Jump to content

Dick Foran

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dick Foran
Foran inHeart of the North(1938)
Born
John Nicholas Foran

(1910-06-18)June 18, 1910
Flemington, New Jersey,U.S.
DiedAugust 10, 1979(1979-08-10)(aged 69)
Panorama City, California,U.S.
Resting placeSan Fernando Mission Cemetery,Los Angeles, California,U.S.
Other namesNick Foran
Occupation(s)Actor, singer
Years active1934–1969
Spouses
Ruth Piper Hollingsworth
​
​
(m.1937;div.1940)​
​
​
(m.1943;div.1945)​
[1]
Susanne Rosser
​
(m.1951)​
Children4

John Nicholas"Dick"Foran(June 18, 1910 – August 10, 1979) was an Americanactorand singer, known for his performances inWesternmusicalsand for playing supporting roles in dramatic pictures. He appeared in dozens of movies of every type during his lengthy career, often with top stars leading the cast.

Early years[edit]

Foran was born inFlemington, New Jersey,the first of five sons toArthur F. Foranand Elizabeth Foran. His father was aRepublicanmember of theNew Jersey Senate,[2]as was Dick Foran's younger brother,Walter E. Foran.

He attendedMercersburg Academy,where he competed on the track team under Scots-American athletics coachJimmy Curran.[3]After graduation he attended theHun School,a college preparatory school in nearbyPrinceton,and then enrolled atPrinceton University,pursuing a degree in geology.[4]He played on thefootballteam while taking courses in the arts, where he developed an interest in the theater.[2]

Foran studied music at the Leibling Studio in New York before singing on radio.[2]AsNick Foran,he went on to become a lead singer with a band[5]and later formed his own orchestra.

Film[edit]

Four Daughters(1938)

Foran was still billed as Nick Foran when he signed a contract with Fox in 1934.[6]In 1935, Foran, who stood 6-foot-2 and had red hair, could also sing when called upon in films such asChange of Heart(1934) withJanet Gaynor.His handsome appearance and good-natured personality made him a natural choice for the supporting cast.

Fox didn't pick up Foran's contract option, and he was released after one year. He was soon signed byWarner Bros.,which changed his name to Dick Foran and cast him as asinging cowboy,to compete with the successfulGene Autrymusical westerns. His first starring role was inMoonlight on the Prairie(1935). His other singing-cowboy features includedSong of the Saddle(1936),Guns of the Pecos(1937), andEmpty Holsters(1937);[7]some of these were remakes of earlier Warner westerns starringJohn Wayne.

Foran also appeared as a character actor in Warners' important films, likeThe Petrified Forest(1936) withBette DavisandHumphrey Bogart,The Sisters(1938) withErrol FlynnandBette Davis,andBoy Meets Girl(1938) andThe Fighting 69th(1940), both withJames CagneyandPat O'Brien.

In 1940, Foran moved toUniversal Studios,where he acted in many different genres of film fromhorrortocomedy,such asMy Little Chickadee(1940) withMae WestandW.C. Fields;Keep 'Em Flying(1941) andRide 'Em Cowboy(1942), both withAbbott and Costello;[7]Private BuckaroowithHarry James,theAndrews Sisters,andShemp Howard;andThe Mummy's Hand(1940) withTom Tylerasthe Mummy.Foran reprised the same role in the sequelThe Mummy's Tomb(1942), this time withLon Chaney Jr.as the Mummy. He also starred in the studio's western serialsWinners of the West(1940) andRiders of Death Valley(1941).

One of his last film roles was a small one inDonovan's Reef(1963), starring his longtime friendJohn WayneandLee Marvin.His final film appearance was as theprospector"Old Timer" in the sentimental filmBrighty of the Grand Canyon(1967) withJoseph Cotten,Pat Conway,andKarl Swenson.

Stage[edit]

Foran left Universal in 1943 to star onBroadwayin theRodgers and Hartmusical comedyA Connecticut Yankee,based on Mark Twain'sA Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.[8]

Television[edit]

In 1954, Foran guest-starred onNBC'sJustice,alegal dramastarringDane ClarkandGary Merrill,on CBS'sThe Public DefenderstarringReed HadleyandHugh Beaumont,and on NBC'sThe Martha Raye Show,acomedy/variety show.

Foran appeared in at least four episodes ofScience Fiction Theatre(1955). One of these, "The Miracle Hour", aired December 22, 1956. Foran appeared three times (1955–1956) as Father Brophy on theABCanthology seriesCrossroads.He guest-starred in thesyndicatedcrime dramaSheriff of CochisestarringJohn Bromfield.He also appeared as Burt, a carnival hustler, in 1957 on NBC'sFather Knows BestwithRobert Young.

Foran was prominently featured as a sheriff in the episode "The Third Rider"in the first season (1957) of the ABC/Warner Bros.Western seriesMaverickstarringJack Kellyas Bart Maverick, the brother ofJames Garner's character Bret Maverick. He also portrayed Tuck Degan in the 1957 episode "Final Payment" of another ABC/WB Western series,Colt.45starringWayde Preston.[citation needed]

In the January 1959 episode "The Spurs", he portrayed Sheriff Wilkes onWanted Dead or AlivestarringSteve McQueen.He made another guest appearance in the December 1960 episode: "The Choice", portraying aging bounty hunter Frank Koster. Also in 1959, Foran portrayed defendant Dr. David Craig onCBS'sPerry Masonin the episode "The Case of the Bedeviled Doctor". Later that year, he played defendant Steve Benton in anotherPerry Masonepisode, "The Case of the Garrulous Gambler". He was also featured as Perry Mason's client in the 1961 episode "The Case of the Renegade Refugee". In 1959, Foran was cast as David Steele in the episode "The Adjuster" of the NBCcrime dramaseriesRichard Diamond, Private Detective,starringDavid Janssen.Dabbs GreerandDeForest Kelleyalso appeared in this episode.[citation needed]

In 1962, Foran appeared withMarie Windsorin the roles of Frank and Ann Jesse in the episode "The Wanted Man" of the ABC/WB Western seriesLawman,starringJohn Russellas Marshal Dan Troop.[citation needed]

Foran later appeared as Gabriel Marion, brother of title characterFrancis Marion(Leslie Nielsen), in theWalt Disney PresentsminiseriesThe Swamp Fox.In 1965–1966, he had his only regular role on a TV series playing "Slim" onO.K. Crackerby!.In 1968, Foran was cast in the role of "Fred Haines" in season one, episode 13, of the NBC television seriesAdam-12.

Death[edit]

On August 10, 1979, Foran died aged 69 of respiratory ailments and pneumonia in Burbank, California. He was buried in theSan Fernando Mission Cemetery.[9]

Recognition[edit]

Foran has a star on theHollywood Walk of Famefor his contribution to television, at 1600 Vine Street. It was dedicated on February 8, 1960.[10]

Selected filmography[edit]

Selected television[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1962 Death Valley Days Ferguson Episode "The Breaking Point"
1958 Have Gun - Will Travel Roy Calvert Episode "Young Gun"
1963 Death Valley Days Doc Hutchins Episode "Pioneer Doctor"
1963 Death Valley Days Bill Franklin Episode "The Holy Terror"
1964 Death Valley Days Bannerman Episode "See the Elephant and Hear the Owl"
1965 Death Valley Days Will Melville Episode "Kate Melville and the Law"
1959 Wanted Dead or Alive Sheriff D. Wilkes Episode "The Spurs"
1960 Wanted Dead or Alive Frank Koster Episode "The Choice"
1969 Mayberry RFD King Beaumont Episode "Palm Springs Cowboy"

References[edit]

  1. ^"'Actor Dick Foran Married in East'".The San Francisco Examiner.San Francisco, California. January 14, 1943. p. 2.RetrievedAugust 31,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  2. ^abcMayer, Geoff (2017).Encyclopedia of American Film Serials.McFarland. p. 127.ISBN9780786477623.RetrievedJune 21,2017.
  3. ^Curran Watched Stars on Cinders First,St Petersburg Independent,April 24, 1960
  4. ^"Dick Foran, N. J. Boy",Herald News,December 28, 1939. Accessed December 21, 2023, viaNewspapers.com."Dick was born John Nicholas Foran at Flemlngton, N. J. His father is State Senator Arthur Foran. He received his first schooling in Flemington, then attended Merrersberg Academy and Hun School to prepare for entrance into Princeton."
  5. ^Varner, Paul (2009).The A to Z of Westerns in Cinema.Scarecrow Press. p. 92.ISBN9780810870512.RetrievedJune 21,2017.
  6. ^Monush, Barry (2003).Screen World Presents the Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors: From the silent era to 1965.Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 246–247.ISBN9781557835512.RetrievedJune 21,2017.
  7. ^abPhillips, Robert W.Singing Cowboy Stars.Salt Lake City: Gibbs-Smith, 1994. pp. 26–27.
  8. ^"(" Dick Foran "search results)".Playbill Vault.Playbill. Archived fromthe originalon June 21, 2017.RetrievedJune 21,2017.
  9. ^Ellenberger, Allan R. (2001).Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory.McFarland. p. 196.ISBN9780786450190.RetrievedJune 21,2017.
  10. ^"Dick Foran".Hollywood Walk of Fame.Archived fromthe originalon June 21, 2017.RetrievedJune 21,2017.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toDick Foran.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dick_Foran&oldid=1227999605"