Truman Bradley (actor)

Truman Bradley (February 8, 1905 – July 28, 1974) was an actor and narrator in radio, television and film.

Early years

Bradley was born February 8, 1905, in Sheldon, Missouri. Although he wanted to be an actor, he followed his parents' desires and studied law.[1]

Career

Radio

Bradley began his career in the 1930s as a radio broadcaster. Working at WBBM[2] in Chicago, Illinois, some considered him "the Mid-West's leading news commentator."[3] He was selected by Henry Ford to be the announcer for the Ford Sunday Evening Hour, for which he flew to Detroit, Michigan, each weekend.[3] With his distinctive, authoritative voice, he soon became a radio actor as well as a narrator in numerous movies. In the mid-1940s, Bradley was a newscaster with KERN in Bakersfield, California.[4]

Bradley was the announcer for Red Skelton's program,[5] Burns and Allen[6] Easy Aces,[1] the Frank Sinatra Show[7] and Screen Guild Players.[8]

Film

A newspaper columnist wrote in 1942 that representatives of the film industry "had stalked him [Bradley] in Chicago, pouncing on him with such enthusiasm and rich offers that he could not, in honesty to himself, refuse."[3] He received critical praise for his work in The Night Before the Divorce in 1942.[3] He was also in Northwest Passage (1940),[9]Millionaires in Prison (1940)[10] and Murder Among Friends (1941).[11]

Television

Bradley was the host of the 1950s syndicated TV series Science Fiction Theatre.[12] He occasionally worked as an actor in films (including two Charlie Chan mysteries in the 1930s) and live theater.

Other business activities

In 1937, Bradley and his sister bought the Chicago-based Mme. Huntingford Cosmetic Company. He was the company's president, and Elene Bradley was general manager, "active in the sales end of the business."[13]

Family

Bradley married Evelyn Jane Esenther of Oak Park, Illinois, September 8, 1937.[13] He married actress Myra Bratton January 12, 1940, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bratton filed for divorce in Los Angeles, California, March 17, 1941.[14] The divorce was granted November 17, 1941.[15]

He later had a complex relationship with actress Phyllis Ruth, whom he married in 1942. Three years later, she announced plans to file for divorce.[16] Early in 1946, however, a newspaper columnist reported: "The judge who ruled that Starlet Phyllis Ruth and Radio Announcer Truman Bradley could live in the same house, though separated, did a smart thing. They are reconciled now and are going to have a baby in June."[17] A July 14, 1946, column by Jimmie Fidler reported, "The Truman Bradleys ... got a six-pound baby girl."[18]

Death

Bradley died July 28, 1974, in Hollywood, California, at the Motion Picture Home.[19]

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1932Are You Listening?Radio AnnouncerUncredited
1938Vacation from LoveMark Shelby
1938Young Dr. KildareJack Hamilton
1938Spring MadnessWalter Beckett
1939The Ice Follies of 1939Paul RodneyVoice, Uncredited
1939The Hardys Ride HighClerk
19396,000 EnemiesReporterUncredited
1939Stronger Than DesireMan in CourtroomUncredited
1939On Borrowed TimeJames Northrup
1939Miracles for SaleNightclub Master of CeremoniesUncredited
1940Northwest PassageCaptain Ogden
1940Millionaires in PrisonDr. William 'Bill' Collins
1940We Who Are YoungCommentatorVoice, Uncredited
1940A Night at Earl Carroll'sRadio Announcer
1941Murder Among FriendsMcAndrews
1941Dead Men TellCapt. Kane
1941Charlie Chan in RioPaul Wagner
1941Last of the DuanesTexas Ranger Capt. Laramie
1941Mob TownOfficer Cutler
1941Burma ConvoyVictor Harrison
1941Keep 'Em FlyingButch
1941They Died with Their Boots On7th Michigan officerUncredited
1942Bombay ClipperDr. Gregory Landers
1942Treat 'Em RoughJordan Perkins
1942The Night Before the DivorceInspector Bruce Campbell
1942Lone Star RangerPhil Lawson
1945Objective, Burma!Narrator - Opening SequenceVoice, Uncredited
1945The Horn Blows at MidnightRadio Announcer
1946Mr. AceRadio Forum ModeratorUncredited
1947I Wonder Who's Kissing Her NowMartin Webb
1948Call Northside 777NarratorVoice, Uncredited
1948Fighter SquadronNarratorVoice, Uncredited
1949Special AgentNarratorVoice
1952MacaoNarratorVoice, Uncredited
1952Confidence GirlNarratorVoice, Uncredited
1953Never Wave at a WACNarratorVoice, Uncredited

References
  1. "Your Announcers Are". Radio Mirror. 6 (6): 63. October 1936.
  2. Wolters, Larry (June 30, 1936). "News of the Radio Stations". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 12. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  3. Boesen, Vic (May 1, 1942). "Meet the Stars". Alton Evening Telegraph. p. 27. Retrieved April 25, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Dial Dates (ad)". The Bakersfield Californian. May 25, 1945. p. 12. Retrieved April 26, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Behind the Mike". Broadcasting. February 9, 1942. p. 32. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  6. Fisher, George (April 1940). "Hollywood Radio Whispers". Radio and Television Mirror. 13 (6): 40, 74.
  7. "Frank Sinatra Show". Billboard. January 15, 1944. p. 26. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  8. Abbott, Sam (October 31, 1942). "Hollywood". Billboard. p. 8. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  9. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2291074/the_pantagraph/
  10. "(movie ad)". The Daily Mail. November 11, 1940. p. 2. Retrieved April 26, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Exciting and Funny Murder Mystery at Henry's Theatre". The Daily Mail. May 15, 1941. p. 3. Retrieved April 25, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-2834-2. P. 39.
  13. "Bradley Buys Talc Firm But Continues in Radio". September 15, 1937. p. 26. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  14. "Truman Bradley Sued Again by Wife". The Times. March 17, 1941. p. 14. Retrieved April 25, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. "Divorces". Billboard. November 29, 1947. p. 46. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  16. "Phyllis Ruth To Seek A Divorce". The Morning Herald. August 30, 1945. p. 5. Retrieved April 26, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. Carroll, Harrison (January 23, 1946). "Behind The Scenes In Hollywood". The Morning Herald. p. 9. Retrieved April 26, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. "Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood". Joplin Globe. July 14, 1946. p. 28. Retrieved April 26, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. "Truman Bradley dies in Hollywood". The Pantagraph. July 29, 1974. p. 1. Retrieved April 25, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
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