Bob Bailey
Bailey in 1937
Born
Robert Bainter Bailey

(1913-06-13)June 13, 1913
Toledo
DiedAugust 13, 1983(1983-08-13) (aged 70)
Lancaster, California, U.S.
Resting placeChapel of the Pines Crematory
Occupation(s)Radio and film actor
Years active1928–1964
SpouseGlorianna Royston (1936–?)

Bob Bailey (born Robert Bainter Bailey; June 13, 1913 – August 13, 1983) was an American actor who performed mostly on radio but also appeared in films.

Early years

Bailey was born in Toledo. His parents were actor Edwin B. Bailey and actress Grace Lockwood Bailey, both of whom performed in early 1900s stock theater. He made his first appearance on stage with his mother when he was 10 days old. He took his middle name from actress Fay Bainter, who was his godmother. He began performing in his parents' stock company when he was 4 years old and continued to work there until he was 15.[1]

Career

At age 15, Bailey worked in a wild-west carnival as both a barker and an actor. He went on to work at other places as an usher, a waiter, and a guide at an automobile exhibit, among other jobs.[1]

Bailey first worked in radio in Chicago. His mother had left the stage for the newer medium, and she helped him find work on soap operas. He moved to St. Louis when he was offered a job at radio station KWK, but he resumed acting when an executive at KWK made him the head of the station's stock company.[1]

In 1936, Bailey went back to Chicago to get married and to perform with the Chicago Theater of the Air. He remained in Chicago until he had to go to the West Coast for some programs in 1942.[1]

One of Bailey's earliest roles on radio was that of the title character in the comedy serial Mortimer Gooch (1936–37) on CBS.[2]: 366  In the early 1940s Bailey was regularly featured on network radio programs originating from Chicago. He played the boyfriend of the title character's sister in That Brewster Boy[3] and the father of the title character in Meet Corliss Archer.[4] He played Bob Jones in Kitty Keene, Inc..[2]

He was signed in 1943 by 20th Century-Fox and appeared in seven feature films; the first two (in which he was most prominent) starred Laurel and Hardy.[5] After the studio failed to renew Bailey's one-year contract, he returned to radio.

Starting in 1946, Bailey starred as freelance detective George Valentine in the radio drama Let George Do It,[6] but he is best remembered as the title character in the long-running radio series Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. The program ran from 1949 to 1962 (it and Suspense were the last CBS radio drama series on the air until the CBS Radio Mystery Theater began in 1974) and featured the exploits of "America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator"; Bailey starred as Johnny from 1955 to 1960[7] and wrote the script for the December 22, 1957 episode "The Carmen Kringle Matter" using the pen name "Robert Bainter".[8]

Along with co-writer Hugh King, Bailey wrote the story, "The Big Rainbow" that became the film, "Underwater!," nine episodes of Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans, as well as an episode of the Ford Television Theatre, "The Legal Beagles.". In addition, without King, he wrote two episodes of the 1950s Western TV series, Fury.

With CBS devoting more money to television and wanting to reduce costs, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar relocated to New York in 1960 and Bailey, unwilling to relocate, was dismissed. Having performed in almost 500 episodes, he had made the role his own. With the end of his involvement, the show wound down over the following two years (with two different actors) before being taken off the air in 1962.

Bailey made a handful of television guest appearances from 1961-63.

Near the end of the 1962 film Birdman of Alcatraz, he can be seen as one of the reporters gathered around Burt Lancaster and Edmond O'Brien. Bailey's role was only a bit, and most of his dialogue was dubbed by another actor.[9]

His last film was an uncredited role in the Disney Film, The Tiger Walks.

Personal life

In 1936, Bailey married Glorianna Royston, a model.[1]

Last years and death

Bailey died in Lancaster, California, aged 70, on August 13, 1983.[10]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1943JitterbugsChester Wright
1943The Dancing MastersGrant Lawrence
1944TampicoSecond Mate Watson
1944The Eve of St. MarkCorporal Tate
1944Ladies of WashingtonDr. Stephen Craig
1944Wing And A PrayerEnsign Paducah Holloway
1944Sunday Dinner For A SoldierKenneth Normand
1953No EscapeDetective Bob
1955Not as a StrangerCharlie – Patient in Recovery WardUncredited
1958The Line UpStaples
1962Birdman of AlcatrazReporter on DockUncredited
1964A Tiger WalksFirst Reporter at Hotel DeskUncredited

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Niemeyer, Harry (October 22, 1944). "Lost His Job as Movie Usher". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, MO. p. 58. Retrieved April 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924–1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 190. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
  3. ↑ "President Will Speak On Labor Day Broadcast". The Fresno Bee The Republican. August 31, 1941. p. 10. Retrieved March 28, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ↑ "She's In Again". The Mason City Globe-Gazette. January 28, 1943. p. 2. Retrieved March 28, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ↑ MacGillivray, Scott, Laurel & Hardy from the Forties Forward (Second Edition), iUniverse, 2009.
  6. ↑ Dunning, J.: "Tune in Yesterday", Prentice-Hall, 1976
  7. ↑ Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 741–743. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Johnny Dollar".
  9. ↑ http://www.humealumni.org/ytjd/rbb.html
  10. ↑ "Radio Actor". The Lancaster New Era. August 20, 1983. p. 23. Retrieved February 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
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