Larry Thor (August 27, 1916 – March 15, 1976) was a radio newscaster and announcer, an actor in film and radio, and a university professor. He "was noted for his distinctive voice ... his rich resonant tones."
Early professional life
A native of Lundar, Manitoba, Canada, Thor was a soldier, a construction worker, a farmer, and a rancher before he went into broadcasting. His first experience in radio came in 1937
as an unpaid singer at
CFAR in
Flin Flon
Flin Flon (pop. 5,185 in 2016 census; 4,982 in Manitoba and 203 in Saskatchewan) is a mining city, located on a correction line on the border of the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, with the majority of the city located withi ...
,
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...
, Canada. He soon became the writer for
CFAR, a job he held for three years. From there he went to CKGB in Timmins as an announcer. Later, he moved to
CKCL in Toronto as a newscaster.
[ In 1946, he moved to the United States, joining the staff of KFAC in Los Angeles.][ Following that, Thor worked at KMPC, in ]Hollywood, California
Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...
, as a newscaster and writer. In 1948, he left KMPC and went to KNX in Hollywood as an announcer. From
1964 to 1967 he was the radio announcer on the TV program Gilligan's Island
''Gilligan's Island'' is an American sitcom created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz. The show's ensemble cast features Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Tina Louise, Russell Johnson, and Dawn Wells. It aired for th ...
, and appeared as himself on S02 Episode 04 Smile, You're on Mars Camera.
Radio drama
Thor's involvement with drama on radio began in Canada. In addition to his work as an announcer (noted above), he began his own company, Peak Radio Ltd., which produced radio dramas.[ During Thor's time on American network radio, he was an announcer for '' Green Lama'',][Sies, Luther F. (2014). ''Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920–1960, 2nd Edition, Volume 1''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . pp. 139, 277.] '' Rocky Jordan'',[Dunning, John. (1998). ''On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio''. Oxford University Press. . pp. 120, 582.] and ''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 ...
''.[ He also was the announcer on the syndicated radio program, ''The Clyde Beatty Show''.]
Recordings
In 1964, Thor recorded a 12-song album for children.[ ''Galloping on My Dinosaur'' was released on the Harmony label. Thor also wrote the music and lyrics for the songs in the album.][
]
Writing
Thor wrote his first script for an episode of ''Suspense.'' "The Man Who Cried Wolf" was broadcast February 9, 1953.[ He went on to write scripts for episodes of ''This is our Heritage'', ''Fantasy of Fact'', ''The Record Collectors'', and ''Hallmark Hall of Fame''. He also wrote four books.][
]
Teaching
Thor began teaching in the screenwriting program at the University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...
, in January 1968, offering "a special course for the advanced writers."[ He continued to teach there, enhancing his courses with "many professional actors, producers and writers who were brought into his class as guest lecturers" until he died in 1976.][
]
Family
While still in Canada, Thor married the former Leona Finnie of Winnipeg[ when he was 21. They had four children.][ In 1956, Thor married Jean Howell, an actress and writer.][ She divorced him after four months.
]
Filmography
Thor had roles in 29 feature films, as shown in the table below.
Selected Television Appearances
* '' Perry Mason'' (1957-1963) (2 episodes)
**(Season 1 Episode 5: "The Case of the Sulky Girl") (1957) as Police Surgeon
**(Season 6 Episode 28: "The Case of the Witless Witness") (1963) as Commentator
* ''Sea Hunt
''Sea Hunt'' is an American action adventure television series that aired in syndication from 1958 to 1961 and was popular for decades afterwards. The series originally aired for four seasons, with 155 episodes produced. It stars Lloyd Bridges ...
'' (1958) (Season 1 Episode 6: "Female of the Species") as Pete Zawicki
* ''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 ...
'' (1958) (Season 1 Episode 28: "The Sally Potter Story") as Sergeant Hood
* ''Rawhide
Rawhide may refer to:
*Rawhide (material), a hide or animal skin that has not been tanned
* Whip made from rawhide
Entertainment
* ''Rawhide'' (1926 film), a Western directed by Richard Thorpe
* ''Rawhide'' (1938 film), a Western starring baseball ...
'' (1959) (Season 1 Episode 20: "Incident of the Judas Trap") as Brown
* ''The Rifleman
''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television series starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show ...
'' (1962) (Season 4 Episode 24: "Tinhorn") as Jesse Phillips
* ''The Andy Griffith Show
''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American sitcom television series that was aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color.
The series ...
'' (1964) (Season 5 Episode 2: "Barney's Physical") as Mr. Bronson
* ''The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
''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 a ...
'' (1965) (Season 3 Episode 12: "Crimson Witness") as Detective Haskel
* ''The Munsters
''The Munsters'' is an American sitcom about the home life of a family of benign monsters that aired from 1964 to 1966 on CBS. The series stars Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster (Frankenstein's monster),Episodes referring to the fact that Herman is ...
'' (1965) (Season 1 Episode 18: "If a Martian Answers, Hang Up") as Second Man
* '' The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' (1966) (Season 3 Episode 7: "The Thor Affair") as Announcer
* ''The Mod Squad
''The Mod Squad'' is an American crime drama series, originally broadcast for five seasons on ABC from September 24, 1968, to March 1, 1973. It starred Michael Cole as Peter "Pete" Cochran, Clarence Williams III as Lincoln "Linc" Hayes, Pegg ...
'' (1968) (Season 1 Episode 1: "The Teeth of the Barracuda") as Doctor
References
External links
*
Larry Thor, Theater Arts: Los Angeles – The University of California
Galloping on My Dinosaur and Other Fun Songs for Children
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thor, Larry
1916 births
1976 deaths
Canadian people of Icelandic descent
Canadian radio personalities
Canadian male radio actors
Canadian male film actors
Canadian male voice actors
20th-century Canadian male actors
People from Interlake Region, Manitoba
Male actors from Manitoba