Roger Pryor (actor)

Roger Pryor (August 27, 1901 – January 31, 1974)[1] was an American film actor.[2]

Roger Pryor
Publicity still of Pryor in Glamour for Sale (1940)
Born(1901-08-27)August 27, 1901
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedJanuary 31, 1974(1974-01-31) (aged 72)
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
OccupationActor
Years active1924–1945
Spouses
Priscilla J. Mitchell
​
​
(m. 1926; div. 1936)​
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1936; div. 1943)​
    Children1

    Early years

    The son of bandmaster Arthur Pryor, Roger Pryor was born in New York City.[3] He had a brother, Arthur Pryor Jr., who was also a bandmaster.[4] Pryor attended the Dwight School in New York. While there, he became so interested in performing on stage that "he and the school parted company by mutual consent."[5]

    Stage

    Pryor's debut on stage came in stock theater when he was 18, after which he worked with several repertory theatre companies.[6] His Broadway credits include The Backslapper (1925), The Sea Woman (1925), Paid (1925), Saturday's Children (1927), The Royal Family (1927), See Naples and Die (1929), Apron Strings (1930), Up Pops the Devil (1930), A Modern Virgin (1931), Here Goes the Bride (1931), Blessed Event (1932), There's Always Juliet (1932), and Message for Margaret (1947).[7]

    Film
    Still with Roger Pryor and Anita Louise in Glamour for Sale (1940)

    Pryor often had leading roles in B movies in the 1930s and 1940s.[8] He appeared in more than 50 films between 1930 and 1945, including the A picture Belle of the Nineties with Mae West.

    Radio

    Pryor was host of "a number of prestigious network programs,"[6] including The United States Steel Hour,[9]: 345  The Pause That Refreshes,[9]: 267 , The Coca-Cola Summer Show[9] and The Screen Guild Theater.[10] He starred as Dan McGarry in McGarry and His Mouse[9]: 211  and was the producer of Cavalcade of America.[11] He also had his own music program, featuring the Roger Pryor Orchestra.[11]: 534 

    Advertising agency

    In 1947, Pryor changed careers, becoming vice president in charge of broadcasting at Foote, Cone and Belding advertising agency.[3]

    Family and death

    Pryor was married to Priscilla Mitchell, the daughter of vaudeville star Bessie Clayton; they had one daughter, Priscilla, before divorcing in 1936.[12][13] He married, secondly, in 1936, actress Ann Sothern;[10] they divorced in 1942.[6][14][15]

    Pryor died January 31, 1974, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.[3]

    Selected filmography
    • Moonlight and Pretzels (1933) as George Dwight
    • I Like It That Way (1934) as Jack Anderson
    • I'll Tell the World (1934) as William S. Briggs
    • Romance in the Rain (1934) as Charles Denton
    • Gift of Gab (1934) as Kelly
    • Belle of the Nineties (1934) as Tiger Kid
    • Wake Up and Dream (1934) as Charles Sullivan
    • Lady by Choice (1934) as Johnny Mills
    • Strange Wives (1934) as Jimmy King
    • Straight from the Heart (1935) as Andy MacLean
    • One Frightened Night (1935) as Masked Killer (uncredited)
    • Dinky (1935) as Tom Marsden
    • The Headline Woman (1935) as Bob Grayson
    • The Girl Friend (1935) as George Thorne
    • The Case of the Missing Man (1935) as Jimmy Hudson
    • 1,000 Dollars a Minute (1935) as Wally Jones
    • To Beat the Band (1935) as Larry Barry
    • The Return of Jimmy Valentine (1936) as Gary Howard
    • Ticket to Paradise (1936) as Terry Dodd aka Jack Doe
    • Missing Girls (1936) as Jimmie Dugan
    • Sitting on the Moon (1936) as Danny West
    • The Man They Could Not Hang (1939) as District Attorney Drake
    • Sued for Libel (1939) as District Attorney Willard Corbin
    • The Man with Nine Lives (1940) as Dr. Tim Mason
    • The Lone Wolf Meets a Lady (1940) as Pete Rennick
    • A Fugitive from Justice (1940) as Dan Miller
    • Gambling on the High Seas (1940) as Max Gates
    • Money and the Woman (1940) as Charles Patterson
    • Glamour for Sale (1940) as Jim Daly
    • She Couldn't Say No (1940) as Wallace Turnbull
    • Bowery Boy (1940) as J. R. Mason
    • South of Panama (1941) as Mike Lawrence
    • Power Dive (1941) as Daniel McMasters
    • Bullets for O'Hara (1941) as Mike O'Hara
    • Gambling Daughters (1941) as Chance Landon
    • The Richest Man in Town (1941) as Tom Manning
    • Flying Blind (1941) as Rocky Drake
    • The Officer and the Lady (1941) as Johnny Davis
    • So's Your Aunt Emma (1942) as Terry Connors
    • I Live on Danger (1942) as Bert Jannings
    • Smart Alecks (1942) as Joe Reagan
    • A Man's World (1942) as Bugsy Nelson
    • Lady Bodyguard (1943) as George MacAlister
    • Submarine Alert (1943) as G. B. Fleming
    • Thoroughbreds (1944) as Harold Matthews
    • The Kid Sister (1945) as Waldo Barnes
    • The Cisco Kid Returns (1945) as John Harris
    • High Powered (1945) as Rod Farrell
    • Identity Unknown (1945) Rocks Donally
    • Scared Stiff (1945) as Richardson
    • The Man from Oklahoma (1945) as Jim Gardner (final film role)

    References
    1. Castronova, Frank V., ed. (1998). Almanac of Famous People. Detroit: Gale. p. 1373. ISBN 0-7876-0045-8.
    2. "Roger Pryor profile". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. 2014. Archived from the original on December 14, 2014. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
    3. DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960, p. 221. McFarland & Company, Inc.; ISBN 978-0-7864-2834-2
    4. "Roger Pryor's Luck". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York, Brooklyn. August 1, 1931. p. 9. Retrieved May 20, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
    5. "Pryor's Son". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York, Brooklyn. March 18, 1932. p. 24. Retrieved May 20, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
    6. Katz, Ephraim (1979). The Film Encyclopedia: The Most Comprehensive Encyclopedia of World Cinema in a Single Volume. Perigee Books. ISBN 0-399-50601-2. P. 936.
    7. "Roger Pryor: Roles". Playbill Vault. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
    8. Aylesworth, Thomas G. and Bowman, John S. (1987). The World Almanac Who's Who of Film. World Almanac. ISBN 0-88687-308-8. P. 346.
    9. Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4. P. 79.
    10. "Sunday's Highlights" (PDF). Radio and Television Mirror. 13 (5): 44. March 1940. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
    11. Sies, Luther F. (2014). Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-5149-4. P. 122.
    12. Margie Schultz (March 8, 1990). Ann Sothern: A Bio-Bibliography: A Bio-Bibliography. ABC-CLIO. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-313-36813-4.
    13. Staff. "Miss Bessie Clayton, Retired Ballerina", The New York Times, July 17, 1948, p. 15. Accessed October 25, 2015. "Surviving are a daughter, Mrs. Andrew Allison, former wife of Roger Pryor, movie actor and band leader, and a granddaughter, Priscilla Mitchell Pryor, with whom she lived at West Long Branch."
    14. "Ann Sothern never envisioned Oscar nomination". Standard-Speaker. Pennsylvania, Hazleton. Associated Press. April 8, 1988. p. 27. Retrieved May 20, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
    15. Staff. "My Love Of Old Hollywood: Ann Sothern (1909-2001)". Retrieved February 17, 2016.
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