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Douglas Fowley

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Douglas Fowley
Fowley in20 Mule Team(1940)
Born
Daniel Vincent Fowley

(1911-05-30)May 30, 1911
The Bronx,New York,U.S.
DiedMay 21, 1998(1998-05-21)(aged 86)
Los Angeles,California,U.S.
Resting placeMurrieta, California, Laurel Cemetery
Other namesDouglas V. Fowley[1]
OccupationActor
Years active1933–1982
Spouse
Jean Louise Paschall
​
​
(m.1961)​
Children6

Douglas Fowley(bornDaniel 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, He is probably best remembered for his role as the frustrated movie director Roscoe Dexter inSingin' in the Rain(1952), and for his regular supporting role asDoc Fabrique and Doc HolidayinThe Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp.He was the father of rock and roll musician and record producerKim Fowley.[2]

Early years

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Fowley was born in theBronxinNew York City.[3]He attendedLos Angeles City College.[1]

Fowley began as a singing waiter and then worked as a copy boy forThe New York Times,a runner for a Wall Street broker,[3]aUnited States Postal Serviceemployee, a barker, a salesman, a professional football player, and finally a professional actor.[citation needed]

Military service

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Fowley enlisted in theUnited States NavyduringWorld War II,where he served on an aircraft carrier in thePacific Ocean.[4]An explosion aboard knocked out his upper front teeth. Later he ended up portraying one of the best-known dentists in American history, "Doc" Fabrique and Doc Holiday, in the 1950s television showThe Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp."I started playing old character roles by removing my false upper plate, adding a beard, voice and gait to match my interpretation," he explained to Western Clippings in 1994.[2]

Film

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After nightclub performing and stage work, Fowley appeared in 1933 in his first film,The Mad Game,alongsideSpencer Tracy.[1]Early in his acting career, he was usually cast as a movie heavy or gangster in B-movies, includingCharlie ChanandLaurel and Hardyfeatures.

Douglas Fowley inRaiders of Old California(1957)

Fowley's films includeTwenty Mule Team,Fall Guy,Mighty Joe Young,Angels in the Outfield,Battleground,Armored Car Robbery,Chick Carter, Detective,The Naked Jungle,The High and the Mighty,andWalking Tall.

Television

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Regular cast

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For several seasons, Fowley played the key supporting role ofDoc Fabrique and Doc Holidayin the 1955-1961westerntelevision seriesThe Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp[5]: 600 after having appeared as Doc Fabrique in the show's premiere season. This role allowed Fowley to demonstrate his flair for comedy and other acting skills as a clever, sharp-witted, sardonic, cynical, alcoholic, poker-playing foil to the square-jawed, milk-drinking, church-going Wyatt Earp (Hugh O'Brian), nicknamed "Deacon" due to his rigid sense of morality. Not at all so encumbered Doc would occasionally take the law into his own hands behind Earp's back to protect his friend from legal action or even death when the marshal was legally or morally ham-strung. Fabrique, as played by Fowley, having no problem working around morals or the law, could be either hilarious or cold-blooded.[2]

From 1966 to 1967, Fowley portrayed Andrew Hanks inPistols 'n' Petticoats,[5]: 837 a CBS sitcom. Hanks was thepatriarchin a family of gun-toting women who seemed to have little need for male assistance.

Fowley portrayed retired businessman Robert Redford inDetective School(1979).[5]

Guest appearances

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In the 1950s, he appeared as himself onNBC'sThe Donald O'Connor Show.In 1954, he demonstrated his comic appeal when he appeared alongsideGracie AlleninThe George Burns and Gracie Allen Show.He was cast in 1956 as Bob Egan in the "Two-Fisted Saint" episode of the religiousanthology seriesCrossroads.He portrayed a con man in two episodes of the NBC sitcomIt's a Great Life.He also guest-starred onReed Hadley'sCBSlegal dramaThe Public Defender.He appeared, too, on the ABCsituation comedyThe Pride of the Familyand on the NBC Western seriesThe CaliforniansandJefferson Drum.He was cast on twoRod Cameronseries, thesyndicatedCity Detectiveand the Western-themedState Trooper,and inJohn Bromfield's series,U.S. Marshal.He guest-starred in theDavid Janssencrime dramaRichard Diamond, Private Detectiveand guest-starred in season two, episode four of the Robert Culp WesternTrackdown.

In 1959, Fowley appeared withFrank Fergusonin the episode "A Race for Life" of the CBS Western seriesThe Texan,starringRory Calhoun.[6]

On December 30, 1963, Fowley guest-starred in an episode ofThe Andy Griffith Show,“Opie and his Merry Men”, as ahobo.Opie and his friends stole food from the “rich” and gave to the hobo, who quickly refused Andy’s help in finding a job.

In 1964, Fowley made a guest appearance on the CBS courtroom drama seriesPerry Masonplaying agent Rubin Cason in "The Case of the Bountiful Beauty". In 1965, he was cast as Sorrowful in episode 83 of the seriesThe Virginian.

In 1966, he appeared as "Rufus C. Hoops" in "The Search" season 2, episode 24, of the series "Daniel Boone". Original air date for this episode was March 3, 1966. In 1967, Fowley guest-starred on the short-lived CBS WesternDundee and the CulhanewithJohn Mills.

In 1968, he appeared in episode 273 ofMy Three Sonsas an old pal of Uncle Charley's. He had a role in the syndicated 1959-1960 WesternPony Expressin the episode "Showdown at Thirty Mile Ridge". He was cast in 1963 inMiracle of the White Stallions.

In 1977, Fowley portrayed Dr. O. B. Mudd in thepilotepisode of theNBCsituation comedyQuark.

Fowley was usually typecast as a villain; when not playing an actual criminal, he often portrayed an argumentative troublemaker. Portraying a member ofTyrone Power's orchestra inAlexander's Ragtime Band,in the early scenes of the film, Fowley's character quarrels with his bandmates, but this is not developed in the film's later scenes.

Fowley continued to act into the 1970s and was frequently billed as "Douglas V. Fowley". One of his last roles was as Delaney Rafferty in Disney'sThe North Avenue Irregulars,in which he dressed indrag.

Personal life

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Fowley's wife at the time of his death was named Jean. His children were Douglas Jr., Kim, Daniel, Gretchen and Kip.[7]

Death

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Fowley died on May 21, 1998, at the Motion Picture and Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, aged 86.[7]He was buried at theMurrieta, California, Laurel Cemetery.[citation needed]

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. ^abcBergan, Ronald (June 9, 1998)."The happiest rain in Hollywood".The Guardian.England, London. p. 16.RetrievedJanuary 29,2019– viaNewspapers.com.
  2. ^abc"Thehoboof the Andy Griffith Show actually lost his teeth serving in World War II ".
  3. ^abRowan, Terry (2015).Who's Who In Hollywood!.Lulu.com. p. 122.ISBN9781329074491.RetrievedMarch 1,2017.
  4. ^Steven Jay Rube, Combat Films (Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co., 2011), p. 28
  5. ^abcTerrace, Vincent (2011).Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010(2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 255.ISBN978-0-7864-6477-7.
  6. ^"The Texan".Classic Television Archive. Archived fromthe originalon April 8, 2012.RetrievedFebruary 1,2013.
  7. ^ab"Douglas V. Fowley, 86, Versatile Character Actor".The New York Times.Associated Press. May 29, 1998. Archived fromthe originalon April 1, 2012.
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