Robert Paige
Encyclopedia
Robert Paige was a TV star and Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
leading man
Leading man
Leading man or leading gentleman is an informal term for the actor who plays a love interest to the leading actress in a film or play. A leading man is usually an all rounder; capable of singing, dancing, and acting at a professional level, but never outshining his female co-star...
who made 65 films in his lifetime and was the only actor ever allowed to sing on film with Deanna Durbin
Deanna Durbin
Deanna Durbin is a Canadian-born, Southern California-raised retired singer and actress, who appeared in a number of musical films in the 1930s and 1940s singing standards as well as operatic arias....
(in 1944's Can't Help Singing
Can't Help Singing
Can't Help Singing is a 1944 musical Western filmed in Technicolor starring Deanna Durbin. The film was produced by Felix Jackson and directed by Frank Ryan. The score was by Jerome Kern with lyrics by E. Y. Harburg.-Plot:...
). He was a graduate of West Point and was related to Admiral David Beatty
David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty
Admiral of the Fleet David Richard Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty, GCB, OM, GCVO, DSO was an admiral in the Royal Navy...
, hero of the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Battle of Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
.
Born as John Arthur Page in Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
in 1911, he began his screen career in 1934. His handsome features and assured speaking voice earned him prominent roles in motion pictures, such as Cain and Mabel
Cain and Mabel
Cain and Mabel is a 1936 romantic comedy film designed as a vehicle for Marion Davies in which she co-stars with Clark Gable and Robert Paige ....
with Clark Gable
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
and Marion Davies
Marion Davies
Marion Davies was an American film actress. Davies is best remembered for her relationship with newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, as her high-profile social life often obscured her professional career....
. In 1936, to avoid confusion with another rising leading man, John Payne
John Payne (actor)
John Payne was an American film actor who is mainly remembered as a singer in 20th Century Fox musical films, and for his leading roles in Miracle on 34th Street and the NBC western television series The Restless Gun.-Background:Payne was born in Roanoke, Virginia...
, Paige briefly adopted the screen name "David Carlyle". He worked primarily for Warner Brothers and Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures was an independent film production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, operating from 1934 through 1959, and was best known for specializing in westerns, movie serials and B films emphasizing mystery and action....
during this period.
In 1938 he signed a contract with Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
, which changed his screen name to Robert Paige. Columbia cast him in "B" features and starred him in one serial, Flying G-Men
Flying G-Men
Flying G-Men is a Columbia Film serial. It was the sixth of the fifty seven serials released by Columbia.-Plot:Three government aviators, the "Flying G-Men" of the title - one of whom is disguised as The Black Falcon, fight to protect America from an enemy spy ring and to avenge the death of the...
. When the Columbia contract lapsed, Paige moved to Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
and finally found a home in 1941 at Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
. Robert Paige quickly became one of Universal's reliable stars, playing romantic leads. He is prominent in many of Universal's comedies and musicals, including those of Abbott and Costello
Abbott and Costello
William "Bud" Abbott and Lou Costello performed together as Abbott and Costello, an American comedy duo whose work on stage, radio, film and television made them the most popular comedy team during the 1940s and 1950s...
, Olsen and Johnson
Olsen and Johnson
John Sigvard "Ole" Olsen and Harold Ogden "Chic" Johnson were zany American comedians of vaudeville, radio, the Broadway stage, motion pictures and television. Their shows were noted for their crazy blackout gags and orchestrated mayhem...
, Gloria Jean
Gloria Jean
Gloria Jean is an American singer and actress who starred or co-starred in 26 feature films between 1939 and 1959. She also made radio, television, stage, and nightclub appearances.-Career:...
, and Hugh Herbert
Hugh Herbert
Hugh Herbert was a motion picture comedian. He began his career in vaudeville, and wrote more than 150 plays and sketches.-Career:...
. Beginning in 1943 Universal gave Paige important roles in its biggest productions. Paige left Universal after a corporate shakeup in 1946.
He became an independent film producer in 1947 and entered the new field of television. He was the last permanent host of NBC's variety series The Colgate Comedy Hour
The Colgate Comedy Hour
The Colgate Comedy Hour is an American comedy-musical variety series that aired live on the NBC network from 1950 to 1955. The show stars many notable comedians and entertainers of the era, including Eddie Cantor, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Fred Allen, Donald O'Connor, Bud Abbott and Lou...
, and won an Emmy in 1955 for "Best Male Personality" (a category that no longer exists). In the 1960s he became a TV newscaster in Los Angeles.
Paige continued to work in occasional films through 1963; his last two films were The Marriage-Go-Round
The Marriage-Go-Round
The Marriage-Go-Round is a 1958 play written by Leslie Stevens and a 1961 film adaptation also written and produced by Stevens. It was inspired by a suggestion that dancer Isadora Duncan supposedly made to playwright George Bernard Shaw: the two of them should have a child because "with your mind...
(1961) and Bye Bye Birdie
Bye Bye Birdie (film)
Bye Bye Birdie is a 1963 musical comedy film from Columbia Pictures. It is a film adaptation of the stage production of the same name. The screenplay was written by Michael Stewart and Irving Brecher, with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams....
(1963). From 1966 to 1970 Paige was a newscaster and political correspondent for ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
in Los Angeles. He left the news desk to become Deputy Supervisor of Los Angeles under Baxter Ward
Baxter Ward
Baxter Ward was a television news anchor who served two terms on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Prior to his election on the board, he ran third in an unsuccessful bid to unseat Sam Yorty for Mayor of Los Angeles in 1969.In 1974, Ward launched the nation’s first county-owned...
, and then moved into the public relations field. He retired in the late 1970s.
Spouses
- Maxine Hoppe (1985-1987; his death)
- Joanne Ludden (1962-1977; divorce); 1 child
- Betty Henning (1940-1960; divorce)
Children
His only child is daughter Colleen Paige, an animal behaviorist, author, singer, artist, the founder of National Dog Day and the Animal Miracle Foundation, She currently resides on the Olympic PeninsulaOlympic Peninsula
The Olympic Peninsula is the large arm of land in western Washington state of the USA, that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the east by Puget Sound. Cape Alava, the westernmost point in the contiguous...
of Washington with her husband and son.
Filmography
- Bye Bye BirdieBye Bye Birdie (film)Bye Bye Birdie is a 1963 musical comedy film from Columbia Pictures. It is a film adaptation of the stage production of the same name. The screenplay was written by Michael Stewart and Irving Brecher, with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams....
(1963) - The Barbara Stanwyck ShowThe Barbara Stanwyck ShowThe Barbara Stanwyck Show is an American anthology drama television series which ran on NBC from September 1960 to September 1961. Barbara Stanwyck served as hostess, and starred in all but four of the half-hour productions. The four she did not star in were actually pilot episodes of potential...
(1 episode, 1961) - The Marriage-Go-RoundThe Marriage-Go-RoundThe Marriage-Go-Round is a 1958 play written by Leslie Stevens and a 1961 film adaptation also written and produced by Stevens. It was inspired by a suggestion that dancer Isadora Duncan supposedly made to playwright George Bernard Shaw: the two of them should have a child because "with your mind...
(1961) - The Millionaire (1 episode, 1960)
- It Happened to JaneIt Happened to JaneIt Happened to Jane is a 1959 romantic comedy film starring Doris Day, Jack Lemmon, and Ernie Kovacs directed by Richard Quine and written by Norman Katkov and Max Wilk.The film was co-produced by Quine and star Day's husband at the time, Martin Melcher....
(1959) - The Big PayoffThe Big PayoffThe Big Payoff was a daytime and primetime game show that premiered on NBC in 1951, and ended its network run on CBS in 1959. It had a brief syndication revival in 1962...
(1957-1959) - Bride and Groom (1951) TV Series (1957-58)
- The Colgate Comedy HourThe Colgate Comedy HourThe Colgate Comedy Hour is an American comedy-musical variety series that aired live on the NBC network from 1950 to 1955. The show stars many notable comedians and entertainers of the era, including Eddie Cantor, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Fred Allen, Donald O'Connor, Bud Abbott and Lou...
(4 episodes, 1955) - The Pepsi-Cola PlayhouseThe Pepsi-Cola PlayhouseThe Pepsi-Cola Playhouse is an American dramatic anthology series that aired on ABC from 1953 to 1955, sponsored by Pepsi-Cola. The show was hosted by Arlene Dahl , Anita Colby , and, finally, Polly Bergen -Guest stars:* Claude Akins...
(4 episodes, 1953-1954) - Four Star PlayhouseFour Star PlayhouseFour Star Playhouse is an American television anthology series that ran from 1952 to 1956, sponsored in its first bi-weekly season by The Singer Company; Bristol-Myers became an alternate sponsor when it became a weekly series in the fall of 1953...
(1 episode, 1954) - Cavalcade of AmericaCavalcade of AmericaCavalcade of America is an anthology drama series that was sponsored by the DuPont Company, although it occasionally presented a musical, such as an adaptation of Show Boat, and condensed biographies of popular composers. It was initially broadcast on radio from 1935 to 1953, and later on...
(1 episode, 1953) - Lux Video TheatreLux Video TheatreLux Video Theatre, is a weekly television anthology series that was produced from 1950 until 1959. The series presented both comedy and drama in original teleplays, as well as abridged adaptations of films and plays....
(1 episode, 1953) - Abbott and Costello Go to MarsAbbott and Costello Go to MarsAbbott and Costello Go To Mars is a 1953 American science fiction comedy film directed by Charles Lamont and starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. The film follows the misadventures of Lester and Orville who accidentally find themselves on a rocketship bound for Mars, which accidentally...
(1953) - Split SecondSplit SecondSplit Second is an American television game show which originally aired on ABC from March 20, 1972, to June 27, 1975. The show returned in September 1986 in syndication and ran for one year....
(1953) - The Schaefer Century Theatre (2 episodes, 1952)
- The UnexpectedThe UnexpectedThe Unexpected was a DC Comics horror comic book, a continuation of Tales of the Unexpected. It ran 117 issues, #105-222, from 1968 to 1982.-Publication history:...
(1 episode, 1952) - Fireside Theatre (1 episode, 1952)
- Gruen Guild Playhouse (1 episode, 1952)
- Out ThereOut There (1951 TV series)Out There was a short-lived science fiction television program broadcast on Sundays at 6:00 p.m. EST on CBS Television from October 28, 1951 thru January 13, 1952. It only lasted twelve half-hour episodes before being cancelled. The awkward time slot may have led to its failure...
(1 episode, 1951) - The Green PromiseThe Green PromiseThe Green Promise is a 1949 American film directed by William D. Russell. It is currently in the public domain.-Trivia:Actress Natalie Wood was traumatized during filming as she almost drowned on set and it was filmed and kept in the picture for a scene, contributing to her lifelong fear of water...
(1949) - Blonde IceBlonde Ice- Cast :*Robert Paige as Les Burns*Leslie Brooks as Claire Cummings Hanneman*Russ Vincent as Blackie Talon, the Pilot*Michael Whalen as Stanley Mason, Attorney*James Griffith as Al Herrick*Emory Parnell as Police Capt. Bill Murdock*Walter Sande as Hack Doyle...
(1948) - The FlameThe FlameThe Flame could refer to:*The Flame , a 1982 album by American jazz saxophonist Steve Lacy*The Flame , a 1984 album by British singer Annabel Lamb*"The Flame" , a 1986 song by British band Arcadia...
(1947) - The Red StallionThe Red StallionThe Red Stallion is a 1947 American film directed by Lesley Selander. It is about a young boy who trains his beloved pet horse to be a racehorse in order to save his grandmother's farm from foreclosure.-Plot summary:...
(1947) - TangierTangierTangier, also Tangiers is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 . It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel...
(1946) - Shady LadyShady Lady"Shady Lady" was the Ukrainian entry for the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest. It was sung by Ani Lorak, composed by Philipp Kirkorov and written by Karen Kavaleryan. However, in Greece, around the time of the Contest, there were many rumors stating that popular composer Dimitris Kontopoulos had...
(1945) - Can't Help SingingCan't Help SingingCan't Help Singing is a 1944 musical Western filmed in Technicolor starring Deanna Durbin. The film was produced by Felix Jackson and directed by Frank Ryan. The score was by Jerome Kern with lyrics by E. Y. Harburg.-Plot:...
(1944) - Her Primitive Man (1944)
- Golden GlovesGolden GlovesThe Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States. The Golden Gloves is often the term used to refer to the National Golden Gloves competition, but it also can represent several other amateur tournaments, including regional golden gloves...
(1944) - Son of DraculaSon of Dracula (1943 film)Son of Dracula is a 1943 American horror film directed by Robert Siodmak - his first film for Universal studios - with a screenplay based on an original story by his brother Curt. The film stars Lon Chaney, Jr. and his frequent co-star Evelyn Ankers. Notably it is the first film where a vampire...
(1943) - Crazy House (1943) (uncredited)
- Fired Wife (1943)
- Frontier Badmen (1943)
- Get Going (1943)
- Mister BigMister Big (1943 film)Mister Big is a 1943 musical directed by Charles Lamont, starring Donald O'Connor, Gloria Jean and Peggy Ryan. The film features the song "Rude, Crude, and Unattractive".- Synopsis :...
(1943) - What We Are Fighting For (1943)
- Cowboy in Manhattan (1943)
- Keep 'Em SluggingKeep 'Em SluggingKeep 'Em Slugging is a 1943 American film starring The Little Tough Guys.-Plot:Tommy and his gang decide to get jobs in order to free draft-age men for the war effort. Because of their previous encounters with the law, the group has a tough time getting hired. Eventually, Tommy gets a job at a...
(1943) (in stock footage from Hi'Ya, ChumHi'ya, ChumHi'ya, Chum is a 1943 American musical comedy film starring Jane Frazee.-Cast:* Ritz Brothers - Merry Madcaps* Jane Frazee - Sunny Lee* Robert Paige - Tommy Craig* June Clyde - Madge Tracy* Paul Hurst - Archie Billings...
) - Hi, Buddy (1943)
- Hi'Ya, ChumHi'ya, ChumHi'ya, Chum is a 1943 American musical comedy film starring Jane Frazee.-Cast:* Ritz Brothers - Merry Madcaps* Jane Frazee - Sunny Lee* Robert Paige - Tommy Craig* June Clyde - Madge Tracy* Paul Hurst - Archie Billings...
(1943) - How's About It (1943)
- Get Hep to LoveGet Hep to LoveGet Hep to Love is a 1942 musical film starring Gloria Jean, Donald O'Connor, Jane Frazee, Robert Paige and Peggy Ryan. The film was directed by Charles Lamont.-Plot:...
(1942)
- Pardon My SarongPardon My Sarong-Plot:Tommy Layton , a wealthy bachelor, rents a city bus and rides it from Chicago to Los Angeles. Once there he intends to participate in a yacht race to Hawaii. The drivers of the bus, Algy and Wellington , are then chased by a detective who was hired by the bus company. They escape capture by...
(1942) - Almost MarriedAlmost Married-Cast:*Jane Frazee ... Gloria Dobson*Robert Paige ... James Manning,lll*Eugene Pallette ... Doctor Dobson*Elizabeth Patterson ... Aunt Matilda Manning*Charles Coleman ... Michael, Manning's Butler*Maude Eburne ... Mrs. Clayton...
(1942) - You're Telling Me (1942)
- What's Cookin'?What's Cookin'?What's Cookin'? is a 1942 American musical film starring The Andrews Sisters, Jane Frazee, Robert Paige and Gloria Jean. The film was directed by Edward F. Cline and is based on the story Wake Up and Dream written by Edgar Allan Woolf.-Plot:...
(1942) - Jail House BluesJail House BluesJailhouse Blues is a motion picture released by Columbia Pictures. This musical short film features Mamie Smith, who was a top star in Black Vaudeville and a recording artist with Okeh Records, although by the time Jailhouse Blues was made her contract with Okeh had ended.-Synopsis:Mamie is...
(1942) - Don't Get PersonalDon't Get PersonalDon't Get Personal is a 1942 American romantic musical film directed by Charles Lamont and starring Jane Frazee.-Cast:* Hugh Herbert - Elmer Whippet / Oscar Whippet* Mischa Auer - Stainslaus Noodnick aka Charlie* Jane Frazee - Mary Reynolds...
(1942) - Hellzapoppin'Hellzapoppin' (film)Hellzapoppin' is a 1941 Universal Pictures adaptation of the musical of the same name directed by H.C. Potter. The cast includes Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson , Martha Raye, Mischa Auer, Shemp Howard, and The Six Hits.The credits for the movie assert that "any resemblance between Hellzapoppin and a...
(1941) - Melody LaneMelody LaneThe Melody Lane series of books, geared toward young females, was written by veteran author Lilian Garis. The series comprised nine books, spanning from 1933 to 1940....
(1941) - San Antonio Rose (1941)
- The Flame of New OrleansThe Flame of New OrleansThe Flame of New Orleans is a 1941 comedy film directed by René Clair and starring Bruce Cabot in his first comedy role and Marlene Dietrich. It was nominated an Academy Award for Best Art Direction by Martin Obzina, Jack Otterson and Russell A...
(1941) (uncredited) Narrator - The Monster and the GirlThe Monster and the GirlThe Monster and the Girl is a science fiction/horror black-and-white film released by Paramount Pictures, on a low budget.-Plot:A gangster named Scot Webster attempts to save his sister, Susan from the clutches of rival gangster W.S Bruhl...
(1941) - Dancing on a Dime (1940)
- Golden GlovesGolden Gloves (1940 film)-Cast:* Richard Denning as Bill Crane* Jeanne Cagney as Mary Parker* J. Carrol Naish as Joe Taggerty* Robert Paige as Wally Matson* William Frawley as Emory Balzar* Edward Brophy as Potsy Brill* Robert Ryan as Pete Wells* George Ernest as Joey Parker...
(1940) - Opened by Mistake (1940)
- Parole Fixer (1940)
- Women Without Names (1940)
- Emergency SquadEmergency Squad (film)-Cast:* William Henry as Peter Barton* Louise Campbell as Betty Bryant* Richard Denning as Dan Barton* Robert Paige as Chester 'Chesty' Miller* Anthony Quinn as Nick Buller* John Miljan as Slade Wiley* John Marston as Lt. Murdock...
(1940) - First LoveFirst Love- Film :* First Love , a 1939 film starring Deanna Durbin* First Love , a 1970 Maximilian Schell film, based on the novella by Turgenev* First Love , a 1973 Indonesian film directed by Teguh Karya...
(1939) (uncredited) - Death of a ChampionDeath of a ChampionDeath of a Champion is a 1939 American film starring Lynne Overman, Virginia Dale, Joseph Allen, and Donald O'Connor. Its plot concerns an effort by detectives to discover who killed a famous show dog. The film also stars Robert Paige, who went on to be in three more film with O'Connor....
(1939) - Flying G-MenFlying G-MenFlying G-Men is a Columbia Film serial. It was the sixth of the fifty seven serials released by Columbia.-Plot:Three government aviators, the "Flying G-Men" of the title - one of whom is disguised as The Black Falcon, fight to protect America from an enemy spy ring and to avenge the death of the...
(1939) - Homicide Bureau (1939)
- The Last WarningThe Last WarningThe Last Warning is a mystery film directed by Paul Leni. It is a companion piece to Universal Pictures 1927 production of The Cat and the Canary...
(1938) - I Stand Accused (1938)
- The Lady Objects (1938)
- Highway PatrolHighway patrolA highway patrol is either a police unit created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing traffic safety compliance on roads and highways, or a detail within an existing local or regional police agency that is primarily concerned with such duties.Duties of highway patrols or traffic...
(1938) - The Main EventThe Main EventThe term main event typically refers to the championship fight at a combat-sport event, the most prestigious match on the card.The Main Event may also refer to:-Film and television:...
(1938) - There's Always a WomanThere's Always a WomanThere's Always a Woman is a 1938 comedy mystery film starring Joan Blondell and Melvyn Douglas as married detectives investigating a murder...
(1938) - When G-Men Step In (1938)
- Who Killed Gail Preston? (1938)
- The Kid Comes Back (1938) (as David Carlyle)
- Talent Scout (1937)
- Meet the BoyfriendMeet the Boyfriend- Cast :*Robert Paige as Tony Page*Carol Hughes as June Delaney*Warren Hymer as Wilbur 'Bugs' Corrigan*Pert Kelton as Beulah Potts*Andrew Tombes as J. Ardmore Potts*Gwili Andre as Vilma Vlare*Ed 'Oscar' Platt as Oscar*Lou Fulton as Elmer...
(1937) (as David Carlyle) - Rhythm in the CloudsRhythm in the Clouds- Cast :*Patricia Ellis as Judy Walker*Warren Hull as Bob McKay*William Newell as Clyde Lyons*Richard Carle as J.C. Boswell*Zeffie Tilbury as Maggie Conway, the Duchess de Lovely*Charles Judels as Luigi Fernando*Robert Paige as Phil Hale...
(1937) - The Cherokee Strip (1937) (as David Carlyle)
- Melody for Two (1937) (uncredited)
- Once a Doctor (1937) (as David Carlyle)
- Smart Blonde (1937) (as David Carlyle)
- Cain and MabelCain and MabelCain and Mabel is a 1936 romantic comedy film designed as a vehicle for Marion Davies in which she co-stars with Clark Gable and Robert Paige ....
(1936) (as David Carlyle) - Hearts in BondageHearts in Bondage- Cast :*James Dunn as Lieutenant Kenneth Reynolds*Mae Clarke as Constance Jordan*David Manners as Raymond Jordan*Charlotte Henry as Julie Buchanan*Henry B. Walthall as Captain Buchanan*Fritz Leiber as Captain John Ericsson*George Irving as Commodore Jordan...
(1936) (uncredited) (as David Carlyle) - Annapolis Farewell (1935) (uncredited)
- Crime of Helen Stanley (1934) (uncredited)
- You Can't Buy *Everything (1934) (uncredited)