Skip to main content

June 11: Happy Birthday Gerald Mohr


On June 11, 1914, Gerald Mohr was born and appeared in radio, movies and television as one of the all-time favorite character actors. For 20 plus years, Mohr performed in radio as the tenacious gumshoe detective Philip Marlowe on radio in almost 120 radio plays.

Before this Gerald Mohr had been on a path towards becoming a doctor when he was stricken with an illness and taken to the hospital. During the stay he met a radio personality who invited him down to audition for an on-air position as a reporter. in the mid 1930’s he was invited by Orson Welles to join the Mercury Theatre.

By the late 30’s he had moved onto the screen as a villain in the Jungle Girl series. after his military time during WWII, Gerald Mohr began to perform in a number of hit westerns and other serial programs, which ran through the 1950’s. His screen presence made him a favorite to be cast as the tough guy or the murderous villain. His portfolio for hit shows grew until he was one of the most sought after actors to be in the weekly hits. He also made guest appearances on a few of the comedy hits as well, including the Jack Benny Show and George and Gracie. Mohr continued acting until 1969 when he was struck down by a heart attack while performing in Sweden.

Comments

  1. another one of those unmistakable radio voices and the untimate Philip Marlowe.

    On the Fantastic Four 1967 - 1968. He was a good 'un. He was Raymond Chandler's favorite Phillip Marlowe!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Correction! This photo is not Gerald Mohr. It's Tom Tyler, who played Captain Marvel for a Republic Pictures serial in 1941. Also, Mr. Mohr passed away on November 9, 1968, not 1969. Wonderful actor with a great range. We should have seen much more of him than we did. I hope he will be long remembered.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I enjoy Gerald Mohr's work very much as well. Great voice, and wonderful interpretation of Chandler's Phil Marlow. But this photo is not Gerald Mohr! It's Tom Tyler, who starred in Captain Marvel serials in the 1940's. Here's a link to the IMDB for Tom Tyler, which includes photos of him as Captain Marvel. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0878927/?ref_=nv_sr_1.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

1946 Great Crepitation Fart Contest

Not for the faint of heart, here is the remarkable 1946 Crepitation (Fart) Contest (part of the 1946 News Broadcasts Collection ). You'll enjoy the fart-off between champion Englishman Lord Windsmear, and  challenger, Australian Paul Boomer who had stowed aboard a cabbage freighter. The hilarious comedy recording was apparently created a spoof by two Canadian radio sportscasters in 1946, but this 15 minute recording definitely has some gems in it.  Apparently they made several copies, but it was not for distribution. The recording was copied again and again on disc and reel to reel tape. It was distributed underground and played in dark rooms and back alleys around the world. If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element This recording is available with many other delightful treats on Random Rarities #7 available on   MP3 CD ,  Audio CD , and  instant download .

April 27, 1932: The First Performance of Ed Wynn on Texaco Fire Chief Show

April 27, 1932:  Ed Wynn , the Texaco fire chief, graced the airwaves for the first time on Texaco Star Theater. Wynn, who enjoyed popularity as a vaudeville performer, gave as a condition to his switch to radio, that a live audience react to his humor.His condition was granted by the network and so began Wynn's career as the first true superstar of radio. Ed Wynn was hosted a popular radio show  on Tuesday nights for most of the 1930s. The radio show was heard in North America and sponsored by Texaco gasoline. On the show Wynn played  as the " Texaco Fire Chief ". He was often seen wearing a fireman's helmet. For this show, Wynn would turned down the offer form The Wizard in MGM's adaptation of The Wizard of Oz , to play a role on that show.

January 27, 1948: Wire Recording introduced the 'Wireway'

  January 27, 1948: The first magnetic tape recorder was introduced by Wire Recording Corporation of America.  ‘Wire Way,’ as it was called, had an integrated oscillator and was sold for $149.50 at the time.