Craig Stevens (actor)
Craig Stevens | |
---|---|
Born | Gail Shikles Jr. July 8, 1918 Liberty, Missouri, U.S. |
Died | May 10, 2000 (aged 81) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Alma mater | University of Kansas |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1939–1988 |
Spouse |
Craig Stevens (born Gail Shikles Jr.; July 8, 1918[citation needed] – May 10, 2000) was an American film and television actor, best known for his starring role on television as private detective Peter Gunn from 1958 to 1961.
Early life
Stevens was born in Liberty, Missouri, to Marie and Gail Shikles.[1] His father was a high school teacher in Liberty and later an elementary school principal in Kansas City, Missouri.[1][2] He studied dentistry at the University of Kansas.[3]
Later, in the early 1940s, he also majored in theatre at the University of Kansas at Lawrence.[4]
Acting career
Early roles
Acting with the university's drama club prompted him to halt his studies to audition in
He could be glimpsed in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939); Alice in Movieland (1940), a short at Warner Bros; Those Were the Days! (1940); Argentine Nights (1940); Lady with Red Hair (1940) at Warner Bros; and I Wanted Wings (1941), at Paramount.
WWII service
During World War II he served in the United States Army Air Corps' First Motion Picture Unit based in Culver City, California acting in propaganda and training films. That unit came to be known as "The Culver City Commandos".[5]
Warner Bros
Stevens signed a contract with Warner Bros. They put him in Affectionately Yours (1941), then in Dive Bomber (1941); the latter starred his future wife Alexis Smith, although they shared no scenes in the film.[6]
Stevens had a support role in Law of the Tropics (1941) and the lead in a short, At the Stroke of Twelve (1941). He was in The Body Disappears (1941) and was third billed in Steel Against the Sky (1941), with Smith top billed.[7]
Stevens's first lead in a feature was Spy Ship (1942), a B movie. He followed it with leads in two other "B"s, Secret Enemies (1942), and The Hidden Hand (1942). He and Alexis Smith married on June 18, 1944.[8]
He appeared in films like Three Cadets (1943), Learn and Live (1944), and Resisting Enemy Interrogation (1944). He also appeared in the training film How to Fly the B-26 Airplane (1944).
Stevens had a small role in Since You Went Away (1944) for David O. Selznick and The Doughgirls (1944) for Warners. He played himself in Warners' Hollywood Canteen (1944) and had the lead in Plantation Melodies (1945) playing Stephen Foster.
Stevens had support roles in Too Young to Know (1945), God Is My Co-Pilot (1945), Humoresque (1946), The Man I Love (1946), That Way with Women (1947), Love and Learn (1947), Night Unto Night (1948), and The Lady Takes a Sailor (1949).
Post-Warners
Stevens appeared on an episode of The Lone Ranger, (episode #35 in 1950 entitled "Bullets for Ballots"), then had support parts in Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950), Blues Busters (1950), Katie Did It (1951) and The Lady from Texas (1951).
Stevens guested on shows like Stars Over Hollywood, The Bigelow Theatre and Hollywood Opening Night as well as appearing in films like Drums in the Deep South (1951) and Phone Call from a Stranger (1951).
Increasingly, Stevens focused on television, appearing in The Unexpected, Gruen Guild Theater, Fireside Theatre, and Chevron Theatre.
Stevens had a lead role in the low budget Murder Without Tears (1953) and was the romantic male lead in Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953). He had supporting roles in The French Line (1953) and Duel on the Mississippi (1955).
Stevens was in
On October 29, 1954, Stevens guest-starred on The Ray Bolger Show (1953-1955), an ABC sitcom with a variety show theme.[9]
In 1956, Stevens and Smith toured the country in a musical Plain and Fancy.[10] They later appeared in King of Hearts.[11]
Stevens had the lead in the sci-fi classic The Deadly Mantis (1957) and was second billed in Buchanan Rides Alone (1958).
Peter Gunn
In 1958, after 19 years working in films, Stevens gained national prominence for his starring role in the
On May 7, 1959, Stevens was a guest star on the NBC variety series The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford. He and Tennessee Ernie Ford did a comedy skit based on Peter Gunn.[15] He sang on The Dinah Shore Chevy Show with Dinah Shore.[16]
During the run of Peter Gunn, Stevens guest starred on Special Agent 7, The Dinah Shore Chevy Show, and The Chevy Show. He shot a pilot called The Mighty O that was not picked up in 1961.
After the show ended he and Smith toured in a 13-week run of Critic's Choice from 1961 to 1962.[11]
Man of the World and Mr Broadway
After Peter Gunn ended, Stevens was called on by Sir
During 1963–64, he appeared in the Broadway musical Here's Love, which ran for 334 performances.[18]
In 1964, Stevens followed this series with Mr. Broadway, the 13-week CBS drama in which he starred as Mike Bell.[19]
In 1965, he and Smith toured on stage once more in a production of Mary, Mary.[11]
Stevens and Blake Edwards brought Peter Gunn to the big screen in 1967 with the feature film Gunn. Though it was advertised as "Gunn-Number One", there were no sequels.
TV guest star
Stevens shot an unsold pilot The Best Years, and guest starred on several television series including
He later starred as
The Invisible Man and later career
Stevens co-starred with David McCallum in The Invisible Man for a single season on NBC during 1975–1976.
After the series ended, he guest starred on .
Stevens reunited with director
Stevens's final acting appearance was in the TV movie Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Holiday Affair (1988)
Personal life
On June 18, 1944, Stevens married actress Alexis Smith at the Church of the Recessional, Forest Lawn.[20] They were married for 49 years,[21] until her death in 1993. They had no children.[6]
Stevens died of
Legacy
The year after Stevens's death, funds were granted by his estate to the University of Kansas to endow the Alexis and Craig Stevens Performing Arts Scholarship in the school's theatre department. The scholarship provides financial aid to undergraduate and graduate students studying theatre.[4]
His physical features and performance in the TV series Peter Gunn were the inspiration for the Dutch comics character Agent 327 by Martin Lodewijk.[23]
Partial filmography
- Coast Guard (1939) - Sailor (uncredited)
- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) - Senate Reporter (uncredited)
- Those Were the Days! (1940) - Second Passenger (uncredited)
- Argentine Nights (1940) - Gaucho (uncredited)
- Lady with Red Hair (1940) - Bit Role (uncredited)
- I Wanted Wings (1941) - Corporal (uncredited)
- Affectionately Yours (1941, unbilled) - Airline Official Talking to Ricky in Ambulance (uncredited)
- Dive Bomber (1941) - John Thomas Anthony
- Law of the Tropics (1941) - Alfred King, Jr.
- The Body Disappears (1941) - Robert Struck
- Steel Against the Sky (1941) - Chuck Evans
- Spy Ship (1942) - Ward Prescott
- Secret Enemies (1942) - Carl Edward Becker
- The Hidden Hand (1942) - Peter Thorne
- Learn and Live (1943) - Bob (uncredited)
- Since You Went Away (1944) - Danny Williams
- Resisting Enemy Interrogation (1944) - B-26 Pilot (uncredited)
- The Doughgirls (1944) - Craig Stevens
- Hollywood Canteen (1944) - Craig Stevens
- Roughly Speaking (1945) - Jack Leslie (uncredited)
- God Is My Co-Pilot (1945) - Ed Rector
- Too Young to Know (1945) - Major Bruce
- Humoresque (1946) - Monte Loeffler
- The Man I Love (1947) - Bandleader
- That Way with Women (1947) - Carter Andrews
- Love and Learn (1947) - Willard Deckerr
- Night Unto Night (1949) - Tony Maddox
- The Lady Takes a Sailor (1949) - Danvers (uncredited)
- Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950) - Ken Paine
- Blues Busters (1950) - Rick Martin
- Katie Did It (1951) - Stuart Grumby
- The Lady from Texas (1951) - Cyril Guthrie
- Drums in the Deep South (1951) - Colonel Braxton Summers
- Phone Call from a Stranger (1952) - Mike Carr
- Murder Without Tears (1953) - Detective Sergeant Steve O'Malley
- Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953) - Bruce Adams
- The French Line (1953) - Phil Barton
- Duel on the Mississippi (1955) - René LaFarge
- From the Desk of Margaret Tyding (1956)
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1957) (Season 3 Episode 11: "The Deadly") - Lewis Brenner
- The Deadly Mantis (1957) - Colonel Joe Parkman
- Buchanan Rides Alone (1958) - Abe Carbo
- Gunn (1967) - Peter Gunn
- The Limbo Line (1968) - Richard Manston
- The Elevator(1974) - Dr. Stuart Reynolds
- Killer Bees (1974) - Rudolf van Bohlen
- S.O.B. (1981) - Willard
- The Trout (1982) - Carter
References
Notes
- ^ a b "Fourteenth Census of United States: 1920", Liberty Township, Clay County, Missouri, enumeration date January 3, 1920. FamilySearch; retrieved October 11, 2017.
- ^ "Movie Stars Leave For Honeymoon", Sarasota Herald-Tribune, June 19, 1944.
- ^ "Craig Stevens; Actor's 'Peter Gunn' Helped Create New Television Genre". Los Angeles Times. May 12, 2000. p. 61. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ^ a b "Alexis and Craig Stevens Performing Arts Scholarship", Department of Theatre, website of The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas; retrieved October 12, 2017.
- ^ "Craig Stevens - Reviews", h-net.org; accessed July 2, 2017.
- ^ a b c "Craig Stevens, the Suave Star Of 'Peter Gunn,' Dies at 81", obituary, The New York Times, May 13, 2000; retrieved October 11, 2017.
- ^ Craig Stevens: American actor played TV's Peter Gunn: [Final Edition] Times of London. Calgary Herald 20 May 2000: OS5.
- ^ Alexis Smith, Actress, Craig Stevens, to Marry, The Washington Post 24 Aug 1942: 5.
- ^ "Where's Raymond?" Archived 2011-07-06 at the Wayback Machine, ctva.biz; retrieved March 14, 2011.
- ^ Stevens Top Gunn Los Angeles Times09 Nov 1958: G2.
- ^ a b c Teamwork Sets the Stage for Partnership, By Elizabeth Shelton, Washington Post Staff Writer. The Washington Post and Times-Herald 25 Aug 1965: E3.
- ISBN 9780275988074. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
- ISBN 9780786415335. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
- ^ HE MET HER AT...: Peter Gunn Digs a Canary--That 'Way Out' Lola Albright Chicago Daily Tribune 27 Dec 1958: b7.
- ^ "The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford". ernieford.com. May 7, 1959. Archived from the original on January 6, 2011. Retrieved November 25, 2010.
- ^ "The Dinah Shore Chevy Show, Season 3, Episode 20". tv.com. February 15, 1959. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
- ^ Looking at Hollywood: Craig Stevens Leaves for British TV Series Hopper, Hedda. Chicago Daily Tribune23 Dec 1961: 13.
- ^ "Here's Love – Broadway Musical – Original | IBDB".
- ^ A Double Header for Craig Stevens Smith, Cecil. Los Angeles Times 9 Sep 1964: F8.
- ^ "Alexis Smith Wed to Actor", The New York Times, June 19, 1944.
- ^ Maltin 1994, p. 824.
- ^ "Craig Stevens; Actor's 'Peter Gunn' Helped Create New Television Genre", obituary, Los Angeles Times, May 12, 2000; retrieved October 11, 2017.
- ^ "Martin Lodewijk". lambiek.net.
Bibliography
- Maltin, Leonard (1994). "Alexis Smith". Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia, New York: Dutton, 1994. ISBN 0-525-93635-1.
External links
- Craig Stevens at IMDb
- Craig Stevens at the Internet Broadway Database