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Milburn Stone

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Milburn Stone
Stone in 1959
Born
Hugh Milburn Stone

(1904-07-05)July 5, 1904[1]
Burrton, Kansas,U.S.[1]
DiedJune 12, 1980(1980-06-12)(aged 75)[1]
La Jolla, California,U.S.[1]
Resting placeEl Camino Memorial Park,Sorrento Valley, California,U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1919–1975
Spouses
Ellen Morrison Stone
​
​
(m.1925; died 1937)​
Jane Garrison Stone
​
​
(m.1939;div.1940)​
​
​
(m.1946)​
Children1
RelativesFred Stone(uncle)
Madge Blake(cousin)

Hugh Milburn Stone(July 5, 1904 – June 12, 1980)[1]was an American actor, best known for his role as "Doc" (Dr. Galen Adams) on theWesternseriesGunsmoke.

Early life

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Stone was born inBurrton, Kansas,to Herbert Stone and the former Laura Belfield.[2]There, he graduated from Burrton High School, where he was active in the drama club, played basketball, and sang in abarbershop quartet.Stone's brother, Joe Stone, says their uncleFred Stone,was a versatile actor who appeared onBroadwayand incircuses).[3]

Although Stone had a congressional appointment to theUnited States Naval Academy,he turned it down, choosing instead to become an actor with astock theatercompany headed by Helen Ross.[2]

Career

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WithDennis Weaveron theGunsmokeset, 1961

In 1919, Stone debuted on stage in a Kansas tent show. He ventured into vaudeville in the late 1920s, and in 1930, he was half of the Stone and Strain song-and-dance act.[2]HisBroadwaycredits includeAround the Corner(1936) andJayhawker(1934).[4]

In the 1930s, Stone came toLos Angeles,California,to launch his own screen career. He was featured in theTailspin Tommyadventure serial forMonogram Pictures.In 1939 he played Stephen Douglass in the movieYoung Mr. Lincolnwith Henry Fonda and Ward Bond. In 1939 he appeared inWhen Tomorrow Comesas head busboy (uncredited). In 1940, he appeared withMarjorie Reynolds,Tristram Coffin,andI. Stanford Jolleyin the comedy espionage filmChasing Trouble.That same year, he co-starred withRoy Rogersin the filmColoradoin the role of Rogers' brother-gone-wrong.

Stone appeared uncredited in the 1939 filmBlackwell's Island.Stone played Dr. Blake in the 1943 filmGung Ho!and a liberal-minded warden in Monogram Pictures'Prison Mutinyalso in 1943. Signed byUniversal Picturesin 1943, in the filmsCaptive Wild Woman(1943),Jungle Woman(1943),Sherlock Holmes Faces Death[Captain Pat Vickery], (1944), he became a familiar face in its features and serials, starring as hero Jim Hudson inThe Great Alaskan Mystery(1944). In 1944, he portrayed a Ration Board representative in the Universal-produced public service filmPrices Unlimitedfor theU.S. Office of Price Administrationand theOffice of War Information.One of his film roles was a radio columnist in theGloria Jean-Kirby GrantmusicalI'll Remember April.He made such an impression in this film thatUniversal Studiosgave him a starring role (and a similar characterization) in the 1945 serialThe Master Key.The same year, he was featured in theInner Sanctummurder mysteryThe Frozen Ghost.In 1953, Stone appeared asCharlton Heston'ssidekickinArrowhead,a Western also featuringBrian KeithandKaty Jurado.

WithKen Curtis,1974

In 1955, one ofCBS Radio's hit series, the WesternGunsmoke,was adapted for television and recast with different actors for various reasons (William Conradwas judged too obese to play Matt Dillon on camera,Georgia Elliswasn't viewed as quite telegenic enough to portray Kitty on television, etc.).Howard McNear,the radio Doc Adams (who later played Floyd the barber on television'sThe Andy Griffith Show), was replaced by Stone, who gave the role a harder edge consistent with his screen portrayals. He stayed withGunsmokethrough its entire television run, with the exception of 7 episodes in 1971, when Stone required heart surgery andPat Hinglereplaced him as Dr. Chapman. Stone appeared in 604 episodes through 1975, often shown sparring in a friendly manner with co-starsDennis WeaverandKen Curtis,who played, respectively,Chester Goodeand Festus Haggen.

Personal life

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Stone's brother, Joe, was a writer who was the author of scripts for three episodes ofGunsmoke.[5]

Stone was a cousin of thecharacter actressMadge Blake.[6]

In March 1971,[7]Stone hadheart bypass surgeryatUAB HospitalinBirmingham, Alabama.In June 1980, Stone died of aheart attack[8]inLa Jolla.He was buried at theEl Camino Memorial ParkinSorrento Valley, San Diego.[9]

Stone had a surviving daughter, Shirley Stone Gleason (borncirca1926) ofCosta Mesa,California, from his first marriage of 12 years to Ellen Morrison, formerly ofDelphos,Kansas, who died in 1937.[10] His second wife, the former Jane Garrison, a native of Hutchinson, Kansas, died in 2002. Stone had married, divorced, and remarried Garrison.

Legacy

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In 1968, Stone received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Drama for his work onGunsmoke.[11]

Judith Allenand Stone inThe Port of Missing Girls(1938)

In 1975, Stone received an honorary doctorate fromSt. Mary of the Plains CollegeinDodge City, Kansas,[12]whereGunsmokewas set but not filmed.

For his contribution to the television industry, Milburn Stone has a star on theHollywood Walk of Fameat 6801Hollywood Boulevard.[note 1][13]In 1981, Stone was inducted posthumously into theWestern Performers Hall of Fameat theNational Cowboy & Western Heritage MuseuminOklahoma City.[14]After his death, he left a legacy for theperforming artsinCecil Countyin northeasternMaryland,by way of the Milburn Stone Theatre[15]inNorth East,Maryland.

Selected filmography

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Notes

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  1. ^The Hollywood Walk of Fame's website designates Stone as a Star of Motion Pictures and gives the address of his star as 6823 Hollywood Boulevard.

References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related toMilburn Stone.
  1. ^abcde"Milburn Stone - Broadway Cast & Staff".Internet Broadway Database.The Broadway League.RetrievedDecember 16,2022.
  2. ^abcAaker, Everett (2017).Television Western Players, 1960–1975: A Biographical Dictionary.McFarland. pp. 397–398.ISBN9781476628561.RetrievedSeptember 20,2017.
  3. ^"Correspondence from Milburn Stone's brother, Joe Stone".gunsmokenet.com. January 23, 1998.RetrievedJuly 29,2014.
  4. ^"(" Milburn Stone "search results)".Internet Broadway Database.Archived fromthe originalon September 20, 2017.RetrievedSeptember 20,2017.
  5. ^Lentz, Harris M. III (2004).Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2003: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture.McFarland.ISBN9780786417568.RetrievedSeptember 21,2017.
  6. ^Beccy Tanner (August 20, 2012)."Madge Blake stood out in small roles".The Wichita Eagle.RetrievedJuly 29,2014.
  7. ^"After heart surgery, 'Doc' continues to improve",birminghamrewound.com; accessed May 5, 2014.
  8. ^"Milburn Stone - Hollywood Star Walk - Los Angeles Times".
  9. ^Cemeteries in San Diego
  10. ^"Correspondence from Milburn Stone's brother, Joe Stone".gunsmokenet.com. January 23, 1998.RetrievedJuly 29,2014.
  11. ^"(" Milburn Stone "search results)".Emmy Awards.Television Academy.RetrievedSeptember 20,2017.
  12. ^"Milburn Stone".kansapedia.Kansas Historical Society. Archived fromthe originalon September 21, 2017.RetrievedSeptember 21,2017.
  13. ^"Milburn Stone".Hollywood Walk of Fame.Archived fromthe originalon September 20, 2017.RetrievedSeptember 20,2017.
  14. ^"Great Western Performers".National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.Archived fromthe originalon September 12, 2017.RetrievedSeptember 20,2017.
  15. ^"About Us".Milburn Stone Theatre.Archived fromthe originalon September 20, 2017.RetrievedSeptember 20,2017.
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