John Harvey (American actor)
Encyclopedia
John Harvey was an American actor
. He starred in stage
plays
in Los Angeles
, then went to New York
, where he played Private Earhart in the hit comedy
Kiss and Tell (1943) on Broadway
.
With his success in the Earhart role, Harvey was signed to a motion picture
contract by 20th Century Fox
. He returned to the West Coast
, where he appeared in Four Jills in a Jeep
(1944
) opposite Kay Francis
and in Pin Up Girl
(1944) opposite Betty Grable
, with whom he was romantically teamed.
He continued his stage career, appearing in productions with his wife, actress Judith Parrish. He made television
guest appearance
s in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He also starred as George Payne, with Parrish as his screwball wife, Laraine Payne, in the live television
sitcom
The Growing Paynes
(1948
/1949
).
Harvey retired from acting in the early 1950s and became an actors' agent
in New York, where he served on the national board of a television industry regulatory agency and as head of United Talent, Inc.
, the son of John Harvey Johnson (1882-?) and Katherine M. (c. 1894-?). His father worked in real estate. They were living in New Rockford, when the 1920 census was enumerated.
Using his first and middle names as his stage name
, John Harvey began his career as a radio
announcer
. He began acting
and performed in some 50 stage
productions on the West Coast
.
In the drama
White Cargo
(1939) at the Beaux Arts Theatre, located at the corner of West 8th Street and Beacon Avenue in the Westlake
area of Los Angeles
, Harvey played the leading man
role as Langford opposite Patricia Saunders (c. 1922-?) as the sultry siren Tondeleyo. Her portrayal of primitive passions in the African jungles of the rubber country garnered a lot of attention. Harvey's performance as Langford was also notable. The Los Angeles Times
of June 4, 1940, stated, "John Harvey is sincere and type perfect as the young hero." Harvey and Saunders were both replacements in the production, which was a big success and played its 365th performance on August 5, 1940, marking its first year run and setting a milestone in local theatrical history by smashing a 16-year record for legitimate stage productions. It outlasted all other stage attractions and smashed every existing attendance record for a show of its type in Los Angeles.
Though extremely popular, White Cargo had a reputation as a "steamy production." There was a scene where Tondeleyo was onstage topless
. On the night of December 19, 1940, the LAPD
's "purity squad" led a raid on the theatre. They closed the play and arrested the cast and the producer
, William D. Swanson (1907–1983), on charges of presenting an indecent show. They believed that the semi-nudity and the sensuous writhing of Tondeleyo was obscene.
During the trial, a "command" performance of White Cargo was given at the Beaux Arts on Tuesday, January 22, 1941, for the judge and jury. They sat silently as the cast enacted the play and Tondeleyo, as portrayed by Saunders, "worked her sensuous wiles on every white man in the cast."
That same day in Municipal Court, Harvey testified and gave the reason why Tondeleyo writhed the way she had during the performance of December 19. "In several of the scenes," he explained, "I grasped Tondeleyo's wrists so tightly that she writhed in pain attempting to escape me." The Deputy City Attorney asked, "And that is the reason for her wriggling?" "It is," Harvey replied, adding that he "didn't actually hurt her." The defendants all asserted that the command performance was identical with almost 600 previous performances.
Swanson, Saunders and Harvey were found guilty on January 23, 1941, while the others were acquitted. In early June, the convictions were upheld by the Superior Court. Harvey and Saunders were each fined $250. Swanson was fined $500 and sentenced to 180 days in jail.
While the trial was in progress, Harvey was cast in the juvenile lead in the Collison
and Hopwood
farce
Getting Gertie's Garter (1941) at the Musart Theatre, 1320 South Figueroa Street
, in Los Angeles, opposite Rae Whitney in the title role
.
Harvey moved to New York
and made his debut on Broadway
, where he appeared in two plays.
of the melodrama
Johnny 2 X 4 (1942), which included Lauren Bacall
, who was credited
as Betty Bacall. He was then cast in the role as Private Earhart in the F. Hugh Herbert
comedy Kiss and Tell (1943), which included Richard Widmark
.
On March 12, 1943, Harvey and actress Judith Parrish, who played Mildred Pringle in Kiss and Tell, were married at the courthouse in Roxbury, Massachusetts, while in Boston
for the pre-Broadway engagement, which was announced in the New York Times
on March 24. They had one child, Johanna Harvey Johnson (born February 6, 1944 in Los Angeles).
With his success in the Earhart role, Harvey was signed to a motion picture
contract by 20th Century Fox
. After the Saturday night performance of Kiss and Tell, June 12, 1943, he and his wife, Parrish, left the cast and departed for Hollywood
.
/romance
Four Jills in a Jeep
(1944
) opposite Kay Francis
, Carole Landis
, Martha Raye
and Mitzi Mayfair, who played themselves in a re-enactment of the four actresses USO
tour of Europe and North Africa during World War II
. He also played the role as a naval hero, Tommy Dooley, opposite Betty Grable
in the musical/romance Pin Up Girl
(1944), in which he woos and wins the blonde star.
He and Parrish then co-starred in the stage farce Petticoat Fever (1944) at the Musart Theatre in Los Angeles. Tickets for the comedy/romance went on sale on September 5, and the show opened on September 12. Harvey's role was as the radio operator, Dascom Dinsmore, who rescues crash victims, roles headed by Parrish and Arthur Gould-Porter, after their plane goes down in the cold wastes of Labrador
.
The Los Angeles Times of October 14, 1944, ran a piece titled Two Showings, which reads, "Petticoat Fever, now in its fifth week with John Harvey and Judith Parrish in the starring roles, will be presented at a matinee performance tomorrow in addition to the evening show at the Musart Theater." Another Times article, of October 15, is titled Harvey Gains Status of Idol, and reads:
When Petticoat Fever closed, Harvey played the role as Burns in the 20th Century Fox crime
/mystery
The Spider (1945), a rehash of the plot from The Maltese Falcon
, opposite Richard Conte
and Faye Marlowe. He then received his release from the studio
.
appearance in WNBT
's comedy TV movie
The First Year (1946
). He played the role as Adam in an episode
of The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre
(1948
), which was titled Whistle, Daughter, Whistle.
Harvey and Parrish starred as insurance salesman George Payne and his screwball wife, Laraine Payne, in the DuMont Television Network
's domestic sitcom
The Growing Paynes
during the 1948
/1949
season. They left the series
in 1949 and were replaced by another Mr. and Mrs. Payne.
Also in 1949, Harvey made guest appearance
s in the NBC Presents episode A Husband's Rights and the Kraft Television Theatre
episode Little Brown Jug. He appeared in the role as Terry Cook in the Martin Kane, Private Eye
episode A Jockey Is Murdered (1951
) and appeared in the Robert Montgomery Presents
episode Eva? Caroline? (1952
).
. In 1949, he suggested that the 4A's
create the Television Authority (TvA), a regulatory agency with representation from all seven unions. He was elected to the national board of TvA and served as chairman of its wages and working-conditions committee and its agents committee.
He became an actors' agent
in 1954. In 1964, he began serving as treasurer of Theatrical Artists Representatives, a group of agents affiliated with Actors Equity
. Harvey was head of United Talent, Inc., at the time of his death. He and Parrish, who also worked as an agent at United Talent, lived at 11 Riverside Drive in New York City.
John Harvey died at age 53 of an apparent heart attack on Christmas Day, 1970, in New York.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He starred in stage
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
plays
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, then went to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he played Private Earhart in the hit comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
Kiss and Tell (1943) on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
.
With his success in the Earhart role, Harvey was signed to a motion picture
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
contract by 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
. He returned to the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
, where he appeared in Four Jills in a Jeep
Four Jills in a Jeep
Four Jills in a Jeep is a 1944 film starring Kay Francis, Carole Landis, Martha Raye, and Mitzi Mayfair as themselves, re-enacting their USO tour of Europe and North Africa during World War II.-Cast:*Kay Francis as Herself*Carole Landis as Herself...
(1944
1944 in film
The year 1944 in film involved some significant events, including the wholesome, award-winning Going My Way plus popular murder mysteries such as Double Indemnity, Gaslight and Laura.-Events:*July 20 - Since You Went Away is released....
) opposite Kay Francis
Kay Francis
Kay Francis was an American stage and film actress. After a brief period on Broadway in the late 1920s, she moved to film and achieved her greatest success between 1930 and 1936, when she was the number one female star at the Warner Brothers studio, and the highest paid American film actress...
and in Pin Up Girl
Pin Up Girl (film)
Pin Up Girl is a 1944 20th Century Fox Technicolor musical romantic comedy motion picture starring Betty Grable, John Harvey, Martha Raye, and Joe E. Brown.Directed by H...
(1944) opposite Betty Grable
Betty Grable
Elizabeth Ruth "Betty" Grable was an American actress, dancer and singer.Her iconic bathing suit photo made her the number-one pin-up girl of the World War II era. It was later included in the LIFE magazine project "100 Photos that Changed the World"...
, with whom he was romantically teamed.
He continued his stage career, appearing in productions with his wife, actress Judith Parrish. He made television
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
guest appearance
Guest appearance
In show business , a guest appearance is a participation of an outsider performer , usually called guest artist , in an event , i.e., the participation of a performer which does not belong to the regular crew In performance...
s in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He also starred as George Payne, with Parrish as his screwball wife, Laraine Payne, in the live television
Live television
Live television refers to a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. From the early days of television until about 1958, live television was used heavily, except for filmed shows such as I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke. Video tape did not exist until 1957...
sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
The Growing Paynes
The Growing Paynes
The Growing Paynes is a sitcom that aired on the now-defunct DuMont Television Network.-Broadcast history:The series aired on DuMont on Wednesdays at 8:30 pm EST for one season, 1948 to 1949...
(1948
1948 in television
The year 1948 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1948.-Events:*March 20 – Renowned Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini makes his television debut, conducting the NBC Symphony Orchestra in an all-Wagner program.*June 21 – The first network...
/1949
1949 in television
The year 1949 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1949.-Events:*January 3 – Colgate Theatre premieres on NBC....
).
Harvey retired from acting in the early 1950s and became an actors' agent
Talent agent
A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, film directors, musicians, models, producers, professional athletes, writers and other people in various entertainment businesses. Having an agent is not required, but does help the artist in getting jobs...
in New York, where he served on the national board of a television industry regulatory agency and as head of United Talent, Inc.
Early life and career
He was born John Harvey Johnson, Jr. in New Rockford, North DakotaNew Rockford, North Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,463 people, 651 households, and 378 families residing in the city. The population density was 970.7 people per square mile . There were 778 housing units at an average density of 516.2 per square mile...
, the son of John Harvey Johnson (1882-?) and Katherine M. (c. 1894-?). His father worked in real estate. They were living in New Rockford, when the 1920 census was enumerated.
Using his first and middle names as his stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
, John Harvey began his career as a radio
Radio programming
Radio programming is the Broadcast programming of a Radio format or content that is organized for Commercial broadcasting and Public broadcasting radio stations....
announcer
Radio personality
A radio personality is a person with an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality can be someone who introduces and discusses various genres of music, hosts a talk radio show that may take calls from listeners, or someone whose primary responsibility is to give news, weather,...
. He began acting
Acting
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
and performed in some 50 stage
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
productions on the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
.
In the drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
White Cargo
White Cargo
White Cargo is a film starring Hedy Lamarr and Walter Pidgeon and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Set in 1910, it is based on the 1923 London and Broadway hit play by Leon Gordon, which was in turn adapted from the novel Hell's Playground by Ida Vera Simonton...
(1939) at the Beaux Arts Theatre, located at the corner of West 8th Street and Beacon Avenue in the Westlake
Westlake, Los Angeles, California
Westlake is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. It should not be confused with Westlake Village, an independent municipality in Los Angeles County near Thousand Oaks and close to the Ventura County line....
area of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Harvey played the leading man
Leading man
Leading man or leading gentleman is an informal term for the actor who plays a love interest to the leading actress in a film or play. A leading man is usually an all rounder; capable of singing, dancing, and acting at a professional level, but never outshining his female co-star...
role as Langford opposite Patricia Saunders (c. 1922-?) as the sultry siren Tondeleyo. Her portrayal of primitive passions in the African jungles of the rubber country garnered a lot of attention. Harvey's performance as Langford was also notable. The Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
of June 4, 1940, stated, "John Harvey is sincere and type perfect as the young hero." Harvey and Saunders were both replacements in the production, which was a big success and played its 365th performance on August 5, 1940, marking its first year run and setting a milestone in local theatrical history by smashing a 16-year record for legitimate stage productions. It outlasted all other stage attractions and smashed every existing attendance record for a show of its type in Los Angeles.
Though extremely popular, White Cargo had a reputation as a "steamy production." There was a scene where Tondeleyo was onstage topless
Toplessness
Toplessness is the state in which a female's breasts are uncovered, with the areolae and nipples visible, usually in a public space. It can also refer to a female not wearing any clothing above the waist, which is the female equivalent to a male barechestedness.The history and even the present-day...
. On the night of December 19, 1940, the LAPD
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
's "purity squad" led a raid on the theatre. They closed the play and arrested the cast and the producer
Theatrical producer
A theatrical producer is the person ultimately responsible for overseeing all aspects of mounting a theatre production. The independent producer will usually be the originator and finder of the script and starts the whole process...
, William D. Swanson (1907–1983), on charges of presenting an indecent show. They believed that the semi-nudity and the sensuous writhing of Tondeleyo was obscene.
During the trial, a "command" performance of White Cargo was given at the Beaux Arts on Tuesday, January 22, 1941, for the judge and jury. They sat silently as the cast enacted the play and Tondeleyo, as portrayed by Saunders, "worked her sensuous wiles on every white man in the cast."
That same day in Municipal Court, Harvey testified and gave the reason why Tondeleyo writhed the way she had during the performance of December 19. "In several of the scenes," he explained, "I grasped Tondeleyo's wrists so tightly that she writhed in pain attempting to escape me." The Deputy City Attorney asked, "And that is the reason for her wriggling?" "It is," Harvey replied, adding that he "didn't actually hurt her." The defendants all asserted that the command performance was identical with almost 600 previous performances.
Swanson, Saunders and Harvey were found guilty on January 23, 1941, while the others were acquitted. In early June, the convictions were upheld by the Superior Court. Harvey and Saunders were each fined $250. Swanson was fined $500 and sentenced to 180 days in jail.
While the trial was in progress, Harvey was cast in the juvenile lead in the Collison
Wilson Collison
Wilson Collison was a prolific author and playwright. His works include "Up in Mabel's Room" and "Getting Gertie's Garter." Collison’s “Red Dust” became the 1932 Clark Gable film by the same name and the 1953 Clark Gable film “Mogambo.” The Maisie series of motion pictures, with the first in...
and Hopwood
Avery Hopwood
James Avery Hopwood , was the most successful playwright of the Jazz Age, having four plays running simultaneously on Broadway in 1920.-Biography:...
farce
Farce
In theatre, a farce is a comedy which aims at entertaining the audience by means of unlikely, extravagant, and improbable situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal humour of varying degrees of sophistication, which may include word play, and a fast-paced plot whose speed usually increases,...
Getting Gertie's Garter (1941) at the Musart Theatre, 1320 South Figueroa Street
Figueroa Street
Figueroa Street is a street in Los Angeles County, California named for General José Figueroa , governor of Alta California from 1833 to 1835, who oversaw the secularization of the missions of California...
, in Los Angeles, opposite Rae Whitney in the title role
Title role
The title role in the performing arts is the performance part that gives the title to the piece, as in Aida, Giselle, Michael Collins or Othello. The actor, singer or dancer who performs that part is also said to have the title role....
.
Harvey moved to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and made his debut on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, where he appeared in two plays.
Broadway
Harvey performed in the ensemble castEnsemble cast
An ensemble cast is made up of cast members in which the principal actors and performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance and screen time in a dramatic production. This kind of casting became more popular in television series because it allows flexibility for writers to focus on...
of the 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...
Johnny 2 X 4 (1942), which included Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall is an American film and stage actress and model, known for her distinctive husky voice and sultry looks.She first emerged as leading lady in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have And Have Not and continued on in the film noir genre, with appearances in The Big Sleep and Dark Passage ,...
, who was credited
Credit (creative arts)
In general, the term credit in the artistic or intellectual sense refers to an acknowledgement of those who contributed to a work, whether through ideas or in a more direct sense.-Credit in the arts:...
as Betty Bacall. He was then cast in the role as Private Earhart in the F. Hugh Herbert
F. Hugh Herbert
Frederick Hugh Herbert was a playwright, screenwriter, novelist, short story writer, and infrequent film director....
comedy Kiss and Tell (1943), which included Richard Widmark
Richard Widmark
Richard Weedt Widmark was an American film, stage and television actor.He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, Kiss of Death...
.
On March 12, 1943, Harvey and actress Judith Parrish, who played Mildred Pringle in Kiss and Tell, were married at the courthouse in Roxbury, Massachusetts, while in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
for the pre-Broadway engagement, which was announced in the New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
on March 24. They had one child, Johanna Harvey Johnson (born February 6, 1944 in Los Angeles).
With his success in the Earhart role, Harvey was signed to a motion picture
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
contract by 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
. After the Saturday night performance of Kiss and Tell, June 12, 1943, he and his wife, Parrish, left the cast and departed for Hollywood
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
.
Hollywood
Harvey played the role as Ted Warren in the musicalMusical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
/romance
Romance film
Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...
Four Jills in a Jeep
Four Jills in a Jeep
Four Jills in a Jeep is a 1944 film starring Kay Francis, Carole Landis, Martha Raye, and Mitzi Mayfair as themselves, re-enacting their USO tour of Europe and North Africa during World War II.-Cast:*Kay Francis as Herself*Carole Landis as Herself...
(1944
1944 in film
The year 1944 in film involved some significant events, including the wholesome, award-winning Going My Way plus popular murder mysteries such as Double Indemnity, Gaslight and Laura.-Events:*July 20 - Since You Went Away is released....
) opposite Kay Francis
Kay Francis
Kay Francis was an American stage and film actress. After a brief period on Broadway in the late 1920s, she moved to film and achieved her greatest success between 1930 and 1936, when she was the number one female star at the Warner Brothers studio, and the highest paid American film actress...
, Carole Landis
Carole Landis
Carole Landis was an American film and stage actress whose break-through role was as the female lead in the 1940 film One Million B.C.. Landis has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 1765 Vine Street....
, Martha Raye
Martha Raye
Martha Raye was an American comic actress and standards singer who performed in movies, and later on television....
and Mitzi Mayfair, who played themselves in a re-enactment of the four actresses USO
United Service Organizations
The United Service Organizations Inc. is a private, nonprofit organization that provides morale and recreational services to members of the U.S. military, with programs in 160 centers worldwide. Since 1941, it has worked in partnership with the Department of Defense , and has provided support and...
tour of Europe and North Africa during 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...
. He also played the role as a naval hero, Tommy Dooley, opposite Betty Grable
Betty Grable
Elizabeth Ruth "Betty" Grable was an American actress, dancer and singer.Her iconic bathing suit photo made her the number-one pin-up girl of the World War II era. It was later included in the LIFE magazine project "100 Photos that Changed the World"...
in the musical/romance Pin Up Girl
Pin Up Girl (film)
Pin Up Girl is a 1944 20th Century Fox Technicolor musical romantic comedy motion picture starring Betty Grable, John Harvey, Martha Raye, and Joe E. Brown.Directed by H...
(1944), in which he woos and wins the blonde star.
He and Parrish then co-starred in the stage farce Petticoat Fever (1944) at the Musart Theatre in Los Angeles. Tickets for the comedy/romance went on sale on September 5, and the show opened on September 12. Harvey's role was as the radio operator, Dascom Dinsmore, who rescues crash victims, roles headed by Parrish and Arthur Gould-Porter, after their plane goes down in the cold wastes of Labrador
Labrador
Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
.
The Los Angeles Times of October 14, 1944, ran a piece titled Two Showings, which reads, "Petticoat Fever, now in its fifth week with John Harvey and Judith Parrish in the starring roles, will be presented at a matinee performance tomorrow in addition to the evening show at the Musart Theater." Another Times article, of October 15, is titled Harvey Gains Status of Idol, and reads:
"John Harvey, the Dascom Dinsmore of the comedy hit, "Petticoat Fever," at the Musart Theater, is becoming something of a matinee idol to feminine playgoers.
Harvey is experienced on both stage and screen. He appeared 108 weeks in Manhattan in the footlight farce, "Kiss and Tell," later coming to Hollywood and 20th Century-Fox."
When Petticoat Fever closed, Harvey played the role as Burns in the 20th Century Fox crime
Crime film
Crime films are films which focus on the lives of criminals. The stylistic approach to a crime film varies from realistic portrayals of real-life criminal figures, to the far-fetched evil doings of imaginary arch-villains. Criminal acts are almost always glorified in these movies.- Plays and films...
/mystery
Mystery film
Mystery film is a sub-genre of the more general category of crime film and at times the thriller genre. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of a crime by means of clues, investigation, and clever deduction.The...
The Spider (1945), a rehash of the plot from The Maltese Falcon
The Maltese Falcon (1941 film)
The Maltese Falcon is a 1941 Warner Bros. film based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett and a remake of the 1931 film of the same name...
, opposite Richard Conte
Richard Conte
Richard Conte was an American actor. He appeared in numerous films from the 1940s through 1970s, including I'll Cry Tomorrow and The Godfather.-Life and career:...
and Faye Marlowe. He then received his release from the studio
Movie studio
A movie studio is a term used to describe a major entertainment company or production company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to film movies...
.
Television
Besides stage and screen work, Harvey made his debut televisionTelevision program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
appearance in WNBT
WNBC
WNBC, virtual channel 4 , is the flagship station of the NBC television network, located in New York City. WNBC's studios are co-located with NBC corporate headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in midtown Manhattan...
's comedy TV movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
The First Year (1946
1946 in television
The year 1946 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1946.-Events:*February 4 – RCA demonstrates an all-electronic color television system.*February 18 – The first Washington, D.C...
). He played the role as Adam in an episode
Episode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...
of The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre
The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre
The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre is an American anthology series that aired on NBC Mondays at 8 pm EST from September 27, 1948 to June 26, 1950. Guests who appeared on the series included Faye Emerson, Edward Everett Horton, Basil Rathbone, Nina Foch, and Boris Karloff.-Episode status:One episode from...
(1948
1948 in television
The year 1948 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1948.-Events:*March 20 – Renowned Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini makes his television debut, conducting the NBC Symphony Orchestra in an all-Wagner program.*June 21 – The first network...
), which was titled Whistle, Daughter, Whistle.
Harvey and Parrish starred as insurance salesman George Payne and his screwball wife, Laraine Payne, in the DuMont Television Network
DuMont Television Network
The DuMont Television Network, also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont, Du Mont, or Dumont was one of the world's pioneer commercial television networks, rivalling NBC for the distinction of being first overall. It began operation in the United States in 1946. It was owned by DuMont...
's domestic sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
The Growing Paynes
The Growing Paynes
The Growing Paynes is a sitcom that aired on the now-defunct DuMont Television Network.-Broadcast history:The series aired on DuMont on Wednesdays at 8:30 pm EST for one season, 1948 to 1949...
during the 1948
1948 in television
The year 1948 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1948.-Events:*March 20 – Renowned Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini makes his television debut, conducting the NBC Symphony Orchestra in an all-Wagner program.*June 21 – The first network...
/1949
1949 in television
The year 1949 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1949.-Events:*January 3 – Colgate Theatre premieres on NBC....
season. They left the series
Serial (radio and television)
Serials are series of television programs and radio programs that rely on a continuing plot that unfolds in a sequential episode by episode fashion. Serials typically follow main story arcs that span entire television seasons or even the full run of the series, which distinguishes them from...
in 1949 and were replaced by another Mr. and Mrs. Payne.
Also in 1949, Harvey made guest appearance
Guest appearance
In show business , a guest appearance is a participation of an outsider performer , usually called guest artist , in an event , i.e., the participation of a performer which does not belong to the regular crew In performance...
s in the NBC Presents episode A Husband's Rights and the Kraft Television Theatre
Kraft Television Theatre
Kraft Television Theatre is an American drama/anthology television series that began May 7, 1947 on NBC, airing at 7:30pm on Wednesday evenings until December of that year. In January 1948, it moved to 9pm on Wednesdays, continuing in that timeslot until 1958. Initially produced by the J...
episode Little Brown Jug. He appeared in the role as Terry Cook in the Martin Kane, Private Eye
Martin Kane, Private Eye
Martin Kane, Private Eye was an early radio series and television crime series sponsored by United States Tobacco Company.- Radio:Martin Kane, Private Eye began as a 1949-52 radio series starring William Gargan in the title rôle as New York City private detective Martin Kane...
episode A Jockey Is Murdered (1951
1951 in television
The year 1951 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1951.-Events:*March 22 - RCA introduces an eight-pound monochrome television camera with a 53-pound backpack transmitter, both operated by batteries...
) and appeared in the Robert Montgomery Presents
Robert Montgomery Presents
Robert Montgomery Presents is an American dramatic television series which was produced by NBC from January 30, 1950 until June 24, 1957. The live show had several sponsors during its seven-year run, and the title was altered to feature the sponsor, usually Lucky Strike cigarettes, for example,...
episode Eva? Caroline? (1952
1952 in television
The year 1952 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1952.-Events:*January 14 – NBC's Today show debuts, with host Dave Garroway, newsreader Jim Fleming and announcer Jack Lescoulie....
).
Later career
Harvey was one of the first actors to experience the need for a television unionTrade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
. In 1949, he suggested that the 4A's
Associated Actors and Artistes of America
The Associated Actors and Artistes of America is the federation of trade unions for performing artists in the United States. The following unions belong to the 4As:* The Actors' Equity Association * The American Guild of Musical Artists...
create the Television Authority (TvA), a regulatory agency with representation from all seven unions. He was elected to the national board of TvA and served as chairman of its wages and working-conditions committee and its agents committee.
He became an actors' agent
Talent agent
A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, film directors, musicians, models, producers, professional athletes, writers and other people in various entertainment businesses. Having an agent is not required, but does help the artist in getting jobs...
in 1954. In 1964, he began serving as treasurer of Theatrical Artists Representatives, a group of agents affiliated with Actors Equity
Actors' Equity Association
The Actors' Equity Association , commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing the world of live theatrical performance, as opposed to film and television performance. However, performers appearing on live stage productions without a book or...
. Harvey was head of United Talent, Inc., at the time of his death. He and Parrish, who also worked as an agent at United Talent, lived at 11 Riverside Drive in New York City.
John Harvey died at age 53 of an apparent heart attack on Christmas Day, 1970, in New York.
External links
- John Harvey at the Internet Broadway DatabaseInternet Broadway DatabaseThe Internet Broadway Database is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade association for the North American commercial theatre community....
- John Harvey at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...