Van Des Autels

Richard Van Tassel Des Autels

The only child of James A. Des Autels and Phoebe Van Tassel,[7]^[8] he was born in Paragould, Arkansas. The family later relocated to Portsmouth, Virginia and, in 1923, to El Paso, Texas.^[7] Attending El Paso High School, Des Autels excelled at track and field and well as theatre,^[9] his creative output including a chalk talk staged during his freshman year,^[10] and, two years later, the libretto for a two-act comic opera entitled Brutuspanto, in which he also costarred with, among others, Harry Hickox.^[11][12]

Following his graduation, Des Autels worked as program director at KTSA in San Antonio,^[13] and later at KTSM in El Paso.^[14]

In 1941, along with

In 1947, Frank Graham and Des Autels co-hosted a well-received listener-participation giveaway show entitled Three Alarm.^[17]

In 1948, Des Autels collaborated with producer-director Jerry Fairbanks, providing narration for NBC's Television Close-Ups, a series of 26 five-minute mini-documentaries, dealing primarily with historical subjects.^[18]

From 1949 to 1950, Des Autels teamed with producer-director Les Mitchel and composer Del Castillo, serving as announcer—aka "Van, the Skippy Man"—on the dramatic anthology series Skippy Hollywood Theatre.^[19][20] He was also the featured actor on the 2/13/49 episode, entitled "Double Talk".^[21]

From 1961 through 1967, Des Autels was the news anchor at

Des Autels was married at least twice; to Patricia Lucille Burnett from 1931 until at least 1938,[24]^[25] and, from October 1943 until his death, to Betty Jane McPherson (née Sheffer).^[26][1]

On September 2, 1968, three days after being admitted to the U.S. Veterans Hospital in

• Twentieth Century Vikings (short subject, 1947), as himself^[28]
• Willie and Joe Back at the Front (1952), as Lieutenant colonel^[29]
• Bloodhounds of Broadway (1952), as Upstate senator^[29]
• How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), as Best man^[29]
• The Robe (1953), as Chamberlain^[29]
• The Crooked Web (1955), as Tom Jackson^[29]

Television

• The Lone Ranger (1953), episode "The Devil's Bog" – Grant Huston (as Van Desautels)^[30]
• Combat Sergeant (1956), 7/26/56 episode "Destined for Death" - President of the Court^[31]

References