John Archer

Actor

About

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Also Known As

Ralph Bowman

Birth Place

Osceola, Nebraska, USA

Born

May 08, 1915

Died

December 05, 1999

Cause of Death

Lung Cancer

Biography

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John Archer--father of actress Anne Archer--is best known as the radio announcer for the weekly crime series "The Shadow," sinisterly intoning before every episode, "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows." He was already a radio veteran by the time he worked on "The Shadow" in the mid-1940s, switching regularly between that medium and movies, but fans of Povert...

Filmography

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Amelia Earhart (1976)

Thursday's Game (1974)

How to Frame a Figg (1971)

I Saw What You Did (1965)

Apache Rifles (1964)

Blue Hawaii (1961)

Photos & Videos

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White Heat - (Original Trailer)

Colorado Territory (1949) -- (Movie Clip) Details Of Execution

Family & Companions

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Marjorie Lord

Wife

Actor. Divorced.

Ann Archer

Wife

Survived him.

Biography

John Archer--father of actress Anne Archer--is best known as the radio announcer for the weekly crime series "The Shadow," sinisterly intoning before every episode, "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows." He was already a radio veteran by the time he worked on "The Shadow" in the mid-1940s, switching regularly between that medium and movies, but fans of Poverty Row B movies will also remember him from his starring roles in the cheapie Monogram pictures "King of the Zombies" and "Bowery at Midnight," the latter co-starring Bela Lugosi and Tom Neal. When not acting in B movies, he landed smaller supporting roles in major studio productions like the war drama "Guadalcanal Diary" and the gangster picture "White Heat." In 1950, he starred in one of the first real Hollywood science fiction movies, "Destination Moon," co-scripted by novelist Robert A. Heinlein." The movie, which at the time featured groundbreaking special effects in an effort to show what a moon landing would actually be like, won an Academy Award for visual effects and remains a historic milestone for the genre. Archer died in 1999 of lung cancer.

Filmography

Cast (Feature Film)

Amelia Earhart (1976)

Thursday's Game (1974)

How to Frame a Figg (1971)

I Saw What You Did (1965)

Apache Rifles (1964)

Blue Hawaii (1961)

City of Fear (1959)

Lt. Mark Richards

She Devil (1957)

Decision at Sundown (1957)

Affair in Reno (1957)

Ten Thousand Bedrooms (1957)

Rock Around the Clock (1956)

Emergency Hospital (1956)

No Man's Woman (1955)

Dragon's Gold (1953)

The Stars Are Singing (1953)

Sound Off (1952)

Maj. Paul Whiteside

The Big Trees (1952)

Frenchy LeCroix

Sea Tiger (1952)

Capt. Benjamin McGrun

A Yank in Indo-China (1952)

Santa Fe (1951)

Best of the Badmen (1951)

My Favorite Spy (1951)

The Great Jewel Robber (1950)

Destination Moon (1950)

High Lonesome (1950)

White Heat (1949)

Colorado Territory (1949)

The Lost Moment (1947)

Charles Russell

Roger Touhy, Gangster (1944)

F.B.I. agent Kerrigan

The Eve of St. Mark (1944)

Crash Dive (1943)

Guadalcanal Diary (1943)

Hello Frisco, Hello (1943)

Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943)

Lt. Peter Merriam

Shantytown (1943)

The Purple V (1943)

Scattergood Survives a Murder (1942)

Bowery at Midnight (1942)

Richard Dennison

Hi, Neighbor (1942)

Police Bullets (1942)

Professor J. Thomas Quincy

Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch (1942)

Dr. Robert Redmond

Scattergood Baines (1941)

Mountain Moonlight (1941)

City of Missing Girls (1941)

Paper Bullets (1941)

King of the Zombies (1941)

The People vs. Dr. Kildare (1941)

Cheers for Miss Bishop (1941)

Curtain Call (1940)

Barnyard Follies (1940)

Overland Stage Raiders (1938)

Spring Madness (1938)

Dartmouth college boy

Producer (Feature Film)

Steadying the Boat (1996)

Mairi Mhor: Her Life And Songs (1994)

Executive Producer

Kyoto, My Mother's Place (1991)

Executive Producer

Cast (Short)

SUCKER LIST (1941)

Life Events

1938

Film acting debut

Videos

Colorado Territory (1949) -- (Movie Clip) Details Of Execution As instructed by his ex-boss who had him busted out of jail, McQueen (Joel McCrea) arrives at the hideout where the next job is being planned, Colorado (Virginia Mayo) the unexpected companion of Harris (James Mitchell) and Blake (John Archer), in Raoul Walsh’s Colorado Territory , 1949.

Destination Moon (1950) -- (Movie Clip) Only American Industry Ending the Walter Lantz-Woody Woodpecker cartoon they've cleverly had made to support their case for a privately-funded moon mission, industrialist Barnes (John Archer) lets General Thayer (Tom Powers) bring home the point to a gathering of investors, in George Pal's Destination Moon, 1950.

Destination Moon (1950) -- (Movie Clip) Weightless In Free Orbit In a well conceived sequence from Robert Heinlein's novel, Barnes, Cargraves, General Thayer and wiseguy Joe (John Archer, Warner Anderson, Tom Powers, Dick Wesson) feel some serious G's in the launch of the first manned moon mission, in producer George Pal's ground-breaking Destination Moon, 1950.

Big Trees, The (1952) -- (Movie Clip) They Want Their Money Wisconsin circa 1900, crafty lumber operator Fallon (Kirk Douglas), placating landowner Murdock (Duke Watson) with help from his girlfriend (Patrice Wymore), convinces his angry crew, and bystander Yukon (Edgar Buchanan), to come west with him, early in The Big Trees, 1952.

I Saw What You Did -- (Movie Clip) Shaking Like a Leaf! Spectacular detail in the radio newscast as Kit (Sarah Lane) gets nervous while Dad (John Archer) puzzles, after a night of mischief on the phone in William Castle's I Saw What You Did, 1965.

Decision at Sundown -- (Movie Clip) We Ain't Interested Skeptical Dr. Storrow (John Archer) and merchant Abe (Guy Wilkerson) receive out-of-towners Bart Allison (Randolph Scott) and Sam (Noah Beery) in Budd Boetticher's Western Decision at Sundown, 1957.

White Heat - (Original Trailer) A government agent infiltrates a gang run by a mother-fixated psychotic in White Heat (1949) starring James Cagney and Edmond O'Brien.

Blue Hawaii - (Original Trailer) A playboy (Elvis Presley) returns from the Army to the shores of Blue Hawaii (1961). Co-starring Angela Lansbury.

Family

Anne Archer

Daughter

Actor.

Gregg Archer

Son

John Archer

Son

Lisa Archer

Daughter

Companions

Marjorie Lord

Wife

Actor. Divorced.

Ann Archer

Wife

Survived him.

Bibliography

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