Fred Crane (actor)
Encyclopedia
Fred Crane was an American
film and television actor and radio announcer. He is probably best known for his role as Brent Tarleton in the 1939
film, Gone with the Wind
, speaking the opening lines in the movie during the opening scene with Scarlett O'Hara and Stuart Tarleton.
on March 22, 1918. He grew up along with his two brothers on General Pershing St., and went to the MacDonough #13 and Alsace Fortier schools. His father was a dentist, whose father and grandfather also were dentists. Fred was to break the trend, getting into acting and football at both Loyola
and Tulane Universities. His first job in his teens was working in his spare time for an ice delivery service, back before electric refrigerators had caught on.
Around the time he was 20, his mother gave him that legendary "$50 and a suitcase" to come out to Hollywood and get into motion pictures, impressed that a neighbor's daughter had signed a movie contract, but also knowing that her son had the mettle to perform (on stage at college, and later in film, television and radio).
At first he stayed with relatives as well as taking a job at the local zoo to pay the rent, after which at night he would read books to a relative whose vision was deteriorating. It wasn't too long before he was invited on that fateful trip to Selznick International Pictures
, where his cousin, Leatrice Joy Gilbert, (daughter of Leatrice Joy
) was going to audition for the part of Suellen in the movie, "Gone With the Wind." He was taking in all the sights and sounds of the studio, when during a discussion, his authentic Southern
accent combined with striking good looks landed him a meeting with Gone With The Wind first director George Cukor
and producer David O. Selznick
, which led to a script reading with Vivien Leigh
, who had been chosen to play Scarlett O'Hara. Selznick was impressed, and signed Crane to a 13-week contract at $50 a week.
Even though he had not intended to try out for a job that day, Fred's many years of study and immersion into the arts gave him remarkable abilities as a renaissance raconteur, able to recite verse on the spur of the moment, or launch into any one of thousands of songs from the spark of a conversation... and his voice and quick wit helped him meet the challenges of many opportunities, whether acting or as a craftsman.
Fred played the part of Brent Tarleton, one of Scarlett's suitors, and spoke the opening lines in the film. One of the lasting Trivial Pursuit
questions was initiated for all time, when an error in the credits listed his name as Stuart, who was actually played by George Reeves
, who among his many roles, is also fondly remembered as Superman
in the TV series. It was deemed too costly to fix this, so it endures this way, but when watching and listening to the dialogue, it is clear who George and Fred play in the movie. Brent speaks the opening lines of the movie, "What do we care if we were expelled from college, Miss Scarlett? The war's going to start soon, so we would have left college anyhow."
He did not attend the film's 1939 premiere in Atlanta, although he attended the premiere in Los Angeles with his good friend and "twin," George Bessolo Reeves, at Carthay Circle Theatre. In later years (June 1998), he was one of the special guests at the celebrity-studded premiere screening of the restored version of Gone With The Wind hosted by Ted Turner in Atlanta.
In 1940, he married his first wife, Marcelle Dudley, and later went on to marry another four times. As he began a family, World War II
limited his options as acting work was difficult to come by, and so he began tutoring at Crossroads of the World
, one of his film students being Gene L. Coon
(well known for his work on the first season of Star Trek: The Original Series
), and also working in a munitions factory until the war came to a close.
Shortly afterward in 1946, he interviewed with Errett Lobban Cord, owner of Cord Automobile
company, and also of KFAC classical music
radio in Los Angeles
, and was hired on part-time, (a second vocation attributed to his vocal prowess) for his exquisite speaking voice and extensive familiarity with musical compositions. He had done and continued to do other radio programs simultaneously, such as staff voice actor on The Jack Benny Program
(on NBC
Radio), and other announcing roles. He had mastered a remarkable talent for not only the retention of information, performances and musical acuity in general, but classical music in particular (and the capable pronunciation of all the languages and dialects that entails), partly from his college studies, but also a great deal from being a very dedicated follower of the Walter Damrosch radio program for many of his younger years.
He continued to dabble in film, working on a Cisco Kid film with Leo Carillo (The Gay Amigo, 1949), and eventually several TV shows, including guest roles and staff roles on shows such as Lost in Space
, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
, Twilight Zone
, Peyton Place
, Lawman
, Hawaiian Eye
, and 77 Sunset Strip
. He also appeared on General Hospital
later in the 1970s, and continued taking on occasional jobs in narration.
His family continued to grow, leading him to explore other, more dependable work options as well, as many struggling actors would attest. He spent several years working at a pharmacy
, several more years as a fine tools machinist and inspector, and several years in housing construction partnership, all the while working part-time at KFAC until a full-time position opened up in the 1960s.
About a decade later, he was promoted to AM Program Director
(Carl Princi was the FM Director) in addition to the duties of performing his 6 hour morning show live (Hark, the Glad Sounds), and recording voice tracks and commercials for the all-night show (Music Out of the Night) for several hours each weekday after his show completed at noon. His show was frequently in the top 5 of drive-time popularity, ranked by polls in the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner
during that time.
Fred continued with the radio station after it moved from Prudential Square (near Wilshire and La Brea) to new quarters on Yucca St. in Hollywood, until the day when most of the older staff was dismissed without notice around 1988. Those who were fired eventually won their case against this issue in an age discrimination suit. Fred continued to work in radio for several years after that, at KKGO, which was partly jazz, partly classical programming at that time.
He semi-retired in the 1990s, beginning a tour of several years of appearances for fans and special events, as well as cruise ship lectures and continuing on charity fundraisers for PBS
station KCET
.
In the new millennium, he moved back to the Southern states, where he and his fifth wife, Terry Lynn, bought an antebellum mansion in Barnesville, Georgia
and turned it into Tarleton Oaks, a bed-and-breakfast
with a Gone With The Wind museum, where guests could view artifacts from the film. Tarleton Oaks was sold at an auction in 2007 due to Crane's failing health, and as a part of the experience were treated to a few hours of fond recollections from his early days in the film industry.
Around 2003, Fred had developed difficulties with diabetes, which he unfortunately acquired shortly after his second heart surgery (when he lost over 50 pounds during 26 days in the hospital), and although he had it under control for many years, one leg had some trouble with circulation, since a vein had been used from there in the heart surgery years earlier. Around June 2008, he developed a wound that wouldn't heal due to the limited circulation, and an operation was performed to install a replacement vein. The surgery was successful, but the infection had become so severe by then, that his body was having difficulty battling it. For three days (Aug 18-20) he was doing much better, smiling and chatting again for short periods of time, though he did need a feeding tube to help with nutrients and medicine. On the morning of Aug 21st, he developed a pulmonary embolism in his lungs, which proved to be fatal.
He died at 12:10 p.m. Eastern Time on August 21, 2008 after successful surgery to repair a vein in his leg, which had limited circulation due to the combination of diabetes, and a previous heart operation in which the vein had been removed for heart bypass surgery.
He was the last male surviving actor who played an adult role in the film, leaving the two remaining males Mickey Kuhn
, who played Beau Wilkes as a child, and Patrick Curtis, who was one of several infants who played Melanie's baby in GWTW.
"I am but a small shard in a grand mosaic." – Fred Crane
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film and television actor and radio announcer. He is probably best known for his role as Brent Tarleton in the 1939
1939 in film
The year 1939 in motion pictures can be justified as being called the most outstanding one ever, when it comes to the high quality and high attendance at the large set of the best films that premiered in the year .- Events :Motion picture historians and film often rate...
film, Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind (film)
Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American historical epic film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel of the same name. It was produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Victor Fleming from a screenplay by Sidney Howard...
, speaking the opening lines in the movie during the opening scene with Scarlett O'Hara and Stuart Tarleton.
Biography
Fred Crane was born as Herman Frederick Crane in New Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
on March 22, 1918. He grew up along with his two brothers on General Pershing St., and went to the MacDonough #13 and Alsace Fortier schools. His father was a dentist, whose father and grandfather also were dentists. Fred was to break the trend, getting into acting and football at both Loyola
Loyola University New Orleans
Loyola University New Orleans is a private, co-educational and Jesuit university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the name of the Jesuit patron, Saint Ignatius of Loyola...
and Tulane Universities. His first job in his teens was working in his spare time for an ice delivery service, back before electric refrigerators had caught on.
Around the time he was 20, his mother gave him that legendary "$50 and a suitcase" to come out to Hollywood and get into motion pictures, impressed that a neighbor's daughter had signed a movie contract, but also knowing that her son had the mettle to perform (on stage at college, and later in film, television and radio).
At first he stayed with relatives as well as taking a job at the local zoo to pay the rent, after which at night he would read books to a relative whose vision was deteriorating. It wasn't too long before he was invited on that fateful trip to Selznick International Pictures
Selznick International Pictures
-Origin:It was founded in 1935 by producer David O. Selznick and investor John Hay "Jock" Whitney after Selznick left Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and leased a section of the RKO Pictures lot in Culver City, California...
, where his cousin, Leatrice Joy Gilbert, (daughter of Leatrice Joy
Leatrice Joy
Leatrice Joy was an American actress most prolific during the early silent film era.-Early life and career:...
) was going to audition for the part of Suellen in the movie, "Gone With the Wind." He was taking in all the sights and sounds of the studio, when during a discussion, his authentic Southern
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
accent combined with striking good looks landed him a meeting with Gone With The Wind first director George Cukor
George Cukor
George Dewey Cukor was an American film director. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO and later MGM, where he directed What Price Hollywood? , A Bill of Divorcement , Dinner at Eight , Little Women , David Copperfield , Romeo and Juliet and...
and producer David O. Selznick
David O. Selznick
David O. Selznick was an American film producer. He is best known for having produced Gone with the Wind and Rebecca , both of which earned him an Oscar for Best Picture.-Early years:...
, which led to a script reading with Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh, Lady Olivier was an English actress. She won the Best Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire , a role she also played on stage in London's West End, as well as for her portrayal of the southern belle Scarlett O'Hara, alongside Clark...
, who had been chosen to play Scarlett O'Hara. Selznick was impressed, and signed Crane to a 13-week contract at $50 a week.
Even though he had not intended to try out for a job that day, Fred's many years of study and immersion into the arts gave him remarkable abilities as a renaissance raconteur, able to recite verse on the spur of the moment, or launch into any one of thousands of songs from the spark of a conversation... and his voice and quick wit helped him meet the challenges of many opportunities, whether acting or as a craftsman.
Fred played the part of Brent Tarleton, one of Scarlett's suitors, and spoke the opening lines in the film. One of the lasting Trivial Pursuit
Trivial Pursuit
Trivial Pursuit is a board game in which progress is determined by a player's ability to answer general knowledge and popular culture questions. The game was created in 1979 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, by Canadian Chris Haney, a photo editor for Montreal's The Gazette and Scott Abbott, a sports...
questions was initiated for all time, when an error in the credits listed his name as Stuart, who was actually played by George Reeves
George Reeves
George Reeves was an American actor best known for his role as Superman in the 1950s television program Adventures of Superman....
, who among his many roles, is also fondly remembered as Superman
Adventures of Superman (TV series)
Adventures of Superman is an American television series based on comic book characters and concepts created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The show is the first television series to feature Superman and began filming in 1951 in California...
in the TV series. It was deemed too costly to fix this, so it endures this way, but when watching and listening to the dialogue, it is clear who George and Fred play in the movie. Brent speaks the opening lines of the movie, "What do we care if we were expelled from college, Miss Scarlett? The war's going to start soon, so we would have left college anyhow."
He did not attend the film's 1939 premiere in Atlanta, although he attended the premiere in Los Angeles with his good friend and "twin," George Bessolo Reeves, at Carthay Circle Theatre. In later years (June 1998), he was one of the special guests at the celebrity-studded premiere screening of the restored version of Gone With The Wind hosted by Ted Turner in Atlanta.
In 1940, he married his first wife, Marcelle Dudley, and later went on to marry another four times. As he began a family, World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
limited his options as acting work was difficult to come by, and so he began tutoring at Crossroads of the World
Crossroads of the World
Crossroads of the World has been called America's first outdoor shopping mall. Located on Sunset Boulevard and Las Palmas in Los Angeles, the mall features a central building designed to resemble an ocean liner surrounded by a small village of cottage-style bungalows. It was designed by Robert V...
, one of his film students being Gene L. Coon
Gene L. Coon
Gene L. Coon was an American screenwriter and television producer. He is best remembered for his work on the original Star Trek series.-Life and career:...
(well known for his work on the first season of Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
), and also working in a munitions factory until the war came to a close.
Shortly afterward in 1946, he interviewed with Errett Lobban Cord, owner of Cord Automobile
Cord Automobile
Cord was the brand name of a United States automobile, manufactured by the Auburn Automobile Company from 1929 through 1932 and again in 1936 and 1937....
company, and also of KFAC classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
radio in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, and was hired on part-time, (a second vocation attributed to his vocal prowess) for his exquisite speaking voice and extensive familiarity with musical compositions. He had done and continued to do other radio programs simultaneously, such as staff voice actor on The Jack Benny Program
The Jack Benny Program
The Jack Benny Program, starring Jack Benny, is a radio-TV comedy series that ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th-century American comedy.-Cast:*Jack Benny - Himself...
(on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
Radio), and other announcing roles. He had mastered a remarkable talent for not only the retention of information, performances and musical acuity in general, but classical music in particular (and the capable pronunciation of all the languages and dialects that entails), partly from his college studies, but also a great deal from being a very dedicated follower of the Walter Damrosch radio program for many of his younger years.
He continued to dabble in film, working on a Cisco Kid film with Leo Carillo (The Gay Amigo, 1949), and eventually several TV shows, including guest roles and staff roles on shows such as Lost in Space
Lost in Space
Lost in Space is a science fiction TV series created and produced by Irwin Allen, filmed by 20th Century Fox Television, and broadcast on CBS. The show ran for three seasons, with 83 episodes airing between September 15, 1965, and March 6, 1968...
, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is an American science fiction film, produced and directed by Irwin Allen, released by 20th Century Fox in 1961. The story was written by Irwin Allen and Charles Bennett. Walter Pidgeon starred as Admiral Harriman Nelson, with Robert Sterling as Captain Lee Crane...
, Twilight Zone
Twilight zone
-Television series and spinoffs:*The Twilight Zone, the anthology television series and its franchise:**The Twilight Zone , the 1959–1964 original television series***Twilight Zone: The Movie, a 1983 film based on the original series...
, Peyton Place
Peyton Place (TV series)
Peyton Place is an American prime-time soap opera which aired on ABC in half-hour episodes from September 15, 1964 to June 2, 1969.Based upon the 1956 novel of the same name by Grace Metalious, the series was preceded by a 1957 film adaptation. A total of 514 episodes were broadcast, in...
, Lawman
Lawman (tv series)
Lawman is an American Western television series originally telecast from 1958 to 1962 starring John Russell as Marshal Dan Troop and featuring Peter Brown as Deputy Marshal Johnny McKay on the ABC Television Network. The series was set in Laramie, Wyoming during the mid to late 1870s. Warner Bros....
, Hawaiian Eye
Hawaiian Eye
Hawaiian Eye is an American television series that ran from October 1959 to September 1963 on the American Broadcasting Company television network.-Premise:...
, and 77 Sunset Strip
77 Sunset Strip
77 Sunset Strip is an hour-length American television private detective series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Roger Smith, and Edd Byrnes....
. He also appeared on General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
later in the 1970s, and continued taking on occasional jobs in narration.
His family continued to grow, leading him to explore other, more dependable work options as well, as many struggling actors would attest. He spent several years working at a pharmacy
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
, several more years as a fine tools machinist and inspector, and several years in housing construction partnership, all the while working part-time at KFAC until a full-time position opened up in the 1960s.
About a decade later, he was promoted to AM Program Director
Program director
In service industries, such as education, a program director or programme director researches, plans, develops and implements one or more of the firm's professional services...
(Carl Princi was the FM Director) in addition to the duties of performing his 6 hour morning show live (Hark, the Glad Sounds), and recording voice tracks and commercials for the all-night show (Music Out of the Night) for several hours each weekday after his show completed at noon. His show was frequently in the top 5 of drive-time popularity, ranked by polls in the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner
Los Angeles Herald-Examiner
The Los Angeles Herald Examiner was a major Los Angeles daily newspaper, published Monday through Friday in the afternoon, and in the morning on Saturdays and Sundays. It was part of the Hearst syndicate. The afternoon Herald-Express and the morning Examiner, both of which had been publishing in...
during that time.
Fred continued with the radio station after it moved from Prudential Square (near Wilshire and La Brea) to new quarters on Yucca St. in Hollywood, until the day when most of the older staff was dismissed without notice around 1988. Those who were fired eventually won their case against this issue in an age discrimination suit. Fred continued to work in radio for several years after that, at KKGO, which was partly jazz, partly classical programming at that time.
He semi-retired in the 1990s, beginning a tour of several years of appearances for fans and special events, as well as cruise ship lectures and continuing on charity fundraisers for PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
station KCET
KCET
KCET, channel 28, is an independent, non-commercial public television station licensed to Los Angeles, California, USA. KCET's studio is located on West Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and its transmitter is atop Mount Wilson. Al Jerome is the current CEO and President, serving since 1996.KCET was...
.
In the new millennium, he moved back to the Southern states, where he and his fifth wife, Terry Lynn, bought an antebellum mansion in Barnesville, Georgia
Barnesville, Georgia
Barnesville is a city in Lamar County, Georgia, United States. The city is a part of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 6,755. The city is the county seat of Lamar County....
and turned it into Tarleton Oaks, a bed-and-breakfast
Bed and breakfast
A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
with a Gone With The Wind museum, where guests could view artifacts from the film. Tarleton Oaks was sold at an auction in 2007 due to Crane's failing health, and as a part of the experience were treated to a few hours of fond recollections from his early days in the film industry.
Around 2003, Fred had developed difficulties with diabetes, which he unfortunately acquired shortly after his second heart surgery (when he lost over 50 pounds during 26 days in the hospital), and although he had it under control for many years, one leg had some trouble with circulation, since a vein had been used from there in the heart surgery years earlier. Around June 2008, he developed a wound that wouldn't heal due to the limited circulation, and an operation was performed to install a replacement vein. The surgery was successful, but the infection had become so severe by then, that his body was having difficulty battling it. For three days (Aug 18-20) he was doing much better, smiling and chatting again for short periods of time, though he did need a feeding tube to help with nutrients and medicine. On the morning of Aug 21st, he developed a pulmonary embolism in his lungs, which proved to be fatal.
He died at 12:10 p.m. Eastern Time on August 21, 2008 after successful surgery to repair a vein in his leg, which had limited circulation due to the combination of diabetes, and a previous heart operation in which the vein had been removed for heart bypass surgery.
He was the last male surviving actor who played an adult role in the film, leaving the two remaining males Mickey Kuhn
Mickey Kuhn
Mickey Kuhn is an American actor. His first fame came in playing the role of Beau Wilkes in the 1939 motion picture Gone With The Wind. Kuhn is one of the last surviving cast members from the movie.- External links :...
, who played Beau Wilkes as a child, and Patrick Curtis, who was one of several infants who played Melanie's baby in GWTW.
"I am but a small shard in a grand mosaic." – Fred Crane
Film
- Gone with the Wind (film)Gone with the Wind (film)Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American historical epic film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel of the same name. It was produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Victor Fleming from a screenplay by Sidney Howard...
(19391939 in filmThe year 1939 in motion pictures can be justified as being called the most outstanding one ever, when it comes to the high quality and high attendance at the large set of the best films that premiered in the year .- Events :Motion picture historians and film often rate...
) as Brent Tarleton (miscredited as Stuart Tarleton) - The Cisco Kid (1 episode - The Gay Amigo) - (19491949 in filmThe year 1949 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello...
) as Henchman Duke
Television
- Surfside 6Surfside 6Surfside 6 was an ABC television series which aired from 1960 to 1962. The show centered around a Miami Beach detective agency set on a houseboat and featured Troy Donahue as Sandy Winfield, II; Van Williams as Kenny Madison ; and Lee Patterson as Dave Thorne...
(1 episode, 1961) as a policeman - LawmanLawman (tv series)Lawman is an American Western television series originally telecast from 1958 to 1962 starring John Russell as Marshal Dan Troop and featuring Peter Brown as Deputy Marshal Johnny McKay on the ABC Television Network. The series was set in Laramie, Wyoming during the mid to late 1870s. Warner Bros....
(3 episodes, 1960–1961) as a jury foreman - Lost in SpaceLost in SpaceLost in Space is a science fiction TV series created and produced by Irwin Allen, filmed by 20th Century Fox Television, and broadcast on CBS. The show ran for three seasons, with 83 episodes airing between September 15, 1965, and March 6, 1968...
(1 episode, 1965) as Alpha Control technician - Voyage to the Bottom of the SeaVoyage to the Bottom of the Sea (TV series)Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is a 1960s American science fiction television series based on the 1961 film of the same name. Both were created by Irwin Allen, which enabled the movie's sets, costumes, props, special effects models, and sometimes footage, to be used in the production of the...
(1 episode, 1965) as Cyborg voices
External links
, with makeup still from Gone With the Wind, with George ReevesGeorge Reeves
George Reeves was an American actor best known for his role as Superman in the 1950s television program Adventures of Superman....