Guy Madison (born Robert Ozell Moseley; January 19, 1922 – February 6, 1996) was an American film, television, and radio actor. He is best known for playing Wild Bill Hickok in the Western television series The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok from 1951 to 1958.
Madison was born January 19, 1922, in Pumpkin Center, California.[1] He attended Bakersfield College, a junior college, for two years and then worked briefly as a telephone lineman before joining the U.S. Navy in 1942 during World War II. He had three brothers, Wayne, Harold, and David, and a sister, Rosemary. Wayne Moseley was an actor, using the stage name Wayne Mallory.[2]
Career
David O. Selznick
In 1944, Madison was visiting Hollywood on leave when his boyish good looks and physique caught the eye of Henry Willson, the head of talent at David O. Selznick's newly formed Vanguard Pictures. Willson was widely known for his stable of good-looking young actors with unusual names that he had bestowed upon them, and he immediately rechristened Moseley as Madison and cast him in a bit part as a sailor in Selznick's Since You Went Away (1944).
Although Madison was on the screen for only three minutes, the studio received thousands of letters from fans wanting to know more about him.[3] He received extensive coverage in the influential fan magazines of the time, including Photoplay where his agent Henry Willson had once worked.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
Madison returned to military service. When he got out, Selznick assigned his contract to RKO Pictures. RKO gave him a starring role in Till the End of Time, a drama about veterans returning after World War II (1946). The film was a big hit, although it was overshadowed by The Best Years of Our Lives, a film on a similar theme. However, Madison's acting was criticized as wooden.[3][11]
Madison's second starring role paired him with fellow Selznick contract player Shirley Temple in Honeymoon (1947), which was a huge flop.[12] His career began to suffer, in part because of his limited acting ability.[13][14][15]
Madison was eventually dropped by Selznick, along with most of Selznick's contract-players.[11] In 1951 he was cast as the title character in the television series The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok (1951–58), co-starring Andy Devine as his pal, Pete "Jingles" Jones. During the run of the show, between 1952 and 1955, sixteen feature films were released by Monogram Pictures consisting of episodes combined into a continuous story.[16]
Gail Russell (left), future wife of Guy Madison (right) April 1946
Madison married the actress Gail Russell in 1949. They separated in 1953 and divorced in October 1954.[17]
Later that month, Madison married actress Sheila Connolly in Juarez, Mexico. They had three daughters: Bridget, Erin, and Dolly. They separated in November 1960 and divorced in April 1963. He had an affair with Gia Scala and, before her death, she made him the beneficiary to her portion of the Screen Actors Pension Fund.[18][19][20] He had a son, Robert Madison, who also became an actor.
For his contribution to the radio and television industries, Madison has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star for his contributions to radio is located at 6933 Hollywood Boulevard; the star for his television contributions is located at 6333 Hollywood Boulevard[3]
^Barnum, Mike (March 2016). "Getting Paid to Play Cowboys and Indians! An Interview with Wayne Mallory". Classic Images (489): 13–15, 66–70.
^ abc"Walk of Fame". Hollywood Walk of Fame. October 25, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
^"What A Guy!". Photoplay. Retrieved November 20, 2019. His is one of the most spectacular successes that has ever been scored on a single performance.
^"The Torso". Modern Screen. Retrieved November 20, 2019. Of course, a beautiful brute like Guy Madison will never have to be exactly a John Barrymore to get by. What Guy has is elemental; he's a hunk of young male man-a real, not a phony Apollo.
^Richard Jewell & Vernon Harbin, The RKO Story. New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House, 1982. p. 220
^"Choose Your Star". Photoplay. Retrieved November 20, 2019. You can be wrong. Behind-the-scenes factors as in the case of Guy Madison, are bound to affect eventual results. Headlines, too, will play their part.
^"Here's Hollywood". Screenland. Retrieved November 20, 2019. Guy Madison, not his fault because his part is much too big and important for a newcomer, just couldn't give his lines the proper meaning. Over and over they took the scene. Franchot [Tone] couldn't have been more patient and understanding.
