Doug McClure: Trampas on The Virginian (Jerry Skinner Documentary)

[Music] thank you [Music] this is Douglas Osborne McClure better known as the actor Doug McClure although Doug started and appeared in numerous movies and TV shows over a long and successful career he's best remembered as the good-natured trampus on NBC's television series The Virginian however his breakout role was NBC's Overland Trail where Doug played sidekick to William Bendix Doug McClure was born 11 May 1935 in Glendale California to Donald Reed McClure who was an accountant and declara Baker McClure who was a newspaper columnist at the Santa Monica Outlook Doug had one older brother Donald Reed Jr born the 30th of September 1931. Donald Reed McClure Jr passed away in 2003 at the age of 72. he was cremated and his remains given to family Doug McClure attended Palisades Elementary School and University High School in West Los Angeles while still in elementary school Doug learned to ride horses and it became his passion by the time he was in high school he owned and was riding his own horse during school break in his senior year Doug spent three months working on Holland livestock company in Nevada one of Nevada's largest ranches this is Doug in his junior year where he was captain of the football team played basketball but spent most of his spare time surfing he graduated in 1954 and enrolled at Santa Monica City College where he studied drama he began doing modeling and even made a few TV commercials he next enrolled in UCLA where he studied physical education in case his dream of becoming an actor didn't work out while still at UCLA Doug was spotted by Hollywood advertising agency from that he began getting small parts and TV series such as Death Valley Days the Army is deserting right and left I understand and I hear all Naval vessels are ordered offshore incommunicado to keep the crews from jumping ship wait till the news reaches the East we'll have a rush sense as the world has never seen the Army will carry dispatches and Exhibits to Washington at the earliest opportunity the Army why not the Navy because the Army always gets there first I hope to have the honor of being the official messenger in time he signed a contract with Universal Pictures after appearing in a couple of background unaccredited Parts Doug finally got a legitimate part playing a Cadet at the Naval Academy it was a TV syndicated series called men of Annapolis how are we ever going to get the room cleaned in time do you believe in brownies either that or the Navy's come through with maid service he will appear in four episodes in the series in Doug's junior year at UCLA he got his first featured role in the enemy below Doug played a young Anson under the command of Robert Mitchum's character where two World War II commanders are enemies one American and one German Kurt Jurgen played the German submarine Commander set on destroying the American ship it ends with both commanders having respect for each other the enemy below was filmed on location in Hawaii while there Doug met Faye Millicent Brash a talented opera singer she was the daughter of doctor and Mrs ardenbrash of Hawaiian ancestry three months after first meeting they married on September the 28th 1957. after the wedding the couple will live at 166 35 Akron Street Pacific Palisades in California on June 8 1958 Doug and Faye McClure will have a baby girl they named Janie McClure Taney will begin her career at the age of five when she appears with her dad on The Virginian she'll become an actress director writer and singer in her adult life she played the mother of Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde two years after taney's birth in 1960 Doug will land the role of Frank flip Flippin in NBC's television series Overland Trail with star William Bendix Bendix will play the fictitious superintendent of the Overland Stage Company Doug will be bendix's young associate just think two whole weeks off with nothing to do oh you'll find something to do of course I don't know whether or not it'll be the right thing but you'll find it that's unkind of you Mr Kelly the only thing that bothers me is you going through with it going through with what don't play innocent Mr Kelly got your word of Honor this time you can't wiggle out of it well I flip I wouldn't dream of trying to wiggle out of it of course now that you mentioned it the show will last for 17 episodes before being replaced as soon as Overland Trail was canceled Doug was offered another star and role on cbs's television series checkmate with Sebastian Cabot the program is about a detective agency that specializes in preventing crime before it happens anybody out there looking one man got here just before me but I don't know how long he's going to stick around but let me know if he does what's all the mystery Don and what's going on all I know is somebody's trying to kill Doc and it could happen soon all right and if I could discuss it with that tell them why I'm here not yet that's one of the conditions of our assignments that must not know it's a hard way of making your point nice suit thank you this series will continue until 1962. also in 1960 Doug managed to find time to appear in a movie entitled The Unforgiven with Bert Lancaster Audie Murphy silent film star Lillian Gish and Audrey Hepburn it was Hepburn's only western movie the story was about the neighbors of a frontier family that turned on them after suspecting that their daughter was stolen from a local Kiowa tribe Doug played the brother of Lancaster and Murphy's characters with all three in love with their adopted sister before feminine began director John Houston and Bert Lancaster took Lillian Gish into the desert to teach her how to shoot because she had a scene where she had to shoot a gun to their surprise Lillian was a better shot than both she said that she was taught by an old train robber that had worked on one of her early films after he got out of prison Audrey Hepburn was seriously injured when she was thrown from a horse she was several weeks pregnant at the time the fall damaged her back and she was hospitalized for six weeks Houston continued filming with stand-in doubles when she later returned to the set she had to wear a back brace so her wardrobe was made larger to hide the brace a few months later Audrey had a miscarriage and blamed the fall in 1961 in less than four years of marriage Doug McClure and Faye Brash will divorce on May the 9th 1961. ten years after her divorce from Doug in 1971 Faye will marry Don Parker a football player with a San Francisco 49ers they'll have a daughter Taber Parker Rainier seven months after Doug and Fay divorce Doug will marry actress Barbara Luna on December the 17th 1961. they met on the set of Overland Trail Barbara said it was love at first sight she couldn't resist his smile Doug wanted his daughter tany who was in Hawaii with her mother to be at his wedding in California Barbara had just finished filming devil at four o'clock with Frank Sinatra in Hawaii she called Frank and he used his private plane to fly to a knee to Los Angeles Luna said after marriage they never worked together in films but they would do public appearances together she said Doug was not much of a drinker but after he became more famous from his role as Travis on The Virginian he started hanging out with a Hollywood crowd and began drinking more she also said that Doug Was Naive he told her that the studio wanted to test him for the part of trampus I won't get the part he said she told him it was the usual game that the studio played in order to lower his pay she asked Doug who else is testing for the part and he said I'm the only one after two years of marriage Barbara filed for divorce in interviews years later she wouldn't speak of the reasons for the divorce she spoke kindly of Doug or Dougie as she called him however in newspapers at the time stated that she was thrown out of their house and pushed around as grounds for divorce their divorce was Final in 1963. the year before in 1962 Doug landed the role of trampus on NBC's 90-minute western series The Virginian the series will last for nine years ending in 1971. Doug appeared in all 249 episodes before filming started he met co-star James Drury who played the foreman of Shiloh Ranch Drury had attended the University High School that Doug attended the two will become best friends for life during said that off-screen Doug was the same as he was on screen the two friends would talk by phone three times a week for 30 years said he couldn't help but smile when Doug walked into a room because he was full of good humor and High Spirits all the time he said that Doug was not a driven actor he viewed it as a job that paid well McClure said it was a joy working on The Virginian and he lacked all the cast members now this is a picture of part of the early cast of The Virginian Seated on the left is Randy Boone he played as guitar playing Ranch Hand Randy Benton Boone was born in 1942 in Fayetteville North Carolina he enrolled in North Carolina State University and later quit to hit the road he spent 18 months bombing around the country making his way by singing and playing guitar in numerous coffee houses in 1963 by the time Randy got the part of Randy Benton on The Virginian he had already appeared in several TV shows Randy was married twice and had one son after the Virginia and his career blossomed as of January the 17th 2023 at the age of 81. Randy is still going strong next to Randy is Roberto Shore who played Betsy Garth judge Garth his daughter Roberta began her career at the age of 10. saying country and western music at supermarket openings with Tex Williams who invited her to join his weekend TV show at Knox Berry Farm from there she joined the Pinky Lee show in 1950. she auditioned also for the Mickey Mouse Club but was turned down for being too tall however she won a talent Roundup contest during the second season she appeared on the show singing and yodeling and playing her guitar she then co-starred in several Disney Productions such as the Shaggy Dog in 1959 and because they're young in 1960 where Dick Clark played the high school principal trying to make a difference in students lives Doug McClure played the boyfriend of Roberta Shore Doug's character gave Roberta his ring but expected things in return she tells him to forget it the next year in 1962 both Doug and Roberta will work together on The Virginian she auditioned and won the party Betsy she played the only female at Shiloh Ranch at the age of 21. after the third season Roberta broke her seven-year contract to lead the show and get married and left Los Angeles and moved to Utah to raise a family during the following years Roberta will marry three times with two kids when she left Hollywood she never thought of returning and as far as I know she still lives in Utah seated next to Roberta is actor Lee J Cobb who played judge Henry Garth Lee J Cobb was born in New York City the Bronx at the age of 16 Cobb ran away from home heading for California to become an actor when he found out how hard he was he returned home and studied accounting at New York University still interested in Show Business Cobb returned to Hollywood and studied at the Pasadena Playhouse at age 23 his first film debut was in two episodes of the film series The Vanishing shadow in 1934. burp that's the second time that plunger failed today all right touch her off with a fuse Mike okay back to work man by the time he'd become judge Garth on The Virginian he was already a major film star although the show were run until 1971 Lee will abruptly quit the show in 1966. later he said I hated working on The Virginian back in 1951 Lee J Cobb had been accused of being a communist by the committee on Un-American Activities and blacklisted from Hollywood in 1953 he appeared before the committee and revealed 20 names Cobbs said that when the power of the government is brought against an individual it's terrifying not being able to work or pay bills not able to travel without being tailed plus constant articulated threats my wife couldn't handle it and had to be institutionalized the government done a real number on me he said I'm as analystic as anyone but it was not worth dying for and putting my family through anymore after testifying to the committee he was allowed to return to work Cobb was married twice first to yetis theater and film actress Helen Beverly in 1940. they had two children before divorcing in 1952. next he made school teacher Mary Hirsch and they had two children Lee J Cobb actor passed away February 1976 at the age of 64 from a heart attack he's buried at the Mount Zion Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles after Cobb suddenly quit the role as judge Garth The Producers scrambled to replace him with veteran actor Charles Bickford Beckford loved working on The Virginian and said that he wished he had been there from the start unfortunately Bickford will pass away after a very short time during the sixth season he had just finished his scene on Friday night everyone knew that he was feeling bad and tired and tried to get him to go home but he insisted on staying that Sunday actor Charles Bickford passed away on November the 9th 1967 at the age of 76 from pneumonia and blood poisoning Charles was only married once and had one son and one daughter standing on the left is James Drury Jr who played the Virginians Ranch Foreman although jury had been acting since he was 12 years old and had appeared in such movies as Love Me Tender in 1956 with Elvis and Bernadine with Pat Boone in 1957. by the time he became The Virginian he was a well-seasoned actor he said although he was the front runner for the part he still had to audition three times before he got it one of the Studio's requirements was that he lose 30 pounds it was hard he said but I did it he was then given a seven year contract with Universal Studios in 1991 he was inducted into the Hall of Great Western performers at the national cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City foreign [Applause] thank you so much members of the board directors Cowboy Hall of Fame Steve called me a month or two ago and told me about this and I've been nervous as a Cat on a Hot Tin Roof ever since uh I'd like first of all to thank Owen Wister who wrote a character that was instrumental in the lives of many actors I'm so proud to be joining Mr Cooper and Mr McRae as two of the actors who are honored in the Cowboy Hall of Fame and who also played The Virginian in uh in Motion Picture James Drury was married three times he had two sons on August the 25th 2020 James child Drury Jr The Virginian passed away from natural causes at the age of 85 at his home in Houston Texas and the photos standing next to Doug was clue gulager who played Sheriff Emmett racker clue was from Holdenville Oklahoma he was of Cherokee ancestry enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation his grandmother's sister was the mother of humorist Will Rogers Clue's name came from his dead who seen a nest of Martins when he was born clue clue is the Cherokee name for Martins clue studied acting at Baylor University one of his first TV parts was on TV series Have Gun Will Travel starring Richard Boone the man got away went up to the mountains just north of here and the chaplain went after him you know our chaplain April is I think we both know how chaplain April is I only been a blizzard since then up there the warden had a police search party back April wouldn't come back he's still up there somewhere after the convict in April it's not a soul get away from him in 1960 he played Billy the Kid on TVs The Tall Man with berry Patrick a few shotgun talents in the arm never heard a man I thought I left you in jail well you did but that was a mistake like I said give me the just up and turned you loose eh well yeah and something like that in 1952 clue made his only true love Myron bird nethery they have two sons John and Tom passed away in 2003 after 50 years of marriage clue said that the reason he got the part of Emmett was that he told him he needed the work Frank price Studio executive was a close friend of gulagers and he got him the job on August the 5th 2022 19 years after his wife's death clue guliger passed away at his son's home in Los Angeles of natural causes at the age of 93. two years after Doug McClure's divorce from Barbara Luna he married Helen crane on 30th October 1965. he had just played in the film Shenandoah as a young confederate soldier named Sam set during the Civil War Shenandoah starred James Stewart and rosemary forsant Charles Anderson played by James Stewart was a widow with a large family who was determined to keep his boys out of the Civil War however circumstances forced him to take up arms when his 16 year old son was mistakenly captured by Union Patrol thinking that he was a rebel Charles was determined to get his son back Doug McClure played a Confederate officer engaged to Charles Anderson's daughter Mr Anderson do you like her well I just said I no no you said you loved her or some difference between loving and liking the opening battle in Shenandoah is the same battle scene used in 1957's Raintree County and it was also used in 1962's How the West Was Won that same year Doug lost his 61 year old dead Donald Reid McClure senior six years after his death Doug's mother Clara married Frank Kemp former mayor of Beverly Hills in 1971. Camp passed away three years later in 1974 at the age of 82. on May the 15th 1967 fire broke out on the back lot at Universal Studios where the town of medicine Bowl was filmed the set had to be revealed taken several months in the meantime they used scenes of medicine bowl that had been used before after only two years of marriage Doug and Helen crane divorced it'll be Doug's second divorce while femin The Virginian two years after his divorce from Helen Doug will mayor Diane soleny on July the 11th 1970. they'll soon have a daughter Valerie Diane McClure Valerie would be loved and grow up sheltered from the public her and her mother will always remain close in 1971 The Virginian ended but Doug stayed on another year from the spin-off show called the men of Shiloh in 1972 and 73 while working on the men from Shiloh Doug was also working on a Sci-Fi detective series called search where he rotated roles with Yul brain and Antonio franciosa the series lasted one year the next year after search closed Doug starred in the Land That Time Forgot in 1974. the movie is about a World War One you vote that sank a ship and then takes on its surviving passengers then the sub ends up after running out of fuel floating onto an ancient Island where they have to battle prehistoric animals in 1975 and 76 Doug starred along with William Shatner in ABC's Barnaby Coast a western series about secret agents bringing Law and Order to 1880s San Francisco by the time Barnaby Coast ended Doug and Peter cushion had lead roles in at the Earth's core a film about a Victorian science that digs to the Earth's core and finds another world ruled by lizard creatures the next year in 1977 Doug will make guest appearances on TV's miniseries Roots as Jimmy Brent Brent a deserter from the Confederate Army shows up at a blacksmith shop asking for help from a black man he had known he sends Tom the black man on an errand and when he's gone Brent tries to rape his wife Tom returns and catches him in the act a fight ensues and Tom drowns Brent in the Quincy tub on August 24 1979 Diane Solani and Doug McClure divorce after nine years of marriage Doug had met Diane fernberg who worked in the film industry in London they married on 27 August 1979. three days after his divorce from Diane Solani Doug and Diane fernberg will live in Sherman Oaks California she will later begin a career in real estate her success she said is because she was involved in every transaction Doug and Diane fernberg will remain married for 16 years until his death in 1984 Doug will appear as the slapper along with Jamie Farr and Jack Elam in Cannonball Run 2. about a cross-country road race it starred Burt Reynolds and Frank Sinatra in 1987 through 1991 Doug will play the mayor in a TV sitcom entitled out of this world where a teenager learns that she has super powers in 1994 Doug will again appear on Maverick as one of the poker players in the big game that starred Mel Gibson Jody Foster and the original TV Maverick James Garner back in 1957 Doug appeared in an episode entitled the jeweled gun as a unaccredited hotel clerk in the original TV series checked in this evening sir you know anything about her no you know who she is I'm working on it foreign also in 1994 Doug played the part of Hamilton Monroe in the riders in the storm with Beau Hopkins and Kim Dawson the movie will be released four months after Doug's passing in the early part of 1994 Doug learned that he had lung cancer he was determined to fight the disease and keep working for a while his treatments seemed to work on November the 6th 1995 Doug was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 7065 Hollywood Boulevard his daughter Valerie was there also with his best friend James Drury and others James said the star made Doug feel better after fighting cancer for over a year this will be three months before his death after receiving his star on the Walk of Fame Doug flew to Hawaii to appear on a TV series one with Waikiki while feminist seen on January the 8th 1995 Doug collapsed from an apparent stroke he was flown to Los Angeles to be hospitalized one of Doug's friends Robert Fuller's said we all thought he was getting better then we learned that his cancer had spread to his liver Doug McClure passed away on February the 5th 1995 at his Sherman Oaks home located at 149 36 stonesboro place he was interred at Woodland Memorial Cemetery in Santa Monica Doug oursman McClure trampus was 59 years old [Music] [Music]

Channel: Jerry Skinner

Views: 63,038

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Id: Pc440LD-CUE

Length: 32min 21sec (1941 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 27 2023