears Radio Theater'' was a radio drama anthology series which ran weeknights on CBS Radio in 1979, sponsored by the Sears chain. Often paired with ''The CBS Radio Mystery Theater'' during its first season, the program offered a different g ...
'', a radio anthology series broadcast over the CBS Radio Network
CBS News Radio, formerly known as CBS Radio News and historically known as the CBS Radio Network, is a radio network that provides news to more than 1,000 radio stations throughout the United States. The network is owned by Paramount Global. It ...
and later, the Mutual Broadcasting System
The Mutual Broadcasting System (commonly referred to simply as Mutual; sometimes referred to as MBS, Mutual Radio or the Mutual Radio Network) was an American commercial radio network in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the Golden Age of Radio, ...
.
Kane made his final acting appearance in Blake Edwards' comedy film '' S.O.B.'' (1981)
Personal life and death
Kane's friends included Hal Ashby
William Hal Ashby (September 2, 1929 – December 27, 1988) was an Cinema of the United States, American film Film director, director and Film editing, editor. His work exemplified the countercultural attitude of the era. He directed wide-rangi ...
, Jeff Chandler
Jeff Chandler (born Ira Grossel; December 15, 1918 – June 17, 1961) was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Cochise in '' Broken Arrow'' (1950), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting ...
, and Sammy Davis Jr
Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, actor, comedian, dancer, and musician.
At age two, Davis began his career in Vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the Will Mastin Trio, which tou ...
. He was a pallbearer at Chandler's funeral in 1961.["Jeff Chandler Funeral Is Attended by 1500". '']The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
''. Hollywood. Vol. 165, Iss. 40. June 20, 1961. p. 4.
Byron Kane died in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
on April 10, 1984, two weeks after suffering a heart attack. He was 60 years old.
References
External links
*
Papers
at Margaret Herrick Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kane, Byron
American male television actors
American television producers
American male film actors
American male radio actors
1923 births
1984 deaths