TR: * His professional surname derives from the first two letters of each of
TR: his first name and his surname at birth, i.e. ALphonso DAbruzzo
TR: (AL + DA = Alda). [B.T.]
GA: * _"Tenspeed and Brown Shoe" (1980)_ (qv), as [unknown] (ep. 'It's Easier to Pass an Elephant Through the Eye of a Needle Than a Bad Check in Bel Air (1980)')
GA: * _"Rockford Files, The" (1974)_ (qv), as [unknown] (ep. 'A Three Day Affair With a Thirty Day Escrow (1978)')
GA: * _"M*A*S*H" (1972)_ (qv), as Dr. Borelli (ep. 'The Consultant (1975)')
GA: * _"Mission: Impossible" (1966)_ (qv), as Diego Maximillian (ep. 'Flip Side (1970)')
GA: * _"Tenspeed and Brown Shoe" (1980)_ (qv), as [unknown] (ep. 'It's Easier to Pass an Elephant Through the Eye of a Needle Than a Bad Check in Bel Air (1980)')
DB: 15 September 1904, St. Petersburg (Leningrad), Russia
DD: 22 April 1967, Culver City, California, USA. (liver ailment)
HT: 6' 1"
BG: He was the Falcon in ten of that series' entries. He starred in
BG: three 'Val Lewton' (qv) horror classics. He appeared in comedies,
BG: musicals, two Tarzan films, and even science fiction films.
BG: He was early television's Detective Mark Saber - Tom Conway
BG: will probably be remembered as George Sander's brother.
BG: Born to a wealthy family in pre-Bolshevik Revolution Russia,
BG: 'Thomas Charles Sanders' might have followed his father as a
BG: rope manufacturer and inherited several estates. Had the family
BG: not been forced to flee to England, the brothers Sanders might
BG: never have added their names to the Hollywood saga. But the
BG: Revolution came, and Tom (age 13) and George (age 11), together
BG: with their parents and sister Margaret (age 5) emigrated to
BG: England, leaving most of their wealth in the hands of the
BG: Bolsheviks.
BG: The brothers attended Dunhurst and Bedales, private schools,
BG: and eventually Brighton College. After college, Tom went to
BG: Northern Rhodesia where he worked in gold, copper and asbestos
BG: mines and even attempted ranching. Frustrated and "pretty well
BG: fed to the teeth" with his failures, he borrowed passage home.
BG: In England, Conway worked as an engineer in a carburator company
BG: and later sold safety glass. He was discovered by a representative
BG: from a little theater group who persuaded him to join them.
BG: Conway eventually worked for the Manchester Repertory Company and
BG: toured with them in twenty-five or thirty plays. He also appeared
BG: in BBC radio broadcasts.
BG: Brother George persuaded him to go to Hollywood. To prevent
BG: confusion on the part of the public, they tossed a coin to see who
BG: would have to change his name. Tom lost, thereby becoming Tom
BG: Conway.
BG: Conway began work for MGM, eventually appearing as a contract player
BG: in twelve films there, including a bit part in "Mrs. Minniver".
BG: Brother George, tiring of B-film appearanced in RKO'S Falcon
BG: series, offered Tom his first big break. In "The Falcon's
BG: Brother" (1942), George conveniently eliminated by a Nazi sniper so
BG: that Tom, as 'Tom Lawrence' (qv) can inherit the role. Conway played the role
BG: with even greater success in the next ten series entries, concluding
BG: with "The Falcon's Adventure" (1946).
BG: During those years, he also appeared in Val Lewton's "Cat
BG: People" (1942), "I Walked With A Zombie" (1943) and "The Seventh
BG: Victim" (1943).
BG: These led to two major film appearances, Universal's "One Touch
BG: of Venus" (1948), with 'Ava Gardner' (qv) and 'Eve Arden' (qv) and Warner
BG: Brothers "Painting the Clouds With Sunshine" (1951).
BG: Amidst the collapse of the studio system, Tom found his opportunities
BG: shrinking. There were to be no further major series or roles for him.
BG: His next film was "Bride of the Gorilla" (1951). Alert to
BG: new possibilities for work, he accepted the part of homicide
BG: detective Mark Saber in Mystery Theater (1951 - 1956). Conway also
BG: made several mystery films in England during the same period.
BG: He played a cameo role as a bearded and be-wigged Sir Kay
BG: in "Prince Valiant" with two brief lines.
BG: Back in the states, there were guest appearances on Rawhide,
BG: Adventures in Paradise, and Perry Mason. In October, 1957, Tom
BG: turned in a brilliant performance as ventriloquist Max Collodi in
BG: Alfred Hitchcock Presents chilling tale "The Glass Eye".
BG: He appeared regularly as the boyfriend on the 'Betty Hutton' (qv) show (1959 - 60).
BG: Conway lent his voice to "101 Dalmations". His final appearance was an
BG: uncredited part, in "What A Way To Go" (1964).
BG: Failing eyesight and prolonged bouts with alcohol took their toll
BG: on Tom Conway in his last years. His second wife, 'Queenie Leonard' (qv)
BG: divorced him in 1963. 'George Sanders' (qv) broke off all contact with him over
BG: his drinking. Conway underwent cataract surgery during the winter
BG: of 1964 - 65. In September, 1965 Tom briefly returned to the
BG: headlines when he was discovered living in a $2-a-day room in a
BG: Venice, California flophouse. Gifts, contributions and offers of
BG: aid poured in - for a time. Conway, still standing tall and trim, hair
BG: white, peered owl-like through thick-lensed glasses at the newspaper cameras.
BG: His last years were marked with further visits to the hospital. It
BG: was there that former sister-in-law 'Zsa Zsa Gabor' (qv) visited him one day and gave him $200. "Tip the nurses a little bit so they'll be good to you", she
BG: told him. On the following day, the hospital called to say that he had
BG: left with the $200, gone to his girlfriend's, and died in her bed!
BY: Lee A. Gladwin, lee.gladwin@arch2.nara.gov
SP: * 'Lillian Eggers' (10 August 1941 - 24 July 1953) (divorced
BG: Tex was born in Harrison, NY, the 5th of 8 children, the son of Italian
BG: immigrants: Father Michael (stone mason), mother Josephine. Tex left home
BG: at age
BG: 15, joined circus, traveled across the US and Canada. Settled in South
BG: Dakota
BG: where he learned to handle horse and cattle, becoming a 'real' cowboy.
BG: Returned to New York in the early '30s. Took radio job as singing cowboy on
BG: WFAS in
BG: White Plains, NY. Tex eventually landed as Cowboy Answer Man on WWOR, New
BG: Jersey. Was heard by Hollywood talent scouts at the height of singing cowboy
BG: craze. After one screen test, was signed to do a series of Grand National
BG: 'horse-operas'. Upon release of the first film 'Six-Gun Rhythm', Grand
BG: National went
BG: belly-up, leaving the only existing prints of the film unreleased. Tex
BG: literally
BG: 'took the bull by the horns' and set out on a one-man promotional tour
BG: for the
BG: film of the Northeast US. Tex personally booked and travelled to each
BG: movie
BG: house, opening the showing with a couple of songs, showing the film and
BG: then
BG: signing autographs for fans after the film was over. After this, Tex had no
BG: taste
BG: for Hollywood whatsoever and turned down all subsequent offers to continue
BG: the series from other movie production companies. Served World War II,
BG: reaching the
BG: rank of Sergeant. At the end of the war, married and started family - 5
BG: children: Robert, Jayne, Kathy, George, Michael. Returned to radio, night
BG: clubs (Village Barn, Manhattan) and television (ABC, NBC, WOR). Last album
BG: released
BG: 1964. During career recorded for London, Decca, Dakota, and others.
BY: George Fletcher (son) <rhythm_and_news@mhv.net>
SP: * 'Ada Mae Henkel Fletcher' (April 1945 - ?)
TR: * Left-handed guitarist
TR: * Appeared in first test broadcast of the National Broadcasting System
TR: (NBC-TV).
OW: * Various newspaper columns on American History, little known
OW: historical
OW: facts, etc...
BO: * C.F. Martin and Co. A History by Mike Longworth (pg. 218) reference
BO: to
BO: history of the Tex Fletcher D-42 guitar - the only D-42 model ever made
BO: (custom
BO: built for Tex in 1934). The guitar is currently on display in the Martin
BO: Guitar
BO: Museum in Nazarath, PA.
BO: * Many reference to Tex Fletcher exist in various books and
BO: publications
BO: detailing the Singing Cowboys.
GA: * Pitch-man for many manufacturers including Martin Guitars, variousvoice-over work during 40s and 50s radio. Broadway: "No Time For Sergeants"withAndy Griffith (1950s). Television: Bobby Benson B-Bar-B Riders (WWOR),Release of "TravelLog: Harding County, South Dakota."
BG: Mahoney is of French and Irish extraction, with some Cherokee. At
BG: the University of Iowa he was outstanding in swimming, basketball
BG: and football. When World War II broke out he enlisted as a Marine
BG: fighter pilot and instructor. In Hollywood he was a noted stunt man,
BG: doubling for Errol 'John Flynn' (qv) Wayne, and 'Gregory Peck' (qv). 'Gene Autry' (qv)
BG: signed him for the lead in his 78-episode "Range Rider" TV series.
BG: He tested to replace 'Johnny Weissmuller' (qv) as Tarzan but lost out to
BG: 'Lex Barker' (qv). In 1960 he played the heavy in Gordon Scott's "Tarzan
BG: the Magnificent", and his part there led 'Sy Weintraub' (qv) to hire him as
BG: Scott's replacement. In his two Tarzan movies he did all his own
BG: stunts. In "Tarzan's Three Challenges" he continued working in spite
BG: of dysentery, dengue fever and pneumonia. By this time Weintraub was
BG: looking for a younger Tarzan, envisioning a future TV series. By
BG: mutual agreement his contract with Mahoney was dissolved. After a
BG: couple of years regaining his strength and weight Jock returned to
BG: making action films.
BY: Ed Stephan <stephan@henson.cc.wwu.edu>
BG: Mahoney's career was interrupted in 1973 when he suffered a stroke while
BG: filming an episode of the television program "Kung Fu."
BG: He later appeared in the film "Their Only Chance". His final picture
BG: (ironically entitled "The End") was with his step daughter 'Sally Field' (qv). 'Burt Reynolds' (qv) Ms. Field's then-boyfriend was co-star and director.
BG: Mahoney was stunt coordinator on the 1981 film "Tarzan, The Ape Man". He
BG: later guest starred in episodes of the TV programs "B.J. and The Bear" and "The Fall Guy."
BG: Mahoney died in Bremerton, Washington of an apparent stroke. He had been
BG: hospitalized after an auto accident two days eariler.
BG: He was survived by his wife Autumn (Patricia) Mahoney; a daughter, Princess
BG: and a son, Jim.
BY: Bob Boughton
SP: * 'Margaret Field' (qv) (? - ?)
TR: * His step-daughter is actress 'Sally Field' (qv)
GA: * _"Master, The" (1984)_ (qv), as [unknown] (ep. 'A Place to Call Home (1984)')
GA: * _"Fall Guy, The" (1981)_ (qv), as Wild Dan Wilde (11/82)
GA: * _"B.J. and the Bear" (1979)_ (qv), as [unknown]
