Served with the Navy in the South Pacific toward the end of World War II. Then, quietly and without publicity or fanfare, compiled one of the most distinguished peacetime military careers of anyone in his profession. In 1961, as his weekly TV series Hennesey (1959) was enhancing naval recruiting efforts, accepted a commission as a line officer in the Naval Reserve with duties in recruitment, training films, and public relations. Holder of a multi-engine pilot license, he later co-piloted jet planes for the Navy, which made him an Honorary Aviator authorized to wear wings of gold-at the time only the third so honored in naval aviation history. By 1976 he had attained the rank of captain, and was in uniform aboard the carrier USS Constellation for the Bicentennial celebration on July 4. In 1980 the Navy proposed a period of active duty at the Pentagon that would have resulted in a promotion to rear admiral, bringing him even with Air Force Reserve Brigadier General James Stewart. Fresh on the heels of a second directing Emmy, he felt his absence would impact achieving a long-held goal of directing motion pictures, and reluctantly declined. (The opportunity in films never materialized.) Holds Letters of Commendation from six secretaries of the Navy. Was honorary chairman of the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation and a charter member of VIVA, the effort to return POW-MIAs from Vietnam. Upon retirement in 1982, he was decorated with the Legion of Merit by Navy Secretary John F. Lehman Jr.. Other than Stewart, no performer in his industry has achieved a higher uniformed rank in the U.S. military. (Glenn Ford was also a Naval Reserve captain, and director and Captain John Ford was awarded honorary flag rank upon his 1951 retirement from the Naval Reserve).
Movie | Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut | Perry White | 2006-11-02 |
Movie | Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman | Self | 2006-06-12 |
Movie | Judy Garland: By Myself | Self - Actor (voice) | 2004-02-25 |
Movie | Lana Turner... a Daughter's Memoir | Self | 2001-10-01 |
Movie | Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Power of Women in Hollywood | Self | 2000-08-03 |
Movie | Sports on the Silver Screen | Self (archive footage) | 1997-03-16 |
Movie | The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies | Self | 1995-06-05 |
Movie | Inside the Dream Factory | 1995-11-01 | |
Movie | Superman IV: The Quest for Peace | Perry White | 1987-07-24 |
Movie | Surrender | Ace Morgan | 1987-10-09 |
Series | Murder, She Wrote | Unknown | 1984-09-30 |
Movie | Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1983-02-25 |
Movie | Superman III | Perry White | 1983-06-17 |
Movie | The Making of 'Superman II' | Self | 1982-01-01 |
Series | St. Elsewhere | Unknown | 1982-10-26 |
Movie | The Making of 'Superman: The Movie' | Self | 1980-01-01 |
Movie | Superman II | Perry White | 1980-12-09 |
Movie | Superman | Perry White | 1978-12-14 |
Series | Beasts | Unknown | 1976-10-16 |
Movie | The Invisible Man | Walter Carlson | 1975-05-06 |
Movie | Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? | Self (archive footage) | 1975-08-06 |
Movie | Journey into Fear | Eric Hurst | 1975-08-08 |
Series | Mobile One | 1975-09-12 | |
Series | The Dean Martin Comedy World | Host | 1974-06-06 |
Movie | Chosen Survivors | Raymond Couzins | 1974-05-24 |
Series | The Rockford Files | Garth McGregor | 1974-09-13 |
Movie | The Day the Earth Moved | Steve Barker | 1974-09-18 |
Series | Police Story | Unknown | 1973-03-20 |
Series | Kojak | Unknown | 1973-10-24 |
Movie | The Astronaut | Kurt Anderson | 1972-01-08 |
Movie | Stand Up and Be Counted | Doctor | 1972-05-01 |
Series | Ghost Story | Unknown | 1972-09-15 |
Series | Hec Ramsey | Unknown | 1972-09-13 |
Series | It Was a Very Good Year | Unknown | 1971-08-02 |
Movie | Maybe I'll Come Home in the Spring | Ed Miller | 1971-02-16 |
Series | Mantrap | Unknown | 1971-08-27 |
Movie | The Love Machine | Danton Miller | 1971-08-14 |
Series | Columbo | Nelson Hayward | 1971-09-15 |
Series | McCloud | Unknown | 1970-02-17 |
Series | Hawaii Five-O | Unknown | 1968-09-20 |
Movie | Shadow on the Land | Lt. Col. Andy Davis | 1968-12-04 |
Series | Ironside | Unknown | 1967-03-28 |
Series | The F.B.I. | Unknown | 1965-09-19 |
Movie | Calhoun | Everett Calhoun | 1964-07-08 |
Movie | Hollywood Without Make-Up | Self (archive footage) | 1963-07-01 |
Series | The Great Adventure | Unknown | 1963-09-27 |
Series | The Danny Kaye Show | Unknown | 1963-09-25 |
Movie | The New March of Dimes Presents: The Scene Stealers | Self | 1962-01-06 |
Series | The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | Unknown | 1962-10-01 |
Series | The Dick Powell Show | Unknown | 1961-09-26 |
Movie | Everything's Ducky | Lt. J.S. Parmell - Psychiatrist | 1961-12-20 |
Series | The Gertrude Berg Show | Unknown | 1961-10-04 |
Series | Hennesey | 1959-09-28 | |
Series | The Twilight Zone | Unknown | 1959-10-02 |
Series | Pursuit | Unknown | 1958-10-22 |
Series | Telephone Time | Unknown | 1956-04-08 |
Series | The Steve Allen Show | Unknown | 1956-06-24 |
Series | The Dinah Shore Chevy Show | Unknown | 1956-10-05 |
Series | To Tell the Truth | Unknown | 1956-12-18 |
Series | The People's Choice | Socrates 'Sock' Miller | 1955-10-06 |
Series | Justice | Unknown | 1954-04-08 |
Series | The Elgin Hour | Unknown | 1954-10-05 |
Series | Producers' Showcase | Unknown | 1954-10-18 |
Series | Floor Show | Unknown | 1953-06-22 |
Series | General Electric Theater | Unknown | 1953-02-01 |
Series | Revlon Mirror Theatre | Unknown | 1953-06-23 |
Series | Medallion Theatre | Unknown | 1953-07-11 |
Series | The United States Steel Hour | Unknown | 1953-10-27 |
Series | The Motorola Television Hour | Unknown | 1953-11-03 |
Series | I've Got a Secret | Unknown | 1952-06-19 |
Series | Cowboy G-Men | 1952-09-13 | |
Series | This Is Your Life | Unknown | 1952-10-01 |
Series | Tales of Tomorrow | Unknown | 1951-08-03 |
Series | Schlitz Playhouse of Stars | Unknown | 1951-10-05 |
Series | Your Show of Shows | Unknown | 1950-02-25 |
Series | Starlight Theatre | Unknown | 1950-04-02 |
Series | Robert Montgomery Presents | Unknown | 1950-01-30 |
Series | The Colgate Comedy Hour | Unknown | 1950-09-10 |
Series | Lux Video Theatre | Unknown | 1950-10-02 |
Series | Danger | Unknown | 1950-09-26 |
Series | Suspense | Unknown | 1949-01-06 |
Series | The Clock | Unknown | 1949-05-16 |
Movie | French Leave | Skitch Kilroy | 1948-04-10 |
Series | Texaco Star Theater | Unknown | 1948-06-08 |
Series | Studio One | Unknown | 1948-11-07 |
Series | The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre | Unknown | 1948-09-27 |
Series | The Philco Television Playhouse | Unknown | 1948-10-03 |
Movie | Kilroy Was Here | John J. Kilroy | 1947-07-19 |
Movie | Where Are Your Children? | Danny Cheston | 1943-11-26 |
Movie | The Navy Comes Through | Joe 'Babe' Duttson | 1942-10-30 |
Movie | Syncopation | Johnny Schumacher | 1942-05-22 |
Movie | Men of Texas | Robert Houston Scott | 1942-07-03 |
Movie | Life with Henry | Henry Aldrich | 1941-01-23 |
Movie | Glamour Boy | Tiny Barlow | 1941-12-05 |
Movie | Ziegfeld Girl | Jerry Regan | 1941-04-25 |
Movie | Seventeen | William Sylvanus Baxter | 1940-03-01 |
Movie | The Return of Frank James | Clem | 1940-08-10 |
Movie | Rodeo Dough | Jackie Cooper | 1940-11-09 |
Movie | Gallant Sons | Byron Newbold | 1940-11-15 |
Movie | The Spirit of Culver | Tom Allen | 1939-03-10 |
Movie | Scouts to the Rescue | Bruce Scott | 1939-01-17 |
Movie | Streets of New York | James Michael 'Jimmy' Keenan | 1939-04-12 |
Movie | What a Life | Henry Aldrich | 1939-10-05 |
Movie | Hollywood Cavalcade | Burglar | 1939-10-13 |
Movie | White Banners | Peter Trimble | 1938-06-23 |
Movie | Boy of the Streets | Chuck Brennan | 1938-01-08 |
Movie | Bear Facts | Bear | 1938-03-05 |
Movie | That Certain Age | Kenneth Warren | 1938-10-06 |
Movie | Newsboys' Home | Rifle Edwards | 1938-12-24 |
Movie | Gangster's Boy | Larry Kelly | 1938-11-16 |
Movie | Tough Guy | Frederick Martindale Vincent III | 1936-01-24 |
Movie | The Devil Is a Sissy | 'Buck' Murphy | 1936-09-18 |
Movie | Dinky | Dinky Daniels | 1935-05-11 |
Movie | O'Shaughnessy's Boy | Joseph "Stubby" O'Shaughnessy | 1935-09-27 |
Movie | Treasure Island | Jim Hawkins | 1934-08-17 |
Movie | Hollywood on Parade No. B-1 | 1934-03-02 | |
Movie | Peck's Bad Boy | Bill Peck | 1934-10-18 |
Movie | Broadway to Hollywood | Ted Hackett Jr. as Child | 1933-09-15 |
Movie | The Bowery | Swipes McGurk | 1933-10-07 |
Movie | When a Feller Needs a Friend | Edward Haverford 'Eddie' Randall | 1932-04-30 |
Movie | Divorce In The Family | Terry Parker | 1932-08-27 |
Movie | Little Daddy | Jackie | 1931-03-28 |
Movie | Love Business | Jackie Cooper | 1931-02-14 |
Movie | Helping Grandma | Jackie | 1931-01-03 |
Movie | Skippy | Skippy Skinner | 1931-04-25 |
Movie | Young Donovan's Kid | Midge Murray | 1931-06-06 |
Movie | The Champ | Dink Purcell | 1931-11-21 |
Movie | Sooky | Skippy | 1931-12-26 |
Movie | The Christmas Party | Himself | 1931-12-17 |
Movie | When the Wind Blows | Jackie | 1930-04-05 |
Movie | Shivering Shakespeare | Jackie | 1930-01-25 |
Movie | The First Seven Years | Jackie | 1930-03-01 |
Movie | Bear Shooters | Jackie | 1930-05-16 |
Movie | A Tough Winter | Jackie | 1930-06-21 |
Movie | School's Out | Jackie Cooper | 1930-11-21 |
Movie | Teacher's Pet | Jackie | 1930-10-11 |
Movie | Pups Is Pups | Jackie | 1930-08-30 |
Movie | Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 | Little Boy in 'That's You, Baby' Number (uncredited) | 1929-05-25 |
Movie | Boxing Gloves | Jackie | 1929-09-09 |
Movie | Sunny Side Up | Jerry McGinnis (uncredited) | 1929-12-25 |
Movie | Moan & Groan, Inc. | Jackie | 1929-12-07 |
Movie | Bouncing Babies | Kid listening to Farina (uncredited) | 1929-10-11 |