Tim Holt | |
|---|---|
 Holt in 1948 | |
| Born | Charles John Holt III (1919-02-05)February 5, 1919 |
| Died | February 15, 1973(1973-02-15) (aged 54) Shawnee, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Resting place | Memory Lane Cemetery Harrah, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Education | Culver Military Academy |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1927–1971 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 4 |
| Father | Jack Holt |
| Relatives | Jennifer Holt (sister) |
Charles John "Tim"Holt III (February 5, 1919 – February 15, 1973) was an American actor. He was a popularWestern star during the 1940s and early 1950s, appearing in forty-sixB westerns released byRKO Pictures.
In a career spanning more than four decades, Holt is best remembered for his roles in the filmsThe Magnificent Ambersons (1942) andThe Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948).
Holt was born Charles John Holt III on February 5, 1919, inBeverly Hills, California, the son of actorJack Holt and Margaret Woods.[1] During his early years, he accompanied his father on location, even appearing in an early silent film.[2] He was the inspiration for his father's book,Lance and His First Horse.
Holt was educated atCulver Military Academy inCulver, Indiana, graduating in 1936.[2] One of his classmates wasBudd Boetticher who recalled Holt "used to walk around in our suite of rooms there…and he often had on his .38 revolvers and holster. He’d walk up and down the hall in his bathrobe and practice drawing his guns. He’d say, ‘I’m going to be a western star some day’."[3] Immediately after graduation he went to work in theHollywood film business.[1]
His sister,Jennifer Holt, also appeared in B-westerns, notably oppositeJohnny Mack Brown at Universal.[4]
Holt was signed to a contract by producerWalter Wanger in January 1937.[5] Wanger was going to use him inBlockade, but that film was postponed.[6]
Instead he made his debut asAnne Shirley's suitor inStella Dallas (1937) forSam Goldwyn – the same role that another film star's son, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., had played in the 1925 version.[7] When told he was given the role his father Jack said, "Fine. Let's have one good actor in the family."[8] Wanger then cast him inI Met My Love Again (1938) and used him for a Technicolor Western,Gold is Where You Find It. In the latter theLos Angeles Times said Holt "confirms the favorable impression he gave" inStella Dallas.[9]
RKO borrowed him for a westernThe Renegade Ranger (1938) supporting George O'Brien, then a leading star of B-westerns. Wanger wanted to star Holt opposite Henry Fonda andLouise Platt in an adaptation ofVincent Sheean'sPersonal History; however after the problems Wanger had makingBlockade he decided to postpone the project. (It was later filmed asForeign Correspondent.) He lent Holt to Paramount to play the juvenile lead inSons of the Legion[10] then RKO asked for him again inThe Law West of Tombstone, supportingHarry Carey.
Wanger then used Holt in the role of young Lieutenant Blanchard in the 1939 classicStagecoach. At Universal he appeared in a story of his old alma mater, Culver Military Academy,The Spirit of Culver.[11] His contract with Wanger expired. RKO signed Holt to a seven-year contract in December 1938.[12][13][14]
RKO gave Holt his first lead in the B-filmThe Rookie Cop. It was popular, and RKO put him inThe Girl and the Gambler oppositeLeo Carrillo. He was then cast as the romantic lead for the studio's biggest star,Ginger Rogers, in5th Avenue Girl (1939). It was popular and theLos Angeles Times said Holt "does unusually well in this",[15] although theNew York Times thought he "seems a trifle young to be running a great corporation".[16] He was meant to play the eldest son inThree Sons (1939) with Edward Ellis,[17] but he was withdrawn and replaced byWilliam Gargan.[18] He was also meant to star in a Western,Silver City, withBetty Grable, but it was not made.[19] In early 1940 it was announced Holt and Ginger Rogers would be reunited in an adaptation ofThe Enchanted Cottage.[20] The film was not made untilseveral years later with different stars. Instead he was assigned to play Fritz Robinson in the studio's expensive adaptation ofSwiss Family Robinson (1940). He also played the lead inLaddie (1940); theLos Angeles Times called him "engaging and capable".[21]Swiss Family Robinson was a financial failure andLaddie was not particularly popular.
During the late 1930s, actorGeorge O'Brien had made a number of low-budget Westerns for RKO. Holt later recalled, "I believe George O’Brien quit over money so RKO needed another Western star and I was put forward."[22] In early 1940, RKO announced Holt would make six low-budget B-Westerns, starting withWagon Train withMartha O'Driscoll.[23] O'Driscoll and Holt were meant to reteam inSir Piegan Passes but it was not made.[24] Instead Holt appeared inThe Fargo Kid. Universal borrowed him to playCharles Boyer's son inBack Street (1941). TheLos Angeles Times said Holt had "some splendid scenes towards the end".[25] Then it was back to Westerns:Robbers of the Range (1941),Along the Rio Grande (1941),Cyclone on Horseback (1941) andSix-Gun Gold (1941). Holt usually played a cowboy who had one or two friends, who occasionally sang. From 1940 to 1942 he made 18 Westerns. His first sidekick wasRay Whitley, who was slightly older than Holt, and who would usually sing a song or two in each film. The other sidekick was a character "Whopper" played byEmmett Lynn and thenLee White. 1942 they were replaced byCliff Edwards as Ike. Author Tom Stempel later recalled:
Holt, unlike many other B western stars, played characters not named Tim Holt. From his debut in 1934Gene Autry always played "Gene Autry" and after 1941Roy Rogers always played "Roy Rogers", but Holt's names varied, even if the basic character he played is the same... In these early films Tim's jobs were diverse. WhileHopalong Cassidy was always the foreman of the Bar 20 Ranch, Tim played a cowboy, a Treasury agent, a Texas Ranger, or a number of other occupations. The characters were pretty much the same: Tim, with his boyish good looks, is drawn into situations where he must right some wrongs. Holt had a charming personality on the screen, which made him one of the top western stars from 1940 to 1943.[3]
The Westerns proved popular and Holt wound up making six more:The Bandit Trail (1941),Dude Cowboy (1941),Riding the Wind (1942),Land of the Open Range (1942),Come on Danger (1942) andThundering Hoofs (1942).
Holt's career received a boost in September 1941[26] whenOrson Welles cast him as the lead in his second film,The Magnificent Ambersons (1942). "It was a lucky decision", Welles later said, calling Holt "one of the most interesting actors that's ever been in American movies".[27]: 113 TheWashington Post thought Holt "gives an excellent account of himself". TheNew York Times said he "draws out all the meanness in George's character which is precisely what the role demands".[28][29] (In 1965 Welles wanted to reshoot the ending with those of the original cast still alive, including Holt, but it did not happen.[30])
RKO announced they had purchased two stories for Holt,Five of Spades (which becameThe Avenging Rider) andAdventures of Salt Valley. He was already announced forThere Goes Lona Henry.[31] Holt was going to enter the army, so RKO quickly put him in six more Westerns:Bandit Ranger (1942),Red River Robin Hood (1942),Pirates of the Prairie (1942),Fighting Frontier (1943),Sagebrush Law (1943) andThe Avenging Rider (1942).[32] His entry into theU.S. Army Air Forces was delayed long enough so that Holt could star inHitler's Children (1943).[33] He was called to active duty during production.[34] The film proved to be one of RKO's most profitable during the war.
Holt became a decorated combat veteran of World War II, flying in thePacific Theatre with theUnited States Army Air Forces as aB-29 bombardier.[1] He was wounded over Tokyo on the last day of the war and was awarded a Purple Heart.[35] He was also a recipient of theDistinguished Flying Cross.[36][37]
Following the war, Holt returned to films and went back to RKO. According to his biographer David Rothel, "No more was he the callow, youthful cowboy with big, silly grin on his face. Now he exuded a steady, serious no-nonsense type of mature cowboy who was less impulsive, more contemporary, and somewhat ‘world weary."[3][38] Tom Stempel argues that "While Holt had lost his baby fat during the war, he still had a wonderful grin and cute dimples. He used the mixture of charm and seriousness very well."[3]
His post-war career began well when 20th Century Fox borrowed him to playVirgil Earp alongsideHenry Fonda'sWyatt Earp in theJohn Ford westernMy Darling Clementine (1946). For RKO he appeared in a series ofZane Gray adaptations:Thunder Mountain (1947),[39]Under the Tonto Rim (1947) andWild Horse Mesa (1947). He also madeWestern Heritage (1947), which was an original screenplay. The budgets were around $100,000 a film, making them among the more expensive B Westerns.[40]
Holt was next borrowed by Warner Bros for the role for which he is probably best remembered — that of Bob Curtin toHumphrey Bogart's Fred C. Dobbs inJohn Huston'sThe Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), about two men who team up to prospect for gold, only to have greed tear apart their partnership. Holt's father also appeared in a small part. Tim Holt tended to be outshone in reviews by Bogart andWalter Huston, the latter winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance. However theChicago Daily Tribune said he was "very likeable".[41] TheLos Angeles Times said Holt "gives a rare and sincere impression of character in his performance".[42]
According to theLos Angeles Times, Holt's casting inMadre impressed RKO studio chiefDore Schary who announced "expanding plans" for the actor, looking to cast him in films other than Westerns. He also promised a bigger budget for Holt's Westerns such asThe Arizona Ranger (1948), which cast him opposite his father.[43] However the films remained undistinguished:Guns of Hate (1948),Indian Agent (1948) andGun Smugglers (1948).
His most frequent director wasLesley Selander and his sidekick in more than 25 of these movies wasRichard Martin. Martin played Chito Jose Gonzales Bustamente Rafferty, a character created by writer Jack Wagner for the1943 filmBombardier and who had appeared in someRobert Mitchum westerns before being put into Tim Holt films. Stempel:
The chemistry between Holt and Martin was immediate. Tim was entertained by Chito's constant pursuit of the ladies, which gave Holt a variety of reactions to play: amusement, surprise, slight irritation, bafflement at the hopelessness of Chito's attempted conquests. Unlike Hopalong Cassidy's young sidekick Lucky, who just mooned after girls, Chito was active, which was a lot more interesting to watch, especially with Tim's reactions. Chito was not just a lovesick fool, but he was also ready for action. As he explained his name, his mother was Spanish, and the Spanish is for loving, and his father was Irish, which is for fighting. Chito performed the crucial functions of a B western movie sidekick: he was somebody with whom the hero could discuss the plot, and he provided some comedy relief. In the 47–52 series, the comic relief is verbal rather than visual, and often a part of the story. The directors can shoot both Chito's flirting and Tim's reaction in one shot. Unlike other B westerns, such as those Holts with Cliff Edwards, the movie does not have to stop while the comic does his routine. It makes for much smoother flowing films.[3]
In 1948 Tim Holt also featured as the hero of a series of comic books[44]
However that yearBrothers in the Saddle (1948) recorded a loss of $35,000[3] as the growth of TV and decline in cinema audiences started to cut into Holt's market.
Dore Schary left RKO in 1948 and the new management was not keen to cast Holt in anything other than Westerns:Rustlers (1949),Stagecoach Kid (1949),Masked Raiders (1949),The Mysterious Desperado (1949) andRiders of the Range (1949). The latter lost $50,000.[45]
The Westerns continued:Dynamite Pass (1950),Storm over Wyoming (1950),Rider from Tucson (1950),Border Treasure (1950) andRio Grande Patrol (1950).Law of the Badlands (1951) was the cheapest Tim Holt vehicle since the war years, made for $98,000, but still recorded a loss of $20,000.[46]
AfterGunplay (1951),Saddle Legion (1951) had a higher quality female lead –Dorothy Malone – and then Holt unexpectedly appeared in an "A", supportingRobert Mitchum andJane Russell inHis Kind of Woman for directorJohn Farrow.
In September 1950 it was announced Holt would supportMontgomery Clift for directorNicholas Ray inThe Flying Leathernecks (1951) but the film was made without either actor.[47]
Instead it was back to Westerns:Pistol Harvest (1951),Hot Lead (1951),Overland Telegraph (1951),Trail Guide (1952),Road Agent (1952),Target (1952), and finallyDesert Passage (1952). The latter lost $30,000 so it was decided to end the series.[3]
He made a TV appearance forChevron Theatre.
Holt had been to Oklahoma in 1947 with a rodeo, and met the woman who became his final wife. When his movie series ended he decided to move to Oklahoma for good. "I never did like Hollywood that much… there was nothing magical about it for me", he said.[22]
He was absent from the screen for five years until he starred in ahorror film,The Monster That Challenged the World, in 1957, Holt said it "wasn’t too bad a picture at all".[22] Over the next 16 years, he appeared in only two more motion pictures as well as an episode ofThe Virginian. He was going to make a sequel toTreasure of the Sierra Madre withNick Adams, but Adams died.[22]
However he kept busy managing theatres and making personal appearances.[1] He got a degree in animal nutrition from Iowa, worked as a builder, produced rodeos, staged and performed Western music jamborees, and worked as an advertising manager for a radio station from 1962 onwards.[14] Holt later said of this period:
Do you realize that this is the first time in my life that I can make my own decisions and do what I want to do? First it was my parents who told me what to do, then RKO told me what to do, then I went into the service and Uncle Sam told me what to do. I came back out and RKO still told me what to do. This is the first time I have not been under somebody's thumb in my life.[1][3]
Holt was married three times and had four children: three sons (one from his first marriage) and a daughter.
Tim Holt died frombone cancer on February 15, 1973,[48] inShawnee, Oklahoma, where he had been managing aradio station. He was interred in the Memory Lane Cemetery inHarrah, Oklahoma. The street where he and his wife had lived in Harrah was subsequently renamed Tim Holt Drive in his honor.[1]
Robert Mott of theWashington Post later said of Holt:
Holt was the hero, strong and silent and always more comfortable in the presence of boots and saddles, horses and he-men, than with the heroine – though he almost invariably ended up marrying her... Like many sons of famous entertainers, Tim Holt never achieved the stature of his father, and projected a bland image in contrast with the elder Holt's strong characterisation.[14]
In 1991, Tim Holt was inducted posthumously into theWestern Performers Hall of Fame at theNational Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum inOklahoma City, Oklahoma. In 1992, theGolden Boot Awards honored Holt for his lifetime contributions to western cinema.
For a number of years Holt was voted by US exhibitors as among the most popular Western stars in the country.
