Will Geer
Encyclopedia
Will Geer was an American actor and social activist. His original name was William Aughe Ghere. He is remembered for his portrayal of Grandpa Zebulon Tyler Walton in the 1970s TV series, The Waltons
.
, the son of Katherine (née Aughe), a teacher, and A. Roy Ghere, a postal worker. He was deeply influenced by his grandfather, who taught him the botanical names of the plants in his native state. Geer started out to become a botanist, studying the subject and obtaining a master's degree
at the University of Chicago
. While at Chicago he also became a member of Lambda Chi Alpha
Fraternity.
He began his acting career touring in tent shows and on river boats. He worked on several left
-oriented documentaries, including narrating Sheldon Dick
's Men and Dust, about silicosis
among miners.
Geer was also the lover of gay activist Harry Hay
. In 1934, Hay met Geer at the Tony Pastor Theatre, where Geer worked as an actor. They became lovers, and Hay credited as his political mentor. Hay and Geer participated in a milk strike in Los Angeles, where Hay was first exposed to radical gay activism in the person of "Clarabelle," a drag queen who held court in the Bunker Hill neighborhood, who hid Hay from police. Later that year, Hay and Geer performed in support of the San Francisco General Strike.
, created the role of Mr. Mister in Marc Blitzstein
's The Cradle Will Rock
, played Candy in John Steinbeck's theatrical adaptation of his novella Of Mice and Men
, and appeared in numerous plays and revues throughout the 1940s. From 1948 to 1951, he appeared in more than a dozen movies, including Winchester '73, Broken Arrow
, and Bright Victory
.
Geer became a member of the Communist Party of the United States in 1934. Geer was also influential in introducing Harry Hay
to organizing in the Communist Party. In 1934, Geer and Hay gave support to a labor strike of the port of San Francisco; the 1934 West Coast waterfront strike lasted 83 days. Though marred by violence, it was an organizing triumph, one that became a model for future union strikes. Geer became a reader of the West Coast Communist newspaper, the People's World.
Geer became a dedicated activist, touring government work camps in the 1930s with folk singer
s like Burl Ives
and Woody Guthrie
(whom he introduced to the People's World and the Daily Worker
; Guthrie would go on to write a column for the latter paper). In 1956, the duo released an album together on Folkways Records
, titled Bound for Glory: Songs and Stories of Woody Guthrie. In his autobiography, fellow organizer and gay rights pioneer Harry Hay described Geer's activism and outlined their activities while organizing for the strike. Geer is credited with introducing Guthrie to Pete Seeger
at the 'Grapes of Wrath' benefit Geer organized in 1940 for migrant farm workers.
Geer did summer stock at the Pine Brook Country Club
located in the countryside of Nichols, Connecticut
with the Group Theatre (New York) studying under Harold Clurman
, Cheryl Crawford
and Lee Strasberg
. The artists took up residency at the lake in summer from 1931 until the early 1940s.
ed in the early 1950s for refusing to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. In 1951 he founded the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum
in Topanga, California
, with his wife, Herta Ware
. He combined his acting and botanical careers at the Theatricum, by making sure that every plant mentioned in Shakespeare was grown there.
, where he created a second "Shakespeare Garden" on the theater's grounds. By this time he was also working sporadically on Broadway
. In 1964 he was nominated for the Tony Award
for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for 110 in the Shade
. In 1972, he played the part of "Bear Claw" in Jeremiah Johnson along with Robert Redford
. In 1972, he was cast as Zebulon Walton, the family patriarch on The Waltons
, a role he took over from Edgar Bergen
, who played the character in the pilot.
Geer maintained a garden at his vacation home, called Geer-Gore Gardens, in Nichols
, Connecticut
. He visited often and attended the local Fourth of July fireworks celebrations, sometimes wearing a black top hat or straw hat and always his trademark denim overalls with only one suspender hooked.
When Geer died, shortly after completing the sixth season of The Waltons
, the death of his character was written into the show's script as well.
His ex-wife, actress Herta Ware
, was best known for her performance as the wife of Jack Gilford
in the film Cocoon
(1985). Although they eventually divorced, they remained close throughout the rest of their lives. Geer and Ware had three children, Kate Geer, Thad Geer and actress Ellen Geer
. Ware also had a daughter, actress Melora Marshall, from a previous marriage.
As Will Geer was dying on April 22, 1978, of respiratory failure
at the age of 76, his family sang Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land
" and recited poems by Robert Frost
at his deathbed. Geer's remains were cremated
; his ashes are buried at the Theatricum Botanicum
in the "Shakespeare Garden" in Topanga Canyon, near Santa Monica, California.
Geer was the inspiration for the character Ben Duane in Richard Yates
's novel Young Hearts Crying
(1984).
The Waltons
The Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show centered on a family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot was a television...
.
Personal life
Geer was born in Frankfort, IndianaFrankfort, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,662 people, 6,279 households, and 4,175 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,240.5 people per square mile . There were 6,682 housing units at an average density of 1,299.6 per square mile...
, the son of Katherine (née Aughe), a teacher, and A. Roy Ghere, a postal worker. He was deeply influenced by his grandfather, who taught him the botanical names of the plants in his native state. Geer started out to become a botanist, studying the subject and obtaining a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. While at Chicago he also became a member of Lambda Chi Alpha
Lambda Chi Alpha
Lambda Chi Alpha is one of the largest men's secret general fraternities in North America, having initiated more than 280,000 members and held chapters at more than 300 universities. It is a member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference and was founded by Warren A. Cole, while he was a...
Fraternity.
He began his acting career touring in tent shows and on river boats. He worked on several left
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
-oriented documentaries, including narrating Sheldon Dick
Sheldon Dick
Sheldon Dick was an American publisher, literary agent, photographer, and filmmaker. He was a member of a wealthy and well-connected industrialist family, and was able to support himself while funding a series of literary and artistic endeavors. He published a book by poet Edgar Lee Masters,...
's Men and Dust, about silicosis
Silicosis
Silicosis, also known as Potter's rot, is a form of occupational lung disease caused by inhalation of crystalline silica dust, and is marked by inflammation and scarring in forms of nodular lesions in the upper lobes of the lungs...
among miners.
Geer was also the lover of gay activist Harry Hay
Harry Hay
Henry "Harry" Hay, Jr. was a labor advocate, teacher and early leader in the American LGBT rights movement. He is known for his roles in helping to found several gay organizations, including the Mattachine Society, the first sustained gay rights group in the United States.Hay was exposed early in...
. In 1934, Hay met Geer at the Tony Pastor Theatre, where Geer worked as an actor. They became lovers, and Hay credited as his political mentor. Hay and Geer participated in a milk strike in Los Angeles, where Hay was first exposed to radical gay activism in the person of "Clarabelle," a drag queen who held court in the Bunker Hill neighborhood, who hid Hay from police. Later that year, Hay and Geer performed in support of the San Francisco General Strike.
Early career
Geer made his Broadway debut as Pistol in a 1928 production of Much Ado About NothingMuch Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy written by William Shakespeare about two pairs of lovers, Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero....
, created the role of Mr. Mister in Marc Blitzstein
Marc Blitzstein
Marcus Samuel Blitzstein, better known as Marc Blitzstein , was an American composer. He won national attention in 1937 when his pro-union musical The Cradle Will Rock, directed by Orson Welles, was shut down by the Works Progress Administration...
's The Cradle Will Rock
The Cradle Will Rock
The Cradle Will Rock is a 1937 musical by Marc Blitzstein. Originally a part of the Federal Theatre Project, it was directed by Orson Welles, and produced by John Houseman. The show was recorded and released on seven 78-rpm discs in 1938, making it the first cast album recording.The musical is a...
, played Candy in John Steinbeck's theatrical adaptation of his novella Of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men is a novella written by Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, it tells the tragic story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers during the Great Depression in California, USA....
, and appeared in numerous plays and revues throughout the 1940s. From 1948 to 1951, he appeared in more than a dozen movies, including Winchester '73, Broken Arrow
Broken Arrow (1950 film)
Broken Arrow is a western Technicolor film released in 1950. It was directed by Delmer Daves and starred James Stewart and Jeff Chandler. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards, and won a Golden Globe award for Best Film Promoting International Understanding. It made history as the first...
, and Bright Victory
Bright Victory
Bright Victory is a 1951 film, adapted by Robert Buckner from Baynard Kendrick's novel Lights Out. It was directed by Mark Robson, and it stars Arthur Kennedy, Peggy Dow, Julia Adams, James Edwards, Will Geer, Nana Bryant, Jim Backus, and Rock Hudson....
.
Geer became a member of the Communist Party of the United States in 1934. Geer was also influential in introducing Harry Hay
Harry Hay
Henry "Harry" Hay, Jr. was a labor advocate, teacher and early leader in the American LGBT rights movement. He is known for his roles in helping to found several gay organizations, including the Mattachine Society, the first sustained gay rights group in the United States.Hay was exposed early in...
to organizing in the Communist Party. In 1934, Geer and Hay gave support to a labor strike of the port of San Francisco; the 1934 West Coast waterfront strike lasted 83 days. Though marred by violence, it was an organizing triumph, one that became a model for future union strikes. Geer became a reader of the West Coast Communist newspaper, the People's World.
Geer became a dedicated activist, touring government work camps in the 1930s with folk singer
Folk Singer
Folk Singer is a 1964 album by Muddy Waters. Waters plays acoustic guitar, backed by Willie Dixon on string bass, Clifton James on drums, and Buddy Guy on acoustic guitar...
s like Burl Ives
Burl Ives
Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives was an American actor, writer and folk music singer. As an actor, Ives's work included comedies, dramas, and voice work in theater, television, and motion pictures. Music critic John Rockwell said, "Ives's voice .....
and Woody Guthrie
Woody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
(whom he introduced to the People's World and the Daily Worker
Daily Worker
The Daily Worker was a newspaper published in New York City by the Communist Party USA, a formerly Comintern-affiliated organization. Publication began in 1924. While it generally reflected the prevailing views of the party, some attempts were made to make it appear that the paper reflected a...
; Guthrie would go on to write a column for the latter paper). In 1956, the duo released an album together on Folkways Records
Folkways Records
Folkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
, titled Bound for Glory: Songs and Stories of Woody Guthrie. In his autobiography, fellow organizer and gay rights pioneer Harry Hay described Geer's activism and outlined their activities while organizing for the strike. Geer is credited with introducing Guthrie to Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
at the 'Grapes of Wrath' benefit Geer organized in 1940 for migrant farm workers.
Geer did summer stock at the Pine Brook Country Club
Pine Brook Country Club
-Introduction:Pine Brook Country Club began when Benjamin Plotkin purchased Pinewood Lake and the surrounding countryside on Mischa Hill in the historic village of Nichols, Connecticut. Plotkin built an auditorium with a revolving stage and forty rustic cabins and incorporated as the Pine Brook...
located in the countryside of Nichols, Connecticut
Nichols, Connecticut
Nichols, a historic village in southeastern Trumbull on the Gold Coast of Fairfield County, was named after the family who maintained a large farm in its center for almost 300 years. The Nichols Farms Historic District, which encompasses part of the village, is listed on the National Register of...
with the Group Theatre (New York) studying under Harold Clurman
Harold Clurman
Harold Edgar Clurman was a visionary American theatre director and drama critic, "one of the most influential in the United States". He was most notable as one of the three founders of the New York City's Group Theatre...
, Cheryl Crawford
Cheryl Crawford
Cheryl Crawford was an American theatre producer and director.Born in Akron, Ohio, Crawford majored in drama at Smith College. Following graduation, she moved to New York City and enrolled at the Theatre Guild's school...
and Lee Strasberg
Lee Strasberg
Lee Strasberg was an American actor, director and acting teacher. He cofounded, with directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed as "America's first true theatrical collective"...
. The artists took up residency at the lake in summer from 1931 until the early 1940s.
Blacklist
Geer was blacklistBlacklist
A blacklist is a list or register of entities who, for one reason or another, are being denied a particular privilege, service, mobility, access or recognition. As a verb, to blacklist can mean to deny someone work in a particular field, or to ostracize a person from a certain social circle...
ed in the early 1950s for refusing to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. In 1951 he founded the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum
Theatricum Botanicum
The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, named for the English botanist John Parkinson's herbal, Theatrum Botanicum , is an open-air theater founded in Topanga Canyon, near Santa Monica, California by Will Geer in 1973. In the 1950s Will Geer was blacklisted for refusing to testify before the House...
in Topanga, California
Topanga, California
Topanga is a census-designated place in western Los Angeles County, California, USA. It is located in the Santa Monica Mountains. Occupying Topanga Canyon, it is often referred to by that name. Topanga is bounded on three sides by State Park or conservancy lands, and on the south by the Pacific...
, with his wife, Herta Ware
Herta Ware
Herta Ware was an American actress and political activist.Ware was born Herta Schwartz in Wilmington, Delaware, the daughter of Helen Ware, a musician and violin teacher, and Lazlo Schwartz, an actor who was born in Budapest...
. He combined his acting and botanical careers at the Theatricum, by making sure that every plant mentioned in Shakespeare was grown there.
Later years
In the late 1950s and early 1960s he played several seasons at the American Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, ConnecticutStratford, Connecticut
Stratford is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Housatonic River. It was founded by Puritans in 1639....
, where he created a second "Shakespeare Garden" on the theater's grounds. By this time he was also working sporadically on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
. In 1964 he was nominated for the Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for 110 in the Shade
110 in the Shade
110 in the Shade is a musical with a book by N. Richard Nash, lyrics by Tom Jones, and music by Harvey Schmidt.Based on Nash's 1954 play The Rainmaker, it focuses on Lizzie Curry, a spinster living on a ranch in the American southwest, and her relationships with local sheriff File, a cautious...
. In 1972, he played the part of "Bear Claw" in Jeremiah Johnson along with Robert Redford
Robert Redford
Charles Robert Redford, Jr. , better known as Robert Redford, is an American actor, film director, producer, businessman, environmentalist, philanthropist, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival. He has received two Oscars: one in 1981 for directing Ordinary People, and one for Lifetime...
. In 1972, he was cast as Zebulon Walton, the family patriarch on The Waltons
The Waltons
The Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show centered on a family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot was a television...
, a role he took over from Edgar Bergen
Edgar Bergen
Edgar John Bergen was an American actor and radio performer, best known as a ventriloquist.-Early life:...
, who played the character in the pilot.
Geer maintained a garden at his vacation home, called Geer-Gore Gardens, in Nichols
Nichols Farms Historic District
According to Stratford land records, Abraham Nichols purchased several old farms and large parcels of land in 1696. Nichols exchanged his land for of Lt. Joseph Judsons old farm which had a barn on it, or half the land owned by Jeremiah Judson, and of land from Benjamin Curtiss...
, Connecticut
Trumbull, Connecticut
Trumbull, a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut in the New England region of the United States, is bordered by the towns of Monroe, Shelton, Stratford, Bridgeport, Fairfield and Easton along Connecticut's Gold Coast. The population was 36,018 according to the 2010 census.Family Circle magazine...
. He visited often and attended the local Fourth of July fireworks celebrations, sometimes wearing a black top hat or straw hat and always his trademark denim overalls with only one suspender hooked.
When Geer died, shortly after completing the sixth season of The Waltons
The Waltons
The Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show centered on a family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot was a television...
, the death of his character was written into the show's script as well.
His ex-wife, actress Herta Ware
Herta Ware
Herta Ware was an American actress and political activist.Ware was born Herta Schwartz in Wilmington, Delaware, the daughter of Helen Ware, a musician and violin teacher, and Lazlo Schwartz, an actor who was born in Budapest...
, was best known for her performance as the wife of Jack Gilford
Jack Gilford
Jack Gilford was an American actor on Broadway, films and television.-Early life:Gilford was born Jacob Aaron Gellman on the lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City, and grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn...
in the film Cocoon
Cocoon (film)
The score for Cocoon was composed and conducted by James Horner. The soundtrack was released twice, through Polydor Records in 1985 and a reprint through P.E.G. in 1997 and features eleven tracks of score and a vocal track performed by Michael Sembello...
(1985). Although they eventually divorced, they remained close throughout the rest of their lives. Geer and Ware had three children, Kate Geer, Thad Geer and actress Ellen Geer
Ellen Geer
Ellen Ware Geer is an American actress, professor, screenwriter, film director and theatre director.-Personal life:Geer was born in New York City, New York, the daughter of actors Herta Ware and Will Geer. She is currently married to children's musician Peter Alsop, and was previously married to...
. Ware also had a daughter, actress Melora Marshall, from a previous marriage.
As Will Geer was dying on April 22, 1978, of respiratory failure
Respiratory failure
The term respiratory failure, in medicine, is used to describe inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, with the result that arterial oxygen and/or carbon dioxide levels cannot be maintained within their normal ranges. A drop in blood oxygenation is known as hypoxemia; a rise in arterial...
at the age of 76, his family sang Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land
This Land Is Your Land
"This Land Is Your Land" is one of the United States' most famous folk songs. Its lyrics were written by Woody Guthrie in 1940 based on an existing melody, in response to Irving Berlin's "God Bless America", which Guthrie considered unrealistic and complacent. Tired of hearing Kate Smith sing it on...
" and recited poems by Robert Frost
Robert Frost
Robert Lee Frost was an American poet. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. His work frequently employed settings from rural life in New England in the early twentieth century, using them to examine complex social and...
at his deathbed. Geer's remains were cremated
Cremation
Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
; his ashes are buried at the Theatricum Botanicum
Theatricum Botanicum
The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, named for the English botanist John Parkinson's herbal, Theatrum Botanicum , is an open-air theater founded in Topanga Canyon, near Santa Monica, California by Will Geer in 1973. In the 1950s Will Geer was blacklisted for refusing to testify before the House...
in the "Shakespeare Garden" in Topanga Canyon, near Santa Monica, California.
Geer was the inspiration for the character Ben Duane in Richard Yates
Richard Yates (novelist)
Richard Yates was an American novelist and short story writer, known for his exploration of mid-20th century life.-Life:...
's novel Young Hearts Crying
Young Hearts Crying
Young Hearts Crying is the penultimate novel of American writer Richard Yates. After Revolutionary Road, it is generally considered to be his best work....
(1984).
Filmography
- Misleading LadyMisleading LadyMisleading Lady is a 1932 film directed by Stuart Walker, and starring Claudette Colbert and Edmund Lowe.Paramount closed its studio in Astoria, Queens upon the completion of this film on 1 March 1932.-Plot:...
(1932) - Wild Gold (1934)
- SpitfireSpitfire (1934 film)Spitfire is a 1934 drama film based on the play Trigger by Lula Vollmer. It was directed by John Cromwell and starred Katharine Hepburn, Robert Young and Ralph Bellamy.-Plot summary:...
(1934) - The Mystery of Edwin DroodThe Mystery of Edwin Drood (1935 film)The Mystery of Edwin Drood was the third film adaptation and first sound film version of Charles Dickens's unfinished novel of the same name. It starred Claude Rains in the role of the villainous John Jasper...
(1935) - Union PacificUnion Pacific (film)Union Pacific is a 1939 American dramatic western film directed by Cecil B. DeMille, and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Joel McCrea. Based on the novel Trouble Shooter by Western fiction author Ernest Haycox, the film is about the building of the railroad across the American West.-Plot:The 1862...
(1939) - The Fight for Life (1940)
- Deep WatersDeep Waters (film)Deep Waters is a 1948 drama film directed by Henry King. The film is based on the 1946 novel Spoonhandle written by Ruth Moore and was nominated for an Academy Award.-Plot:...
(1948) - The Chevrolet Tele-TheatreThe Chevrolet Tele-TheatreThe Chevrolet Tele-Theatre is an American anthology series that aired on NBC Mondays at 8 pm EST from September 27, 1948 to June 26, 1950. Guests who appeared on the series included Faye Emerson, Edward Everett Horton, Basil Rathbone, Nina Foch, and Boris Karloff.-Episode status:One episode from...
(1948) - Intruder in the DustIntruder in the Dust (1949 film)Intruder in the Dust is a 1949 drama film produced and directed by Clarence Brown and starring David Brian and Claude Jarman, Jr. The film is based on the novel Intruder in the Dust by William Faulkner.-Cast:* David Brian – John Gavin Stevens...
(1949) - Anna Lucasta (1949)
- Lust for GoldLust for GoldLust for Gold is a 1949 western film about the legendary Lost Dutchman gold mine, starring Glenn Ford as the "Dutchman" and Ida Lupino as the woman he loves. It was based on the book Thunder God's Gold by Barry Storm...
(1949) - Johnny Allegro (1949)
- To Please a LadyTo Please a LadyTo Please a Lady is a 1950 drama film produced and directed by Clarence Brown and starring Clark Gable and Barbara Stanwyck. The climactic race scene was shot at the Indianapolis Speedway, Indiana, USA.-Plot synopsis:...
(1950) - Convicted (1950)
- Broken ArrowBroken Arrow (1950 film)Broken Arrow is a western Technicolor film released in 1950. It was directed by Delmer Daves and starred James Stewart and Jeff Chandler. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards, and won a Golden Globe award for Best Film Promoting International Understanding. It made history as the first...
(1950) - Winchester '73 (1950)
- The Kid from Texas (1950)
- Comanche Territory (1950)
- It's a Small World (1950)
- The Barefoot Mailman (1951)
- Racket SquadRacket SquadRacket Squad is an American TV crime drama series starring Reed Hadley as Captain John Braddock, a fictional detective working for the San Francisco, California Police Department....
(1951) - The Tall TargetThe Tall TargetThe Tall Target is a 1951 thriller film starring Dick Powell as a detective who tries to stop the assassination of Abraham Lincoln on a train taking the newly-elected president to his inauguration...
(1951) - Bright VictoryBright VictoryBright Victory is a 1951 film, adapted by Robert Buckner from Baynard Kendrick's novel Lights Out. It was directed by Mark Robson, and it stars Arthur Kennedy, Peggy Dow, Julia Adams, James Edwards, Will Geer, Nana Bryant, Jim Backus, and Rock Hudson....
(1951) - Double CrossbonesDouble CrossbonesDouble Crossbones is a 1951, American, Technicolor film starring Donald O'Connor, Helena Carter, and Will Geer.-Plot:After being accused falsely of dishonesty, Davey Crandall decides to become a pirate.-Cast:...
(1951) - The Barefoot MailmanThe Barefoot Mailman (film)The Barefoot Mailman is a comedy-adventure film starring Robert Cummings and distributed by Columbia Pictures in 1951. The film was based on the 1943 novel The Barefoot Mailman by Theodore Pratt...
(1951) - Salt of the EarthSalt of the EarthSalt of the Earth is an American drama film written by Michael Wilson, directed by Herbert J. Biberman, and produced by Paul Jarrico. All had been blacklisted by the Hollywood establishment due to their alleged involvement in communist politics....
(1954) - Mobs, Inc.Mobs, Inc.Mobs, Inc. is a 1956 film directed by William Asher. It stars Reed Hadley and Lisa Howard.-Cast:*Reed Hadley as Capt. John Braddock*Lisa Howard as Ronnie Miles*Marjorie Reynolds as Mary Hale Browne*Douglass Dumbrille as Leland Cameron James...
(1956) - Advise and ConsentAdvise and Consent (film)Advise & Consent is a 1962 American motion picture based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Allen Drury, published in 1959. The movie was adapted for the screen by Wendell Mayes and was directed by Otto Preminger...
(1962) - Black Like MeBlack Like MeBlack Like Me is a non-fiction book by journalist John Howard Griffin first published in 1961. Griffin was a white native of Mansfield, Texas and the book describes his six-week experience travelling on Greyhound buses throughout the racially segregated states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama...
(1964) - East Side/West SideEast Side/West SideEast Side/West Side is an American drama series starring George C. Scott, Elizabeth Wilson, Cicely Tyson, and later on, Linden Chiles. The series aired for only one season and was shown Monday nights on CBS.-Synopsis:...
(1964) - SecondsSeconds (film)Seconds is a 1966 American film starring Rock Hudson. Characterized sometimes as a science fiction thriller, but with elements of horror, neo-noir, psychedelia, and drama, it was directed by John Frankenheimer with a screenplay by Lewis John Carlino. The script was based on a novel by David Ely...
(1966) - The Trials of O'BrienThe Trials of O'BrienThe Trials of O'Brien was a 1965 television series starring Peter Falk as a seedy Shakespeare-quoting lawyer and featuring Elaine Stritch as his secretary and Joanna Barnes as his ex-wife. Falk often said that he actually liked this financially unsuccessful series much better than his later...
(1966) - The President's AnalystThe President's AnalystThe President's Analyst is a 1967 satirical comedy film written and directed by Theodore J. Flicker, starring James Coburn. The widescreen cinematography was by William A. Fraker, and Lalo Schifrin provided the film's musical score...
(1967) - In Cold BloodIn Cold Blood (film)In Cold Blood is a 1967 film based on Truman Capote's book of the same name. Richard Brooks prepared the adaptation and directed the film. Some scenes were filmed on the locations of the original events, in Garden City and Holcomb, Kansas including the Clutter residence...
(1967) - The Crucible (1967)
- Garrison's GorillasGarrison's GorillasGarrison's Gorillas was an ABC TV series broadcast from 1967 to 1968; a total of 26 hour-long episodes were produced. It was inspired by the 1967 film The Dirty Dozen, which featured a similar scenario of training Allied prisoners for World War II military missions.The Garrison's Gorillas pilot...
(1967) - Certain Honorable Men (1968)
- Bandolero!Bandolero!Bandolero! is a 1968 western directed by Andrew V. McLaglen starring James Stewart, Dean Martin, Raquel Welch and George Kennedy.-Plot:Posing as a hangman, Mace Bishop arrives in town with the intention of freeing his brother Dee from the gallows. Dee and his gang have been arrested for a bank...
(1968) - GunsmokeGunsmokeGunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
(1968) - The InvadersThe InvadersThe Invaders, a Quinn Martin Production , is an ABC science fiction television program created by Larry Cohen that ran in the United States for two seasons, from January 10, 1967 to March 26, 1968...
(1968) - Mission: ImpossibleMission: ImpossibleMission: Impossible is an American television series which was created and initially produced by Bruce Geller. It chronicled the missions of a team of secret American government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force . The leader of the team was Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, except in...
(1968) - Run for Your LifeRun for Your Life (TV series)Run for Your Life is an American television drama series starring Ben Gazzara as a man with only a short time to live. It ran on NBC from 1965 to 1968. The series was created by Roy Huggins, who had previously explored the "man on the move" concept with The Fugitive.-Synopsis:Gazzara plays lawyer...
(1968) - I Spy (1968)
- The ReiversThe ReiversThe Reivers, published in 1962, is the last novel by the American author William Faulkner. The bestselling novel was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1963. Faulkner previously won this award for his book A Fable, making him one of only three authors to be awarded it more than once...
(1969) - Daniel BooneDaniel Boone (TV series)Daniel Boone is an American action/adventure television series starring Fess Parker as Daniel Boone that aired from September 24, 1964 to September 10, 1970 on NBC for 165 episodes, and was made by 20th Century Fox Television. Ed Ames co-starred as Mingo, Boone's Native American friend, for the...
(1969) - Then Came BronsonThen Came BronsonThen Came Bronson is a short-lived adventure/drama television series that aired on NBC from 1969 to 1970, and was produced by MGM Television. The series, created by Denne Bart Petitclerc, began with a movie pilot on Monday, March 24, 1969. The series was greenlit for one year and began its first...
(1969) - Hawaii Five-OHawaii Five-OHawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...
(1969) - BonanzaBonanzaBonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the...
(1969) - Here Come the BridesHere Come the BridesHere Come the Brides is an American comedy Western series from Screen Gems that aired on the ABC television network from September 25, 1968 to April 3, 1970...
(1969) - Mayberry R.F.D.Mayberry R.F.D.Mayberry R.F.D. is a spin-off and direct continuation of The Andy Griffith Show under a new title, for the same sponsor, General Foods...
(1969) - The Moonshine WarThe Moonshine WarThe Moonshine War is a 1970 film directed by Richard Quine, based on the novel of the same name by Elmore Leonard. It starred Patrick McGoohan, Richard Widmark, Alan Alda, Will Geer, John Schuck, and Teri Garr....
(1970) - Shooting the Moonshine War (1970)
- Pieces of DreamsPieces of DreamsPieces of Dreams is an album by jazz saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, his first recorded for the Fantasy label after associations with Blue Note Records and CTI, featuring performances by Turrentine with an orchestra arranged and conducted by Gene Page...
(1970) - The Brotherhood of the BellThe Brotherhood of the BellThe Brotherhood of the Bell is a 1970 made-for-television movie produced by Cinema Center 100 Productions and starring Glenn Ford. The director Paul Wendkos was nominated in 1971 by the Directors Guild of America for "outstanding directorial achievement in television." David Karp wrote the...
(1970) - Of Mice and MenOf Mice and MenOf Mice and Men is a novella written by Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, it tells the tragic story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers during the Great Depression in California, USA....
(1970) - The Bill Cosby ShowThe Bill Cosby ShowThe Bill Cosby Show is an American situation comedy that aired for two seasons on NBC's Sunday night schedule from 1969 until 1971, under the sponsorship of Procter & Gamble. There were 52 episodes made in the series. It marked Cosby's first solo foray in television, after his co-starring role with...
(1970) - The Bold Ones: The SenatorThe Bold Ones: The SenatorThe Bold Ones: The Senator is an American political television drama series that aired on NBC from 1970 through 1971, lasting for nine episodes . The series stars Hal Holbrook as Senator Hays Stowe.The Senator was part of The Bold Ones, a rotating series of dramas that also included The New...
(1970) - Medical CenterMedical Center (TV series)Medical Center is a medical drama series which aired on CBS from 1969 to 1976.-Synopsis:The show starred James Daly as Dr. Paul Lochner and Chad Everett as Dr. Joe Gannon, surgeons working in an otherwise unnamed university hospital in Los Angeles. The show focused both on the lives of the doctors...
(1970) - The Name of the GameThe Name of the Game (TV series)The Name of the Game is an American television series starring Tony Franciosa, Gene Barry, and Robert Stack that ran from 1968 to 1971 on NBC, totaling 76 episodes of 90 minutes. It was a pioneering wheel series, setting the stage for the likes of The Bold Ones and the NBC Mystery Movie in the 1970s...
(1970) - Brother John (1971)
- Sam Hill: Who Killed Mr. Foster? (1971)
- The Bold Ones: The LawyersThe Bold Ones: The LawyersThe Bold Ones: The Lawyers is an American legal drama that aired for three season on NBC from December 1968 through February 1972.-Synopsis:...
(1971) - O'Hara, U.S. TreasuryO'Hara, U.S. TreasuryO'Hara, U.S. Treasury is an American television crime drama broadcast by CBS during the 1971-72 television season. Jack Webb's Mark VII Limited packaged the program for Universal Television. Webb and longtime colleague James E. Moser created the show; Leonard B. Kaufman was the...
( 1971) - Alias Smith and JonesAlias Smith and JonesAlias Smith and Jones is an American Western series that originally aired on ABC from 1971 to 1973. It stars Pete Duel as Hannibal Heyes and Ben Murphy as Jedediah "Kid" Curry, a pair of Western cousin outlaws trying to reform...
(1971) - Cade's CountyCade's CountyCade's County is a modern-day Western/crime drama which aired on CBS during the 1971–72 television season. There were 24 episodes.-Synopsis:...
(1971) - Love, American StyleLove, American StyleLove, American Style is an hour-long TV anthology produced by Paramount Television and originally aired between September 1969 and January 1974...
(1971) - The WaltonsThe WaltonsThe Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show centered on a family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot was a television...
(TV series) (1972 to 1978) - Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
- Napoleon and SamanthaNapoleon and SamanthaNapoleon and Samantha is a 1972 family/adventure/drama directed by Bernard McEveety and written by Stewart Raffill. Filmed in and around John Day, Oregon, it stars Michael Douglas, Jodie Foster, and Johnny Whitaker.-Plot:...
(1972) - The RowdymanThe RowdymanThe Rowdyman is a comedy film with moralistic overtones, set in Newfoundland. It was written by and starred Gordon Pinsent, a native Newfoundlander...
(1972) - The ScarecrowThe Scarecrow (play)The Scarecrow is a play written by Percy MacKaye in 1908, and first presented on Broadway in 1911. It is based on Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story, "Feathertop", but greatly expands upon the tale...
(1972) - The Sixth Sense (1972)
- BewitchedBewitchedBewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York and Dick Sargent , Agnes Moorehead, and David White. The show is about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban...
(1972) - Executive Action (1973)
- Isn't It Shocking? (1973)
- The Gift of Terror (Made for TV Film) (1973)
- Savage (1973)
- Harry O (1973)
- Brock's Last Case (1973)
- Columbo: A Stitch in Crime (1973)
- Doc Elliot (1973)
- Kung FuKung Fu (TV series)Kung Fu is an American television series that starred David Carradine. It was created by Ed Spielman, directed and produced by Jerry Thorpe, and developed by Herman Miller, who was also a writer for, and co-producer of, the series...
(1973) - Night GalleryNight GalleryNight Gallery is an American anthology series that aired on NBC from 1970 to 1973, featuring stories of horror and the macabre. Rod Serling, who had gained fame from an earlier series, The Twilight Zone, served both as the on-air host of Night Gallery and as a major contributor of scripts, although...
(1973) - Hurricane (1974)
- Memory of Us (1974)
- Silence (1974)
- Honky Tonk (1974)
- The Hanged ManThe Hanged Man (1974 film)The Hanged Man is a 1974 television film directed by Michael Caffey and starring Steve Forrest, Cameron Mitchell and Sharon Acker. It premiered on ABC on March 13, 1974, and was intended as a pilot for a possible new series which was never produced.-Plot:...
(1974) - The Night That Panicked AmericaThe Night That Panicked AmericaThe Night That Panicked America is an American made-for-television movie that was originally broadcast on the ABC network on October 31, 1975. The movie dramatizes events surrounding Orson Welles' famous - and infamous - War of the Worlds radio broadcast The Night That Panicked America is an...
(1975) - The Manchu Eagle Murder Caper Mystery (1975)
- Dear Dead Delilah (1975)
- Moving Violation (1976)
- Hollywood on TrialHollywood on TrialHollywood on Trial is a 1976 documentary film directed by David Helpern. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-Cast:* Walter Bernstein - Himself* Alvah Bessie - Himself* Lester Cole - Himself...
(1976) - Law and Order (1976)
- The Blue BirdThe Blue Bird (film)Maurice Maeterlinck's 1908 play The Blue Bird has been adapted numerous times for film and television:*The Blue Bird , a silent film starring Pauline Gilmer and Olive Walter...
(1976) - Starsky and HutchStarsky and HutchStarsky and Hutch is a 1970s American cop thriller television series that consisted of a 90-minute pilot movie and 92 episodes of 60 minutes each; created by William Blinn, produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, and broadcast between April 30, 1975 and May 15, 1979 on the ABC...
(1976) - The Billion Dollar HoboThe Billion Dollar HoboThe Billion Dollar Hobo is a 1977 American comedy film starring Tim Conway and Will Geer .-Plot:Conway is Vernon Praiseworthy, heir to a fortune from his late uncle, who faced poverty and misfortune during the Great Depression but managed to build up his riches despite these hardships...
(1977) - The Love BoatThe Love BoatThe Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24,1977, until May 24,1986.The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain...
(1977) - Eight Is EnoughEight Is EnoughEight Is Enough is an American television comedy-drama series which ran on ABC from March 15, 1977 until August 29, 1981. The show was modeled after syndicated newspaper columnist Thomas Braden, a real-life parent with eight children, who wrote a book with the same name...
(1977) - A Woman Called MosesA Woman Called MosesA Woman Called Moses is a television miniseries based on the life of Harriet Tubman, the escaped African American slave who helped to organize the Underground Railroad, and who led hundreds of African Americans from enslavement in the Southern United States to freedom in the Northern states and...
(1978) - Unknown Powers (1978)
- CBS: On the Air (1978)
- The Mafu Cage (1979)
Discography
- Folkways: The Original Vision (2005) Smithsonian FolkwaysSmithsonian FolkwaysSmithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was founded in 1987 after the family of Moses Asch, founder of Folkways...
- Ecology Won: Readings by Will Geer and Ellen Geer (1978) Folkways RecordsFolkways RecordsFolkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
- Woody's Story: As Told by Will Geer and Sung by Dick Wingfield (1976) Folkways RecordsFolkways RecordsFolkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
- American History in Ballad and Song, Vol.2 (1962) Folkways RecordsFolkways RecordsFolkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
- Mark Twain: Readings from the Stories and from "Huckleberry Finn" (1961) Folkways RecordsFolkways RecordsFolkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
- Hootenanny at Carnegie Hall (1960) Folkways RecordsFolkways RecordsFolkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
- Bound for Glory: Songs and Stories of Woody Guthrie (1956) Folkways RecordsFolkways RecordsFolkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
External links
- http://www.folkways.si.edu/searchresults.aspx?sPhrase=will%20geer&sType='phrase' Discography of Will Geer on Folkways