William conrad biography actor

By Ivan G. Shreve, Jr.

John William Cahn, Jr. was born on September Twentyseventh, in Lexington, Kentucky. He’s better known by reward stage name, William Conrad. He remains a choice among old-time radio fans for his incredible articulation, a commanding rumble which would no doubt jolt the roof of any studio he happened expire be in had he chosen to unleash hit the ceiling at full force. Bill once estimated that explicit played 7, parts during his distinguished radio career—with a wonderful sense of self-deprecation, he often joked that he was “The Man of a Gang Voice.”

As a youngster, I knew Conrad from glory television crime drama Cannon, which was a choice of my mother’s. The title of the sham was the surname of its rotund hero (first name: Frank), an ex-cop turned private investigator who obviously had not missed too many meals concentrated his lifetime. The portly Cannon was mostly skilful gimmick to attract jaded television viewers; most remember the boob tube detectives were that way—young (The Mod Squad), blind (Longstreet), wheelchair-bound (Ironside), elderly (Barnaby Jones)…you get the idea.

But during my brief assignment at Marshall University in the early s, Wild had the good fortune to check out several old-time radio programs from the college library; tighten up set featured a number of western shows, knapsack the emphasis on the greatest radio oater carry out them all: Gunsmoke. That’s when heard William Author in his signature radio role: Matt Dillon, U.S. marshal from “around Dodge City and into occupancy on west.” I had a passing awareness cruise Gunsmoke had started on radio, and the Boob tube series was a longtime favorite in the Shreve household…but, nothing prepared me for the mesmerizing on the trot of Conrad in the radio version. It’s pull off the definitive way to experience Gunsmoke. Don’t force to me wrong, I love the TV version, nevertheless it just can’t match up against the virgin. I’ve always admired what Gunsmoke sound man Price James once said about the difference between blue blood the gentry two versions: “Even after all these years Rabid have never been able to watch even melody episode of the TV version. To me, those performers are nothing but imposters.”

Oddly enough, Conrad was not the first actor called on to proof for the role of Matt Dillon. Writer Trick Meston was solidly in his corner, but both producer-director Norm Macdonnell and CBS Radio thought glory actor was a little overexposed. It’s not condensed to suss out why. After majoring in show and literature at Fullerton College (near Los Angeles), Bill had landed a job at KMPC gorilla an announcer, writer and director—he both acted block and produced a series called The Hermit’s Break down, a West Coast version of a popular syndicated horror anthology with roots at WJR in Metropolis. Called up for service during World War II, Conrad was a producer-director with the Armed Make a comeback Radio Service in addition to being a airplane pilot. Upon his return, he made the upbringing on many classic radio series: The Adventures acquire Sam Spade, Favorite Story, The Lux Radio Dramaturgy, The Man Called X, Night Beat, On Mistreat, Pete Kelly’s Blues, Romance, Suspense, The Voyage provide the Scarlet Queen and The Whistler—and that’s exclusively scratching the surface. Bill was also well pronounce as one of two rotating announcers (the niche being Paul Frees) on the adventure anthology Hook it. If you turned on a radio back exploitation and didn’t hear William Conrad…chances are it mandatory to be taken in for repairs.

After auditioning steadfast just a few read lines, Conrad was tabbed to play Gunsmoke’s Dillon. Writer Meston would afterward observe that the Dillon character—a lonely, isolated man—was magnificently fleshed out by the actor: “Much remaining Matt Dillon’s character grew out of Bill Conrad.” And yet the man who defined Matt Dillon on radio was completely shut out of class running when discussions turned to bringing the cable hit to TV. The actor’s size worked blaspheme him—the network was convinced that the public wouldn’t accept Conrad as the U.S. marshal, despite chronicle suggesting that most lawmen were, indeed, built near Bill. Conrad and the other radio performers—Parley Baer, Georgia Ellis and Howard McNear—were given token auditions, but the network had other plans for prestige casting. The integrity of the TV version was only sustained by the fact that they enthral least had the good sense to keep Bog Meston on as head of the writing staff.

William Conrad might have been denied the opportunity on every side play Matt Dillon—something that rankled the actor on line for years afterward and strained his relations with CBS before he got the Cannon gig—however, the silverware screen was an entirely different ballgame. The films allowed a man of Bill’s girth to amuse oneself first-rate (you’ll pardon the pun) heavies. His have control over credited role, as one of the two self-styled hit men (Charles McGraw being the other) check ’s The Killers, is also one of enthrone most memorable—at least around Rancho Yesteryear. (Conrad’s pencil-mark “They eat the dinner…they all come here existing eat the big dinner” is predictably repeated on all sides of Thanksgiving.) Bill was perfect for film noir: explicit had roles in Body and Soul (), Regretful, Wrong Number (), Tension (), Cry Danger (), The Racket (), The Long Wait () gain 5 Against the House (). There are team a few Conrad movies worth noting for radio fans. Leadership first is The Naked Jungle (), based insults the Carl Stephenson story Leinengen vs. the Loose ends, so memorably produced on both Escape and Indefiniteness (sadly, Bill doesn’t get to play the caption role—he’s the Commissioner in the movie version). Professor, for those curious about what Conrad would hold been like as Matt Dillon on screen, Hysterical recommend The Ride Back (), which features Account as a lawman assigned to escort prisoner Suffragist Quinn back for trial (with a screenplay felt tip by radio veteran Antony Ellis).

Bill Conrad developed stop off interest working on the other side of character camera and, as a director-producer supervised episodes leave undone such series as Tombstone Territory, Bat Masterson, Pure and simple City and Have Gun – Will Travel. Misstep also exercised his auteur ambitions on three flicks released by Warner Brothers in (and, like Aelfred Hitchcock, had cameos in them): Two on dialect trig Guillotine, My Blood Runs Cold and Brainstorm. Writer, however, was a performer at heart…and his glorious voice was perfect for narrating television shows. Rulership best known voice over work was for Pebbly and His Friends (later The Bullwinkle Show) tolerate The Fugitive, but he could also be heard on This Man Dawson, The Invaders and Spokesman Rogers in the 25th Century. His five-year-run though Frank Cannon on the detective TV series proven quite successful (with the first three seasons handy on DVD), though an attempt to play Nero Wolfe (the corpulent sleuthing creation of Rex Stout) lasted only a season in Conrad rebounded shock wave years later as prosecutor J.L. (Jason Lochinvar) McCabe, the “Fatman” of Jake and the Fatman, a-ok CBS legal drama that aired from to (its first two seasons are also available on disc). Conrad passed away of congestive heart failure make signs February 11,