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

Early days

Arlen served in Canada as a pilot in the

Royal Flying Corps The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC sup ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He later taught 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 (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 ...

.TODAY in Masonic History: Richard Arlen Passes Away.
''Masonry Today''. Retrieved March 8, 2020. Following his World War I service, he attended the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

, then worked a variety of odd jobs before an accident as a film laboratory delivery boy landed him a role as an extra in a silent Hollywood film.

Career

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

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

-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, silent screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, ...

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. Arlen later appeared in the science fiction horror '' Island of Lost Souls'' (1932) with

Charles Laughton Charles Laughton (; 1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was a British and American actor. He was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in 1926. In 1927, he was cast in a play wi ...

, adapted from the

H.G. Wells Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer, prolific in many genres. He wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, hist ...

novel '' The Island of Dr. Moreau''. He was among the more famous residents of the celebrity enclave, Toluca Lake,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

.History of Toluca Lake
Toluca Lake Chamber of Commerce, retrieved on September 15, 2010. In 1939, Universal teamed him with

Andy Devine Andrew Vabre Devine (October 7, 1905 – February 18, 1977) was an American character actor known for his distinctive raspy, crackly voice and roles in American frontier, Western films, including his role as Cookie, the sidekick of Roy Rogers ...

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 written series, radio, television, film, or video game series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a different ca ...

, including ''

Playhouse 90 ''Playhouse 90'' is an American television anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 134 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology drama series of t ...

'', ''

The Loretta Young Show ''The Loretta Young Show'' (originally known as ''Letter to Loretta'') is an American anthology drama television series broadcast on Sunday nights from September 2, 1953, to June 4, 1961, on NBC for a total of 165 episodes. The series was hoste ...

'', '' The 20th Century Fox Hour'', 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''. He appeared on the November 9, 1968 episode of '' 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 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 ...

'', '' Wanted: Dead or Alive'', ''

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 ...

'', and '' Yancy Derringer'', and in such drama/adventure programs as '' Ripcord'', ''

Whirlybirds ''Whirlybirds'' (sometimes called ''The Whirlybirds'' or ''Copter Patrol'') is a Television syndication, syndicated American Dramatic programming, drama/adventure television series, which aired for 111 episodes — broadcast from February ...

'', '' Perry Mason'', '' The New Breed'', '' Coronado 9'', and '' Michael Shayne''.

Personal life

Arlen supported

Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and major general in the United States Air Force, Air Force Reserve who served as a United States senator from 1953 to 1965 and 1969 to 1987, and was the Re ...

in the

1964 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 3, 1964, less than a year following the assassination of John F. Kennedy, who won the previous presidential election. The Democratic Party (U ...

. Arlen married actress Jobyna Ralston in January 1927, and they had one son. She divorced him in 1945 claiming in court that he had "packed up" and left her. He got married again in 1946 to New York socialite Margaret Kinsella.

Death

On March 28, 1976, Arlen died of pulmonary emphysema in North Hollywood, California.

Legacy

In 1960, Arlen was inducted into the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

with a motion pictures star at 6755

Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It runs through the Hollywood, East Hollywood, Little Armenia, Thai Town, and Los Feliz districts. Its western terminus is at Sunset Plaza Drive in the Hollyw ...

for his contributions to the film industry.

Filmography

Short subjects

*''A Trip Through the Paramount Studio'' (1927) as Himself *''Hollywood on Parade No. A-6'' (1933) as Himself / The Great Arlen (uncredited) *''Hollywood on Parade No. A-9'' (1933) as Himself – Dick Arlen (uncredited) *''How to Break 90 #4: Downswing'' (1933) as Himself – Dick Arlen (uncredited) *''Hollywood on Parade No. B-6'' (1934) as Himself *''Hollywood Hobbies'' (1935) as Himself *''Screen Snapshots Series 15, No. 3'' (1935) as Himself *'' Swing with Bing'' (1940) as Himself – Movie Star playing Golf *''Screen Snapshots: Sports in Hollywood'' (1940) as Himself, Golf Player *''Soaring Stars'' (1942) as Himself (uncredited) *''Unusual Occupations'' (1942) as Himself (uncredited) *''Paramount Victory Short: A Letter from Bataan'' (1942) as Pvt. John W. Lewis *''

'' (1961) as Sheriff Dan Rainey – S3E16 "The Price of Paradise"

References

External links

* * * * *
Photographs of Richard Arlen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arlen, Richard 1899 births 1976 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male silent film actors American male television actors Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City Deaths from emphysema Male Western (genre) film actors Male actors from Los Angeles Male actors from Minnesota Male actors from Saint Paul, Minnesota Paramount Pictures contract players Royal Flying Corps officers United States Army Air Forces officers United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II University of Pennsylvania alumni British Army personnel of World War I Respiratory disease deaths in California