Jailhouse Rock

Elvis Presley (Actor) .. Vince Everett

Born: January 08, 1935
Died: August 16, 1977
Birthplace: Tupelo, Mississippi, United States

Trivia: One of the all-time great rock & rollers and an unprecedented, phenomenal show-business success, Elvis Presley also starred in 31 consecutive big-screen hits. He was among the Top Ten box-office attractions in 1957 and from 1961-1966. When he was 13, he moved to Memphis with his family, going on to work as an usher in a movie theater and a truck driver. Presley toured locally as a singer (billed as "The Hillbilly Cat") and recorded several singles for a local label; he was signed by RCA in 1955 and became an instant star, racking up one hit single after another. On-stage, he gyrated his midsection seductively, leading him to acquire the nickname "Elvis the Pelvis." His concert appearances inspired hysteria among his young female fans, and he was considered by many to be a negative moral influence. However, Presley maintained his clean-cut, "mama's boy" image and soon had fans from every generation. He began appearing in films in 1956, debuting in Love Me Tender. Never successful among critics, his films were designed around his casual, good-ol'-boy characters, successful flirtations with his pretty female co-stars, and numerous songs. And each film made money, altogether grossing more than 150 million dollars. After Presley served a tour in the army, his singing career declined in the early '60s, when the Beatles and other new groups dominated the airwaves; he continued making successful films until 1969 (his last was Change of Habit with Mary Tyler Moore, who played a nun). He also appeared in two concert documentaries, That's the Way It Is (1970) and Elvis on Tour (1972). In the early '70s, after a decade of few personal appearances, Presley began doing live entertainment again, and his drawing power was as strong as ever. However, he began neglecting his health and gained large amounts of weight. He died of a prescription-drug-induced heart attack in 1977, after which his cult of personality grew to enormous proportions. Presley is perhaps more popular in death than he was during his life.

Judy Tyler (Actor) .. Peggy Van Alden

Born: January 01, 1932
Died: January 01, 1957

Mickey Shaughnessy (Actor) .. Hunk Houghton

Born: August 05, 1920
Died: July 23, 1985

Trivia: One of the few non-Jewish performers to cut his teeth on the tourist resort circuit, Mickey Shaughnessy went on to appear in a WWII army revue, then spent the postwar years performing a nightclub comedy act. His secondary role in 1952's The Marrying Kind led to a long screen career, wherein the burly Shaughnessy was frequently cast as big, dumb lugs with golden hearts. While contracted with MGM, Shaughnessy appeared in Don't Go Near the Water (1955) as a potty-mouthed sailor (whose cuss words were amusingly bleeped out on the soundtrack), in Designing Women (1957) as a punch-drunk boxer, and in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1960) as the Duke; he also essayed a rare unsympathetic role in 1958's The Sheepman. As Jerry Lewis' Navy buddy-turned-wrestler in Don't Give up the Ship (1959), Shaughnessy effortlessly stole the film from Lewis, which may explain why the two were never reteamed. After closing out his film career in the early '60s, Mickey Shaughnessy revived his nightclub act, priding himself on always working "clean" even into the 1980s.

Jennifer Holden (Actor) .. Sherry Wilson

Dean Jones (Actor) .. Teddy Talbot

Born: January 25, 1931
Died: September 01, 2015

Trivia: After a four-year hitch with the Air Corps, Dean Jones worked the nightclub and cabaret circuit as a blues singer. It was, however, as an actor that Jones was signed to an MGM contract in 1956; he spent the next four years essaying showy supporting roles in films like Tea and Sympathy (1956), Jailhouse Rock (1957) and Torpedo Run (1958). He made his first Broadway appearance in 1960, then went on to star in the TV service sitcom Ensign O'Toole (1962). Jones spent the next several years in light leading-man assignments in such Disney fare as That Darn Cat! (1965), The Ugly Dachshund (1966) The Love Bug (1968) and The Boatniks (1970). He returned to TV in 1970 as host of What's It All About World (1969), then scored a Broadway hit as the central character in the Steven Sondheim musical Company. In 1971, it was back to sitcom-land with the 13-week TVer Chicago Teddy Bears. Throughout the 1970s, Jones became increasingly involved in religious activities; this was reflected to a large degree in his sincere portrayal of Charles Colson in Born Again (1978). He made yet another TV comeback in Disney's Herbie the Love Bug in 1982, the same year that he published his autobiography, Under Running Laughter. Dean Jones remained busy as a film character actor into the 1990s, most delightfully in the atypical role of the vivisection-happy villain in Beethoven (1992). In 1997, he appeared in remakes of both That Darn Cat! and The Love Bug, reprising his role of Jim Douglas in the latter. Jones died in 2015, at age 84.

Anne Neyland (Actor) .. Laury Jackson

Hugh Sanders (Actor) .. Warden

Born: January 01, 1911
Died: January 01, 1966

Vaughn Taylor (Actor) .. Mr. Shores

Born: January 01, 1911
Died: May 03, 1983

Trivia: American actor Vaughn Taylor was trained as a certified public accountant at Northeastern University. While performing in college theatricals, Taylor entertained notions of a stage career; he won a scholarship at the Leland Powers School of Theatre, but his resources were so low that he had to sell his blood to blood banks to pay his expenses. Steady stock, tent-show, and radio work convinced Taylor that he'd made the right career move, and upon completing his Army duties in 1945, the actor took on the new challenge of live television. Taylor played so many TV roles that it is fruitless to try to list them, though the first "couch potato generation" might have affectionate memories of the actor as sharp-witted janitor Ernest P. Duckweather on the 1953 satirical puppet show Johnny Jupiter. (Taylor was replaced by Wright King when the series went from live to film). Taylor was also a prominent "summer repertory" actor on the prestigious anthology Robert Montgomery Presents from 1952 through 1954. The movies utilized Taylor's talents, often in roles as duplicitous executives or crooked business partners: he was the two-timing showman beheaded by magician Vincent Price in The Mad Magician (1954). Anyone who follows the reruns of The Twilight Zone will be more than familiar with the skill and range of Vaughn Taylor: he played bookworm Burgess Meredith's hardhearted boss in "Time Enough at Last," a crazed old conjurer in "Still Valley," an unctuous robot salesman in "I Sing the Body Electric" and a kindly wheelchair-bound gent who sells his kindness and becomes a killer in "The Self-Improvement of Salvatore Ross."

Mike Stoller (Actor) .. Pianist

Grandon Rhodes (Actor) .. Prof. August Van Alden

Born: January 01, 1904
Died: January 01, 1987

Trivia: Actor Grandon Rhodes worked steadily on stage, television, and in over 40 films during his four-decade career. On television, he had recurring roles on Bonanza (as a doctor) and Perry Mason.

Katherine Warren (Actor) .. Mrs. Van Alden

Born: July 12, 1905

Don Burnett (Actor) .. Mickey Alba

George Cisar (Actor) .. Jake the Bartender

Born: July 28, 1912

Trivia: Bald, moon-faced character actor George Cisar kept busy in a 22-year Hollywood career with roles in well over 100 film and television productions, starting in 1948 with an uncredited bit as a policeman in Henry Hathaway's Call Northside 777. Perhaps it was his rough-hewn yet genial features, coupled with an unaffected working-class accent and demeanor, but he was frequently put into police uniforms; and, in fact, many baby boomers may instantly recognize Cisar's face, if not his name, for his recurring role as the long-suffering Sgt. Mooney on the series Dennis the Menace, a part he portrayed in over two dozen episodes between 1960 and 1963. He worked in every genre from romantic comedies to Westerns, horror, and science fiction. In 1956 alone, Cisar was a barfly in Fred F. Sears' Teenage Crime Wave; a bartender in Sears' The Werewolf; and the somewhat disingenuous father of a vengeful teenager, who tries to sponsor and then derail a controversial rock & roll show, in Sears' Don't Knock the Rock. Cisar was obviously reliable, as director Sears and producer Sam Katzman -- who made those three movies -- were known for efficient filmmaking on a notoriously low budget.Cisar worked a lot for them at Columbia Pictures (which also produced Dennis the Menace), but he also did a lot of work at Ziv TV, on series such as Highway Patrol and Bat Masterson, in addition to regular appearance in Dragnet, where Jack Webb apparently liked keeping him busy and employed. Cisar could be funny or sinister, and some of his appearances were limited to a single line or two of dialogue, as in The Giant Claw (1957), where he provided a moment of comic relief (indeed, in that movie, his scene was one of the rare intentionally amusing moments). He also turned up in tiny roles in high-profile pictures such as Jailhouse Rock (1957) and Some Came Running (1958). Typically, Cisar would go from a co-starring part in a low-budget exploitation picture, such as Bernard Kowalski's Attack of the Giant Leeches, to a bit in, say, Don Siegel's Edge of Eternity, and then right on to an episode of The Untouchables (all 1959). Cisar retired at the start of the 1970s and passed away in 1979.

Glenn Strange (Actor) .. Simpson, Convict

Born: August 16, 1899
Died: September 20, 1973

Trivia: A New Mexican of Native American extraction, actor Glenn Strange held down several rough-and-tumble jobs, from deputy sheriff to rodeo rider, before settling on a singing career. He made his radio bow on Los Angeles station KNX (the CBS-owned affiliate) as a member of the Arizona Wranglers singing group. Thanks to his husky physique and plug-ugly features, Strange had no trouble finding work as a stuntman/villain in western films and serials. He also displayed a flair for comedy as the sidekick to singing cowboy Dick Foran in a series of B-sagebrushers of the late '30s. During the war years, Strange became something of a bargain-basement Lon Chaney Jr., playing homicidal halfwits in a handful of horror pictures made at PRC and other low-budget studios. These appearances led to his being cast as the Frankenstein monster in the 1944 Universal programmer House of Frankenstein; he was coached in this role by the "creature" from the original 1931 Frankenstein, Boris Karloff. Given very little to do in House of Frankenstein and the 1945 sequel House of Dracula other than stalk around with arms outstretched at fadeout time, Strange brought none of the depth and pathos to the role that distinguished Karloff's appearances. Strange was shown to better advantage in his last appearance as The Monster in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) where he convincingly menaced the eternally frightened Lou Costello and even indulged in a couple of time-honored "scare" routines, while still remaining in character (Some scenes had to be reshot because Strange couldn't stop laughing at Costello's antics; towards the end of shooting, Strange broke his ankle and had to be replaced in a few shots by Lon Chaney Jr., who was costarring in the film as the Wolf Man). Though typecast as heavies in both movies and television -- he played the hissable Butch Cavendish in the Lone Ranger TV pilot -- Strange was well known throughout Hollywood as a genuine nice guy and solid family man. Glenn Strange's last engagement of note was his 11-year run (1962-73) as Sam, the Long Branch bartender on TV's Gunsmoke.

John Indrisano (Actor) .. Convict

Born: January 01, 1906
Died: July 09, 1968

Trivia: A former boxer, John Indrisano entered films via the sponsorship of several Hollywood sports fans, notably Mae West, who cast Indrisano in a small role in Every Day's a Holiday (1937). Sometimes typecast as a pugilist, Indrisano was more often seen as a trainer or referee. Non-boxing fans can spot him in such "civilian" roles as the chauffeur in Murder My Sweet (1944), one of his many film noir appearances. He also served as a technical advisor for the prizefight scenes in such films as The Kid From Brooklyn (1946) The Set Up (1949) and Carmen Jones (1954). John Indrisano was 62 years old when he hung himself in his San Fernando Valley home.

Robert Bice (Actor) .. Bardeman, TV Studio Manager

Born: March 14, 1914

Percy Helton (Actor) .. Sam Brewster

Born: January 01, 1894
Died: September 11, 1971

Trivia: The son of actors, Percy Helton began his own career at age two in a Tony Pastor revue in which his parents were performing. The undersized Helton was a valuable juvenile player for producer David Belasco, making his film debut in a 1915 Belasco production, The Fairy and the Waif. Helton matured into adult roles under the stern guidance of George M. Cohan. After serving in the Army during World War I, Helton established himself on Broadway, appearing in such productions as Young America, One Sunday Afternoon and The Fabulous Invalid. He made his talkie debut in 1947's Miracle on 34th Street, playing the inebriated Macy's Santa Claus whom Edmund Gwenn replaces. Perhaps the quintessential "who is that?" actor, Helton popped up, often uncredited, in over one hundred succinct screen characterizations. Forever hunched over and eternally short of breath, he played many an obnoxious clerk, nosey mailman, irascible bartender, officious train conductor and tremulous stool pigeon. His credits include Fancy Pants (1950), The Robe (1953), White Christmas (1954), Rally Round the Flag Boys (1959), The Music Man (1962) and Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte (1965), as well as two appearances as sweetshop proprietor Mike Clancy in the Bowery Boys series. Thanks to his trademarked squeaky voice, and because he showed up in so many "cult" films (Wicked Woman, Kiss Me Deadly, Sons of Katie Elder), Helton became something of a high-camp icon in his last years. In this vein, Percy Helton was cast as the "Heraldic Messenger" in the bizarre Monkees vehicle Head (he showed up at the Monkees' doorstep with a beautiful blonde manacled to his wrist!), the treacherous Sweetieface in the satirical western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), and the bedraggled bank clerk Cratchit on the TV series The Beverly Hillbillies.

Peter Adams (Actor) .. Jack Lease

Born: January 01, 1917
Died: January 01, 1987

Trivia: American actor Peter Adams comes from one of California's first families. He began acting while attending Williams College and appeared in both feature films and television for over 50 years.

William Forrest (Actor) .. Studio Head

Born: January 01, 1904
Died: January 01, 1989

Trivia: Baby boomers will recall silver-maned actor William Forrest as Major Swanson, the brusque but fair-minded commander of Fort Apache in the 1950s TV series The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin. This character was but one of many military officers portrayed by the prolific Forrest since the late 1930s. Most of his film appearances were fleeting, and few were billed, but Forrest managed to pack more authority into 30 seconds' film time than many bigger stars were able to manage in an hour and a half. Outside of Rin Tin Tin, William Forrest is probably most familiar as the sinister fifth-columnist Martin Crane in the 1943 Republic serial The Masked Marvel.

Dan White (Actor) .. Paymaster

Born: March 25, 1908
Died: July 07, 1980

Trivia: In films from 1939, character actor Dan White trafficked in small-town blowhards and rustic constables. Often unbilled in bit roles, White was occasionally afforded such larger roles as Deputy Elmer in Voodoo Man (1944), Millwheel in The Yearling (1946) and Abel Hatfield in Roseanna McCoy (1949). He remained active until the early 1960s. The "Dan White" who appeared in 1977's Alien Factor is a different person.

Robin Raymond (Actor) .. Dotty

Born: October 04, 1916

Trivia: Supporting actress, former lead, onscreen from 1941.

John Day (Actor) .. Ken

S. John Launer (Actor) .. Judge

Born: November 05, 1919
Died: September 08, 2006

Dick Rich (Actor) .. Guard

Born: January 01, 1908
Died: March 29, 1967

Trivia: Dick Rich's film career extended from 1937 to 1957. Rich spent much of the early '40s as a 20th Century Fox contractee, playing such roles as the fatally impulsive Deputy Mapes in The Ox-Bow Incident. Later in the decade, he showed up in MGM's short-subject product, playing brutish bad guys in everything from the Crime Does Not Pay series to the Our Gang one-reelers. He retained his association with MGM into the 1950s, essaying small roles in such films as Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) and Jailhouse Rock (1957). Even after closing out his film career, Dick Rich remained active on television, making five appearances on the prime-time Western Gunsmoke.

Elizabeth Slifer (Actor) .. Cleaning Woman

Gloria Pall (Actor) .. Stripteaser

Fred Coby (Actor) .. Bartender

Born: March 01, 1916
Died: September 27, 1970

Trivia: Lithe, dark-haired Fred Coby (born Frederick G. Beckner Jr.) turned into freakish Rondo Hatton in the 1946 horror melodrama The Brute Man, a chiller so tasteless and badly made that Universal sold it outright to Poverty Row company PRC. Coby stayed with PRC for Don Ricardo Returns (1946), a Zorro rip-off written by actor Duncan Renaldo and based on Johnston McCulley, the creator of the original. Although handsome -- Coby's slight resemblance to Tyrone Power may have won him the role in the first place -- Don Ricardo was too cheaply made to have any impact on the moviegoing audience. He spent the remainder of his career as a stunt performer and bit player.

Frank Kreig (Actor) .. Drunk

William Tannen (Actor) .. Record Distributor

Born: January 01, 1911
Died: December 02, 1976

Trivia: The son of veteran vaudeville headliner Julius Tannen and the brother of actor Charles Tannen, William Tannen entered films as a Columbia contractee in 1934. Along with several other young stage-trained performers, Tannen was "discovered" by MGM in 1938's Dramatic School. During his subsequent years at MGM, he was briefly associated with three top comedy teams: He played Virginia Grey's brother in the Marx Brothers' The Big Store (1941), a Nazi flunkey in Laurel and Hardy's Air Raid Wardens (1943), and a "hard-boiled" assistant director in Abbott and Costello in Hollywood (1945). On TV, William Tannen was seen in the recurring role of Deputy Hal on the weekly Western Wyatt Earp (1955-1961).

Wilson Wood (Actor) .. Record Engineer

Born: February 11, 1915

Tom McKee (Actor) .. TV Director

Born: January 01, 1916
Died: January 01, 1960

Donald Kerr (Actor) .. Photographer

Born: January 01, 1891
Died: January 25, 1977

Trivia: Character actor Donald Kerr showed up whenever a gumchewing Runyonesque type (often a reporter or process server) was called for. A bit actor even in two-reelers and "B" pictures, Kerr was one of those vaguely familiar faces whom audiences would immediately recognize, ask each other "Who is that?", then return to the film, by which time Kerr had scooted the scene. The actor's first recorded film appearance was in 1933's Carnival Lady. Twenty-two years later, Donald Kerr concluded his career in the same anonymity with which he began it in 1956's Yaqui Drums.

Carl Milletaire (Actor) .. Drummond

Born: June 21, 1912
Died: May 04, 1994

Trivia: Character actor Carl Milletaire specialized in playing gangsters. Fans of the television show The Untouchables may remember him for playing Frank Nitti's number one stooge. Milletaire made his screen debut with a tiny role in Double Life (1947).

Francis Desales (Actor) .. Surgeon

Born: March 23, 1912

Trivia: American actor Francis de Sales appeared on stage, screen, radio and television. He got his start on Broadway as one of the original "Dead End" kids. He later starred in his own radio series and from there moved into television until the late 1950s when he started his film career. De Sales continued appearing in films through the mid '70s.

Harry Hines (Actor) .. Hotel Clerk

Born: January 01, 1888
Died: January 01, 1967

Dorothy Abbott (Actor) .. Woman in Cafe

Born: January 01, 1920
Died: January 01, 1968

The Jordanaires (Actor)

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