# Who's left from early TV? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 13, 2014, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-left-from-early-tv/681218 "2014-02-13T03:45:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 24
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2014, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-left-from-early-tv/681218/461 "2014-08-13T00:24:53Z")
Lauren Bacall is no longer left–she died at 89: > **[Lauren Bacall, smoky-voiced Hollywood legend, dies at 89](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/aug/13/lauren-bacall-dies-at-89)** > > The actor, best known for The Big Sleep and How to Marry a Millionaire, dies at family home after suffering stroke ---
**Author:** ![ClickIt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@ClickIt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ClickIt)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2014, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-left-from-early-tv/681218/462 "2014-08-13T12:59:42Z")
Looks like there are countless living television actors/actresses from pre-1957. This is probably because life expectancy is rising so more and more people are reaching their eighties and onwards. What I’m wondering is how many are still around that were in films during the 30s and 40s. Probably just a few hundreds. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2014, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-left-from-early-tv/681218/463 "2014-08-13T16:55:24Z")
Well, there’s **Terry Kilburn** , who worked on dozens of films in the '30s and '40s before acting on half-a-dozen TV shows from '51 to '57 (and after which, _Get Smart_). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2014, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-left-from-early-tv/681218/464 "2014-08-14T11:07:48Z")
**Gloria Jean** made her film debut in '39, and then spent the '40s acting on the big screen – with W.C. Fields in _Never Give A Sucker An Even Break_, with Groucho Marx in _Copacabana_, and so on – before getting plenty of pre-'57 TV work, on _Rebound_ and _Annie Oakley_ and _Death Valley Days_ and _The Colgate Comedy Hour_ and et cetera. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-left-from-early-tv/681218/465 "2014-08-15T07:05:12Z")
Back in the '30s, **Michèle Morgan** was acting in her first films, and she was still at it in '42 with Alan Ladd, and '43 with Frank Sinatra, and '44 with Humphrey Bogart, and so on for Robert Cummings and Ralph Richardson and et cetera before beating the OP’s deadline in episode after episode of _Studio One In Hollywood_. Come the '60s, she did _Lost Command_ with Anthony Quinn and George Segal shortly before doing her first TV movie; after more big-screen work in the '70s, she did yet more TV movies in the '80s, and yet more TV movies in the '90s – and she’s now still alive in _her_ nineties, unless you insist on that February 29th birthday. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-left-from-early-tv/681218/466 "2014-08-16T22:01:35Z")
In 1937, **Conrad Binyon** and **Joel Davis** debuted in _Life Begins With Love_; after more movie work in the '30s and '40s – one was a Marine in _Sands of Iwo Jima_ alongside John Wayne, the other did _Spellbound_ with Gregory Peck – each beat the OP’s deadline by acting on TV in the early '50s. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-left-from-early-tv/681218/467 "2014-08-17T13:35:32Z")
**Martin Spellman** did a dozen movies in the '30s and '40s before _Dragnet_ in '57. ---
**Author:** ![ClickIt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@ClickIt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ClickIt)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-left-from-early-tv/681218/468 "2014-08-18T12:36:32Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > In 1937, **Conrad Binyon** and **Joel Davis** debuted in _Life Begins With Love_; after more movie work in the '30s and '40s – one was a Marine in _Sands of Iwo Jima_ alongside John Wayne, the other did _Spellbound_ with Gregory Peck – each beat the OP’s deadline by acting on TV in the early '50s. Unfortunately, Joel Davis passed away on December 19, 1966, at the age of 33. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-left-from-early-tv/681218/469 "2014-08-18T15:14:15Z")
> [@ClickIt](#): > > [QUOTE=The Other Waldo Pepper] > In 1937, **Conrad Binyon** and **Joel Davis** debuted in _Life Begins With Love_; after more movie work in the '30s and '40s – one was a Marine in _Sands of Iwo Jima_ alongside John Wayne, the other did _Spellbound_ with Gregory Peck – each beat the OP’s deadline by acting on TV in the early '50s. Unfortunately, Joel Davis passed away on December 19, 1966, at the age of 33. [/QUOTE] Your sources beat IMDB’s all hollow! Well, one out of two ain’t bad for bumping-the-thread purposes. No obit yet for Oscar nominee **Ann Blyth** , who in '57 was in _The Helen Morgan Story_ (as, y’know, Helen Morgan) after TV work with everyone from Raymond Burr to Ethel Barrymore, after movie roles dating back to '44, right? ---
**Author:** ![ClickIt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@ClickIt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ClickIt)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-left-from-early-tv/681218/470 "2014-08-18T16:04:10Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Your sources beat IMDB’s all hollow! > > Well, one out of two ain’t bad for bumping-the-thread purposes. No obit yet for Oscar nominee **Ann Blyth** , who in '57 was in _The Helen Morgan Story_ (as, y’know, Helen Morgan) after TV work with everyone from Raymond Burr to Ethel Barrymore, after movie roles dating back to '44, right? Yes, IMDB can be quite unreliable at times. Lack of death information can be mistaken for proof of being alive. Another example is that of Joe Kirkwood, Jr. which you mentioned in post #387. According to [Wikipedia.org](http://Wikipedia.org), he died several years ago but his exact death date is unknown. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-left-from-early-tv/681218/471 "2014-08-18T16:51:13Z")
> [@ClickIt](#): > > Yes, IMDB can be quite unreliable at times. Lack of death information can be mistaken for proof of being alive. > > Another example is that of Joe Kirkwood, Jr. which you mentioned in post #387. According to [Wikipedia.org](http://Wikipedia.org), he died several years ago but his exact death date is unknown. In fairness, Wiki _didn’t_ say that when I’d checked it; the edit and debate about it only just kicked off this week (with mention that the HWoF website lists him as alive). I suppose, though, I maybe shouldn’t mention **Jimmy Murphy** , who neither IMDB nor Wiki list a date of death for, but who was one of the Bowery Boys and acted in plenty of classics – _Blackboard Jungle_, _Somebody Up There Likes Me_, and so on – before racking up pre-'58 TV credits, such that attention shoulda been paid? ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-left-from-early-tv/681218/472 "2014-08-19T05:04:10Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Don Pardo was announcing for NBC before they even had a television network. not any more. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-left-from-early-tv/681218/473 "2014-08-19T06:40:59Z")
At least we’ve still got Regis Philbin. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-left-from-early-tv/681218/474 "2014-08-20T17:07:08Z")
**Tommy Rall** ’s most recent IMDB credit is for this year, the better part of a century after racking up pre-'57 credits on television and in the movies. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-left-from-early-tv/681218/475 "2014-08-22T00:49:12Z")
**Sharyn Moffett** and her brother **Gregory Moffett** apparently qualify: both of 'em acting on the big screen in the '40s with _The Judge Steps Out_, both of 'em acting on the small screen pre-'57 thanks to _Fireside Theatre_, and between the two of 'em you’ve got everything from Cary Grant in _Mister Blandings Builds His Dream House_ to George Reeves doing his _Adventures of Superman_ best. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-left-from-early-tv/681218/476 "2014-08-23T01:29:51Z")
**Jason Wingreen** , who made his TV debut back in '55 on _Armstrong Circle Theatre_ before getting work on _Playhouse 90_ in '56, is apparently still alive decades after he went from acting on _Twilight Zone_ to _The Outer Limits_ and thence from _Star Trek_ to being the voice of Boba Fett in _The Empire Strikes Back_, which should entitle the guy to some insaaaaaaaaaane level of sci-fi geek cred. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-left-from-early-tv/681218/477 "2014-08-23T17:15:00Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > At least we’ve still got Regis Philbin. This is a joke, right? After all your other posts and you give someone whose first IMDb listing is from 1962? The previously mentioned James Drury will be [signing autographs](http://oregonstatefair.org/attractions/entertainment/james-drury/) next weekend at the Oregon State Fair. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-left-from-early-tv/681218/478 "2014-08-23T18:26:01Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > This is a joke, right? After all your other posts and you give someone whose first IMDb listing is from 1962? Wiki and other sources assure me he’s in the pre-'58 camp. If we’re going to insist on IMDB for Rat Pack hanger-ons, how about **Nancy Sinatra** , who of course appeared on _The Frank Sinatra Show_ time and again and again as a teen, starting with her singing debut in '57 not long before she spent the early '60s acting on shows like _Burke’s Law_ and _The Virginian_. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-left-from-early-tv/681218/479 "2014-08-24T04:19:53Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Wiki and other sources assure me he’s in the pre-'58 camp. I’m not seeing that in [Regis Philbin’s Wikipedia entry](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regis_Philbin). The closest I see is: **“In his earliest show business work, Philbin was a page at The Tonight Show in the 1950s. Later, he wrote for Los Angeles talk show host Tom Duggan, and nervously filled in one night when the hard-drinking Duggan didn’t show up. He also was an announcer on The Tonight Show in 1962. In 1957, Regis left his job as assistant news editor to Baxter Ward at KCOP, Los Angeles to make his fortune in New York. His replacement at KCOP was George Van Valkenburg.”** Assuming the “later” in that passage was pre-1958, that was only one brief appearance on a local show. [IMDB](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005310/?ref_=fn_nm_nm_1) mentions nothing in the 1950s. What are these “other sources” of which you speak? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-left-from-early-tv/681218/480 "2014-08-24T13:05:35Z")
Well, if you’re underwhelmed by the above bit from Wiki – that he was an assistant news editor at KCOP in 1957, during which time he filled in on-air for talk-show host Tom Duggan – then I don’t expect you to be impressed by, say, [this](http://books.google.com/books?id=NUXIAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA1759&lpg=PA1759&dq=%22regis+philbin%22+%221957%22+%221958%22&source=bl&ots=1EF_iJ9AEM&sig=09eU-ASYoeLwrbMr9FSnFOssSR0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=78T5U7CWM5WcyQTf2YGwAg&ved=0CB0Q6AEwATgK), which covers the same ground about his pre-'58 days: _“KCOP-TV hired him as a stagehand and then writer, researcher, and producer. After substituting once on-air in sports, Philbin wanted to be on-air permanently and became frustrated with behind-the-scenes work. In 1957 he switched to radio news at San Diego’s KSON, where he developed unremarkable but quirky ‘Philbinesque’ stories.”_ The OP asked: “Who else from early TV (say, pre-1958) is still with us?” As far as I can tell, this guy from early TV – pre-1958 – is still with us, sure as technically correct is the best kind of correct; put me under oath and ask me whether he worked both behind the scenes and in front of the camera in pre-1958 TV, and I’d fear perjury charges for answering “no”, which is why I’d answer “yes” with a clear conscience. As a gesture of goodwill, let’s add a new (and IMDB-friendly) example guiding off your username: maybe **Sheila Sim** , who did TV movies back in the '40s – if not the alliterative Kamal Khan himself, the incomparable **Louis Jourdan** , who was a regular on one show, and performed on the aforementioned _Your Show Of Shows_, and et cetera pre-'58, back when he was also acting on _Robert Montgomery Presents_ and _Climax!_ and _The Ford Television Theatre_ and so on. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-left-from-early-tv/681218.md?page=23) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-left-from-early-tv/681218.md?page=25)