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The Bone Orchard
C through D
at Brian's Drive-In Theater
Updated 1/14/2007 with a new entry for Yvonne De Carlo.
Navigate through the Bone Orchard pages using the alphabet links below. These pages are alphabetized by last name:
A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z E-Mail
Bruce Cabot (1904-1972)
Screen heavy Bruce Cabot started as a bit player, but signing a contract with RKO in the early 1930s solidified his career. His best known role came in the film King Kong (1933; with Fay Wray), and his career continued to be strong throughout the 1930s and 1940s. By the 1950s, however, Cabot found roles hard to come by, so he went to Europe and acted in numerous Italian films including Goliath and the Barbarians (1959; with Steve Reeves. In the 1960s, Cabot enjoyed a resurgeance of his career, which kept going strong until his health deteriorated in the early 1970s. After the release of Cabot's final film Diamonds Are Forever (1971; with Sean Connery), he passed away in May 1972 from cancer at the age of 68.
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Visit the Susan Cabot page.
Visit the Rory Calhoun page.
Corinne Calvet (1925-2001)
French-born beauty Corinne Calvet began her Hollywood career in the 1949 release Rope of Sand. On the set of that film, she met up and coming actor John Bromfield, and the couple married soon afterward. Calvet's acting career continued, but the marriage fizzled in 1954. The following year, Calvet married Jeffrey Stone and stepped out of the limelight. But upon her divorce from Stone in the late 1950s, Calvet began accepting acting assignments, on an infrequent basis. In the 1970s, she abandoned her acting career to become a therapist, but in the 1980s she once again graced the stage, and even had a recurring role on the ABC-TV soap General Hospital in the late 1980s. Calvet passed away in June 2001 at the age of 76. She is survived by a son.
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Rod Cameron (1910-1983)
Canadian-born Rod Cameron got his start in Hollywood as stuntman and bit player in the 1930s. He worked steadily as an actor in the early 1940s when his big creak came in the form of the fifteen-chapter serial Secret Service in Darkest Africa (1943)---this serial served as a template for Steven Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and the films that followed it. Secret Service made Cameron a headliner, and from then on he started in numerous low-budget westerns and action films. His film career was still in high gear when he decided to do television in the 1950s. Leaving westerns behind, he used his talents in TV crime drama series including City Detective (syndicated; 1953-1955) and State Trooper (syndicated; 1956-1959). In 1960, Cameron fueled gossip columns by divorcing his wife and marrying his ex-mother-in-law. His career began to wane afterward, although he took on acting assignments through the late 1970s. Cameron passed away from cancer in 1983 at age 73.
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Visit the Judy Canova page.
Visit the Richard Carlson page.
Visit the John Carradine page.
Regina Carrol (1943-1992)
Carrol was a buxom blond actress and nightclub singer who made movies exclusively for her husband, director Al Adamson, including Blazing Stewardesses (1974; with Yvonne De Carlo), Blood of Ghastly Horror (1971, with Tommy Kirk), and my personal favorite, Dracula vs. Frankenstein (1971; with Anthony Eisley and Lon Chaney Jr.). Along the way in her film career, she picked up the moniker "The Freak-Out Girl." She passed away at age 49 of cancer in St. George, Utah.
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Leo G. Carroll (1892-1972)
British-born Leo G. Carroll spent years as a stage actor before moving into films in the 1930s. Moving freely between A and B movies, Carroll enlivened such films as Rebecca (1940; with Joan Fontaine) and Tower of London (1939; with Boris Karloff). In the 1950s, he moved into television as the star of Topper while acting in films such as Tarantula (1955; with John Agar and Mara Corday). Retiring in the late 1960s, Leo G. Carroll died in October 1972, just days before his 80th birthday.
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Visit the Peggie Castle page.
Visit the William Castle page.
Chick Chandler (1905-1988)
Born in New York in 1905, Chandler was a veteran character actor who worked steadily from the early 1930s through the early 1970s. He provided solid performances in such 'B' pictures as Leave It to Blondie (1945; with Arthur Lake and Penny Singleton) and Lost Continent (1951; with Hugh Beaumont). He also had supporting roles in 'A' films as well, including The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941; with Bette Davis) and There's No Business Like Show Business (1954; with Marilyn Monroe). He also worked in television, making guest appearances and having a regular role on the series Soldiers of Fortune (1955-1956) and One Happy Family (1961-1962). Chandler retired from the screen at age 65 and passed away in September 1988 at the age of 83. The above photo is from Steel Town.
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Visit the Lon Chaney Jr. page.
Born in June 1920 in Oklahoma City, handsome second lead Robert Clarke made dozens of films in the 1940s and 1950s. In the 1940s, he was under contract to RKO, but the studio dropped him in late 1940s; Clarke had appeared in many RKO releases but often in small roles. He had more success when he began freelancing in numerous B movies, including the horror and science fiction cult flicks The Man From Planet X (1951; with Margaret Field), The Astounding She-Monster (1957; with Kenne Duncan), and The Hideous Sun Demon (1959; with Nan Peterson). In 1956, he married Alyce King of the singing King Family, and by 1960s he acted less often and instead toured with the family of singers and appeared on their television show. Clarke retired from acting in the late 1980s and passed away in June 2005 at the age of 85. The above photo is from The Hideous Sun Demon.
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Visit the Steve Cochran page.
Veteran character actor Ray Collins, born in Sacramento, California, in December 1889, began his acting career as a child on the vaudeville stage. Hollywood had yet to emerge as the capital of filmmaking by the time Collins reached adulthood, so he eventually headed east to New York, where he worked on and off Broadway from the 1920s to the 1940s. Also working as a radio actor, Collins was a part of Orson Welles' Mercury Theater. Fittingly, Welles cast him in Citizen Kane, his first feature film role (although he had acted in a number of Warner Bros./Vitaphone shorts produced in New York in the late 1920s and early 1930s). Afterward, Collins left New York for Hollywood, where he found plenty of work in wartime America films, including a surprising number of comedies. But film noir is where Collins fit in best, acting in such films as Leave Her to Heaven (1945; with Cornel Wilde and Gene Tierney), A Double Life (1947; with Ronald Colman and Shelley Winters), and The Racket (1951; with Robert Mitchum and Lizabeth Scott). Collins worked steadily in films until he was cast in the role of Lieutenant Arthur Tragg in the CBS noir series Perry Mason (1957-1966; with Raymond Burr, Barbara Hale, and William Hopper). Collins developed emphysema in the early 1960s and was forced to curtail his appearances on the popular television series. He passed away in July 1965 at the age of 75. The photo above is from his last film I'll Give My Life (1960).
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Chuck Connors (1921-1992)
Visit the Chuck Connors page.
Elisha Cook, Jr. (1903-1995)
Elisha Cook began his long career while a teenager, when he did a vaudeville act and later on the Broadway stage. He didn't enter films with earnest until the mid 1930s. Although at this time Cook was more than 30 years old, his diminutive stature got him often cast as a student in 1930s films. Cook's big breakthrough role came in The Maltese Falcon (1941; with Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor), a brilliant performance that allowed him to get better roles. But Cook rarely turned down a script, so he often appeared in both A and B films. Some of his more interesting performances can be seen in The House on Haunted Hill (1958; with Vincent Price and Carol Ohmart), Rosemary's Baby (1968; with Mia Farrow), and Blacula (1972; with William Marshall). Cook chalked up more than 100 films and dozens of TV appearances through the late 1980s. A stroke in 1990 forced him into retirement. He passed away in 1995 at age 92. The left-hand photo is from Electra Glide in Blue (1973; with Robert Blake).
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Glenn Corbett (1934-1993)
Handsome Glenn Corbett got his start as a physique model for Bob Mizer's Athletic Model Guild, most often appearing on the pages of AMG's Physique Pictorial under the moniker Glenn Robinson. But by the end of the 1950s, Corbett had begun making films and ended his association with Mizer's studio. One of Corbett's earliest performances was in the Ed Wood-penned 1956 low-budget shocker The Violent Years. Also look for him in the William Castle shocker Homicidal (1961; with Joan Marshall and Patricia Breslin), which is an interesting version of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. He was more successful in television, starring in series such as Route 66, The Road West, and on the TV soap The Doctors. He's also the star of the made-for-TV movie The Stranger (1973), which aired on Mystery Science Theater 3000 as episode #305: Stranded in Space. Sadly, Corbett passed away in 1993 at the age of 58 from lung cancer. The above photo is from the 1960 film The Mountain Road.
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Wendell Corey (1914-1968)
Character actor Wendell Corey was a discovery of director/producer Hal Wallis, who had a good eye for talent. Never a leading man type, Corey excelled in character roles in some of the best films of the 1940s and 1950s, including Sorry, Wrong Number (1948; with Barbara Stanwyck) and Rear Window (1954; with James Stewart and Raymond Burr). As his career began to slow down in the early 1960s, Corey focused his attentions on politics. Once the president of the Screen Actors Guild. Corey went on to win a seat on Santa Monica's City Council, and in the mid 1960s he ran for California's Republican congressional seat but lost. After his defeat, Corey went back into films, but these were very low-budget affairs. His later films include Agent for H.A.R.M. (1966; once aired on Mystery Science Theater 3000; Women of the Prehistoric Planet (1966; with Merry Anders and John Agar); and The Astro-Zombies (1969; with Tura Santana), which was his last release. Corey passed away at age 54 in 1968 from liver failure.
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Visit the Ray 'Crash' Corrigan page.
Visit the Buster Crabbe page.
Visit the James Craig page.
Jeanne Crain (1925-2003)
Beautiful California native Jeanne Crain studied drama from an early age and entered films at age 18. Upon signing with 20th Century Fox, the studio cast Crain in the best films of her career, including State Fair (1945; with Dana Andrews), Leave Her to Heaven (1945; with Cornel Wilde), and A Letter to Three Wives (1949; with Linda Darnell). In the 1950s, however, Fox cast her in films of lesser quality, so Crain left the studio and eventually landed at Universal-International. Most of Crain's later films were low-budget affairs, such as Daggers of Blood (1962; with John Drew Barrymore) and Hot Rods to Hell (1967; with Dana Andrews). Despite her busy career, Crain somehow managed to raise seven children. She retired from acting in the early 1970s. Sadly, Jeanne Crain passed away in December 2003 at the age of 78.
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Richard Crenna (1927-2003)
A Los Angeles native, Richard Crenna starred in numerous B movies and television shows during his long career in Hollywood. His earliest roles came on radio in the 1940s. While a college student, he landed a role on Eve Arden's radio comedy Our Miss Brooks in 1948, and he stayed with the show when it moved to television in 1952. Some of his early films include Red Skies of Montana (1952; with Jeffrey Hunter) and Over-Exposed (1956; with Cleo Moore). Later, Crenna starred in The Real McCoys for six seasons, and after the show left the air, he starred in several films such as Wait Until Dark (1967) and Marooned (1969; once aired on Mystery Science Theater 3000 as Space Travelers). Crenna's career was strong through his final days. He passed away from cancer in January 2003 at the age of 76.
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Criswell (1907-1982)
Born Jerome Criswell in 1907, Criswell started his professional career as a journalist and radio personality. He began making outrageous predictions as a gag while on a radio program; soon, however, he became famous for his psychic abilities, appearing on television often from the 1950s through the 1970s. Criswell frequently admitted he had no psychic powers, yet the gag continued. B movie fans will recognize Criswell from Ed Wood's films Plan Nine from Outer Space (1959; with Tor Johnson); Night of the Ghouls (1959; with Tor Johnson and Kenne Duncan); and Orgy of the Dead (1965; with Pat Barrington). Criswell departed in October 1982 at the age of 75.
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Ray Danton (1931-1992)
Visit the Ray Danton page.
Linda Darnell (1923-1965)
Gorgeous Linda Darnell proved early on that she was a natural for films. Discovered for films in her native Dallas, Texas, at the age of 16 she signed with 20th Century Fox. Just one year later, Fox gave Darnell a starring role in Stardust (1940; with John Payne). Often cast in film noir and westerns, her years at Fox were her best, with films such as Blood and Sand (1941; with Tyrone Power) and Forever Amber (1947; with Cornel Wilde). Darnell's star began to fade in the early 1950s, especially when her contract with Fox ended in 1951. She soon found herself in such low-budget movies as Blackbeard, the Pirate (1952; with Keith Andes) and Dakota Incident (1956; with Dale Robertson). Upon her marriage to third husband Merle Robertson in 1957, Darnell retired from films. Five years later, Darnell divorced Robertson and tried to make a comeback in films and television, but roles were few and far between. In April 1965, Darnell perished in a Chicago housefire likely caused by her burning cirgarette; she was just 41 years old. She had made a final film, Black Spurs (1965; with Rory Calhoun and Scott Brady), which was released two months after her death.
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Jim Davis (1909-1981)
Character actor Jim Davis is known for his many westerns but is best remembered in the role of Jock Ewing on the CBS TV series Dallas. Born in Missouri in August 1909, Davis entered films in the early 1940s. Following World War II, Davis found roles in such films as Gallant Bess (1947; with Marshall Thompson and Hellfire (1949; with Marie Windsor). He didn't headline a picture until the 1950 low-budget film noir release Hi-Jacked. Throughout the 1950s Davis worked steadily in films, but when his career stalled in the 1960s, he found lots of work in television. Some of his later films include Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter (1966; with Cal Bolder) and Dracula Vs. Frankenstein (1971; with Anthony Eisley and Lon Chaney Jr.). Following the death of his daughter in 1970, he threw himself into his career, acting in a number of films in the 1970s and landing a plum role on Dallas. Davis died of cancer in April 1981 at the age of 71.
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Visit the Joan Davis page.
Visit the Yvonne De Carlo page.
Visit the Richard Denning page.
Visit the John Derek page.
Divine (1945-1988)
Born Harris Glenn Milstead, Divine starred in director John Waters' underground made-in-Baltimore flicks such as Multiple Maniacs (1970), Pink Flamingos (1972; with Edith Massey), and Polyester (1981; with Tab Hunter). In the 1980s, Divine proved himself an accomplished and versatile actor in Lust in the Dust (1985; with Tab Hunter) and Trouble in Mind (1985; with Keith Carradine). Just as he was crossing over into mainstream film and possibly stardom, he passed away in early 1988 at the age of 42. The above photo is from Divine's hilarious 1985 comedy Lust in the Dust.
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Tamara Dobson (1947-2006)
Visit the Tamara Dobson page.
Visit the Faith Domergue page.
Visit the Brian Donlevy page.
Jeff Donnell (1921-1988)
Born Jean Donnell in Maine in 1921, pretty Jeff Donnell was put under contract by Columbia Pictures in 1941, where she acted in a string of B programmers. She was a well-rounded actresses, excelling in comedies, dramas, and westerns, although film noir provided her best roles. In 1954, Donnell left Columbia Pictures and took on the role of Alice on The George Gobel Show. But Donell left the series in 1958, when she married her third husband. The marriage didn't last, and by 1961 Donnell began acting in films again, although on an infrequent basis. The talented actress passed away after a heart attack in 1988 at the age of 66. Married three times, her most famous husband was actor Aldo Ray, whom she married in 1954 and divorced in 1956.
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Visit the Diana Dors page.
Visit the Troy Donahue page.
Visit the Charles Drake page.
Visit the Joanne Dru page.
Peter Duel (1940-1971)
Peter Duel made a few low-budget films in the mid 1960s but is better known for his prolific work in television. Duel starred in the series Gidget (1965-1966) and Love on a Rooftop (1966-1967). His career seemed assured with his third series, Alias Smith and Jones (1971-73), along with co-star Ben Murphy. Inexplicably, Duel took his own life on New
Year's Eve 1971 at the age of 31.
Howard Duff (1913-1990)
Howard Duff began his acting career on stage and in radio before making the transition to films in the late 1940s. He made a number of films in the 1950s with his wife, actresss and director Ida Lupino, to whom he was married until 1984. In the 1960s, Duff turned to television to find good roles. He starred in a number of TV shows, including Felony Squad, Knots Landing, and Dallas. He passed away in 1990 at the age of 76.
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Dan Duryea (1907-1968)
Stage actor Dan Duryea made the transition to films in the 1940s. He excelled at portraying heavies and thugs in film noir and westerns, but occasionally picked up good-guy roles, especially toward the end of his career. His best films include Scarlet Street (1945; with Joan Bennett) and Larceny (1947; with John Payne. Duryea kept working through the late 1960s until his health began to fail; he passed away in June 1968 at the age of 61.
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This page premiered May 25, 1999.
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