Frank Chase (actor)

Frank Chase (February 22, 1923 - July 2, 2004) was an American character actor and screenwriter. As an actor, he is probably remembered for his role as Deputy Charlie in Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. As a writer, his most prolific work was in the television series Bonanza. Other television series for which he wrote scripts were The Virginian, and The High Chaparral.

Background

Frank Chase was born in Potsdam, New York, in 1923. His father was screenwriter Borden Chase. He started out as an actor but moved to writing for television around the end of the 1950s.[1] His sister was actress Barrie Chase.[2]

He died on July 2, 2004.[3]

Acting career

1930s, 1940s

Chase appeared in at least two films in his youth: One in a Million, which was released around 1936/1937, and Thin Ice, released in 1937.[4]

1950s

His acting career as an adult began around the early 1950s with small parts in films such as Winchester '73, Bend of the River , and Red Ball Express.[5] He had a small role in the Raoul Walsh directed film, The World in His Arms.[6] Later he had a role as Borden in the Budd Boetticher directed 1952 western, Horizons West that starred Robert Ryan.[7] Working again with Raoul Walsh, he had a fairly prominent role as Keller in Saskatchewan which was released in 1954.[8] He played the part of Stone in Walk the Proud Land, a 1956 western directed by Jesse Hibbs.[9] One of his recognizable roles was that of Deputy Charlie in Attack of the 50 Foot Woman,[10][11] which was directed by Nathan Hertz, a sci-fi film about a giant woman (played by Allison Hayes), released in 1958.[12] His part was as a corny deputy[13] who in one scene comes across a giant footprint in a garden.[14]

1960s

Chase's last acting work in the 1960s was an episode in Bonanza and a couple in The Virginian.[15] He played the part of Jim in the Bonanza episode, The Artist.[16] In 1963, he played the part of a wrangler in The Evil That Men Do, an episode of The Virginian.[17] In 1965, he appeared in The Virginian again, in the episode Shadows of the Past, playing the part of a husband. He also wrote the script for the episode.[18][19]

Writer

His earliest writing work was for the Johnny Tuvo episode of The Texan, which starred Rory Calhoun, featuring Ron Hagerthy as Johnny Tuvo.[20]

From 1961 to 1969, he scripted 14 episodes of Bonanza.[21] And episode entitled The Ballerina, which aired in January 1965, is said to have been written by Chase with his ballerina sister Barrie in mind.[22] He also scripted 10 episodes for The Virginian, with airing dates from 1963 to 1970.[23][24] He also wrote 4 episodes of The High Chaparral.[25]

He wrote the story for the 1967 film, Sullivan's Empire, his only film.[26][27]

References
  1. A History of Television's The Virginian, 1962-1971, By Paul Green - Page 193 23: Writers, Frank Chase
  2. Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen - Barrie Chase Profile, November 64
  3. A History of Television's The Virginian, 1962-1971, By Paul Green - Page 193 23: Writers, Frank Chase
  4. Turner Classic Movies - Frank Chase, COMPLETE FILMOGRAPHY
  5. Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2004: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture, By Harris M. Lentz III - Page 72 Chase, Frank
  6. Western Movies: A Guide to 5,105 Feature Films, 2d ed., By Michael R. Pitts - Page 405 5025, The World in His Arms
  7. Robert Ryan: A Biography and Critical Filmography, By Franklin Jarlett - Page 241
  8. Turner Classic Movies - Saskatchewan(1954)
  9. Rotten Tomatoes - Walk the Proud Land (1956), Cast
  10. Fandango - Frank Chase Biography
  11. Keep Watching the Skies!: American Science Fiction Movies of the Fifties, By Bill Warren, Bill Thomas - Page 74 Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1985)
  12. South China Morning Post, Sunday, 25 August 2013 - Rewind film: 'Attack of the 50 Foot Woman' - Doretta Lau
  13. Keep Watching the Skies!: American Science Fiction Movies of the Fifties, By Bill Warren, Bill Thomas - Page 74 Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1985)
  14. Science Fiction Film Directors, 1895-1998, By Dennis Fischer - Page 335 Nathan Juran
  15. Imdb - Frank Chase (I) (1923–2004), Actor
  16. Getty Images - Bonanza - Season 4
  17. Tv.com - The Virginian > Season 2 > Episode 5 The Evil that Men Do
  18. TV Buzer - The Virginian, S3 E23 - "Shadows of the Past"
  19. A History of Television's The Virginian, 1962-1971, By Paul Green - Page 242 SHADOWS OF THE PAST (3:23) # 24735
  20. The Classic TV Archive - 2.37 (--) The Texan: JOHNNY TUVO
  21. Imdb - Writer, Bonanza
  22. A Reference Guide to Television's Bonanza: Episodes, Personnel and Broadcast History, By Bruce R. Leiby, Linda F. Leiby - Page 94 E186. The Ballerina (January 24, 1965
  23. Imdb - Filmography, Writer, The Virginian (TV Series)
  24. A History of Television's The Virginian, 1962-1971, By Paul Green - Page 193 23: Writers, Frank Chase
  25. The High Chaparral - Guide to Writers and Directors, Writers
  26. tvsou.com - 概览, 地区： 美国, 语言： 英语, 年代： 1967, 编剧： Frank Chase
  27. World Filmography: 1967, By Peter Cowie, Derek Elley - Page 604 Sullivan's Empire
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