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. He made his final acting appearance in a 1960 episode of the American legal drama Perry Mason entitled "The Case of the Madcap Modiste" playing a grey-haired television interviewer and the episode's narrator. He then retired.

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
1932	Are You Listening?	Radio Announcer	Uncredited
1938	Vacation from Love	Mark Shelby
1938	Young Dr. Kildare	Jack Hamilton
1938	Spring Madness	Walter Beckett
1939	The Ice Follies of 1939	Paul Rodney	Voice, Uncredited
1939	The Hardys Ride High	Clerk
1939	6,000 Enemies	Reporter	Uncredited
1939	Stronger Than Desire	Man in Courtroom	Uncredited
1939	On Borrowed Time	James Northrup
1939	Miracles for Sale	Nightclub Master of Ceremonies	Uncredited
1940	Northwest Passage	Captain Ogden
1940	Millionaires in Prison	Dr. William 'Bill' Collins
1940	We Who Are Young	Commentator	Voice, Uncredited
1940	A Night at Earl Carroll's	Radio Announcer
1941	Murder Among Friends	McAndrews
1941	Dead Men Tell	Capt. Kane
1941	The Goose Goes South	Narrator	Voice, Uncredited	short
1941	Last of the Duanes	Texas Ranger Capt. Laramie
1941	Mob Town	Officer Cutler
1941	Burma Convoy	Victor Harrison
1941	Keep 'Em Flying	Butch
1941	They Died with Their Boots On	7th Michigan officer	Uncredited
1942	Bombay Clipper	Dr. Gregory Landers
1942	Treat 'Em Rough	Jordan Perkins
1942	The Night Before the Divorce	Inspector Bruce Campbell
1942	Lone Star Ranger	Phil Lawson
1945	Objective, Burma!	Narrator - Opening Sequence	Voice, Uncredited
1945	The Horn Blows at Midnight	Radio Announcer
1946	Mr. Ace	Radio Forum Moderator	Uncredited
1947	I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now	Martin Webb
1948	Call Northside 777	Narrator	Voice, Uncredited
1948	Fighter Squadron	Narrator	Voice, Uncredited
1949	Special Agent	Narrator	Voice
1952	Macao	Narrator	Voice, Uncredited
1952	Confidence Girl	Narrator	Voice, Uncredited
1953	Never Wave at a WAC	Narrator	Voice, Uncredited
1955-1957	Science Fiction Theatre	Narrator
1960	Perry Mason (1957 TV series)	Grey-Haired Television Interviewer/Narrator	(Episode: The Case of the Madcap Modiste)	(final appearance)

References

^ ^a ^b "Your Announcers Are". Radio Mirror. Vol. 6, no. 6. October 1936. p. 63.
^ Wolters, Larry (June 30, 1936). "News of the Radio Stations". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 12. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Boesen, Vic (May 1, 1942). "Meet the Stars". Alton Evening Telegraph. Alton Evening Telegraph. p. 27. Retrieved April 25, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Dial Dates (ad)". The Bakersfield Californian. The Bakersfield Californian. May 25, 1945. p. 12. Retrieved April 26, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Behind the Mike". Broadcasting. February 9, 1942. p. 32. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
^ Fisher, George (April 1940). "Hollywood Radio Whispers". Radio and Television Mirror. Vol. 13, no. 6. pp. 40, 74.
^ "Frank Sinatra Show". Billboard. January 15, 1944. p. 26. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
^ Abbott, Sam (October 31, 1942). "Hollywood". Billboard. p. 8. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
^ "Clipped from the Pantagraph". The Pantagraph. 29 July 1974. p. 1.
^ "(movie ad)". The Daily Mail. The Daily Mail. November 11, 1940. p. 2. Retrieved April 26, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Exciting and Funny Murder Mystery at Henry's Theatre". The Daily Mail. The Daily Mail. May 15, 1941. p. 3. Retrieved April 25, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
^ 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.
^ ^a ^b "Bradley Buys Talc Firm But Continues in Radio". September 15, 1937. p. 26. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
^ "Truman Bradley Sued Again by Wife". The Times. The Times. March 17, 1941. p. 14. Retrieved April 25, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Divorces". Billboard. November 29, 1947. p. 46. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
^ "Phyllis Ruth To Seek A Divorce". The Morning Herald. The Morning Herald. August 30, 1945. p. 5. Retrieved April 26, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Carroll, Harrison (January 23, 1946). "Behind The Scenes In Hollywood". The Morning Herald. The Morning Herald. p. 9. Retrieved April 26, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood". Joplin Globe. Joplin Globe. July 14, 1946. p. 28. Retrieved April 26, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Truman Bradley dies in Hollywood". The Pantagraph. The Pantagraph. July 29, 1974. p. 1. Retrieved April 25, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.