LeRoy Franklin Mason(July 2, 1903 – October 13, 1947) was an American film actor who worked primarily inWesternsin both the silent and sound film eras. Mason was born inLarimore, North Dakota,on July 2, 1903.[1]
LeRoy Mason | |
---|---|
Born | LeRoy Franklin Mason July 2, 1903 |
Died | October 13, 1947 Van Nuys, California,U.S. | (aged 44)
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1924–1947 |
Spouse(s) |
[citation needed] Bo Ling(m. 1937–his death) |
Career
edit1920s
editMason's first film wasHit and RunoppositeHoot Gibson(1924).[2]He was officially credited inBorn to Battle(1926) oppositeTom TylerandJean Arthur.[2]In 1926, Mason starred inThe Arizona Streakopposite Tom Tyler,Frankie Darro,andAda Mae Vaughn.[2]Also in 1926, he starred inLightning HutchoppositeCharles HutchisonandEdith Thornton.[2]Mason starred opposite Tom Tyler,Doris Hill,andFrankie DarroinTom and His Pals(1926). He starred oppositeWilliam Fairbanks,Alice Calhoun,andFrank RiceinFlying High(1926).[3]He starred inClosed Gates(1928) oppositeJohn Harron,Jane Novak,andLucy Beaumont.Mason starred inGolden Shackles(1928) oppositeGrant WithersandPriscilla Bonner.He starred inThe Avenging Shadow(1928) oppositeMargaret Morris.Mason starred inThe Law's Lash(1928) oppositeRobert EllisandMary Mayberry.He starred inHit of the Show(1928), originally asilent film,oppositeJoe E. Brown,Gertrude Olmstead,andWilliam Bailey.Mason starred inRevenge(1928)Dolores del Río,James A. Marcus,andRita Carewe.[4][5]He starred inThe Viking(1928) oppositePauline StarkeandDonald Crisp.[6][7]Mason starred inBride of the Desert(1929) oppositeAlice CalhounandEthan Laidlaw.He starred inThe Woman Who Was Forgotten(1930) oppositeBelle BennettandJack Mower.[8]
1930s
editMason starred opposite ofLon Chaney Jr.inThe Last Frontier(1932).[9]He starred oppositeRay "Crash" CorriganinThe Painted Stallion(1937).[9]Mason starred oppositeJohn WayneinWyoming Outlaw(1939)[10]andNew Frontier(1939).[11]
1940s
editMason starred oppositeDavid SharpeinSilver Stallion(1941).[12]He starred oppositeWild Bill ElliottinHidden Valley Outlaws(1944). In the film, Mason andJohn Jamessings the songOh Susanna.[13]
Personal life and death
editMason marriedRita Carewein 1928 and divorced her in 1936. He was married to actressBo Ling;they had no children and eventually separated.[14]A shooting accident on a film set in the 1930s caused him to lose sight in his right eye.[2]
On October 13, 1947, Mason died of "acute myocardial infarctiondue tocoronary thrombosis"in theBirmingham Veterans Administration HospitalinVan Nuys, California.He had been there for 31 days after suffering a heart attack on the set ofCalifornia Firebrand.[2]AnAssociated Pressnews story published October 14, 1947, says that Mason "collapsed on a Republic Studio set Monday and died a few hours later of a heart ailment."[15]
Filmography
editFilm
editYear | Title | Role | Director (s) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1924 | Hit and Run | Spectator | Edward Sedgwick | |
1926 | Born to Battle | Daley | Robert De Lacey | Silentwestern film |
The Arizona Streak | Velvet Hamilton | |||
Lightning Hutch | Frank Proctor | Charles Hutchison | Silentaction film | |
Tom and His Pals | Courtney | Robert De Lacey | Silent western film | |
Flying High | Lester Swope | Charles Hutchison | Silent action film | |
1927 | Closed Gates | Harvey Newell | Phil Rosen | Silentmelodrama film |
1928 | Golden Shackles | Herbert Fordyce | Dallas M. Fitzgerald | Silentdrama film |
The Avenging Shadow | George Brooks, Deputy Warden | Ray Taylor | Silent action film | |
The Law's Lash | Pete Rogan - Henchman | Noel M. Smith | ||
Hit of the Show | Woody | Ralph Ince |
| |
Revenge | Jorga | Edwin Carewe | Silent drama film | |
The Viking | Alwin | Roy William Neill |
| |
1929 | Bride of the Desert | Fugitive | Duke Worne | Western film |
1930 | The Woman Who Was Forgotten | Richard Atwell | Richard Thomas |
|
The Climax | Dr. Gardoni | Renaud Hoffman | Thriller film | |
See America Thirst | Attorney | William James Craft | ||
1932 | Texas Pioneers | Mark Collins | Harry L. Fraser | |
Shopworn | Toby | Nick Grinde | ||
Mason of the Mounted | Calhoun | Harry Fraser | ||
Merrily We Go to Hell | Party Guest | Dorothy Arzner | Uncredited | |
The Last Frontier | Buck | Spencer Gordon Bennet | Serial | |
1933 | The Monkey's Paw | Afghan | Wesley Ruggles | Uncredited |
Luxury Liner | Ship Passenger at Bar | Lothar Mendes | Uncredited | |
King Kong | New York Theatergoer | Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack | Uncredited | |
The Phantom of the Air | Mortimer Crome | Ray Taylor | Serial | |
Life in the Raw | Lamson's Henchman | Louis King | Uncredited | |
The Last Trail | Withers, Henchman | James Tinling | Uncredited | |
I Loved a Woman | Martha's Coachman | Alfred E. Green | Uncredited | |
Smoky | Lefty | Eugene Forde | ||
Maizie | Paul Barnes | Dallas M. Fitzgerald | ||
1934 | Are We Civilized? | Paul Franklin Jr. | Edwin Carewe | |
The Dude Ranger | Dale Hyslip | Edward F. Cline | ||
Redhead | Pretty Boy | Melville W. Brown | ||
The Fighting Trooper | Andre La Farge | Ray Taylor | ||
When a Man Sees Red | Dick Brady | Alan James | ||
1935 | Texas Terror | Joe Dickson | Robert N. Bradbury | With John Wayne |
Northern Frontier | Stone | Sam Newfield | ||
The Mystery Man | The Eel, Gangster | Ray McCarey | ||
Rainbow Valley | Rogers | Robert N. Bradbury | With John Wayne | |
Men of Action | Jim Denton - Construction Engineer | Alan James | ||
Call of the Wild | Pimp in Mary's Room | William A. Wellman | Uncredited | |
Valley of Wanted Men | Larry Doyle | Alan James | ||
1936 | Black Gold | Henry 'Hank' Langford | Russell Hopton | |
Comin' Round the Mountain | Matt Ford | Mack V. Wright | ||
Go-Get-'Em, Haines | Tony Marchetti | Sam Newfield | ||
The Border Patrolman | Courtney Maybrook | David Howard | ||
Ghost-Town Gold | Dirk Barrington | Joseph Kane | ||
Fury Below | Fred Johnson | Harry Fraser |
The following were withJohn Wayne:
- Maker of Men(1931)
- California Straight Ahead!(1937)
- Santa Fe Stampede(1938)
- Wyoming Outlaw(1939)
- New Frontier(1939)
Other films:
- It Happened Out West(1937)
- Jungle Menace(1937)
- Heroes of the Hills(1938)
- Topa Topa(1938)
- The Painted Trail(1938)
- The Range Busters(1940)
- Rocky Mountain Rangers(1940)
- Triple Justice(1940)
- Across the Sierras(1941)
- Silver Stallion(1941)
- Chetniks! The Fighting Guerrillas(1943)
- Raiders of Sunset Pass(1943)
- Lucky Cowboy(1944)
- The Tiger Woman(1944)
- San Fernando Valley(1944)
References
editCitations
edit- ^Katchmer 2009,p. 236.
- ^abcdefMayer 2017,p. 205.
- ^Munden 1997,p. 256.
- ^Curtis, James(2015).William Cameron Menzies: The Shape of Films to Come(1st ed.).New York City:Pantheon Books.ISBN978-0375424724.
- ^Goble 2011,p. 928.
- ^Klepper 1999,p. 493.
- ^Matheson 2011,p. 302.
- ^Paietta 2007,p. 220.
- ^abCline 2000,p. 125.
- ^Reid 2005a,p. 212.
- ^Davis, Ronald L. (1998).Duke: The Life and Image of John Wayne.Norman, Oklahoma:University of Oklahoma Press.ISBN978-0806130156.
- ^Holland 1989,p. 173.
- ^Blottner 2011,p. 64.
- ^Cho & The Chinese Historical Society of Southern California 2013,p. 30.
- ^"Film Actor Leroy Mason Dies from Heart Attack".Winnipeg Tribune.Winnipeg,Manitoba,Canada:Southam Newspapers.Associated Press. October 14, 1947. p. 2.RetrievedOctober 20,2017– viaNewspapers.
- ^Usai 2018,p. 61.
- ^Helgason 2017,p. 155.
- ^Reid 2005b,p. 237.
Sources
edit- Blottner, Gene (2011).Wild Bill Elliott: A Complete Filmography(Reprint ed.).New York City:McFarland & Company.p. 64.ISBN978-0786469031.
- Cho, Jenny; The Chinese Historical Society of Southern California (2013).Chinese in Hollywood.Charleston, South Carolina:Arcadia Publishing.p. 30.ISBN978-0738599731.
- Cline, William C. (2000).Serials-ly Speaking: Essays on Cliffhangers.New York City:McFarland & Company.p. 125.ISBN978-0786409181.
- Goble, Alan (2011) [1999].The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film(Reprint ed.).Munich:De Gruyter Saur.p. 928.ISBN978-3598114922.
- Helgason, Jón Karl (2017)."Leif: When civilization was less civilized".Echoes of Valhalla: The Afterlife of the Eddas and Sagas(Translation ed.).Islington,London:Reaktion Books.p. 155.ISBN978-1780237152.
- Holland, Ted (1989).B-Western Actors Encyclopedia: Facts, Photos and Filmographies for More Than 250 Familiar Faces.New York City:McFarland & Company.p. 173.ISBN978-0899503066.
- Katchmer, George A. (2009).A Biographical Dictionary of Silent Film Western Actors and Actresses.New York City:McFarland & Company.p. 236.ISBN978-0786446933.
- Klepper, Robert K. (1999).Silent Films, 1877-1996: A Critical Guide to 646 Movies.New York City:McFarland & Company.p. 493.ISBN978-0786405954.
- Matheson, Lister M. (2011).Icons of the Middle Ages: Rulers, Writers, Rebels, and Saints.Greenwood Icons. Vol. 1.Santa Barbara, California:Greenwood Publishing Group.p. 302.ISBN978-0313340819.
- Mayer, Geoff (2017).Encyclopedia of American Film Serials.New York City:McFarland & Company.p. 205.ISBN978-0786477623.
- Munden, Kenneth White (1997).The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States, Part 1.Berkeley, California:University of California Press.p. 256.ISBN978-0520209640.
- Paietta, Ann C. (2007).Teachers in the Movies: A Filmography of Depictions of Grade School, Preschool and Day Care Educators, 1890s to the Present.New York City:McFarland & Company.p. 220.ISBN978-0786429387.
- Reid, John (2005b).Movies Magnificent: 150 Must-See Cinema Classics.Morrisville, North Carolina:Lulu Press, Inc.p. 237.ISBN978-1411650671.
- Reid, John Howard (2005a).Hollywood Gold: Films of the Forties and Fifties.Hollywood Classics (Paperback ed.).Morrisville, North Carolina:Lulu Press, Inc.p. 212.ISBN978-1411635241.
- Usai, Paolo Cherchi (2018).Silent Cinema: A Guide to Study, Research and Curatorship(3rd ed.).Lambeth,London:British Film Institute.p. 61.ISBN978-1844575299.