John Beury Gallaudet (August 23, 1903 – November 5, 1983) was an American

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

and

television actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

Career

Gallaudet was born in Philadelphia and attended

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim ...

. He began his theatrical career on stage, appearing on Broadway in ''When You Smile'' (1925), ''Don Q., Jr.'' (1926), ''On the Spot'' (1930), ''The Gang's All Here'' (1931), ''Here Goes the Bride'' (1931), ''Lost Horizons'' (1934), and ''Good Men and True'' (1935). In 1936, Gallaudet was signed by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

as a character player. For the next three years he appeared in more than 30 Columbia features, usually playing newspapermen, radio broadcasters, or one of the hero's associates on either side of the law. His Columbia credit most familiar to today's audiences is the

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

musical '' Pennies from Heaven'' (1936); Gallaudet plays a condemned convict who, unable to deliver a vital message himself, entrusts Crosby with it just before his execution. In the late 1930s, Columbia had to comply with the Cinematograph Films Act of 1927, which decreed that American studios could release their films in Canada only if they agreed to distribute Canadian-made films in return. Columbia sent many of its contract actors and crew members to Canada, where films were made in Canadian studios while Columbia supervised the quality control. John Gallaudet made the trek to Canada, where for the only time in his screen career he received starring roles. He played crime-busting reporter Jerry Tracey in the action-adventure films '' Manhattan Shakedown'' and '' Murder Is News'' (both 1937). Columbia didn't release ''Murder Is News'' until 1939, and ''Variety'' promptly complained about the small-studio production values: "Production skimps on sets, lighting, and other technical details that might have helped to lift it out of the 'C' class." ''Showmen's Trade Review'' gave John Gallaudet the benefit of the doubt: "Gallaudet does his best to be what a columnist should, but reporters may be mystified at the interpretation."''Showmen's Trade Review'', June 24, 1939, p. 26. Gallaudet left Columbia in 1938 to begin a busy freelance career, working for

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, is an American film production and distribution company, historically one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Kei ...

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 ...

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

, and

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, when the major studios decided to make fewer but more expensive pictures, many actors found themselves underemployed, John Gallaudet among them. He began accepting assignments for minor-league companies like

Monogram Pictures Monogram Pictures Corporation was an American film studio that produced mostly low-budget films between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram was among the smaller studios i ...

and

Eagle-Lion Films Eagle-Lion Films was the name of two distinct, though related, companies. In 1944, UK film magnate J. Arthur Rank created an American distribution company with the name to handle his British films. The following year, under a reciprocal distrib ...

, in addition to his major-studio work. Gallaudet became a familiar face on television, appearing in such popular programs as '' Dragnet'', '' World of Giants'', '' Johnny Midnight'', and ''

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'', sometimes called ''The Burns and Allen Show'', is a half-hour television sitcom broadcast from 1950 to 1958 on CBS. It starred George Burns and Gracie Allen, one of the most enduring acts in entertainm ...

''. In the 1959 TV Western ''

Bat Masterson Bartholemew William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (November 26, 1853 – October 25, 1921) was a U.S. Army scout, lawman, professional gambler, and journalist known for his exploits in the late 19th and early 20th-century American Old West. He was bo ...

'', he played General

William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a General officer, general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), earning recognit ...

, whose life was in danger while visiting Dodge City. Gallaudet became one of the resident judges on the ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and four short stories, all of which involve a ...

'' series, and was one of the few jurists to be identified by name ("Judge Ben Penner"). He continued to work in motion pictures and television through 1974, notably in the 1967 feature ''

In Cold Blood ''In Cold Blood'' is a non-fiction novel by the American author Truman Capote, first published in 1966. It details the 1959 Clutter family murders in the small farming community of Holcomb, Kansas. Capote learned of the quadruple murder bef ...

''.

Personal life

John Gallaudet had worked on stage with actress Wynne Gibson in the 1925 show ''When You Smile''; they were married from 1927 to 1930. Gallaudet married Constance Helen MacKenzie in 1932. They remained married until his death on November 5, 1983, in Los Angeles, at the age of 80.

Selected filmography

* ''

Counterfeit A counterfeit is a fake or unauthorized replica of a genuine product, such as money, documents, designer items, or other valuable goods. Counterfeiting generally involves creating an imitation of a genuine item that closely resembles the original ...

'' (1936) as Pete Dailey * '' Adventure in Manhattan'' (1936) as McGuire * '' Come Closer, Folks'' (1936) as Pitchman * ''

Shakedown Shakedown or Shake Down may refer to: * Shakedown (continuum mechanics), a type of plastic deformation * Shakedown (testing) or a shakedown cruise, a period of testing undergone by a ship, airplane or other craft before being declared operational ...

'' (1936) as Hawsley * '' Pennies from Heaven'' (1936) as J. C. Hart * '' Devil's Playground'' (1937) as Jones * '' Racketeers in Exile'' (1937) as Happy * '' Manhattan Shakedown'' (1937, leading role) as Jerry Tracey * '' Murder Is News'' (1937, released 1939; leading role) as Jerry Tracey * '' The Main Event'' (1938) as Joe Carter * '' One Hour to Live'' (1939) as Jimmy March * '' No Greater Sin'' (1941) as Townsend * ''

Gang Busters ''Gang Busters'' is an American dramatic radio program heralded as "the only national program that brings you authentic police case histories." It premiered on January 15, 1936 and was broadcast for more 21 years through November 27, 1957. H ...

'' (1942, serial) as Wilkinson * ''

Shadows Over Chinatown ''Shadows Over Chinatown'' is a 1946 American mystery film directed by Terry O. Morse and starring Sidney Toler, Victor Sen Yung and Tanis Chandler. It is the third-to-last film starring Toler as Charlie Chan. Plot Late one night, Charlie Chan ...

'' (1946) as Jeff Hay, detective * ''

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

'' (1947) as Charlie Mitchell * '' Stage Struck'' (1948) as Benny Nordick * '' Docks of New Orleans'' (1948) as Captain Pete McNalley * '' Missing Women'' (1951) as Detective Kelleher * '' The Caddy'' (1953) as Jonathan Bell * ''

Double Jeopardy In jurisprudence, double jeopardy is a procedural defence (primarily in common law jurisdictions) that prevents an accused person from being tried again on the same (or similar) charges following an acquittal or conviction and in rare cases ...

'' (1955) as Police Lieutenant Freid * '' No Man's Woman'' (1955) as Detective Sergeant Wells * '' Terror at Midnight'' (1956) as George Flynn * '' A Private's Affair'' (1959) as Surgeon General (uncredited) * ''

Go Naked in the World ''Go Naked in the World'' is a 1961 American drama film written and directed by Ranald MacDougall and co-directed by an uncredited Charles Walters and produced by Aaron Rosenberg. The film stars Gina Lollobrigida, Anthony Franciosa, and Ernest B ...

'' (1961) as Rupert - Vice Squad Detective (uncredited) * '' The Patsy'' (1964) as Barney (uncredited) * ''

'' (1967) as Roy Church * ''

The Happy Ending ''The Happy Ending'' is a 1969 American drama film written and directed by Richard Brooks, which tells the story of a repressed housewife who longs for liberation from her husband and daughter. It stars Jean Simmons (who received an Oscar nomin ...

'' (1969) as Airplane Passenger (uncredited)

Selected television credits

* ''

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 ...

'' (1955) (Season 1 Episode 1: "Revenge") as Doctor * ''

'' (1959-1966) - 20 episodes as Judge Ben Penner / Judge * ''

Leave It to Beaver ''Leave It to Beaver'' is an American television sitcom that follows the misadventures of a suburban boy, his family and his friends. It starred Barbara Billingsley, Hugh Beaumont, Tony Dow and Jerry Mathers. CBS first broadcast the show ...

'' (2/11/1961) (Season 4, Episode 20: "Beaver’s Tonsils") as Dr. Kirby * ''

'' (2/14/1963) (Season 6 Episode 21: "Beaver the Caddy") as Arthur Howard * ''

Adam-12 ''Adam-12'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created by Robert A. Cinader and Jack Webb and produced by Mark VII Limited and Universal Television. The series follows Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers Pe ...

'' (1970) (Season 3 Episode 9: "Log 25: Indians") as Charley * ''

'' (1972) (Season 4 Episode 14: "Citizens All") as Jason Walters * ''

'' (1973) (Season 5 Episode 17: "The Beast") as Ralph Peterson * ''

'' (01/29/1974) (Season 6 Episode 17: "Taking It Easy") as Old Man

References

Bibliography

* Pitts, Michael R. ''Western Movies: A Guide to 5,105 Feature Films''. McFarland, 2012.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gallaudet, John 1903 births 1983 deaths American male film actors American male television actors Burials at Pacific View Memorial Park 20th-century American male actors Williams College alumni