Wendell Corey (1914-1968)

biography

Born in Dracut, Massachusetts on March 20, 1914, character actor Wendell Corey was born into a family in which his father was a minister. Coming of age in the depths of the Great Depression, Corey began training as an actor in summer stock. He continued his stage training in the Federal Theatre Project, an offshoot of the Works Progress Administration, in the 1930s. In 1942, Corey finally made it to Broadway in the comedy Comes the Revelation, but the show closed after just a few performances. Throughout the war years, Corey continued to act in several Broadway shows, and his performance in the comedy Dream Girl during the 1946 season netted him a contract with director/producer Hal Wallis, who had begun his own production company a couple of years earlier and was scouting for talent. An excellent actor but not exactly a leading man type, Corey excelled in character roles in some of the best film noir of the late 1940s and 1950s, including Sorry, Wrong Number (1948; with Barbara Stanwyck, Burt Lancaster, and John Bromfield), I Walk Alone (1948; with fellow Hal Wallis discoveries Lizabeth Scott, Kirk Douglas, and Burt Lancaster), and Rear Window (1954; with James Stewart, Grace Kelly, and Raymond Burr).

the films of wendell corey

Desert Fury (1947)

No Sad Songs for Me (1950)

Harriet Craig (1950)

The Wild Blue Yonder (1951)

Carbine Williams (1952)

My Man and I (1952)

The Wild North (1952)

Jamaica Run (1953)

Rear Window (1954)

Studio One (1948-1958 CBS TV Series)

The Bold and the Brave (1956)

Loving You (1957)

The Nanette Fabray Show (1961 NBC TV Series)

Blood on the Arrow (1964)

Women of the Prehistoric Planet (1966)

later years

As his film career began to slow down in the early 1960s, Corey focused his attentions on politics. Corey was the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1961 to 1963 and was a member of the board of directors of the Screen Actors Guild. Corey ran for and won a seat on the Santa Monica City Council, and in the mid 1960s he ran for California's Republican congressional seat but lost. During this period, Corey worked mostly in television, making guest appearances on such programs as Burke's Law, Branded, and Perry Mason. After his political defeat, Corey went back into films, but these were very low-budget affairs, unlike the quality films in which he had once starred. His later films include Agent for H.A.R.M. (1966; with Peter Mark Richman); Women of the Prehistoric Planet (1966; with Merry Anders and John Agar), both of which aired on Mystery Science Theater 3000; and Ted V. Mikels' The Astro-Zombies (1969; with Tura Santana), which was his last release. In his final film appearances, Corey's alcoholism is readily apparent, and sadly he often slurred his lines in Agent for H.A.R.M. and The Astro-Zombies. Nonetheless, he continued to serve on the Santa Monica City Council until his death from an alcohol-related illness on November 8, 1968, at the age of 54. Corey was survived by his wife, Alice, a son, and three daughters.

wendell corey films available from movies unlimited

Rod Serling Studio One Dramas [DVD] DVD
Included in this twin bill of Rod Serling-scripted "Studio One" installments are "The Strike" (1954), a Korean War drama in which Army major James Daly contemplates an order that could cost the lives of his men; and "The Arena" (1956), with Wendell Corey as a newly appointed U.S. senator dealing with an old foe of his late senator father. 119 min. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English mono; Subtitles: English (SDH).
Sorry, Wrong Number [DVD](1948) DVD
Classic suspense thriller stars Barbara Stanwyck in her Oscar-nominated role as a woman who accidentally hears her own murder being planned over the telephone, and must stop the plot before she's permanently disconnected. With Burt Lancaster, Ann Richards, Wendell Corey. 88 min. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital mono, French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English; theatrical trailer.
The Search [DVD](1948) DVD
American soldier Montgomery Clift finds an amnesiac Czech orphan in war-torn Germany in this Oscar-winning drama from director Fred Zinnemann. As Clift tries to somehow reunite the boy with his family, he learns an unforgettable lesson about the human cost of war, while the child's mother frantically searches for her shell-shocked son. With Aline MacMahon, Jarmila Novotna, Wendell Corey star. 104 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Holiday Affair [DVD](1949) DVD
Widowed mother Janet Leigh's attempt to purchase the train set her son wants for Christmas brings her to the attention of store clerk Robert Mitchum. When an unexpected series of developments causes Mitchum to lose his job, he begins a heartwarming relationship with Leigh and her son. Yuletide-flavored romance also stars Wendell Corey and Henry Morgan. Standard; Soundtrack: English.
Classic Holiday DVD Collection, Vol. 2 [DVD] DVD
This four-disc set includes a quartet of classic Hollywood films. The true drama "Blossoms in the Dust" (1941) stars Greer Garson as Edna Gladney, who founded an orphanage and worked for children's aid in early 20th-century Texas. With Walter Pidgeon, Fay Holden. Victor Moore plays a New York City hobo who moves into the vacant mansion of vacationing millionaire Charlie Ruggles for the winter. Moore then plays Cupid for ex-G.I. Don DeFore and runaway Gale Storm--who, unknown to him, is Ruggles' daughter. "It Happened on 5th Avenue" (1947) co-stars Ann Harding, Alan Hale, Jr. Widowed mom Janet Leigh's attempt to buy the train set her son wants for Christmas brings her to meet store clerk Robert Mitchum, who gets close to Leigh and her son after losing his job. "Holiday Affair" (1949) co-stars Wendell Corey, Henry Morgan. In the 1850s, a young couple emigrates from Scotland to Wisconsin, enjoying a prosperous existence until a heartbreaking tragedy forces their 12-year-old son to take command of the family's destiny, in "All Mine to Give" (1957). Glynis Johns, Cameron Mitchell, Ellen Corby star. Soundtrack: English.
The Furies [DVD](1950) DVD
Walter Huston made his final screen appearance in director Anthony Mann's moody Western melodrama, playing a landowner in the 1870s New Mexico Territory eager to bequeath his property to daughter Barbara Stanwyck--as long as she marries the "proper" man. When Stanwyck falls for gambler Wendell Corey, whose father was killed by Huston, the old rancher takes a desperate step. Gilbert Roland, Judith Anderson co-star. 109 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; audio commentary; interviews; photo gallery; theatrical trailer; booklet; original novel; more.
Rich, Young And Pretty [DVD](1951) DVD
A young Texas girl (Jane Powell) joins her rancher father (Wendell Corey) on a trip to Paris that leads to romance with the Frenchman of her dreams (Vic Damone) and the discovery of her real mother, now living in Europe. Danielle Darrieux and Fernando Lamas also star; songs include "Dark Is the Night," "We Never Talk Much," and "Wonder Why." 95 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English.
Carbine Williams [DVD](1952) DVD
In this fondly remembered biopic, James Stewart stars as David Marshall "Marsh" Williams, the creator of the M-1 Carbine automatic rifle that became famous during World War II. After being sent to prison for shooting a federal officer, Williams is given a chance to reform by a kindly warden--setting in motion a series of events that result in his invention. With Jean Hagen, Wendell Corey, Carl Benton Reid. 91 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Rear Window (Special Edition) [DVD](1954) DVD
Confined to a wheelchair after breaking his leg on an assignment, photojournalist James Stewart's "hobby" of spying on his neighbors with a telephoto lens leads him and girlfriend Grace Kelly to believe that one of his subjects may be a murderer. One of Hitchcock's personal favorites, this innovative suspense classic also stars Thelma Ritter, Raymond Burr. 115 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital mono, French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English (SDH), French, Spanish; audio commentary; bonus "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" episode "Mister Blanchard's Secret"; featurettes; interview; photo gallery; theatrical trailers. Two-disc set.
The James Stewart Hollywood Legend Collection [DVD] DVD
Five-disc set includes "Destry Rides Again," "Winchester '73," "Harvey," "Rear Window," and "Vertigo."
Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection [DVD] DVD
Fifteen-disc boxed set includes "Saboteur," "Shadow of a Doubt," "Rope," "Rear Window," "The Trouble with Harry," "The Man Who Knew Too Much" (1956), "Vertigo," "Psycho," "The Birds," "Marnie," "Torn Curtain," "Topaz," "Frenzy," "Family Plot," and a disc featuring the "AFI Salute to Alfred Hitchcock" program and the documentary "Masters of Cinema: Alfred Hitchcock."
The Big Knife [DVD](1955) DVD
A cutting (sorry!) look at Hollywood studio politics, director Robert Aldrich's translation of the Clifford Odets play features Jack Palance as a movie star whose attempts to get out from under the thumb of ruthless mogul Rod Steiger could reveal a deadly secret in his past. Ida Lupino co-stars as Palance's estranged wife; with Shelley Winters, Jean Hagen, Wendell Corey. 114 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby mono; Subtitles: English, French, Spanish; theatrical trailer.
The Rainmaker [DVD](1956) DVD
Burt Lancaster is a charismatic con man who breezes into a drought-stricken Western town claiming he can bring the rain. But he winds up transforming it, and local spinster Katharine Hepburn, more with his audacity and idealism than from any unproved weather-changing powers. Wendell Corey, Earl Holliman, and Lloyd Bridges co-star. 121 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital mono, French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English.
Bob Hope: M-G-M Movie Legends Collection [DVD] DVD
Fired war correspondent Bob Hope tries to win his job back by uncovering a Nazi spy ring in "They Got Me Covered" (1943), with Dorothy Lamour, Otto Preminger. Hapless insurance salesman Hope's newest client is none other than Jesse James, who has a scheme to get Bob mistaken for the outlaw and gunned down in his place. "Alias Jesse James" (1959) also stars Rhonda Fleming, Wendell Corey, and a corral of movie cowboys in cameos. Hope and Lucille Ball learn "The Facts of Life" (1960) as the principals in a would-be love affair that never gets started thanks to their families. Ruth Hussey, Louis Nye co-star. A job transfer to Europe is the drastic step that overprotective dad Hope takes to break up daughter Tuesday Weld's romance with rock-and-roller Frankie Avalon in "I'll Take Sweden" (1965). And real estate agent Bob tries to hide a movie queen (Elke Sommer) on the run from her studio and director boyfriend. "Boy Did I Get a Wrong Number!" (1967) co-stars Phyllis Diller, Cesare Danova. Seven-disc set also includes "The Princess and the Pirate" and "The Road to Hong Kong." 11 1/4 hrs. total. Standard/Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles; English, Spanish.
Branded: The Complete First Season [DVD](1965) DVD
All 16 episodes from the series' debut season--including "Survival," "The Rules of the Game," the three-part "The Mission," "The Brave Endure," and "Price of a Name"--are featured in a three-disc set. 6 3/4 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital stereo; bonus "Rifleman" and "Four Star Playhouse" episodes; biography.
Perry Mason: 50th Anniversary Edition [DVD] DVD
Twelve of the series's best episodes--including "The Case of the Wary Wildcatter," "The Case of the Treacherous Toupee," "The Case of the Counterfeit Crank," "The Case of the Shoplifter's Shoe," and "The Case of the Final Fade-Out"--have been collected in this four-disc set. Also included is "Perry Mason Returns" (1985), the TV movie that finds the legal eagle (Raymond Burr), now a judge, stepping down from the bench to defend former secretary Della Street (Barbara Hale) when she's accused of murder. 12 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; featurette; interviews; photo gallery; TV spots; screen tests; more.
The Wild Wild West: The Third Season [DVD](1967) DVD
All 24 episodes from season three--including "The Night of the Bubbling Death," "The Night of the Samurai," "The Night of the Falcon," "The Night of the Simian Terror," and "The Night of the Death-Maker"--are collected in a six-disc set. 20 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Astro-Zombies [DVD](1968) DVD
Unintentionally hilarious sci-fi thriller from Ted V. Mikels features John Carradine as a scientist who creates half-man, half-machine "quasi-men" in his lab, while rival spies Wendell Corey and Tura Satana ("Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!") plot to foil his mad scheme. Co-written by "M*A*S*H" star Wayne Rogers! AKA: "Space Vampires." 77 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; theatrical trailer.

wendell corey dvds available from amazon.com

wendell corey out-of-print vhs available from amazon.com

Please note: these titles have not been released to DVD:

wendell corey photos and posters available

filmography

FILM
The Astro-Zombies (1968) with John Carradine, Tom Pace, Tura Satana, and Rafael Campos
Buckskin (1968) with Barry Sullivan, Joan Caulfield, Lon Chaney Jr., John Russell, Barbara Hale, Bill Williams, and Richard Arlen
The Star Maker (1968) with Barbara Valentin
Red Tomahawk (1967) with Howard Keel, Joan Caulfield, Broderick Crawford, Scott Brady, Richard Arlen, Ben Cooper, and Don 'Red' Barry
Picture Mommy Dead (1966) with Don Ameche, Martha Hyer, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Susan Gordon, Signe Hasso , and Anna Lee; directed by Bert I. Gordon
Waco (1966) with Howard Keel, Jane Russell, Brian Donlevy, Terry Moore, John Smith, John Agar, Richard Arlen, Ben Cooper, and Jeff Richards
Women of the Prehistoric Planet (1966) with Keith Larsen, John Agar, Merry Anders, Stuart Margolin, Adam Roarke, and Suzie Kaye
Agent for H.A.R.M. (1966) with Peter Mark Richman, Carl Esmond, Barbara Bouchet, Robert Quarry, Rafael Campos, and Donna Michelle
Cyborg 2087 (1966) with Michael Rennie, Karen Steele, Warren Stevens, and Adam Rourke
Blood on the Arrow (1964) with Dale Robertson, Martha Hyer, Paul Mantee, and Elisha Cook Jr.
Alias Jesse James (1959) with Bob Hope, Rhonda Fleming, Gloria Talbott, and Jim Davis
The Light in the Forest (1958) with Fess Parker, Joanne Dru, James MacArthur, Jessica Tandy, John McIntire, Carol Lynley, and Rafael Campos
Loving You (1957) with Elvis Presley, Lizabeth Scott, and Dolores Hart
The Rainmaker (1956) with Burt Lancaster, Katharine Hepburn, Lloyd Bridges, Earl Holliman, Wallace Ford, and Yvonne Lime
The Rack (1956) with Paul Newman, Walter Pidgeon, Edmond O'Brien, Anne Francis, Lee Marvin, Cloris Leachman, and James Best
The Bold and the Brave (1956) with Mickey Rooney, Nicole Maurey, and John Smith
The Killer Is Loose (1956) with Joseph Cotten, Rhonda Fleming, Alan Hale Jr., John Larch, Dee J. Thompson, John Beradino, and Virginia Christine
The Big Knife (1955) with Jack Palance, Ida Lupino, Jean Hagen, Rod Steiger, Shelley Winters, Ilka Chase, Everett Sloane, and Wesley Addy
Rear Window (1954) with James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Thelma Ritter, Raymond Burr, Judith Evelyn, Georgine Darcy, Frank Cady, and Marla English
Hell's Half Acre (1954) with Evelyn Keyes, Elsa Lanchester, Marie Windsor, Nancy Gates, and Jesse White
The Backbone of America (1953) with Yvonne De Carlo, Gene Lockhart, Thomas Mitchell, and Gloria Talbott
Laughing Anne (1953) with Margaret Lockwood and Forrest Tucker
Jamaica Run (1953) with Ray Milland, Arlene Dahl, Patric Knowles, and Kasey Rogers
My Man and I (1952) with Shelley Winters, Ricardo Montalban, Claire Trevor, and Jack Elam
Carbine Williams (1952) with James Stewart, Jean Hagen, Carl Benton Reid, James Arness, and Leif Erickson
The Wild North (1952) with Stewart Granger and Cyd Charisse
The Wild Blue Yonder (1951) with Vera Ralston, Forrest Tucker, Phil Harris, Walter Brennan, and Penny Edwards
Rich, Young and Pretty (1951) with Jane Powell, Danielle Darrieux, Vic Damone, Fernando Lamas, Una Merkel, Richard Anderson, and Hans Conried
The Great Missouri Raid (1951) with Macdonald Carey, Ellen Drew, Ward Bond, Bruce Bennett, Bill Williams, Anne Revere, Edgar Buchanan, Guy Wilkerson, and Tom Tyler
Harriet Craig (1950) with Joan Crawford, Lucile Watson, Allyn Joslyn, and Ellen Corby
The Furies (1950) with Barbara Stanwyck, Walter Huston, Judith Anderson, Gilbert Roland, Beulah Bondi, Albert Dekker, John Bromfield, and Wallace Ford
No Sad Songs for Me (1950) with Margaret Sullavan, Viveca Lindfors, Natalie Wood, John McIntire, Ann Doran, and Jeanette Nolan
The File on Thelma Jordon (1950) with Barbara Stanwyck, Paul Kelly, and Kasey Rogers
Holiday Affair (1949) with Robert Mitchum and Janet Leigh
Any Number Can Play (1949) with Clark Gable, Alexis Smith, Audrey Totter, Mary Astor, Lewis Stone, Barry Sullivan, Marjorie Rambeau, Edgar Buchanan, William Conrad, and Darryl Hickman
The Accused (1949) with Loretta Young, Robert Cummings, Sam Jaffe, Ann Doran, and Carole Mathews
Sorry, Wrong Number (1948) with Barbara Stanwyck, Burt Lancaster, Ed Begley, Leif Erickson, William Conrad, and John Bromfield Man-Eater of Kumaon (1948) with Sabu and Joy Page
The Search (1948) with Montgomery Clift
I Walk Alone (1948) with Burt Lancaster, Lizabeth Scott, and Kirk Douglas
Desert Fury (1947) with John Hodiak, Lizabeth Scott, Burt Lancaster, and Mary Astor

TELEVISION SERIES
The Nanette Fabray Show, 1961 NBC TV series. Corey portrayed Dan McGovern
Peck's Bad Girl, 1959 CBS TV series. Corey portrayed Steven Peck
Harbor Command, 1957-1958 syndicated TV series. Corey portrayed Captain Ralph Baxter

TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCES
The Wild Wild West, episode The Night of the Death-Maker, originally aired February 23, 1968
The Guns of Will Sonnett, episode The Natural Way, originally aired September 29, 1967
The Road West, episode Piece of Tin, originally aired October 31, 1966
Run for Your Life, episode The Committee for the 25th, originally aired October 2, 1966
Perry Mason, episode The Case of the Unwelcome Well, originally aired April 3, 1966
Branded, episode The Mission, originally aired March 28, 1965
Burke's Law, episode Who Killed Annie Foran?, originally aired April 10, 1964
Channing, episode A Window on the War, originally aired November 27, 1963
The Eleventh Hour, episode Cry a Little for Mary Too, originally aired November 29, 1962
Bus Stop, episode Turn Home Again, originally aired January 28, 1962
Target: The Corruptors, episode Mr. Meglomania, originally aired November 17, 1961
The New Breed, episode Til Death Do Us Part, originally aired November 7, 1961
The Untouchables, episode Power Play, originally aired October 19, 1961
Zane Grey Theater, episode The Man from Yesterday, originally aired December 22, 1960
Zane Grey Theater, episode Killer Instinct, originally aired March 17, 1960
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, episode Poison, originally aired October 5, 1958
Frontier Justice, episode A Quiet Sunday in San Ardo, originally aired September 8, 1958
Studio One, episode The Desperate Age, originally aired April 21, 1958
The 20th Century-Fox Hour, episode Man of the Law, originally aired June 2, 1957
Eye on New York, episode Night of the Auk, originally aired December 1, 1956
Celebrity Playhouse, episode Stagecoach to Paradise, originally aired May 8, 1956
Climax!, episode The Lou Gehrig Story, originally aired April 19, 1956
Studio One, episode The Arena, originally aired April 9, 1956
Studio One, episode My Son Johnny, originally aired January 30, 1956
The Alcoa Hour, episode The Black Wings, originally aired October 16, 1955
Climax!, episode To Wake at Midnight, originally aired June 23, 1955
The United States Steel Hour, episode The Rack, originally aired April 12, 1955
Studio One, episode Donovan's Brain, originally aired February 28, 1955

wendell corey film now showing

Watch Wendell Corey's 1950 film noir thriller The File on Thelma Jordon