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Jeff Richards (actor, born 1924)

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Jeff Richards
Richards in Jefferson Drum, 1959
Born
Richard Mansfield Taylor

(1924-11-01)November 1, 1924
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
DiedJuly 28, 1989(1989-07-28) (aged 64)
San Bernardino, California, U.S.
Resting placeRiverside National Cemetery, Riverside, California
Occupations
  • Baseball player
  • actor
Years active1946–1949 (Baseball, shortstop)
1948–1966 (film and television)
Spouses
Shirley Sibre
​
​
(m. 1954; div. 1955)​
Vickie Taylor
​
​
(m. 1955; div. 1959)​

Jeff Richards (November 1, 1924 – July 28, 1989) was an American minor league baseball player[citation needed] with the Portland Beavers, who later became an actor. He was sometimes credited as Dick Taylor and Richard Taylor.

He is best known for his role as Benjamin Pontipee in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954). Following this performance, he tied with George Nader and Joe Adams for the Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer. Despite this, his acting career soon foundered.

Early life and career

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He was born Richard Mansfield Taylor in Portland, Oregon. Taylor joined the U.S. Navy during World War II and served until 1946. After, he played shortstop for the Portland Beavers for a year and then for the Salem Senators; however, his baseball career ended after he tore a ligament and was unable to play anymore.

Early Acting Career

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He then went to Hollywood to pursue a film career.[1] His first roles included uncredited bits at Warner Bros in The Big Punch (1948), Johnny Belinda (1948), Fighter Squadron (1948) and The Girl from Jones Beach (1949).

At 20th Century Studios, he had small roles in Mother Is a Freshman (1949), and Cheaper by the Dozen (1950). He went to Columbia to make Kill the Umpire (1950), cast as "Richard Taylor". He played a baseball player and publicity said he used to play for Salem in the Western League and that they had spent six weeks trying to cast the role.[2]

MGM

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He got a screen test at Metro-Goldwyn Mayer and the studio changed his name to Jeff Richards.

Richards had uncredited roles in The Strip (1951) with Mickey Rooney, The Tall Target (1951) with Dick Powell and Paula Raymond, and The People Against O'Hara (1951) with Spencer Tracy, and a bigger credited part in Angels in the Outfield (1951) as a baseball player.[3] He was being sought to play Frank Merriwell.[4]

Richards had small roles in Just This Once (1952) with Peter Lawford, The Sellout (1952) with Walter Pidgeon, Desperate Search (1952), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) with Kirk Douglas, Above and Beyond (1952) with Jane Greer, and Battle Circus (1953) with Humphrey Bogart.[5] He had a slightly bigger part in Code Two (1953) with Ralph Meeker.[6]

Career peak

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Richards had his first sizeable role, billed third as a ball player, in Big Leaguer (1954).[7] Seagulls Over Sorrento (1954) was another decent sized role. Then Richards was the third lead in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), after Howard Keel and Jane Powell. It was a big hit and established him as a film name. MGM started to build him up as a star.[8] Dore Schary, head of the studio, said the actor had "tremendous personal charm" and "looks like a great bet [to become a star], based on his reception til now."[9]

MGM announced him as star of O'Kelley's Eclipse but it was not made.[10] He was announced for Forbidden Planet but did not appear in the final film.[11] Bar Sinister with Roger Moore was announced but not made.[12]

Richards was one of Eleanor Parker's brothers in Many Rivers to Cross (1955) and was finally given a star part in the Western The Marauders (1955) playing a hero opposite Dan Duryea. He played the lead in the box-office flop It's a Dog's Life (1955) and had one of the male leads in the musical The Opposite Sex (1956) with June Allyson, Joan Collins, and Ann Sheridan.[13]

The Marauders, It's a Dog's Life and The Opposite Sex all lost money and MGM began to lose enthusiasm for Richards. He began working on TV, guest starring in "Man with a Choice" for The Web (1957) and "The Other Side of the Curtain" for Suspicion.[14]

Richards supported Glenn Ford in MGM's popular comedy Don't Go Near the Water (1957) but it was a relatively minor role. In April 1957 he secured his release from the studio.[15]

Post MGM

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Richards guest starred on The Millionaire, and Schlitz Playhouse, then co-starred with Mamie Van Doren in the Warner Bros rodeo drama Born Reckless (1958).

In 1958, on television, Richards played the title role in the NBC western television series Jefferson Drum (1958–59), the story of a crusading journalist, with Eugene Martin portraying his young son. The series was cancelled after twenty-six episodes aired over two seasons.

Jeff Richards with his bride Shirley Sibre (1954)

He also had the lead in Island of Lost Women (1959) made by Jaguar Productions. Richards signed a five-year contract with Jaguar to make two films a year[16] but made no further films for them.

He guest-starred in Behind Closed Doors, Alcoa Theatre, Adventures in Paradise, and Laramie and played the role in 1961 of Jubal Evans in the episode "Incident of His Brother's Keeper" of the CBS western Rawhide.

Richards' last lead role was in the underwater adventure The Secret of the Purple Reef (1960). His last role was in 1966 as Kallen in the film Waco.[17]

Personal life

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Richards married Shirley Sibre in 1954, but they were divorced the following year. He married Vickie Flaxman in 1955,[18] and they had one child (a son born in 1957[19]) before they divorced in 1959. She later married actor Van Williams.

Richards retired from acting and moved to San Bernardino County, where he lived in a trailer park and collected disability for the remainder of his life.[20]

Jeff Richards died on July 28, 1989, aged 64, from acute respiratory failure. He is buried at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California.[citation needed]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1948 The Big Punch Bit Role Uncredited
Johnny Belinda Floyd McQuiggen Uncredited
Fighter Squadron Captain (scenes deleted)
1949 Mother Is a Freshman Butch Uncredited
The Girl from Jones Beach Lifeguard Uncredited
1950 Cheaper by the Dozen Bit Role Uncredited
Kill the Umpire Bob Landon
1951 The Tall Target Philadelphia Police Officer Uncredited
The Strip G.I. Ward Patient Uncredited
The People Against O'Hara Wilson Uncredited
Angels in the Outfield Dave Rothberg
1952 Just This Once Denham's Clerk Uncredited
The Sellout Walter O. Hickby
Desperate Search Ed
The Bad and the Beautiful Studio Props Department Man Uncredited
Above and Beyond Thomas Ferebee
1953 Battle Circus Lieutenant
Code Two Harry Whenlon
Big Leaguer Adam Polachuk
1954 Crest of the Wave Seaman D. 'Butch' Clelland (USN)
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Benjamin
1955 Many Rivers to Cross Fremont Cherne
The Marauders Corey Everett
It's a Dog's Life Patch McGill
1956 Meet Me in Las Vegas Jeff Richards Uncredited
The Opposite Sex Buck Winston
1957 Don't Go Near the Water Lt. Ross Pendleton
1958 Born Reckless Kelly Cobb
1959 Island of Lost Women Mark Bradley
1960 The Secret of the Purple Reef Mark Christophe
1966 Waco Kallen (final film role)

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1961 Rawhide Jubal Evans S3:E21, "Incident of His Brother's Keeper"

References

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  1. ^ Hoffman, J. (January 29, 1956). "Former baseball players agree motion pictures beat baseball". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 166861992.
  2. ^ Schallert, E. (October 19, 1949). "'Blind spot' recruits broadway actors; gene lockhart in 'salesman'". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 166011281.
  3. ^ Schallert, E. (April 20, 1951). "Drama". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 166236693.
  4. ^ Schallert, E. (May 3, 1951). "Drama". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 166266596.
  5. ^ "STUDIO BRIEFS". Los Angeles Times. January 26, 1952. ProQuest 166314117.
  6. ^ Schallert, E. (August 21, 1952). "Nugent seeks diana lynn for stage, screen deal; jeff richards in 'code 2'". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 166396232.
  7. ^ Hopper, H. (January 15, 1953). "Richards will star in 'the big leaguer'". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 166423461.
  8. ^ "Hollywood is flat NEW FACES out looking for..." The World's News. No. 2786. New South Wales, Australia. May 14, 1955. p. 30. Retrieved December 1, 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ Schary, D. (January 9, 1955). "THEN IT'S UP TO THE PUBLIC". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 166745201.
  10. ^ Schallert, E. (February 3, 1954). "Drama". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 166573350.
  11. ^ Schallert, E. (July 21, 1954). "'Flying finns' proposed; maxwell, cooper roles named; metro into space". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 166668314.
  12. ^ Hopper, H. (February 12, 1955). "Comedy will costar ewell, joan caulfield". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 166713091.
  13. ^ Schallert, E. (January 23, 1956). "Drama". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 166921663.
  14. ^ Ames, W. (July 16, 1957). "Iron curtain to be backdrop for new hitchcock whodunit". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 167204238.
  15. ^ Schallert, E. (April 25, 1957). "Mexico deal attracts palance; jeff richards quits studio contract". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 167110618.
  16. ^ Scheuer, P. K. (November 22, 1957). "Jeff richards wins termer". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 167210427.
  17. ^ Martin, B. (December 27, 1965). "'Buffalo soldiers' acquired". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 155323779.
  18. ^ Hopper, H. (December 18, 1955). "MGM actor jeff richards weds teacher". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 166863058.
  19. ^ "New son of jeff richards in early debut". Los Angeles Times. April 11, 1957. ProQuest 167143924.
  20. ^ Clemens, Samuel. "Born Reckless: The Story of Jeff Richards", Western Clippings. September 2022.
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