[Deathwatch] Lon McCallister, actor, 82

[Deathwatch Central <cdw@slick.org>]

Lon McCallister's heart outshone his stardom

By Robert Osborne

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Retired actor Lon McCallister, who died
of a heart attack on June 11 in Lake Tahoe, Calif., aged 82, was one of
those shining lights adored by everyone lucky enough to have crossed
his path.

For about seven years (1943-49), McCallister was among the hottest
names among Hollywood's younger crowd thanks to the larceny he
committed in a wartime movie produced by Sol Lesser called "Stage Door
Canteen." McCallister was a scene-stealer as a shy, young soldier named
California who falls in love between coffee and doughnuts at the
American Theatre Wing's famous hospitality center for servicemen and
women in Manhattan.

After that came a string of successful films like George Cukor's 1944
"Winged Victory" and such outdoorsy Technicolor adventures as 1943's
"Home in Indiana," 1947's "Bob, Son of Battle" (later retitled "Thunder
in the Valley"), 1948's "Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!," 1949's "The Big Cat"
and "The Story of Seabiscuit," with a grown-up Shirley Temple.

The best of the lot, and the one of which he was proudest, was Delmer
Daves' excellent 1947 psychological drama "The Red House" with Edward
G. Robinson, Judith Anderson and Rory Calhoun. Rare was a movie
magazine of that era that didn't splash McCallister across its pages,
with his clean-cut, good boy image also displayed on many of their
covers.

Being small (5 feet 6 inches) and compact made him ideal to play farm
boys and jockeys, but it also made a transition to adult roles more
difficult; McCallister later said he wasn't concerned about that
because, early on, he'd made a vow to retire from performing by the
time he was 30. (Before his "Stage Door Canteen" breakthrough, he
already had spent eight of his teenage years steadily working as an
extra and playing bit roles in such films as Cukor's 1936 "Romeo and
Juliet," the Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland "Strike Up the Band,"
Deanna Durbin's 1939 "First Love" and Cagney's 1942 "Yankee Doodle
Dandy.")

When that fateful 30th birthday rolled around April 17, 1953, he'd just
finished starring in a film at Columbia called "Combat Squad" and,
making good his promise to himself, said, "That's it!," chucked the
makeup kit and his agent and never stepped in front of a camera again.
His choice.

Another choice he made: He had to sign a long-term contract with
producer Lesser in order to secure that "Canteen" lead, but did so only
after a codicil was added that stated he'd never have to appear in any
role in any of the
Johnny Weissmuller "Tarzan" films Lesser was producing at that time.
Also, for the record, despite his long association with 20th Century
Fox, McCallister was never under contract there; each Fox visit was
done as a loan from Lesser. Something else few knew about McCallister:
He was a primary investor in the revue "Lend an Ear," which helped
rocket Carol Channing to renowned status.

P.H. (Post-Hollywood), he moved to Tahoe, was highly successful in
business and real-estate ventures, enjoyed a leisurely, outdoor life
and gave an extraordinary amount of time and energy to what he
cherished the most -- his friends. He was, indeed, a rare one.

Many thanks to Deathwatch Central for posting this obituary