Richard Arlen
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
1899-08-30
Day of Death
1976-03-28 (76 years old)
Place of Birth
Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
Richard Arlen
Biography
Richard Arlen (born Sylvanus Richard Mattimore) was an American film and television actor. He served as a pilot in the Royal Canadian Flying Corps during World War I. After the war, he went to the oilfields of Texas and Oklahoma and found work as a tool boy. He was thereafter a messenger and sporting editor of a newspaper before going to Los Angeles to act in films, but no producer wanted him. He was a delivery boy for a film laboratory when the motorcycle which he was riding landed him a broken leg outside the Paramount Pictures lot. A sympathetic film director gave him his start as an extra. He appeared at first in silent films before making the transition to talkies. His first important film role was in Vengeance of the Deep.
He took time out from his Hollywood career to teach as a United States Army Air Forces flight instructor in World War II. Arlen is best known for his role as a pilot in the Academy Award-winning Wings with Clara Bow, Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, Gary Cooper, El Brendel, and his second wife, Jobyna Ralston, whom he married in 1927. He was among the more famous residents of the celebrity enclave, Toluca Lake, California. He married New York socialite, Margaret Kinsella, in 1946.
In 1939, Universal teamed him with Andy Devine for a series of 14 B-pictures, mostly action-comedies with heavy reliance on stock footage from larger-scale films. They are informally known as the "Aces of Action" series, which is how the stars were billed in the trailers. When Arlen left the studio in 1941, the series continued with Devine teamed with a variety of other actors.
In the 1950s and early 1960s, Arlen was active in television, having guest starred in several anthology series, including Playhouse 90, The Loretta Young Show, The 20th Century Fox Hour, and in three episodes of the series about clergymen, Crossroads. In 1960, Arlen was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame with a motion pictures star at 6755 Hollywood Boulevard for his contributions to the film industry. In 1968, he appeared on Petticoat Junction playing himself. The episode was called "Wings" and it was in direct reference to the 1927 silent movie Wings.
Arlen appeared in westerns, such as Lawman, Branded, Bat Masterson, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Wagon Train, and Yancy Derringer, and in such drama/adventure programs as Ripcord, Whirlybirds, Perry Mason, The New Breed, Coronado 9, and Michael Shayne.
Acting
(1979)
The Horror Show
as (archive footage)
(1976)
Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood
as Silent Film Star 2
(1976)
A Whale of a Tale
as Mr. Monahan
(1975)
The Sky's the Limit
as Grimes
(1968)
Buckskin
as Townsman
(1968)
Rogue's Gallery
as Man in Club
(1967)
Red Tomahawk
as Deadwood Telegrapher
(1967)
Fort Utah
as Sam Tyler
(1967)
Hostile Guns
as Sheriff Travis
(1966)
Johnny Reno
as Ned Duggan
(1966)
Waco
as Billy Kelly
(1966)
To the Shores of Hell
as Brig. Gen. F.W. Ramsgate
(1965)
Apache Uprising
as Captain Gannon
(1965)
Black Spurs
as Pete
(1965)
The Bounty Killer
as Matthew Ridgeway
(1965)
Town Tamer
as Doctor Kent
(1965)
The Human Duplicators
as National Intelligence
(1964)
The Best Man
as Sen. Oscar Anderson
(1964)
Young Fury
as Sheriff Jenkins
(1964)
Law of the Lawless
as Ben the Bartender
(1964)
Sex and the College Girl
as Charles Devon
(1963)
The Crawling Hand
as Lee Barrenger
(1963)
The Young and the Brave
as Col. Ralph Holbein
(1961)
The Last Time I Saw Archie
as Col. Edwin Martin
(1961)
Hollywood: The Selznick Years
as 'Four Feathers' (archive footage) (uncredited)
(1960)
Raymie
as Chris Garber
(1959)
Warlock
as Bacon
(1958)
The Day of the Trumpet
as Sgt. Jim Heisler
(1956)
The Mountain
as C. W. Rivial
(1956)
Hidden Guns
as Sheriff Ward Young
(1955)
Blonde Blackmailer
as Tony Pelassier
(1954)
Devil's Point
as John 'Captain' Martin
(1953)
Sabre Jet
as Gen. Robert E 'Bob' Hale
(1952)
Hurricane Smith
as Brundage
(1952)
Flaming Feather
as Showdown Calhoun
(1952)
The Blazing Forest
as Joe Morgan
(1951)
Silver City
as Charles Storrs
(1950)
Kansas Raiders
as Union Captain
(1949)
Grand Canyon
as Mike Adams
(1948)
When My Baby Smiles at Me
as Harvey Howell
(1948)
Speed to Spare
as Cliff Jordan
(1948)
The Return of Wildfire
as Dobe Williams
(1947)
Buffalo Bill Rides Again
as Buffalo Bill
(1946)
The French Key
as Himself (uncredited)
(1946)
Accomplice
as Simon Lash
(1945)
Identity Unknown
as Johnny March
(1945)
The Phantom Speaks
as Matt Fraser
(1944)
Timber Queen
as Russell Evans
(1944)
Storm Over Lisbon
as John Craig
(1944)
The Lady and the Monster
as Dr. Patrick Cory
(1944)
That's My Baby!
as Tim Jones
(1944)
The Big Bonanza
as Capt. Jed Kilton
(1943)
Submarine Alert
as Lewis J. 'Lee' Deerhold
(1943)
Alaska Highway
as Woody Ormsby
(1943)
Aerial Gunner
as Jon Davis
(1943)
Minesweeper
as Richard Houston
(1942)
Wildcat
as Johnny Maverick
(1942)
Torpedo Boat
as Skinner Barnes
(1942)
Soaring Stars
as Himself
(1942)
Wrecking Crew
as Matt Carney
(1942)
A Letter From Bataan
as Pvt. John W. Lewis
(1941)
Power Dive
as Brad Farrell
(1941)
Forced Landing
as Dan Kendall
(1941)
Mutiny in the Arctic
as Dick Barclay
(1941)
Lucky Devils
as Dick McManus
(1941)
Flying Blind
as Jim Clark
(1941)
Raiders of the Desert
as Dick Manning
(1941)
Men of the Timberland
as Dick O'Hara
(1941)
A Dangerous Game
as Dick Williams
(1940)
Black Diamonds
as Walter Norton
(1940)
Hot Steel
as Frank Stewart
(1940)
The Leather Pushers
as Dick 'Kid' Roberts
(1940)
The Devil's Pipeline
as Dick Talbot
(1940)
Danger On Wheels
as "Lucky" Larry Taylor
(1940)
Swing with Bing
as Himself
(1939)
Legion of Lost Flyers
as Gene 'Loop' Gillan
(1939)
Missing Daughters
as Wally King
(1939)
Tropic Fury
as Dan Burton
(1939)
Mutiny on the Blackhawk
as Capt. Robert Lawrence
(1939)
The Man from Montreal
as Clark Manning
(1938)
Straight, Place and Show
as Denny Paine
(1938)
Call of The Yukon
as Gaston Rogers
(1938)
No Time to Marry
as Perry Brown
(1937)
Artists & Models
as Alan Townsend
(1937)
Murder in Greenwich Village
as Steve Havens Jackson Jr.
(1937)
Secret Valley
as Lee Rogers
(1937)
The Great Barrier
as Hickey
(1936)
Three Live Ghosts
as William 'Bill' Jones, an alias of William Foster
(1936)
The Mine with the Iron Door
as Bob Harvey
(1935)
The Calling of Dan Matthews
as Dan Matthews
(1935)
Helldorado
as Art Ryan
(1935)
Let 'em Have It
as Mal Stevens
(1935)
Hollywood Hobbies
as Himself
(1934)
Ready for Love
as Julian Barrow
(1934)
Come On, Marines!
as Lucky Davis
(1934)
She Made Her Bed
as Wild Bill Smith
(1933)
Alice in Wonderland
as Cheshire Cat
(1933)
College Humor
as Mondrake
(1933)
Golden Harvest
as Walt Martin
(1933)
Song of the Eagle
as Bill Hoffman
(1933)
Three-Cornered Moon
as Dr. Alan Stevens
(1933)
Hollywood on Parade No. A-6
as Self
(1933)
(1933)
Hell and High Water
as Capt J.J. Jericho
(1932)
Island of Lost Souls
as Edward Parker
(1932)
Sky Bride
as Bert 'Speed' Condon
(1932)
Guilty as Hell
as Frank C. Marsh
(1932)
Tiger Shark
as Pipes Boley
(1932)
Wayward
as David Frost
(1932)
The All-American
as Gary King
(1932)
Hollywood on Parade No. A-4
as Self (uncredited)
(1931)
Gun Smoke
as Brad Farley
(1931)
Caught
as Lt. Tom Colton
(1931)
Touchdown!
as Dan Curtis
(1931)
The Secret Call
as Tom Blake
(1931)
The Conquering Horde
as Dan McMasters
(1931)
The Lawyer's Secret
as Joe Hart
(1930)
Only Saps Work
as Larry Payne
(1930)
Paramount on Parade
as Hunter (Dream Girl)
(1930)
The Light of Western Stars
as Dick Bailey
(1930)
Burning Up
as Lou Larrigan
(1930)
Dangerous Paradise
as Heyst
(1930)
The Santa Fe Trail
as Stan Hollister
(1930)
The Sea God
as Phillip 'Pink' Barker
(1930)
The Border Legion
as Jim Cleve
(1929)
Thunderbolt
as Bob Moran
(1929)
The Virginian
as Steven 'Steve'
(1929)
The Four Feathers
as Lt. Harry Faversham
(1929)
Dangerous Curves
as Larry Lee
(1929)
The Man I Love
as Joe "Dum-Dum" Brooks
(1928)
Beggars of Life
as The Boy (Jim)
(1928)
Feel My Pulse
as Her Problem
(1928)
Ladies of the Mob
as Red
(1928)
Manhattan Cocktail
as Fred Tilden
(1928)
Under the Tonto Rim
as Edd Denmeade
(1927)
Wings
as David Armstrong
(1927)
The Blood Ship
as John Shreve
(1927)
She's a Sheik
as Capt. Colton
(1927)
Sally in Our Alley
as Jimmie Adams
(1927)
Figures Don't Lie
as Bob Blewe
(1927)
Rolled Stockings
as Ralph Treadway
(1926)
Old Ironsides
as Seaman (uncredited)
(1926)
Behind the Front
as Percy Brown
(1926)
You'd Be Surprised
as Reporter (uncredited)
(1926)
The Enchanted Hill
as Link Halliwell
(1926)
Padlocked
as 'Tubby' Clark
(1925)
In the Name of Love
as Dumas Dufrayne
(1925)
The Coast of Folly
as Bather
(1923)
Hollywood
as Richard Arlen