LeRoy Franklin Mason (July 2, 1903 – October 13, 1947) was an American film actor who worked primarily in Westerns in both the silent and sound film eras. Mason was born in Larimore, North Dakota, on July 2, 1903.[1]
LeRoy Mason | |
|---|---|
_-_LeRoy_Mason.jpg) Mason in Western Mail (1942) | |
| Born | LeRoy Franklin Mason July 2, 1903 Larimore, North Dakota, U.S. |
| Died | October 13, 1947 (aged 44) Van Nuys, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1924–1947 |
| Spouse(s) |
[citation needed] Bo Ling (m. 1937–his death) |
Career
edit1920s
editMason's first film was Hit and Run opposite Hoot Gibson (1924).[2] He was officially credited in Born to Battle (1926) opposite Tom Tyler and Jean Arthur.[2] In 1926, Mason starred in The Arizona Streak opposite Tom Tyler, Frankie Darro, and Ada Mae Vaughn.[2] Also in 1926, he starred in Lightning Hutch opposite Charles Hutchison and Edith Thornton.[2] Mason starred opposite Tom Tyler, Doris Hill, and Frankie Darro in Tom and His Pals (1926). He starred opposite William Fairbanks, Alice Calhoun, and Frank Rice in Flying High (1926).[3] He starred in Closed Gates (1928) opposite John Harron, Jane Novak, and Lucy Beaumont. Mason starred in Golden Shackles (1928) opposite Grant Withers and Priscilla Bonner. He starred in The Avenging Shadow (1928) opposite Margaret Morris. Mason starred in The Law's Lash (1928) opposite Robert Ellis and Mary Mayberry. He starred in Hit of the Show (1928), originally a silent film, opposite Joe E. Brown, Gertrude Olmstead, and William Bailey. Mason starred in Revenge (1928) Dolores del Río, James A. Marcus, and Rita Carewe.[4][5] He starred in The Viking (1928) opposite Pauline Starke and Donald Crisp.[6][7] Mason starred in Bride of the Desert (1929) opposite Alice Calhoun and Ethan Laidlaw. He starred in The Woman Who Was Forgotten (1930) opposite Belle Bennett and Jack Mower.[8]
1930s
editMason starred opposite of Lon Chaney Jr. in The Last Frontier (1932).[9] He starred opposite Ray "Crash" Corrigan in The Painted Stallion (1937).[9] Mason starred opposite John Wayne in Wyoming Outlaw (1939)[10] and New Frontier (1939).[11]
1940s
editMason starred opposite David Sharpe in Silver Stallion (1941).[12] He starred opposite Wild Bill Elliott in Hidden Valley Outlaws (1944). In the film, Mason and John James sings the song Oh Susanna.[13]
Personal life and death
editMason married Rita Carewe in 1928 and divorced her in 1936. He was married to actress Bo Ling; they had no children and eventually separated.[14] A shooting accident on a film set in the 1930s caused him to lose sight in his right eye.[2]
On October 13, 1947, Mason died of "acute myocardial infarction due to coronary thrombosis" in the Birmingham Veterans Administration Hospital in Van Nuys, California. He had been there for 31 days after suffering a heart attack on the set of California Firebrand.[2] An Associated Press news story published October 14, 1947, says that Mason "collapsed on a Republic Studio set Monday and died a few hours later of a heart ailment."[15]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Director (s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | Hit and Run | Spectator | Edward Sedgwick | |
| 1926 | Born to Battle | Daley | Robert De Lacey | Silent western film |
| The Arizona Streak | Velvet Hamilton | |||
| Lightning Hutch | Frank Proctor | Charles Hutchison | Silent action film | |
| Tom and His Pals | Courtney | Robert De Lacey | Silent western film | |
| Flying High | Lester Swope | Charles Hutchison | Silent action film | |
| 1927 | Closed Gates | Harvey Newell | Phil Rosen | Silent melodrama film |
| 1928 | Golden Shackles | Herbert Fordyce | Dallas M. Fitzgerald | Silent drama film |
| The Avenging Shadow | George Brooks, Deputy Warden | Ray Taylor | Silent action film | |
| The Law's Lash | Pete Rogan - Henchman | Noel M. Smith | ||
| Hit of the Show | Woody | Ralph Ince |
| |
| Revenge | Jorga | Edwin Carewe | Silent drama film | |
| The Viking | Alwin | Roy William Neill |
| |
| 1929 | Bride of the Desert | Fugitive | Duke Worne | Western film |
| 1930 | The Woman Who Was Forgotten | Richard Atwell | Richard Thomas |
|
| The Climax | Dr. Gardoni | Renaud Hoffman | Thriller film | |
| See America Thirst | Attorney | William James Craft | ||
| 1932 | Texas Pioneers | Mark Collins | Harry L. Fraser | |
| Shopworn | Toby | Nick Grinde | ||
| Mason of the Mounted | Calhoun | Harry Fraser | ||
| Merrily We Go to Hell | Party Guest | Dorothy Arzner | Uncredited | |
| The Last Frontier | Buck | Spencer Gordon Bennet | Serial | |
| 1933 | The Monkey's Paw | Afghan | Wesley Ruggles | Uncredited |
| Luxury Liner | Ship Passenger at Bar | Lothar Mendes | Uncredited | |
| King Kong | New York Theatergoer | Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack | Uncredited | |
| The Phantom of the Air | Mortimer Crome | Ray Taylor | Serial | |
| Life in the Raw | Lamson's Henchman | Louis King | Uncredited | |
| The Last Trail | Withers, Henchman | James Tinling | Uncredited | |
| I Loved a Woman | Martha's Coachman | Alfred E. Green | Uncredited | |
| Smoky | Lefty | Eugene Forde | ||
| Maizie | Paul Barnes | Dallas M. Fitzgerald | ||
| 1934 | Are We Civilized? | Paul Franklin Jr. | Edwin Carewe | |
| The Dude Ranger | Dale Hyslip | Edward F. Cline | ||
| Redhead | Pretty Boy | Melville W. Brown | ||
| The Fighting Trooper | Andre La Farge | Ray Taylor | ||
| When a Man Sees Red | Dick Brady | Alan James | ||
| 1935 | Texas Terror | Joe Dickson | Robert N. Bradbury | With John Wayne |
| Northern Frontier | Stone | Sam Newfield | ||
| The Mystery Man | The Eel, Gangster | Ray McCarey | ||
| Rainbow Valley | Rogers | Robert N. Bradbury | With John Wayne | |
| Men of Action | Jim Denton - Construction Engineer | Alan James | ||
| Call of the Wild | Pimp in Mary's Room | William A. Wellman | Uncredited | |
| Valley of Wanted Men | Larry Doyle | Alan James | ||
| 1936 | Black Gold | Henry 'Hank' Langford | Russell Hopton | |
| Comin' Round the Mountain | Matt Ford | Mack V. Wright | ||
| Go-Get-'Em, Haines | Tony Marchetti | Sam Newfield | ||
| The Border Patrolman | Courtney Maybrook | David Howard | ||
| Ghost-Town Gold | Dirk Barrington | Joseph Kane | ||
| Fury Below | Fred Johnson | Harry Fraser |
The following were with John Wayne:
- Maker of Men (1931)
- California Straight Ahead! (1937)
- Santa Fe Stampede (1938)
- Wyoming Outlaw (1939)
- New Frontier (1939)
Other films:
- It Happened Out West (1937)
- Jungle Menace (1937)
- Heroes of the Hills (1938)
- Topa Topa (1938)
- The Painted Trail (1938)
- The Range Busters (1940)
- Rocky Mountain Rangers (1940)
- Triple Justice (1940)
- Across the Sierras (1941)
- Silver Stallion (1941)
- Chetniks! The Fighting Guerrillas (1943)
- Raiders of Sunset Pass (1943)
- Lucky Cowboy (1944)
- The Tiger Woman (1944)
- San Fernando Valley (1944)
References
editCitations
edit- ^ Katchmer 2009, p. 236.
- ^ a b c d e f Mayer 2017, p. 205.
- ^ Munden 1997, p. 256.
- ^ Curtis, James (2015). William Cameron Menzies: The Shape of Films to Come (1st ed.). New York City: Pantheon Books. ISBN 978-0375424724.
- ^ Goble 2011, p. 928.
- ^ Klepper 1999, p. 493.
- ^ Matheson 2011, p. 302.
- ^ Paietta 2007, p. 220.
- ^ a b Cline 2000, p. 125.
- ^ Reid 2005a, p. 212.
- ^ Davis, Ronald L. (1998). Duke: The Life and Image of John Wayne. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0806130156.
- ^ Holland 1989, p. 173.
- ^ Blottner 2011, p. 64.
- ^ Cho & The Chinese Historical Society of Southern California 2013, p. 30.
- ^ "Film Actor Leroy Mason Dies from Heart Attack". Winnipeg Tribune. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: Southam Newspapers. Associated Press. October 14, 1947. p. 2. Retrieved October 20, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Usai 2018, p. 61.
- ^ Helgason 2017, p. 155.
- ^ Reid 2005b, p. 237.
Sources
edit- Blottner, Gene (2011). Wild Bill Elliott: A Complete Filmography (Reprint ed.). New York City: McFarland & Company. p. 64. ISBN 978-0786469031.
- Cho, Jenny; The Chinese Historical Society of Southern California (2013). Chinese in Hollywood. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. p. 30. ISBN 978-0738599731.
- Cline, William C. (2000). Serials-ly Speaking: Essays on Cliffhangers. New York City: McFarland & Company. p. 125. ISBN 978-0786409181.
- Goble, Alan (2011) [1999]. The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film (Reprint ed.). Munich: De Gruyter Saur. p. 928. ISBN 978-3598114922.
- Helgason, Jón Karl (2017). "Leif: When civilization was less civilized". Echoes of Valhalla: The Afterlife of the Eddas and Sagas (Translation ed.). Islington, London: Reaktion Books. p. 155. ISBN 978-1780237152.
- Holland, Ted (1989). B-Western Actors Encyclopedia: Facts, Photos and Filmographies for More Than 250 Familiar Faces. New York City: McFarland & Company. p. 173. ISBN 978-0899503066.
- Katchmer, George A. (2009). A Biographical Dictionary of Silent Film Western Actors and Actresses. New York City: McFarland & Company. p. 236. ISBN 978-0786446933.
- Klepper, Robert K. (1999). Silent Films, 1877-1996: A Critical Guide to 646 Movies. New York City: McFarland & Company. p. 493. ISBN 978-0786405954.
- Matheson, Lister M. (2011). Icons of the Middle Ages: Rulers, Writers, Rebels, and Saints. Greenwood Icons. Vol. 1. Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 302. ISBN 978-0313340819.
- Mayer, Geoff (2017). Encyclopedia of American Film Serials. New York City: McFarland & Company. p. 205. ISBN 978-0786477623.
- Munden, Kenneth White (1997). The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States, Part 1. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. p. 256. ISBN 978-0520209640.
- Paietta, Ann C. (2007). Teachers in the Movies: A Filmography of Depictions of Grade School, Preschool and Day Care Educators, 1890s to the Present. New York City: McFarland & Company. p. 220. ISBN 978-0786429387.
- Reid, John (2005b). Movies Magnificent: 150 Must-See Cinema Classics. Morrisville, North Carolina: Lulu Press, Inc. p. 237. ISBN 978-1411650671.
- Reid, John Howard (2005a). Hollywood Gold: Films of the Forties and Fifties. Hollywood Classics (Paperback ed.). Morrisville, North Carolina: Lulu Press, Inc. p. 212. ISBN 978-1411635241.
- Usai, Paolo Cherchi (2018). Silent Cinema: A Guide to Study, Research and Curatorship (3rd ed.). Lambeth, London: British Film Institute. p. 61. ISBN 978-1844575299.
External links
edit
- LeRoy Mason at IMDb