Milburn Stone

Character actor 'Milburn Stone' (qv), the beloved "Doc Adams" on TV's long-running western classic _Gunsmoke (1955)_ (qv), was born in Kansas on July 5, 1904. Acting must have been in his blood as the nephew of Broadway comedian 'Fred Stone' (qv) for Milburn left home as a teenager to find work with touring repertory troupes. Emulating his famous uncle Fred, he appeared in vaudeville as part of a song-and-dance team called "Stone and Strain."Following a minor appearance on Broadway in "The Jayhawkers," Milburn moved to Los Angeles in 1935 to try his luck in films. He toiled for years in mostly unbilled parts for 'poverty row' Monogram Pictures and a few major studios, apprenticing in a number of background roles as both benign fellows (clerks, reporters, sailors, detectives) and bad guys (convicts, robbers, henchmen) in such films as _Ladies Crave Excitement (1935)_ (qv), _The Fighting Marines (1935)_ (qv), _The Princess Comes Across (1936)_ (qv), _Banjo on My Knee (1936)_ (qv) and _They Gave Him a Gun (1937)_ (qv)Out of the blue he would occasionally nab a heroic film lead in films as the crime drama _Federal Bullets (1937)_ (qv) and _The Judge (1949)_ (qv) or serial thrillers as _The Great Alaskan Mystery (1944)_ (qv) and _The Master Key (1945)_ (qv), then would invariably go right back to unbilled status in his very next role. One memorable featured part (which was also unbilled) was as debater Stephen A. Douglass in 'John Ford' (qv)'s _Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)_ (qv). In addition he played a regular support role as pal/co-pilot "Skeeter Milligan" in the "Tommy Tailspin" airborne film quickies _Mystery Plane (1939)_ (qv), _Sky Patrol (1939)_ (qv) and _Danger Flight (1939)_ (qv).Other higher visible support roles occurred in such films as the 'Roy Rogers' (qv) western _Colorado (1940)_ (qv), as well as _Captive Wild Woman (1943)_ (qv), _The Frozen Ghost (1945)_ (qv), _Roadblock (1951)_ (qv), _Black Tuesday (1954)_ (qv), _Smoke Signal (1955)_ (qv). He also went on to appear in a couple of 'John Ford' (qv)'s later features such as 'Simone Bär' (qv) and _The Long Gray Line (1955)_ (qv).When the crusty but lovable role of "Doc Adams" finally landed at his feet in 1955, Milburn was only too appreciative to experience a steady paycheck. He became an "overnight" star and, along with Matt Dillon's 'James Arness' (qv), earned an Emmy Award for "supporting actor" and stayed a citizen of Dodge City throughout its entire 20-year run (500 episodes). In 1971, Stone was temporarily sidelined by a heart attack and briefly replaced by another "doc" played by 'Pat Hingle' (qv). The ever-durable Stone missed only seven episodes, however, and did return on a more limited bases.Fully retired to his ranch in 1975 after the show's cancellation, he was eventually awarded an honorary doctorate from St. Mary of the Plains College in (of course) Dodge City, Kansas. Married to Jane Garrison, the 75-year-old veteran died of a heart attack on June 12, 1980 in La Jolla, California. His wife passed away much later in 2002.::Gary Brumburgh / [email protected]