The Chance of a Lifetime

Chester Morris (born John Chester Brooks Morris; February 16, 1901 – September 11, 1970) was an American stage, film, television, and radio actor. He had some prestigious film roles early in his career, and was nominated for an Academy Award. Chester Morris is best remembered today for portraying Boston Blackie, a criminal-turned-detective, in the modestly budgeted Boston Blackie film series of the 1940s.

Jeanne Bates (May 21, 1918 – November 28, 2007) was an American actress. After performing in radio serials, she signed a contract with Columbia Pictures in 1942 which began her career in films both in bit parts and larger roles in a series of horror films and noirs, including The Return of the Vampire (1943) and Shadows in the Night (1946). In her later career, Bates would collaborate with David Lynch on his films Eraserhead (1977) and Mulholland Drive (2001), the latter of which was her last film credit before her death in 2007. Description above from the Wikipedia article Jeanne Bates, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.​

George E. Stone (born Gerschon Lichtenstein; May 18, 1903 – May 26, 1967) was a Polish-born American character actor in movies, radio, and television. Description above from the Wikipedia article George E. Stone, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Lloyd Corrigan (October 16, 1900 – November 5, 1969) was an American film and television actor, producer, screenwriter, and director who began working in films in the 1920s. The son of actress Lillian Elliott, Corrigan directed films, usually mysteries such as Daughter of the Dragon starring Anna May Wong (one of a trilogy of Fu Manchu movies for which he has writing credits), before dedicating himself more to acting in 1938. His short La Cucaracha won an Academy Award in 1935.

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Douglas Fowley (born Daniel Vincent Fowley; May 30, 1911 – May 21, 1998) was an American movie and television actor in more than 240 films and dozens of television programs. Fowley is probably best remembered for his role as the frustrated movie director Roscoe Dexter in Singin' in the Rain (1952), and for his regular supporting role as Doc Holliday in The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Maude Eburne (born Maud Eburne Riggs, 10 November 1875 – 15 October 1960) was a Canadian character actress of stage and screen, known for playing eccentric roles. Eburne began her career in stock theater in Buffalo, New York. Her early theater work was in Ontario and New York City, debuting on Broadway to great acclaim as "Coddles" in the 1914 farce A Pair of Sixes. "When I first came to New York... I said I didn't want to be beautiful young girls or stately leading women, but wanted parts that had something queer in them, especially if there were dialect." She continued to play mainly humorous domestic roles on stage, appearing in productions such as The Half Moon (1920), Lady Butterfly (1923), Three Cheers (1928) and Many a Slip (1930), before her first significant film role — and first sound film role — in The Bat Whispers (1930), director Roland West's sound remake of his 1926 silent feature The Bat.

Arthur Lee Hunnicutt (February 17, 1910 – September 26, 1979) was an American actor known for his portrayal of wise, grizzled, and old rural characters. He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Big Sky (1952). He was also known for his role in the Western television series Sugarfoot (1957–1961).

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Cyrus Willard Kendall (March 10, 1898 – July 22, 1953) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 140 films between 1935 and 1950. Kendall's heavy-set, square-jawed appearance and deep voice were perfect for wiseguy roles such as policemen and police chiefs, wardens, military officers, bartenders, reporters, and mobsters. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri and died in Woodland Hills, California.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Pierre Frank Watkin (December 29, 1889 – February 3, 1960) was an American character actor in many films, serials, and television series from the 1930s through the 1950s, especially westerns. He is perhaps best remembered for being the father of Eleanor Twitchell, the lady who captures Lou Gehrig's heart in Pride of the Yankees (1942) Watkin was born in Sioux City, Iowa. In the 1920s, he had his own theatrical troupe, the Pierre Watkin Players. In 1927, the group moved its headquarters from Sioux Falls to Lincoln, Nebraska. Watkin portrayed Perry White in both of the Superman serials of the late 1940s, which starred Kirk Alyn as the title character and Noel Neill as Lois Lane. Watkin played a few different characters in the television series Adventures of Superman, in which John Hamilton played Perry White. He was set to reprise his role as the editor of The Daily Planet in a revival of the series in 1959, as Hamilton had died in the interim since the cancellation of the original series. However, series star George Reeves also died in the summer of 1959, and those plans ended. Watkin himself died six months later. He also cast in 1955 in the episode "Joey and the Gypsies" of the NBC children's western series Fury. Watkin guest starred in the CBS western series Brave Eagle. He was cast twice each on the ABC/Warner Brothers series, Cheyenne (as Harvey Sinclair in "The Law Man") and Annie Oakley (as the Reverend Mills in the 1956 episode "The Reckless Press"). In 1958, Watkin portrayed Dr. Breen of Samaritan Hospital in the episode "San Francisco Story" of Rex Allen's syndicated western series, Frontier Doctor. During the first season of CBS's Perry Mason from 1957 to 1958, Watkin appeared in three episodes as Judge Keetley. He was also cast during the 1950s on The Range Rider, Tales of the Texas Rangers, in three episodes of the western aviation adventure series Sky King, and five times on The Jack Benny Program. Watkin played the part of Colonel Duncan in the 1958 episode "Decoy" of the ABC/Warner Brothers western series Colt .45.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Walter Sande (July 9, 1906 - November 22, 1971) was an American actor, notable for film roles including Paul Revere in Walt Disney's Johnny Tremain. Born in Denver, Colorado, he was one of those stern, heavyset character actors in Hollywood no person could recognize by name. He showed an early interest in music as a youth and by his college years managed to start his own band. This led to a job as musical director for 20th Century-Fox's theater chain, which, in turn, led him to acting in films beginning in 1937. Usually providing atmospheric bits with no billing, he made an initial impression in serial cliffhangers as a third-string heavy with the popular The Green Hornet Strikes Again! and Sky Raiders. His first top featured role, however, would come with The Iron Claw as Jack "Flash" Strong, a photographer who, uncharacteristically for Walter, served as a comic sidekick to our serial hero. Best of all would be his role in another serial as Red Pennington, the amusing sidekick to Don Winslow of the Navy. He repeated his role again in Don Winslow of the Coast Guard, the successful sequel. The Pennington role would spark a long and steady career in movies, usually a step or two behind Hollywood's elite, in To Have and Have Not (prominently featured as the fisherman who tries to cheat Bogie), in Along Came Jones, The Blue Dahlia, Dark City and Bad Day at Black Rock, among hundreds of others. A regular authoritative presence in these classic sci-fi films Red Planet Mars, The War of the Worlds and Invaders from Mars. He also had a recurring featured part in the 1940s Boston Blackie film series playing Detective Matthews alongside 'Chester Morris former thief-turned-crime hero. A primary support player during the 'golden age' of TV, Walter worked on nearly every popular western and crime show available throughout the 1950s and 1960s. He had a regular series role on "The Adventures of Tugboat Annie" as Captain Horatio Bullwinkle, Annie's tugboat rival, and a recurring one as Lars "Papa" Holstrum, on "The Farmer's Daughter". He died of a heart attack in 1971 at age sixty-five in Chicago, Illinois. Description above from the Wikipedia article Walter Sande, licensed under CC-BY-SA,full list of contributors on Wikipedia. ​

Jack Carr (born Frank Carr) was an American actor and animator. While working at Leon Schlesinger's animation studio (that provided cartoons to Warner Bros.), he provided the voice of Buddy from 1933 to 1934.

Richard Alexander (November 19, 1902 – August 9, 1989) was an American film character actor.

Trevor Bardette (born Terva Gaston Hubbard November 19, 1902 – November 28, 1977) was an American film and television actor. Among many other roles in his long and prolific career, Bardette appeared in several episodes of Adventures of Superman and as Newman Haynes Clanton, or Old Man Clanton, in 21 episodes of the ABC/Desilu western series, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Eddy Chandler (March 12, 1894 – March 23, 1948) was an American actor who appeared, mostly uncredited, in more than 300 films. Three of these films won the Academy Award for Best Picture: It Happened One Night (1934), You Can't Take It with You (1938), and Gone with the Wind (1939). Chandler was born in the small Iowa city of Wilton Junction and died in Los Angeles, California.

James Conaty was an American screen actor whose career spanned from 1928 to his death.

Heinie Conklin (born Charles John Conklin; July 16, 1880 – July 30, 1959) was an American actor and comedian whose career began in the silent film era.

Kit Guard was born on May 5, 1894 in Hals, Denmark as Christen Klitgaard. He was an actor, known for The Fight That Failed (1926), The Midnight Son (1926) and Assorted Nuts (1926). He died on July 18, 1961 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.

John Harmon was born on June 30, 1905 in Washington, USA as Johann Hermann Legler. He was an actor and production manager, known for Star Trek: The Original Series (1966), King of the Underworld (1939) and The Monster of Piedras Blancas (1959). He died on August 6, 1985 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Forbes Murray was born on November 4, 1884 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada as Murray Forbes Barnard. He was an actor, known for A Chump at Oxford (1940), Ride, Tenderfoot, Ride (1940) and The Spider's Web (1938). He died on November 18, 1982 in Douglas County, Oregon, USA.

Frank O'Connor was an American screen and television actor, as well as a director, screenwriter, and producer. His lengthy film acting career began in 1915.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Harry Semels (November 20, 1887 – March 2, 1946) was an American film actor. He appeared in over 315 film between 1917 and 1946. Semels appeared in his first film in 1917. He began to achieve fame after arriving at Columbia Pictures, appearing in several Three Stooges shorts including Disorder in the Court, Wee Wee Monsieur and Three Little Sew and Sews. He also appeared in feature films like Road to Morocco, The Princess and the Pirate and The Kid from Brooklyn. A versatile character actor, Semels often appeared as villains, waiters, soldiers, lawyers, et al.