Richard Emory

Richard Emory (born Emory Waldemar Johnson Jr., January 27, 1919 – February 15, 1994) was an American actor. He would achieve fame as an American B-movie actor of the 1950s and 1960s and would also play supporting roles in various television serials of the same period. He retired from movies and television in 1963.

Richard Emory
1953 Perils of the Wilderness movie poster
Born	Emory Waldemar Johnson Jr. January 27, 1919 Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
Died	February 15, 1994 (aged 75) Moab, Utah, U.S.
Other names	Dick Emory
Occupation	Film, television actor
Years active	1949–1963
Notable work	Perils of the Wilderness Gene Autry and the Mounties The Cisco Kid The Roy Rogers Show
Parent(s)	Ella Hall Emory Johnson
Relatives	Ellen Hall (sister)

Biography

Early life

Walter Emory Johnson Jr. was born in Santa Barbara, California. His mother was silent film actress Ella Hall and his father was actor-turned-director Emory Johnson. At the time of his birth, both parents were contract players for Universal.

By 1924, his parents' marriage was on the rocks, but they reconciled in late 1925. Tragedy struck in March 1926 when Emory's five-year-old brother, Alfred, was killed by a truck. The vehicle reportedly narrowly missed Emory.[1] After the reconciliation of Emory's parents, the couple decided to have one last child. Emory's sister, Diana Marie, was born on October 27, 1929.

After his parents' divorced in 1930, Emory and his two younger sisters went to live with their mother. Emory would be the first of the Johnson children to appear in a film. At age ten, he had an uncredited role in the 1930 film All Quiet on the Western Front. He would have another uncredited part in the 1941 production of I Wanted Wings.

Military

Emory registered for the draft on October 16, 1940, as Emory Waldemar Johnson. His military record indicates that he was 21 years of age, 6 feet tall, weighed 162 pounds, had blue eyes and blond hair and lived in North Hollywood. He enlisted in the Marine Corps on November 7, 1940 and served until he was discharged on September 12, 1945. [2]

Career

After World War II, Emory worked as a wholesale florist, but quit after 18 months and began studying at the Gilliard's Playhouse. He remained there for two years.

His first credited film role was in South of Death Valley which was released in 1949. Bandit King of Texas was released several days later. Around the time he left dramatic school, his rugged good looks got him employment as an advertising model. He used modeling to supplement his income for eighteen years because of the unsteady pay generated from movie parts.

Emory acted in a variety of movie genres that included adventure, comedy, science fiction, Westerns and musicals. A full third of his artistic output was in the Western genre. These films included Code of the Silver Sage, Gene Autry and the Mounties, Little Big Horn, Hellgate and Perils of the Wilderness.On television, a third of his output was westerns, including roles in The Cisco Kid, The Roy Rogers Show, Bat Masterson, The Gene Autry Show and The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin. He ended his acting career at the age of 44 with a role as an intern in the television series Perry Mason. The episode aired on May 9, 1963.[3]

Post career

Emory spent many years living in North Hollywood, California. He was married there in January 1952. After he retired from movies and television, he sold insurance and real estate until, in 1966, he attended began work as a landscaper and gardener. He worked at his new job for ten years. In 1976, Emory retired again, at the age of 57d. In 1980, he and his wife moved to Jemez Springs, New Mexico where Emory was once again able to pursue his passion in life – growing things. Ten years later, Emory and his wife moved to Moab, Utah.[4] The move may explain why Emory is listed in the "Brief Biographies of Church of the Latter Day Saints and/or Utah Film Personalities" website. The listing is based on being a Film Personality residing in Utah, not as being a member of the LDS church.

Death

Emory died of a stroke on February 15, 1994, in Moab, Utah, at the age of 75. Unlike his parents and two siblings, he chose not to be interred with the rest of the family at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in California. Emory had a non-cemetery burial in Utah.[5]

Filmography

Film

Title	Year	Role	Genre	Notes
All Quiet on the Western Front	1930	Little Boy	War	Uncredited
I Wanted Wings	1941	Sergeant	War	Uncredited
South of Death Valley	1949	Tommy Tavish	Western
Bandit King of Texas	1949	Jim Baldwin	Western
Code of the Silver Sage	1950	Lt. John Case	Western
Destination Murder	1950	Police Sgt. Mulcahy	Yes	Crime
Brooklyn Buckaroos	1950	Blackjack Dawson	Comedy	Short
Korea Patrol	1951	Lt. Craig	War
Gene Autry and the Mounties	1951	Constable Terry Dillon	Western
Fingerprints Don't Lie	1951	Paul Moody	Crime
Mask of the Dragon	1951	Army Lt. Daniel Oliver	War
Little Big Horn	1951	Pvt. Mitch Shovels	Western
FBI Girl	1951	Electron Man	Film Noir	Uncredited
Lawless Cowboys	1951	Jeff – Henchman	Western	Uncredited
Captive of Billy the Kid	1952	Henchman Sam	Western	Uncredited
Sailor Beware	1952	Petty Officer	Comedy	Uncredited
Singin' in the Rain	1952	Phil	Musical	Uncredited
Red Snow	1952	Lt. Stone	Adventure
Hellgate	1952	Dan Mott	Western
Battle Zone	1952	Lt. Mike Orlin	War
Flat Top	1952	Intelligence Officer	War	Uncredited
Wyoming Roundup	1952	Jack Craven	Western
Count the Hours	1953	Reporter	Film Noir	Uncredited
The Last Time I Saw Paris	1954	American Officer	Romantic Drama	Uncredited
The Glass Slipper	1955	Young Man	Musical	Uncredited
Seven Angry Men	1955	Stevens	Historical	Uncredited
The Crooked Web	1955	Doc Mason	Film Noir	Uncredited
Perils of the Wilderness	1956	Sergeant Gray	Western
Beginning of the End	1957	Lieutenant	Science Fiction
Man of a Thousand Faces	1957	Assistant Director in Bullpen	Drama	Uncredited
My Man Godfrey	1957	Minor Role	Comedy	Uncredited
The Sergeant Was a Lady	1961	Maj. Zilker	Comedy

Television

Title	Year	Role	Genre	Notes
The Cisco Kid	1950–1951	Terry Ryan	Western	3 episodes
The Roy Rogers Show	1952	Sloan / Deputy Cliff	Western	2 episodes
The Unexpected	1952		Mystery	Episode: "The Numbers Game"
Death Valley Days	1952–1953	Sheriff Martin Bisbee / The Death Valley Kid	Western	2 episodes
The Gene Autry Show	1953	Jeff Carter	Western	2 episodes
The Range Rider	1953	Lieutenant Stone	Western	Episode: "Outlaw Territory"
I Led 3 Lives	1954	Blaisdall	Drama	Episode: "The Kid"
The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin	1954–1955	Lt. Sharp / Lt. Matthew Sharp	Western	3 episodes
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color	1955	Rocket Ship Crew	Science Fiction	Episode: "Man and the Moon"
Private Secretary	1956	Young Playwright	Comedy	Episode: "Passing the Buck"
Ethel Barrymore Theatre	1956		Drama	Episode: "Justice for All"
Sergeant Preston of the Yukon	1957	Constable Drake	Drama	Episode: "The Black Ace"
Circus Boy	1957	John Ashcroft	Adventure	Episode: "Corky's Big Parade"
Adventures of Superman	1957	Fire Marshal	Adventure	Episode: "Money to Burn"
Highway Patrol	1957	Harvey Grant / Dr. Elliott	Crime	2 episodes
The West Point Story	1957		Drama	2 episodes
Harbor Command	1958	Lt. Jay	Crime	Episode: "Rendezvous at Sea"
Tombstone Territory	1958	Howie Dickerson	Western	Episode: "Fight for a Fugitive"
Target	1958		Drama	Episode: "Taps for the General"
Rescue 8	1958	Deputy Sheriff #1	Adventure	Episode: "Subterranean City"
Dragnet	1958		Crime	Episode: "The Big Border"
The Rough Riders	1959	Major Steve Johnston	Western	Episode: "An Eye for an Eye"
Bat Masterson	1959	William Roberts	Western	Episode: "Marked Deck"
World of Giants	1959		science fiction	Episode: "Teeth of the Watchdog"
Laramie	1959	Lieutenant Ives	Western	Episode: "The Pass"
Men into Space	1960	Dr. Parker	science fiction	Episode: "Moon Trap"
King of Diamonds	1962	Wally Smith	Adventure	Episode: "A Diamond for Mister Smith"
Perry Mason	1963	Interne	Drama	Episode: "The Case of the Potted Planter", (final appearance)

References

1. "Truckman is Held in Death of Child". Los Angeles Times. March 28, 1926. p. 122 – via Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
2. "U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850–2010". Ancestry.com.
3. "The Case of the Potted Planter".
4. Tom and Jim Goldrup (August 22, 2012). The Encyclopedia of Feature Players of Hollywood, Volume 1. BearManor Media. pp. 592–. GGKEY:PY57872CSAN.
5. "Richard Emory; Acted in Movie, TV Westerns". Los Angeles Times. March 5, 1994.

External links

• Richard Emory at IMDb
• Richard Emory at AllMovie
• Richard Emory at the TCM Movie Database
• "Richard Emory". Actor. Find a Grave. April 26, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
• http://www.ldsfilm.com/bio/bioE.html