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Wheeler Oakman

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Wheeler Oakman
Oakman in The Spoilers (1914)
Born
Vivian Eichelberger

February 21, 1890
Washington, D.C., U.S.
DiedMarch 19, 1949(1949-03-19) (aged 59)
Van Nuys, California, U.S.
Resting placeValhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
OccupationActor
Spouse(s)Priscilla Dean (m.1920–div.1926)
Virginia Jennings (m.1927–div.1930?)
Frances Jones (m.1932–div.?)

Wheeler Oakman (born Vivian Eichelberger; February 21, 1890 – March 19, 1949) was an American film actor.[1][2]

Early years

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Oakman was born as Vivian Eichelberger[3] in Washington, D.C., and educated in that city's schools[1][4]—specifically Henry School and William McKinley Manual Training School[5]—after having spent the bulk of his childhood in Fairfax, Virginia.[6]

Career

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Doris May, Oakman and Jackie Coogan in Peck's Bad Boy (1921)

Before acting in films, Oakman was active in stock theater in the eastern United States.[7]

Oakman appeared in over 280 films between 1912 and 1948. In silent films, he was often a leading man. Among his leading ladies were Priscilla Dean,[7] Kathlyn Williams, Colleen Moore and Annette Kellerman. One of his features was Mickey, a 1918 comedy-drama, in which he played the love interest of Mabel Normand.

In 1928, he portrayed the crime boss in the first all-talking feature movie ever made, Lights of New York. One clip from this feature has often been revived in compilations, with gang boss Oakman speaking deliberately into a microphone disguised as a telephone: "Take... him for... a ride."[8]

Wheeler Oakman, usually wearing a dapper mustache, generally portrayed villains, gangsters, or henchmen, frequently appearing in crime thrillers, melodramas, and westerns. In 1932, he appeared alongside Buck Jones in Sundown Rider and John Wayne in Texas Cyclone.

He worked steadily throughout the 1930s, usually in low-budget westerns and serials, but he did work at the major studios in important feature films like Operator 13 (M-G-M, 1934) and G Men (Warner Bros., 1935).

In 1941 he accepted a leading role in J. D. Kendis's very-low-budget exploitation feature Escort Girl, opposite another silent-screen veteran, Betty Compson. Their performances were noted by Monogram Pictures, a prolific producer of budget features for neighborhood theaters, and the Kendis film extended their careers. Oakman in particular became a fixture at Monogram, working with Bela Lugosi, ZaSu Pitts, Harry Langdon, Gale Storm, Kay Francis, Shemp Howard, and The East Side Kids, among others.

Oakman became a favorite of Monogram producer Sam Katzman, and when Katzman moved to Columbia Pictures, Oakman followed him. Oakman, now in his late fifties, continued to work in Katzman's Columbia serials despite declining health -- in Jack Armstrong he was visibly frail, and was relieved of much of the action by last-minute replacement Charles Middleton.

Later years

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Just prior to his death, Oakman was the assistant manager of a North Hollywood theater.[7]

Personal life and death

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In 1920, Oakman married popular actress Priscilla Dean, his costar in Outside the Law (1920) and The Virgin of Stamboul (1920).[4] They were divorced in 1926. On September 22, 1927, he married Virginia Jennings in Los Angeles.[9] On December 27, 1932, he married Frances I. Jones in Las Vegas, Nevada.[10]

In 1949, at age 59, Oakman died in Van Nuys, California.[1]

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Wheeler Oakman". The New York Times. March 20, 1949.
  2. ^ "Seven Reels of Speech". The New York Times. July 9, 1928.
  3. ^ "Wheeler Oakman". B-Westerns. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Katchmer, George A. (September 22, 2009). A Biographical Dictionary of Silent Film Western Actors and Actresses. McFarland. p. 283. ISBN 978-0-7864-4693-3. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  5. ^ "School Year Closes; Promotions to High School; Second Division. The Evening Star. June 20, 1905. p. 12. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  6. ^ Spiller, L.P. (August 1915). "Wheeler Oakman, Youngest Leading Man". The Movie Magazine. 1 (6): 36. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  7. ^ a b c "Star of Silent Films Succumbs in Hollywood". The Joplin Globe. Associated Press. March 20, 1949. p. 9. Retrieved June 13, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Crafton, Donald (1997). The Talkies: American Cinema's Transition to Sound, 1926-1931. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. p. 117. ISBN 0-520-22128-1.
  9. ^ "California Marriage Records: Index to Marriages". Ancestry.com.
  10. ^ "Actor Oakman weds". New York Daily News. December 28, 1932. p. 8. Retrieved October 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
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