Phil Regan (actor)
Encyclopedia
Phil Regan was an American singer and actor, who later served time for bribery in a real estate scandal.
Regan was born in 1906 in New York. He worked as a detective on the NYPD, before his singing was overheard by a radio producer at a party. This earned him the nickname "The Singing Cop". Regan went on to headline musical comedies at both Republic and Monogram
studios. He retired in the mid 1950s.
After retiring, Regan spent his time in his Palm Springs
and Santa Barbara
houses. His wife was Josephine and he had four children, Marilyn, Joan, Philip (Buddy), and Joseph. He also had 19 grand children. He also dabbled in politics, endorsing Ronald Reagan
for governor of California in 1966 against incumbent Edmund G Brown. In 1972 he became involved with a developer named Halimi, who had created successful developments at Lake Tahoe
and elsewhere. Halimi had purchased the option to develop a large coastal property on More Mesa in Santa Barbara, which required a permit from Santa Barbara County. Regan was aware that three of the five supervisors were in favor but he wanted to find a fourth vote for Halimi to avoid an appeal. He approached Frank Frost in December 1972. Frost had just been elected to the Board of Supervisors and would take office in January. Frost perceived that an attempt at bribery was being arranged and reported his suspicions to the county district attorney and sheriff. A "sting" was planned and Regan passed $1000 to a friend of Frost's who posed as a go-between. Testimony at Regan's trial established that he had promised an additional $5000 for Frost's vote. Regan was arrested, convicted, and sentenced to two years in prison. He was released after one year. The formerly friendly supervisors made a good show of indignantly voting down the development of More Mesa.
Upon his release, Regan returned to Santa Barbara. His wife of 70 years, Josephine Dwyer, died in 1994. Regan died on February 11, 1996.
Regan was born in 1906 in New York. He worked as a detective on the NYPD, before his singing was overheard by a radio producer at a party. This earned him the nickname "The Singing Cop". Regan went on to headline musical comedies at both Republic and Monogram
Monogram
A monogram is a motif made by overlapping or combining two or more letters or other graphemes to form one symbol. Monograms are often made by combining the initials of an individual or a company, used as recognizable symbols or logos. A series of uncombined initials is properly referred to as a...
studios. He retired in the mid 1950s.
After retiring, Regan spent his time in his Palm Springs
Palm Springs
Palm Springs is a desert city in CaliforniaPalm Springs may also refer to:* Palm Springs, Florida* Palm Springs, Hong Kong, a residential development in Yuen Long, Hong Kong* Coachella Valley, also known as the Palm Springs area...
and Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
houses. His wife was Josephine and he had four children, Marilyn, Joan, Philip (Buddy), and Joseph. He also had 19 grand children. He also dabbled in politics, endorsing Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
for governor of California in 1966 against incumbent Edmund G Brown. In 1972 he became involved with a developer named Halimi, who had created successful developments at Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...
and elsewhere. Halimi had purchased the option to develop a large coastal property on More Mesa in Santa Barbara, which required a permit from Santa Barbara County. Regan was aware that three of the five supervisors were in favor but he wanted to find a fourth vote for Halimi to avoid an appeal. He approached Frank Frost in December 1972. Frost had just been elected to the Board of Supervisors and would take office in January. Frost perceived that an attempt at bribery was being arranged and reported his suspicions to the county district attorney and sheriff. A "sting" was planned and Regan passed $1000 to a friend of Frost's who posed as a go-between. Testimony at Regan's trial established that he had promised an additional $5000 for Frost's vote. Regan was arrested, convicted, and sentenced to two years in prison. He was released after one year. The formerly friendly supervisors made a good show of indignantly voting down the development of More Mesa.
Upon his release, Regan returned to Santa Barbara. His wife of 70 years, Josephine Dwyer, died in 1994. Regan died on February 11, 1996.