Rusty Wescoatt
Encyclopedia
Rusty Wescoatt was an American supporting actor
who appeared in over 80 films between 1947 and 1965, according to the Internet Movie Database
. He was born in Hawaii
.
Wescoatt was an expert at playing the henchmen role in B-Westerns
and serials
, as he had a satisfactory career in both. But Wescoatt's main studio for serial mayhem was Columbia
. His screen persona was usually a bully who, often had more brawn than brains, did the physical labor according to the strict orders given by the brains heavy.
During each mission, Wescoatt went from one chapter to the next trying desperately to kill the hero with fists, knives, guns, bombs, ropes, or whatever else happened to be handy at the time. But he was a bad luck man, because most of the time he had to face distinguished serials heroes. This way, Robert Lowery
realled mauled him in Batman and Robin
; George Reeves
pummeled him in The Adventures of Sir Galahad
; Kirk Alyn
tried to teach him the error of his ways in two Superman
cliffhangers, and Buster Crabbe
knocked him every time in The Sea Hound
and King of the Congo
. At that was just in the serials, when not getting knocked around saloons in westerns.
As a change of pace, Wescoatt eventually played as a detective in Touch of Evil
, policeman or deputy sheriff in several movies, suggesting he could play a law enforcement’s role. Then, after the westerns and serials faded in the mid-1950s he migrated to television
work, acting in classic TV western series, specially in the Death Valley Days
anthology, and also appeared in two films with the Three Stooges
after their 1959 resurgence in popularity.
Wescoatt died in Los Angeles, California
, at the age of 76.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
who appeared in over 80 films between 1947 and 1965, according to the Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database
Internet 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...
. He was born in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
Wescoatt was an expert at playing the henchmen role in B-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...
and serials
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...
, as he had a satisfactory career in both. But Wescoatt's main studio for serial mayhem was Columbia
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
. His screen persona was usually a bully who, often had more brawn than brains, did the physical labor according to the strict orders given by the brains heavy.
During each mission, Wescoatt went from one chapter to the next trying desperately to kill the hero with fists, knives, guns, bombs, ropes, or whatever else happened to be handy at the time. But he was a bad luck man, because most of the time he had to face distinguished serials heroes. This way, Robert Lowery
Robert Lowery (actor)
Robert Lowery was an American motion picture, television, and stage actor who appeared in over seventy films.-Early life:...
realled mauled him in Batman and Robin
Batman and Robin (serial)
Batman and Robin is a 15-chapter serial released in 1949 by Columbia Pictures. Robert Lowery played Batman, while Johnny Duncan played Robin...
; 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....
pummeled him in The Adventures of Sir Galahad
Adventures of Sir Galahad
Adventures of Sir Galahad is the 41st serial released by Columbia Pictures. It was based on Arthurian legend and, notably, was one of the very few serials of the time with a period setting that was not a western.-Plot:...
; Kirk Alyn
Kirk Alyn
-External links:...
tried to teach him the error of his ways in two Superman
Superman (serial)
Superman is a 15-part black-and-white Columbia film serial based on the comic book character Superman. It stars an uncredited Kirk Alyn and Noel Neill as Lois Lane. It is notable as the first live-action appearance of Superman on film and for the longevity of its distribution...
cliffhangers, and Buster Crabbe
Buster Crabbe
Clarence Linden "Buster" Crabbe was an American athlete and actor, who starred in a number of popular serials in the 1930s and 1940s.-Birth:...
knocked him every time in The Sea Hound
The Sea Hound (serial)
The Sea Hound is a Columbia movie serial starring Buster Crabbe based on the radio show The Sea Hound. It was the thirty-fourth of the fifty seven serials produced by Columbia.-Synopsis:...
and King of the Congo
King of the Congo
King of the Congo was the 48th serial released by Columbia Pictures. It was based on the comic book character "Thun'da", created by Frank Frazetta.-Plot:...
. At that was just in the serials, when not getting knocked around saloons in westerns.
As a change of pace, Wescoatt eventually played as a detective in Touch of Evil
Touch of Evil
Touch of Evil is a 1958 American crime thriller film, written, directed by, and co-starring Orson Welles. The screenplay was loosely based on the novel Badge of Evil by Whit Masterson...
, policeman or deputy sheriff in several movies, suggesting he could play a law enforcement’s role. Then, after the westerns and serials faded in the mid-1950s he migrated to television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
work, acting in classic TV western series, specially in the Death Valley Days
Death Valley Days
Death Valley Days is an American radio and television anthology series featuring true stories of the old American West, particularly the Death Valley area. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was broadcast on radio until 1945. It continued from 1952 to 1975 as a syndicated television series...
anthology, and also appeared in two films with the Three Stooges
Three Stooges
The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act of the early to mid–20th century best known for their numerous short subject films. Their hallmark was physical farce and extreme slapstick. In films, the Stooges were commonly known by their first names: "Moe, Larry, and Curly" and "Moe,...
after their 1959 resurgence in popularity.
Wescoatt died in 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...
, at the age of 76.
Serials
- The Vigilante (1947)
- The Sea HoundThe Sea Hound (serial)The Sea Hound is a Columbia movie serial starring Buster Crabbe based on the radio show The Sea Hound. It was the thirty-fourth of the fifty seven serials produced by Columbia.-Synopsis:...
(1947) - SupermanSuperman (serial)Superman is a 15-part black-and-white Columbia film serial based on the comic book character Superman. It stars an uncredited Kirk Alyn and Noel Neill as Lois Lane. It is notable as the first live-action appearance of Superman on film and for the longevity of its distribution...
(1948) - Congo BillCongo Bill (serial)Congo Bill is a Columbia movie serial based on the DC Comics character Congo Bill.-Plot:Congo Bill searches Africa following rumours of a "White Goddess" and for an heiress, missing since her plane crashed in the wilderness...
(1948) - Bruce GentryBruce GentryBruce Gentry is a Columbia movie serial based on the Bruce Gentry comic strip created by Ray Bailey. It may contain the first cinematic appearance of a Flying Saucer, here the secret weapon of the villainous Recorder.-Plot:...
(1949) - Batman and RobinBatman and Robin (serial)Batman and Robin is a 15-chapter serial released in 1949 by Columbia Pictures. Robert Lowery played Batman, while Johnny Duncan played Robin...
(1949) - The Adventures of Sir GalahadAdventures of Sir GalahadAdventures of Sir Galahad is the 41st serial released by Columbia Pictures. It was based on Arthurian legend and, notably, was one of the very few serials of the time with a period setting that was not a western.-Plot:...
(1949) - Cody of the Pony ExpressCody of the Pony ExpressCody of the Pony Express is the 42nd serial released by Columbia Pictures.-Plot:Widely known as Buffalo Bill, William Cody helped define the image of the Old West and became one of the best-known celebrities of the 19th and early 20th centuries. As a teenager, he herded cattle and rode vast...
(1950) - Atom Man vs. SupermanAtom Man vs. SupermanAtom Man vs. Superman , Columbia's 43rd serial, finds Lex Luthor , secretly the Atom Man, blackmailing the city of Metropolis by threatening to destroy the entire community...
(1950) - Roar of the Iron HorseRoar of the Iron HorseRoar of the Iron Horse was the 45th serial released by Columbia Pictures.-Plot:Roar of the Iron Horse had hero Jock Mahoney in his first leading role, playing Jim Grant, a railroad agent, opposing a typical hardfaced German, George Eldred, called The Baron...
(1951) - Mysterious IslandMysterious Island (serial)Mysterious Island is the 46th serial released by Columbia Pictures. It is an adaptation of the 1874 novel by Jules Verne, The Mysterious Island . As in the original story, which was a follow-up to Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, this serial is set in 1865...
(1951) - Captain VideoCaptain Video: Master of the StratosphereCaptain Video: Master of the Stratosphere is a 15-chapter serial released by Columbia Pictures in 1951. It was directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet and Wallace A. Grissel with a screenplay by Royal G. Cole, Sherman I. Lowe and Joseph F. Poland, based on a treatment by George H. Plympton...
(1951) - King of the CongoKing of the CongoKing of the Congo was the 48th serial released by Columbia Pictures. It was based on the comic book character "Thun'da", created by Frank Frazetta.-Plot:...
(1952) - Perils of the WildernessPerils of the WildernessPerils of the Wilderness was the 55th serial released by Columbia Pictures. It was the penultimate serial produced by Columbia who were at this time the only studio still producing serials.-Plot:...
(1956)
Films
- Jungle Jim in Pygmy Island (1950)
- Jungle Jim's Captive Girl (1950)
- Jungle ManhuntJungle ManhuntJungle Manhunt is a 1951 science fiction/adventure film written by Samuel Newman and directed by Lew Landers. It is an entry in the "Jungle Jim" series of films starring Johnny Weissmuller. In the story, football player Bob Miller gets lost in a jungle....
(1951) - Gang BustersGang BustersGang Busters was an American dramatic radio program heralded as "the only national program that brings you authentic police case histories." It premiered as G-Men, sponsored by Chevrolet, on July 20, 1935.-History:...
(1955) - TarantulaTarantula (film)Tarantula is a 1955 science fiction film directed by Jack Arnold, and starring Leo G. Carroll, John Agar, and Mara Corday. Among other things, the film is notable for the appearance of a 25-year-old Clint Eastwood in an uncredited role as a jet pilot at the end of the film.-Plot summary:The plot...
(1955) - Touch of EvilTouch of EvilTouch of Evil is a 1958 American crime thriller film, written, directed by, and co-starring Orson Welles. The screenplay was loosely based on the novel Badge of Evil by Whit Masterson...
(1958) - The Three Stooges Meet HerculesThe Three Stooges Meet HerculesThe Three Stooges Meet Hercules was the third feature film to star the Three Stooges after their 1959 resurgence in popularity. By this time, the trio consisted of Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Joe DeRita . Released by Columbia Pictures, The Three Stooges Meet Hercules was directed by long-time...
(1959) - The Three Stooges in OrbitThe Three Stooges in OrbitThe Three Stooges In Orbit was the fourth feature film to star the Three Stooges after their 1959 resurgence in popularity. By this time, the trio consisted of Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Joe DeRita . Released by Columbia Pictures, The Three Stooges In Orbit was directed by long-time Stooge...
(1962) - GypsyGypsy (1962 film)Gypsy is a 1962 American musical film produced and directed by Mervyn LeRoy. The screenplay by Leonard Spigelgass is based on the book of the 1959 stage musical Gypsy: A Musical Fable by Arthur Laurents, which was adapted from Gypsy: A Memoir by Gypsy Rose Lee.Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics for...
(1962) - Morituri (1965)
TV shows
- The Adventures of Kit CarsonKit Carson (disambiguation)Kit Carson was an American frontiersman..Kit Carson may also refer to:- People :*Kit Carson , American baseball player*L. M...
(1952–53) - The Lone RangerThe Lone RangerThe Lone Ranger is a fictional masked Texas Ranger who, with his Native American companion Tonto, fights injustice in the American Old West. The character has become an enduring icon of American culture....
(1952) - Death Valley DaysDeath Valley DaysDeath Valley Days is an American radio and television anthology series featuring true stories of the old American West, particularly the Death Valley area. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was broadcast on radio until 1945. It continued from 1952 to 1975 as a syndicated television series...
(1952–59) - The Gene Autry ShowGene AutryOrvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
(1953) - Hopalong Cassidy (1953)
- The Roy Rogers ShowRoy RogersRoy Rogers, born Leonard Franklin Slye , was an American singer and cowboy actor, one of the most heavily marketed and merchandised stars of his era, as well as being the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain...
(1953–57) - Adventures of Wild Bill HickokThe Adventures of Wild Bill HickokThe Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok is an American Western television series which ran for eight seasons from 1951 through 1958. The Screen Gems series began in syndication, but ran on CBS from 1955 through 1958, and, at the same time, on ABC from 1957 through 1958.-Synopsis:The Adventures of Wild...
(1953–58) - Captain Midnight (1954)
- Buffalo Bill, Jr.Buffalo Bill Jr.Buffalo Bill, Jr. is an American Western television series starring Dickie Jones that aired in syndication from March 1, 1955, until September 21, 1956.-Synopsis:...
(1955) - Sergeant Preston of the Yukon (1956)
- The Adventures of Rin Tin TinThe Adventures of Rin Tin TinThe Adventures of Rin Tin Tin is an American children's television program which originally aired in 166 episodes on ABC from October 1954 until August 1959. It starred child actor Lee Aaker as Rusty, a boy orphaned in an Indian raid, who was being raised by the soldiers at a US Cavalry post known...
(1956) - Sky KingSky KingSky King is a 1940s and 1950s American radio and television adventure series. The title character is Arizona rancher and aircraft pilot Schuyler "Sky" King...
(1956-59) - GunsmokeGunsmokeGunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
(1957) - Tales of the Texas RangersTales of the Texas RangersTales of the Texas Rangers, a western adventure old-time radio drama, premiered on July 8, 1950, on the US NBC radio network and remained on the air through September 14, 1952...
(1957) - Perry MasonPerry Mason (TV series)Perry Mason is an American legal drama produced by Paisano Productions that ran from September 1957 to May 1966 on CBS. The title character, portrayed by Raymond Burr, is a fictional Los Angeles defense attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner...
(1957) - 77 Sunset Strip77 Sunset Strip77 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....
(1958) - MaverickMaverick (TV series)Maverick is a western television series with comedic overtones created by Roy Huggins. The show ran from September 22, 1957 to July 8, 1962 on ABC and stars James Garner as Bret Maverick, a cagey, articulate cardsharp. Eight episodes into the first season, he was joined by Jack Kelly as his brother...
(1958-60) - Bat MastersonBat Masterson (TV series)Bat Masterson is an American Western television series which showed a fictionalized account of the life of real-life marshal/gambler/dandy Bat Masterson. The title character was played by Gene Barry and the half-hour black and white shows ran on NBC from 1958 to 1961...
(1959) - The Twilight ZoneThe Twilight ZoneThe Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
(1960) - 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...
(1960) - 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....
(1962) - The Legend of Jesse James (1965)