Lon McCallister

Boyish 'Lon McCallister' (qv) started his career as a teenage bit actor in such wholesome, folksy tales as _The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938)_ (qv) and _Judge Hardy's Children (1938)_ (qv). As an adult, he found the strength of his career riding on that same homespun sentiment.'Lon McCallister' (qv) was born Herbert Alonzo McCallister, Jr. in Los Angeles, on April 17, 1923, but was almost immediately called "Buddy" to those closest to him. He attended high school at Marken Professional School, a training ground for Hollywood hopefuls, and eventually managed to secure unbilled parts, starting with the plush 'Norma Shearer' (qv)/'Leslie Howard' (qv) starrer, _Romeo and Juliet (1936)_ (qv).Lon became close friends with the film's director, 'George Cukor' (qv), and attributed his biggest break to Cukor when he earned a supporting role as a pilot in _Winged Victory (1944)_ (qv), after toiling in obscurity for nearly 6 years. Lon also stood out in the films _Stage Door Canteen (1943)_ (qv), as the unassuming soldier who falls for canteen hostess 'Marjorie Riordan' (qv), and in the warm and winning horse-racing tale, _Home in Indiana (1944)_ (qv), opposite rising star 'Jeanne Crain' (qv).Lon's WWII induction into the Army put a direct hit on his career momentum, but he managed to recover and pick up where he left off. For starters, Lon won a solid role in the melodramatic thriller, _The Red House (1947)_ (qv), starring 'Edward G. Robinson' (qv) and 'Judith Anderson' (qv). The film also co-starred 'Allene Roberts' (qv), who became a life-long friend.Although he starred in the down-home comedy romance, _Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! (1948)_ (qv) along with 'June Haver' (qv), the movie is barely remembered today except for featuring an unbilled 'Marilyn Monroe' (qv) rowing a canoe. Lead roles for Lon in the serviceable adventures _The Story of Seabiscuit (1949)_ (qv) with 'Shirley Temple' (qv), _The Big Cat (1949)_ (qv), _The Boy from Indiana (1950)_ (qv) and _Montana Territory (1952)_ (qv) also came and went.Lon ended his film career with the "B" Korean War drama, _Combat Squad (1953)_ (qv). Some reports state he lost interest and sought self-satisfaction, elsewhere; others claim that his perennially boyish good-looks and diminutive stature hurt his adult career (although it did not seem to hurt the equally short and youthful-looking 'Alan Ladd' (qv)).In any event, Lon quit the business in the late 1950s and found lucrative ventures in real estate and property investment.Never married, Lon had an off-and-on romantic relationship with fellow actor 'William Eythe' (qv) until Eythe's untimely death in 1957. Lon had been in declining health for some time when he died on June 11, 2005, of congestive heart failure. The 82-year-old McCallister was living in the Lake Tahoe area where he had recently bought some property. He was survived by brother Lynn and sister Kathleen.::Gary Brumburgh / [email protected]