Ghost Town

Kent Taylor (Actor) .. Anse Conroy

Born: May 11, 1906
Died: April 09, 1987

Trivia: Kent Taylor headed for Hollywood after graduating from high school -- though not as soon after graduation as he'd later claim. Signed by Paramount in 1932, the handsome but slightly callow Taylor appeared in bits and small supporting roles in films like The Devil and the Deep, If I Had a Million, and Sign of the Cross. He befriended comedian Will Rogers, who spotlighted young Taylor in good leading man roles in several of his vehicles at Fox (notably 1934's David Harum). Taylor's film assignments improved after he adopted a mustache and developed a go-getting screen personality. He freelanced in big and small productions at such studios as RKO, Paramount, Columbia, and Universal, often cast as detectives or soldiers of fortune. In 1951, Taylor was cast in the title role of the syndicated TV series Boston Blackie, which ran profitably in rerun form into the 1960s. In 1958, Taylor starred in a network Western, The Rough Riders. Kent Taylor remained active in films into the 1970s, albeit in progressively cheaper efforts like Al Adamson's Satan's Sadists (1968).

John Smith (Actor) .. Duff Bailey

Born: March 06, 1931
Died: January 25, 1995

Trivia: Actor John Smith may best be remembered for starring in the television westerns Cimarron City (1958-60) and Laramie (1959-63), but he also played supporting roles in numerous feature films. Smith was born Robert Earl Van Orden in Los Angeles. He began his career singing with the Bob Mitchell Choir Boys. The musical group appeared in two Bing Crosby efforts Going My Way (1944) and The Bells of St. Mary's (1946). While one might think a distinguished-sounding name such as Robert Van Orden has as star quality all its own, the actor himself didn't agree and partially as a jest decided to change his name to the more generic John Smith. Accompanied by agent Henry Willson (the man who provided Tab Hunter and Rock Hudson with their stage names), Van Orden went before a skeptical judge. When asked why he would adopt such a plain-jane name, Van Orden claimed that he would be the only actor in Hollywood with that name. Thus far, he has been right. As John Smith, his film credits include The Kettles on Old Mac Donald's Farm (1957), Circus World (1964) and Justin Morgan Had a Horse (1981).

Marian Carr (Actor) .. Barbara Leighton

John Doucette (Actor) .. Doc Clawson

Born: January 01, 1921
Died: August 16, 1994

Trivia: Whenever actor Ed Platt blew one of his lines in his role of "The Chief" in the TV comedy series Get Smart, star Don Adams would cry out "Is John Doucette available?" Adams was kidding, of course, but he was not alone in his high regard for the skill and versatility of the deep-voiced, granite-featured Doucette. In films on a regular basis since 1947 (he'd made his official movie debut in 1943's Two Tickets to London), Doucette was usually cast in roles calling for bad-tempered menace, but was also adept at dispensing dignity and authority. He was equally at home with the archaic dialogue of Julius Caesar (1953) and Cleopatra (1963) as he was with the 20th-century military patois of 1970's Patton, in which he played General Truscott. John Doucette's many TV credits include a season on the syndicated MacDonald Carey vehicle Lock-Up (1959), and the role of Captain Andrews on The Partners (1971), starring Doucette's old friend and admirer Don Adams.

William 'Bill' Phillips (Actor) .. Kerry McCabe

Born: January 01, 1907
Died: June 27, 1957

Trivia: Muscular actor William "Bill" Phillips attended George Washington University, where he distinguished himself in such contact sports as football and boxing. After cutting his acting teeth with Eva Le Galienne's Civic Repertory group, Phillips made his film debut in 1940. He landed a long-term MGM contract after registering well in a small role in See Here Private Hargrove (1944). By the 1950s, Phillips was typed as a Western actor, usually in such secondary roles as the barber in High Noon (1952). William "Bill" Phillips made his last appearance in the Ronald Reagan-Nancy Davis starrer Hellcats of the Navy (1957).

Serena Sande (Actor) .. Maureen

Joel Ashley (Actor) .. Sgt. Dockery

Born: April 17, 1919

Gil Rankin (Actor) .. Simon Peter Wheedle

Born: April 17, 1911
Died: October 31, 1993

Edmund Hashim (Actor) .. Dull Knife

Born: January 01, 1931
Died: January 01, 1974

Gary Murray (Actor) .. Alex

Gilman Rankin (Actor) .. Reverend Simon Peter Wheedle

Boyd "Red" Morgan (Actor) .. Stage Driver

Born: October 24, 1915

3:00 pm - 5:00 pm, Friday, October 31 on WPXN Grit (31.3)