Pat Conway
| Born | Patrick Douglas Conway January 9, 1931 |
|---|---|
| Died | April 24, 1981 (aged 50) Santa Barbara County, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Actor: Tombstone Territory |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) |
| Parent(s) | Jack Conway and Virginia Bushman Conway |
Patrick Douglas Conway, known as Pat Conway (January 9, 1931—April 24, 1981), was an American actor best known for his role as young but tough Sheriff Clay Hollister on the ABC and then syndicated western television series Tombstone Territory (1957-1960). He was a maternal grandson of silent screen star Francis X. Bushman.[1]
Conway was born in Los Angeles, California, to director Jack Conway (1887-1952) and the former Virginia Bushman (born 1908 - deceased). He was a maternal nephew of actor Ralph Bushman (1903-1978), sometimes cites as Francis X. Bushman, Jr., and the art director Bruce Bushman (1911-1972).[1]
His role in Westerns
In his role as Sheriff Hollister in the pre-statehood boom town of Tombstone, Arizona, known by the sobriquet, "the town too tough to die", Conway co-starred with Richard Eastham as Harris Claibourne, the editor of the actual newspaper, the Tombstone Epitaph. The series ran on ABC in the 1957-1958 season, returned to the ABC schedule for the second half of the 1959 season, and then placed in syndication before it ceased production in June 1960. Conway, as did Eastham, appeared in all ninety-one episodes. Quintin Sondergaard (1925-1984) appeared as Quint in eleven episodes of the two later seasons. Gilman Rankin (1911-1993) starred as Deputy Charlie Riggs in seven episodes, and Dennis Moore (1908-1964) appeared as "Deputy" in five segments. Robert J. Wilke (1914-1989), John Doucette (1921-1994), and Warren Oates (1928-1982) all appeared three times, respectively, as Burt Foster, Chief Geronimo, and Bob Pickett.[2]
Episodes were entitled: "Gunslinger from Galeville", "A Bullet for an Editor", "Guns of Silver", "Postmarked for Death", "The Epitaph", "Geronimo", "The Outcasts" (about a religious sect), "The Lady Gambler", "The Black Marshal from Deadwood", and "Doc Holliday in Durango".[2]
Conway appeared in guest-starring role in numerous other westerns too:
(1) CBS's The Texan as Mike Kaler in the 1958 episode "The Troubled Town"
(2) NBC's Laramie as Tom Wade in the 1961 episode "The Killer Legend"
(3) NBC's Empire as Dan Bishop in the 1963 episode "Seaon of Growth"
(4) CBS's Rawhide as Reed McCuller in the 1965 episode "Moment in the Sun"
(5) NBC's Branded as Johnny Dolan in the 1965 segment "The Bounty"
(6) ABC's The Iron Horse as Brill in the 1966 episode "Big Deal"
(7) ABC's Hondo as Redell in "Hondo and the Singing Wire"; Hondo star Ralph Taeger (born 1936) had also appeared with Conway on Tombstone Territory
(8) NBC's Bonanza, three episodes entitled "The Lonely Runner" as Deputy Sheriff Pete (1965), "The Gentle Ones" as Frank Cole (1967), and "Salute to Yesterday" as Captain Jim Harris (1968)
(9) CBS's Gunsmoke as Quade in "Obie Tater" (1955), as Billy Gunter in "Kitty Caught" (1958), as Toque Morlan in "How to Kill a Friend" (also 1958), and as Varnum in "Shadler" (1973).[1]
He appeared in two western films: (1) as Captain William Maynard in Geronimo (1962), starring Chuck Connors in the title role,[1] and (2) as Jake Irons in Brighty of the Grand Canyon (1967), with co-stars Joseph Cotten and Karl Swenson and filmed in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona.[3]
Dramatic roles
Conway's first on-screen appearance was at twenty in 1951 in the episode "Brief Music" of NBC's Kraft Television Theatre. That same year, he had the uncredited part of Sid Cutler in the film Westward the Women. In 1952, he had the uncredited part of the projectionist in Singin' in the Rain.[1]
In 1955 and 1956, Conway was cast in two historic roles on Walter Cronkite's CBS series You Are There, first as young boxer James J. Corbett, fighting the champion [[John L. Sullivan, in the segment "The Birth of Modern Boxing: John L. Sullivan--James J. Corbett Battle (September 7, 1892)" and then in the American Revolution segment "Benedict Arnold's Plot Against West Point (September 23, 1780)".[1]
Conway appeared as Mel in the 1955 episode "Radioactive" of Broderick Crawford's syndicated series Highway Patrol. IN 1956, he portrayed "Joe" in the episode "Woman Afraid" of Four Star Playhouse. In 1957, Conway appeared as Joshua McCabe in the episode "Start Running" of CBS's West Point, also known as West Point Story, a drama about the United States Army Academy. In 1957, he appeared as Saunders in the episode "Rodeo Rough House" of Rod Cameron's syndicated State Trooper series.[1]
Conway also appeared in two films in 1957, as Sergeant Pete Allen in "The Deadly Mantis" and as United States Navy Lieutenant Brad Chase in Undersea Girl. While on Tombstone Territory, Conway appeared in the title role of the 1959 episode "The William Courtney Story" of CBS's The Millionaire fantasy drama.[1]
Other dramatic roles were in 1962 as Johnny Bicker in the episode "Devil's Canyon" of the syndicated adventure series Ripcord, starring Larry Pennell and Ken Curtis, and as Lieutenant Bert Evans in "Squadron" of NBC's The Dick Powell Show. He appeared as Colonel Stone in the 1968 episode "The Professional" of the NBC series Tarzan, starring Ron Ely. His last roles were as Sheriff Townsend in the television movie, The Abduction of Saint Anne", and on ABC's The Streets of San Francisco0, as Victor A. Coyle in "The Bullet" (1972) and as Al Doylen in "Endgame" (1975).
Conway died at the age of fifty in Santa Barbara County, California.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Pat Conway". Internet Movie Data Base.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|access date=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ a b "Tombstone Territory". IMDB.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|access date=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "Brighty of the Grand Canyon". Complete Index to World Film Since 1895.
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[[Category:American film actors