Jack Perrin
Encyclopedia
Jack Perrin was an American actor
specializing in westerns
.
; his father worked in real estate and relocated the family to Los Angeles, California
shortly after the turn of the century
.
Perrin served in the United States Navy
during World War I
. Following the war, he returned to Los Angeles and started acting for Universal Studios
. His first on-screen appearance was in the 1917 film
Luke's Lost Liberty
alongside Harold Lloyd
.
Perrin married silent film
actress Josephine Hill
in 1920. During the 1920s, Perrin made a name for himself, starring in a number of cliffhanger
, melodrama
, and serial
films.
Perrin found a niche in B-movie
westerns of the 1930s. He usually played leads as Jack Perrin, but occasionally adopted the pseudonyms Jack Gable or Richard (Dick) Terry. Perrin was then co-producing low-budget films with Hollywood veteran William Berke, and the pseudonyms may have been intended to mislead exhibitors as to the depth of the Berke-Perrin company's talent pool.
Perrin's last major role was as Davy Crockett
in 1937's The Painted Stallion
, for Republic Pictures
. Perrin divorced his wife that year as well. Though he continued making films through 1960, many of his later roles were minor and often went uncredited.
Perrin suffered a heart attack
and died December 17, 1967, aged 71.
For his contributions as an actor in motion pictures, Jack Perrin was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 1777 Vine Street, in Hollywood, California.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
specializing in westerns
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
.
Biography
He was born Lyman Wakefield Perrin in Three Rivers, MichiganThree Rivers, Michigan
Three Rivers is a city in St. Joseph County in the US state of Michigan. The population was 7,811 at the 2010 census.Three Rivers derives its name from the confluence of the St. Joseph River with its tributaries the Rocky and Portage Rivers. It is the home of St...
; his father worked in real estate and relocated the family to Los Angeles, California
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...
shortly after the turn of the century
Fin de siècle
Fin de siècle is French for "end of the century". The term sometimes encompasses both the closing and onset of an era, as it was felt to be a period of degeneration, but at the same time a period of hope for a new beginning...
.
Perrin served in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Following the war, he returned to Los Angeles and started acting for Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
. His first on-screen appearance was in the 1917 film
1917 in film
The year 1917 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*Foundation of Universum Film AG , as a propaganda film company, in Berlin.*Technicolor System 1, a two-color process, is introduced...
Luke's Lost Liberty
Luke's Lost Liberty
Luke's Lost Liberty is a 1917 short comedy film starring Harold Lloyd.-Cast:* Harold Lloyd - Lonesome Luke* Bebe Daniels* Snub Pollard* Charles Stevenson - * Billy Fay* Sammy Brooks* Bud Jamison* Earl Mohan* Sidney De Gray...
alongside Harold Lloyd
Harold Lloyd
Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. was an American film actor and producer, most famous for his silent comedies....
.
Perrin married silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
actress Josephine Hill
Josephine Hill
Josephine Hill was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in 107 films between 1917 and 1933. She was married to Western star Jack Perrin from 1920 until their divorce in 1937....
in 1920. During the 1920s, Perrin made a name for himself, starring in a number of cliffhanger
Cliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction...
, melodrama
Melodrama
The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
, and serial
Serial (film)
Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials, Film serials or Chapter plays, were short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a feature film. They were related to pulp magazine serialized fiction...
films.
Perrin found a niche in B-movie
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
westerns of the 1930s. He usually played leads as Jack Perrin, but occasionally adopted the pseudonyms Jack Gable or Richard (Dick) Terry. Perrin was then co-producing low-budget films with Hollywood veteran William Berke, and the pseudonyms may have been intended to mislead exhibitors as to the depth of the Berke-Perrin company's talent pool.
Perrin's last major role was as Davy Crockett
Davy Crockett
David "Davy" Crockett was a celebrated 19th century American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier and politician. He is commonly referred to in popular culture by the epithet "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S...
in 1937's The Painted Stallion
The Painted Stallion
The Painted Stallion is a 1937 Republic Movie serial. It was the sixth Republic serial of the sixty-six made by that company. Western serials such as this made up a third of the serials from Republic, a studio that was also heavily involved in making B-Western feature films at the time.This...
, for Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures was an independent film production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, operating from 1934 through 1959, and was best known for specializing in westerns, movie serials and B films emphasizing mystery and action....
. Perrin divorced his wife that year as well. Though he continued making films through 1960, many of his later roles were minor and often went uncredited.
Perrin suffered a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
and died December 17, 1967, aged 71.
For his contributions as an actor in motion pictures, Jack Perrin was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 1777 Vine Street, in Hollywood, California.
Selected filmography
- Luke's Lost LibertyLuke's Lost LibertyLuke's Lost Liberty is a 1917 short comedy film starring Harold Lloyd.-Cast:* Harold Lloyd - Lonesome Luke* Bebe Daniels* Snub Pollard* Charles Stevenson - * Billy Fay* Sammy Brooks* Bud Jamison* Earl Mohan* Sidney De Gray...
(1917) - Lonesome Luke's Lively LifeLonesome Luke's Lively LifeLonesome Luke's Lively Life is a 1917 short comedy film featuring Harold Lloyd.-Cast:* Harold Lloyd - Lonesome Luke* Bebe Daniels* Snub Pollard* Bud Jamison* Sidney De Gray* Charles Stevenson - * Sammy Brooks* Ray Thompson...
(19171917 in filmThe year 1917 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*Foundation of Universum Film AG , as a propaganda film company, in Berlin.*Technicolor System 1, a two-color process, is introduced...
) - The Lion ManThe Lion Man (serial)The Lion Man is a 1919 American action film serial released by the Universal Film Manufacturing Company, directed by Albert Russell and Jack Wells, produced by Russell and starring Kathleen O'Connor and Jack Perrin. The serial is now considered to be lost....
(19191919 in filmThe year 1919 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 5 - Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith launch United Artists...
) - The Jack of HeartsThe Jack of HeartsThe Jack of Hearts is a 1919 short Western film directed by B. Reeves Eason....
(1919) - The Four-Bit ManThe Four-Bit ManThe Four-Bit Man is a 1919 short Western film directed by B. Reeves Eason.-Cast:* Josephine Hill* Andrew Waldron* William Dyer* Hoot Gibson* Jack Perrin...
(1919) - The Fighting HeartThe Fighting Heart (1919 film)The Fighting Heart is a 1919 short Western film directed by B. Reeves Eason.-Cast:* Jack Perrin* Hoot Gibson* Josephine Hill* William Pathe* Magda Lane* Laura Trainor* Leo Pattee...
(1919) - Blind HusbandsBlind HusbandsBlind Husbands is a 1919 drama film directed by Erich von Stroheim. The film is an adaptation of the story The Pinnacle by Stroheim.-Cast:* Sam De Grasse as Doctor Robert Armstrong, the husband* Francelia Billington as Margaret Armstrong, the wife...
(1919) - The Santa Fe TrailThe Santa Fe Trail (1923 film)The Santa Fe Trail is a 1923 Western film serial directed by Ashton Dearholt and Robert Dillon. The film is considered to be lost.-Cast:* Jack Perrin - Kit Carson* Neva Gerber* Jim Welch * Elias Bullock* Wilbur McGaugh...
(19231923 in film-Events:*April 15 - Lee De Forest demonstrates the Phonofilm sound-on-film system at the Rivoli Theater in New York with a series of short musical films featuring vaudeville performers.-Top grossing films :-Films released in 1923:U.S.A...
) - The Fighting SkipperThe Fighting SkipperThe Fighting Skipper is a 1923 adventure film serial directed by Francis Ford. The film is considered to be lost.-Cast:* Peggy O'Day - Skipper* Jack Perrin* William White * Francis Ford* Steve Murphy-See also:...
(1923) - Riders of the PlainsRiders of the PlainsRiders of the Plains is a 1924 Western film serial directed by Jacques Jaccard.-Cast:* Jack Perrin* Marilyn Mills* Ruth Royce* Charles Brinley* Kingsley Benedict* Running Elk* Robert Miles* Rhody Hathaway* Clark Comstock* Boris Karloff...
(19241924 in film-Events:* Entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer Pictures to create Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...
) - The Vanishing WestThe Vanishing WestThe Vanishing West is a 1928 Western film serial directed by Richard Thorpe. The film is considered to be lost.-Cast:* Jack Perrin - Jack Marvin* Eileen Sedgwick - Betty Kincaid* Jack Dougherty - Jim Marvin...
(19281928 in film-Events:Although some movies released in 1928 had sound, most were still silent.* July 28 - Lights of New York is released by Warner Brothers. It is the first "100% Talkie" feature film, in that dialog is spoken throughout the film...
) - The Water HoleThe Water HoleThe Water Hole is a Western film starring Jack Holt, Nancy Carroll, and John Boles, based on a novel by Zane Grey, and released by Paramount Pictures.The film had sequences filmed in Technicolor, and was filmed in Death Valley, California....
(1928) - Vultures of the SeaVultures of the SeaVultures of the Sea is a 1928 adventure film serial directed by Richard Thorpe. The film is considered to be lost.-Cast:* Johnnie Walker* Shirley Mason* Tom Santschi* Frank Hagney* Boris Karloff - Grouchy* Horace B. Carpenter...
(1928) - The Jade BoxThe Jade BoxThe Jade Box is a Universal movie serial. It was a partially sound film with large silent elements. Only an incomplete version survives today.-Plot:...
(19301930 in film-Events:* November 1: The Big Trail featuring a young John Wayne in his first starring role is released in both 35mm, and a very early form of 70mm film and was the first large scale big-budget film of the sound era costing over $2 million. The film was praised for its aesthetic quality and realism...
) - The Purple VigilantesThe Purple VigilantesThe Purple Vigilantes is a 1938 American Western "Three Mesquiteers" B-movie directed by George Sherman.- Cast :* Robert Livingston as Stony Brooke* Ray Corrigan as Tucson Smith* Max Terhune as Lullaby Joslin...
(1938) - The Painted StallionThe Painted StallionThe Painted Stallion is a 1937 Republic Movie serial. It was the sixth Republic serial of the sixty-six made by that company. Western serials such as this made up a third of the serials from Republic, a studio that was also heavily involved in making B-Western feature films at the time.This...
(19381938 in filmThe year 1938 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*January — MGM announces that Judy Garland would be cast in the role of "Dorothy" in the upcoming Wizard of Oz motion picture. Ray Bolger is cast as the "Tinman" and Buddy Ebsen is cast as the "Scarecrow". At Bolger's insistence,...
) - Under AgeUnder Age (1941 film)-Cast:* Nan Grey as Jane Baird* Alan Baxter as Tap Manson* Mary Anderson as Edie Baird* Tom Neal as Rocky Stone* Leona Maricle as Mrs. Burke aka The Widow* Don Beddoe as Albert Ward* Yolande Donlan as Lily Fletcher...
(1941)