Victor Kilian
Encyclopedia
Victor Arthur Kilian was an American
actor who was blacklisted
by the Hollywood movie studio
bosses in the 1950s.
Born in Jersey City, New Jersey
, Victor Kilian began his career in entertainment at the age of eighteen by joining a vaudeville
company. In the mid 1920s he began to perform in Broadway
plays and by the end of the decade had made his debut in motion pictures. For the next two decades he made a good living as a character actor
in secondary or minor roles in films such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
(1938). Frequently cast as a villain, while staging a fight scene with John Wayne
for a 1942 film, Kilian suffered a serious injury that resulted in the loss of one eye.
He was an early resident of Free Acres, a social experimental community developed by Bolton Hall
in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey
.
During McCarthyism
of the 1950s, Victor Kilian was blacklisted for his political beliefs but because the Actors' Equity Association
refused to go along with the ban, Kilian was able to earn a living by returning to perform on stage. After Hollywood's blacklisting ended, he began doing guest roles on television series during the 1970s. He is best known for his role as Grandpa Larkin (aka The Fernwood Flasher) in the television soap opera spoof Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
(1976). Kilian's wife, Daisy Johnson, to whom he had been married for 46 years, died in 1961.
In the Spring of 1979, Kilian appeared in an episode, ‘The Return of Stephanie's Father', in TV’s All in the Family
, portraying a desk clerk of a seedy hotel. In the same episode fellow veteran Hollywood character actor Charles Wagenheim appeared as a ‘bum’ in the hotel’s lobby. Just weeks before the episode aired, on March 6, 1979 (coincidentally Kilian’s birthday), the 83-year-old Wagenheim was bludgeoned to death in his Hollywood apartment after he was surprised coming home from grocery shopping during an act of robbery.
By coincidence, just five days later on March 11, 1979, Victor Kilian, who lived alone just blocks from Wagenheim, was also beaten to death by burglars in his Hollywood apartment (Lido Apartments-6500 Yucca St.). He was killed just five days after his 88th birthday. On March 20, 1979, TV's All in the Family
posthumously aired Wagenheim’s and Kilian’s last screen performance, in the episode, 'The Return of Stephanie's Father'.
Kilian's cremated remains were scatterred in the rose garden at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
in Los Angeles
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor who was blacklisted
Hollywood blacklist
The Hollywood blacklist—as the broader entertainment industry blacklist is generally known—was the mid-twentieth-century list of screenwriters, actors, directors, musicians, and other U.S. entertainment professionals who were denied employment in the field because of their political beliefs or...
by the Hollywood movie 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...
bosses in the 1950s.
Born in Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
, Victor Kilian began his career in entertainment at the age of eighteen by joining a vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
company. In the mid 1920s he began to perform in 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...
plays and by the end of the decade had made his debut in motion pictures. For the next two decades he made a good living as a character actor
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
in secondary or minor roles in films such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938 film)
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a 1938 American drama film directed by Norman Taurog. The screenplay by John V.A. Weaver was based on the classic 1876 novel by Mark Twain.-Plot:...
(1938). Frequently cast as a villain, while staging a fight scene with John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
for a 1942 film, Kilian suffered a serious injury that resulted in the loss of one eye.
He was an early resident of Free Acres, a social experimental community developed by Bolton Hall
Bolton Hall
Bolton Hall is a historic American Craftsman era stone building in Tujunga, Los Angeles County, California. Built in 1913, Bolton Hall was originally used as a community center for the Utopian community of Los Terrenitos. From 1920 until 1957, it was used as an American Legion hall, the San...
in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey
Berkeley Heights, New Jersey
Berkeley Heights is a township in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 13,183....
.
During McCarthyism
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by...
of the 1950s, Victor Kilian was blacklisted for his political beliefs but because the Actors' Equity Association
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...
refused to go along with the ban, Kilian was able to earn a living by returning to perform on stage. After Hollywood's blacklisting ended, he began doing guest roles on television series during the 1970s. He is best known for his role as Grandpa Larkin (aka The Fernwood Flasher) in the television soap opera spoof Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman is an American soap opera parody that aired in daily syndication from January 1976 to May 1977. The series was produced by Norman Lear, directed by Joan Darling and starred Louise Lasser...
(1976). Kilian's wife, Daisy Johnson, to whom he had been married for 46 years, died in 1961.
In the Spring of 1979, Kilian appeared in an episode, ‘The Return of Stephanie's Father', in TV’s All in the Family
All in the Family
All in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, picked up where All in the Family had ended...
, portraying a desk clerk of a seedy hotel. In the same episode fellow veteran Hollywood character actor Charles Wagenheim appeared as a ‘bum’ in the hotel’s lobby. Just weeks before the episode aired, on March 6, 1979 (coincidentally Kilian’s birthday), the 83-year-old Wagenheim was bludgeoned to death in his Hollywood apartment after he was surprised coming home from grocery shopping during an act of robbery.
By coincidence, just five days later on March 11, 1979, Victor Kilian, who lived alone just blocks from Wagenheim, was also beaten to death by burglars in his Hollywood apartment (Lido Apartments-6500 Yucca St.). He was killed just five days after his 88th birthday. On March 20, 1979, TV's All in the Family
All in the Family
All in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, picked up where All in the Family had ended...
posthumously aired Wagenheim’s and Kilian’s last screen performance, in the episode, 'The Return of Stephanie's Father'.
Kilian's cremated remains were scatterred in the rose garden at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
The Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery is a cemetery in the Westwood Village area of Los Angeles, California. It is located at 1218 Glendon Avenue in Westwood....
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...
.
Partial filmography
- The Wiser SexThe Wiser SexThe Wiser Sex is a 1932 crime drama film made by Paramount Pictures, directed by Berthold Viertel and Victor Viertel, and starring Claudette Colbert, Melvyn Douglas, Lilyan Tashman, William Boyd and Ross Alexander....
(1932) - Banjo on My KneeBanjo on My Knee (film)Banjo on My Knee is a 1936 American comedy film directed by John Cromwell. The film was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Sound Recording Banjo on My Knee is a 1936 American comedy film directed by John Cromwell. The film was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Sound...
(1936) - RiffraffRiffraff (1936 film)Riffraff is a 1936 film starring Jean Harlow and Spencer Tracy. The movie was written by Frances Marion, Anita Loos, and H. W. Hannaford, and directed by J. Walter Ruben.-Plot:...
(1936) - RamonaRamona (1936 film)Ramona is a 1936 Technicolor drama film directed by Henry King, based on Helen Hunt Jackson's 1884 novel Ramona. This was the third adaptation of the film, and the first one with sound...
(1936) - Adventure in ManhattanAdventure in ManhattanAdventure in Manhattan is a 1936 comedy thriller film made by Columbia Pictures, and was directed by Edward Ludwig. The screenplay was written by Sidney Buchman, Harry Sauber, Jack Kirkland and John Howard Lawson . The story was written by Joseph Krumgold, based on "Purple and Fine Linen"...
(1936) - Seventh HeavenSeventh Heaven (1937 film)Seventh Heaven is an American romantic drama film released in 1937 by 20th Century Fox and directed by Henry King. The movie stars Simone Simon and James Stewart....
(1937) - The League of Frightened MenThe League of Frightened Men (1937 film)The League of Frightened Men is a 1937 mystery film based on the second Nero Wolfe novel by Rex Stout. Directed by Alfred E. Green, the Columbia Pictures film stars Walter Connolly as Nero Wolfe, a role played by Edward Arnold in the previous year's Meet Nero Wolfe...
(1937) - TovarichTovarich (film)Tovarich is a 1937 American comedy film directed by Anatole Litvak, based on the 1935 play by Robert E. Sherwood, which in turn was based on the 1933 French play Tovaritsch by Jacques Deval. It was produced by Litvak through Warner Bros., with Robert Lord as associate producer and Hal B. Wallis...
(1937) - The Adventures of Tom SawyerThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938 film)The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a 1938 American drama film directed by Norman Taurog. The screenplay by John V.A. Weaver was based on the classic 1876 novel by Mark Twain.-Plot:...
(1938) - Gold Diggers in ParisGold Diggers in ParisGold Diggers in Paris is a 1938 Warner Bros. movie musical directed by Ray Enright with musical numbers created and directed by Busby Berkeley, starring Rudy Vallee, Rosemary Lane, Hugh Herbert and Allen Jenkins.-Plot:...
(1938) - Prison BreakPrison Break (1938 film)- Plot :A fisherman confesses to a murder he didn't commit in order to protect a good friend, whom he believes did commit it. Once in prison he determines to keep out of trouble and win his parole, but a tough convict is just as determined to make things difficult for him.- Cast :*Barton MacLane as...
(1938) - Boys Town (1938)
- Convict's CodeConvict's Code- Cast :*Robert Kent as Dave Tyler*Anne Nagel as Julie Warren*Sidney Blackmer as Gregory Warren*Victor Kilian as Bennett*Norman Willis as Russell*Maude Eburne as Mrs. Magruder*Ben Alexander as Jeff Palmer*Pat Flaherty as Sniffy*Carleton Young as Pete Jennings...
(1939) - St. Louis BluesSt. Louis Blues (1939 film)St. Louis Blues is a 1939 musical film directed by Raoul Walsh that was set on a Mississippi River showboat. Although the plot was not related to the song, the "St. Louis Blues" was sung as one of the numbers. Artists included jazz singer Maxine Sullivan and composer/singer/actor Hoagy Carmichael...
(1939) - The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939 film)The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a 1939 film adaptation of Mark Twain's classic novel of the same name, starring Mickey Rooney in the title role.-Cast:*Mickey Rooney as Huckleberry Finn*Walter Connolly as the 'King'*William Frawley as the 'Duke'...
(1939) - Only Angels Have WingsOnly Angels Have WingsOnly Angels Have Wings is a movie directed by Howard Hawks, starring Cary Grant and Jean Arthur. It is generally regarded as being among Hawks' finest films, particularly in its portrayal of the professionalism of the pilots, its atmosphere, and the flying sequences.It inspired the 1983 television...
(1939) - Dust Be My DestinyDust Be My DestinyDust Be My Destiny is a drama film released in 1939. John Garfield stars as a man who gets into trouble after being sentenced to a work farm.-Plot:...
(1939) - Virginia CityVirginia City (film)Virginia City is a 1940 black-and-white movie starring Errol Flynn, Miriam Hopkins, and Randolph Scott, and featuring a mustachioed Humphrey Bogart in the role of the real-life outlaw John Murrell. The film was directed by Michael Curtiz...
(1940) - Young Tom EdisonYoung Tom EdisonYoung Tom Edison is a 1940 biographical film about the early life of inventor Thomas Edison, with Mickey Rooney in the title role.-Cast:*Mickey Rooney as Thomas Edison*Fay Bainter as Nancy Edison*George Bancroft as Samuel Edison...
(1940) - Dr. CyclopsDr. CyclopsDr. Cyclops is a science fiction horror film directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack, starring Thomas Coley, Victor Kilian, Janice Logan, Charles Halton, Frank Yaconelli, and Albert Dekker, and released by Paramount Pictures.- Plot summary :...
(1940) - 'Til We Meet Again'Til We Meet Again'Til We Meet Again is a 1940 romance film starring Merle Oberon and George Brent as two doomed, star-crossed lovers. It is a remake of the 1932 film One Way Passage and itself was remade into the 1954 Mexican 3-D film El valor de vivir.-Plot:...
(1940) - Torrid ZoneTorrid ZoneTorrid Zone is a 1940 adventure film starring James Cagney, Ann Sheridan and Pat O'Brien.-Plot summary:Steve Case has to deal with trouble at his tropical fruit company's Central American banana plantation...
(1940) - The Return of Frank JamesThe Return of Frank JamesThe Return of Frank James is a 1940 western film directed by Fritz Lang and starring Henry Fonda and Gene Tierney. It is a sequel to Henry King's 1939 film Jesse James. Written by Sam Hellman, the film loosely follows the life of Frank James following the death of his outlaw brother, Jesse James at...
(1940) - The Mark of ZorroThe Mark of Zorro (1940 film)The Mark of Zorro is a 1940 American adventure film directed by Rouben Mamoulian and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck for 20th Century Fox. The action movie stars Tyrone Power as Don Diego Vega , Linda Darnell as his love interest, and Basil Rathbone as the villain...
(1940) - Western UnionWestern Union (film)Western Union is a 1941 western feature film directed by Fritz Lang. Filmed in Technicolor on location in Arizona and Utah, Western Union tells the story of a reformed outlaw named Vance Shaw who tries to make good by joining the team wiring the Great Plains for telegraph service in 1861...
(1941) - Blood and SandBlood and Sand (1941 film)Blood and Sand is a Technicolor film produced by 20th Century Fox, directed by Rouben Mamoulian and starring Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, Rita Hayworth, and Alla Nazimova...
(1941) - Sergeant YorkSergeant YorkSergeant York is a 1941 biographical film about the life of Alvin York, the most-decorated American soldier of World War I. It was directed by Howard Hawks and was the highest-grossing film of the year....
(1941) - Secrets of the Lone WolfSecrets of the Lone WolfSecrets of the Lone Wolf is a 1941 American crime film directed by Edward Dmytryk.-Cast:* Warren William as Michael Lanyard* Ruth Ford as Helene de Leon* Roger Clark as Paul Benoit* Victor Jory as 'Dapper' Dan Streever...
(1941) - Reap the Wild WindReap the Wild WindReap the Wild Wind is a serialized story written by Thelma Strabel in 1940 for The Saturday Evening Post, which was the basis for the 1942 film starring Ray Milland, John Wayne, Paulette Goddard, Robert Preston, and Susan Hayward, and directed by Cecil B. DeMille, his second picture to be filmed in...
(1942) - This Gun for HireThis Gun for HireThis Gun for Hire is a 1942 film noir, directed by Frank Tuttle and based on the novel A Gun for Sale by Graham Greene. The film stars Veronica Lake, Robert Preston, Laird Cregar, and Alan Ladd.-Plot:...
(1942) - The Ox-Bow IncidentThe Ox-Bow IncidentThe Ox-Bow Incident is a 1943 American western film directed by William A. Wellman and starring Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews, Mary Beth Hughes, Anthony Quinn, William Eythe, Harry Morgan and Jane Darwell...
(1942) - Uncertain GloryUncertain Glory-Plot:During World War II, Jean Picard is a convicted killer being led to the guillotine; he escapes during an air raid. He is captured by French Sûreté Inspector Marcel Bonet . They learn that a bridge has been blown up by three saboteurs, and that the Germans have taken 100 hostages who will be...
(1944) - Dangerous PassageDangerous Passage- Cast :*Robert Lowery as Joe Beck*Phyllis Brooks as Nita Paxton*Charles Arnt as Daniel Bergstrom*Jack La Rue as Mike Zomano*John Eldredge as Vaughn*Victor Kilian as Buck Harris, 1st Mate*Alec Craig as Dawson the Steward*William Edmunds as Captain Saul...
(1944) - I Shot Jesse JamesI Shot Jesse JamesI Shot Jesse James is a film directed by Samuel Fuller about the murder of Jesse James by Robert Ford and Robert Ford's life afterwards...
(1949) - The Flame and the ArrowThe Flame and the ArrowThe Flame and the Arrow is a 1950 American adventure film made by Warner Bros. and starring Burt Lancaster, Virginia Mayo and Nick Cravat. It was directed by Jacques Tourneur and produced by Harold Hecht and Frank Ross from a screenplay by Waldo Salt. The music score was by Max Steiner and the...
(1950) - The Bandit QueenThe Bandit Queen (1950 film)The Bandit Queen is a 1950 American Western film directed by William Berke. The movie featured Barbara Britton and Phillip Reed as the leaders of a Robin Hood type band. The Bandit Queen was produced by Lippert Pictures Inc. and shot in the Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park as well as the San...
(1950) - Unknown WorldUnknown WorldUnknown World is a 1951 independent, science fiction, adventure film, directed by Terry O. Morse and starring Bruce Kellogg, Marilyn Nash, Jim Bannon and Otto Waldis...
(1951) - The Brady BunchThe Brady BunchThe Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz and starring Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, and Ann B. Davis. The series revolved around a large blended family...
(1970)