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Tom Keene (born George Duryea; December 30, 1896 – August 4, 1963[2]) was an American actor known mostly for his roles in B Westerns. During his almost 40-year career in motion pictures Tom Keene worked under three different names. From 1923, when he made his first picture, until 1930 he worked under his birth name, George Duryea. The last film he made under this name was Pardon My Gun. Beginning with the 1930 film Tol'able David, he used Tom Keene as his moniker. This name he used up to 1944 when he changed it to Richard Powers. The first film he used this name in was Up in Arms. He continued to use this name for the rest of his film career.
Tom Keene | |
|---|---|
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| Born | George Duryea December 30, 1896 Rochester, New York, U.S. |
| Died | August 4, 1963 (aged 66) |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Glendale, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Dick Powers Richard Powers |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1923–1959 |
| Spouse | [1] |
Early life and career
editBorn George Duryea (no known relation to fellow actor Dan Duryea despite a resemblance) in Rochester, New York,[3] Keene studied at Columbia University and Carnegie Tech before embarking on an acting career. He made his film debut in the 1923 short film The Just a Little Late Club. Keene followed with roles in The Godless Girl (1929) directed by Cecil B. DeMille; Tide of Empire (1929) with Renée Adorée; Thunder with Lon Chaney, Sr.; Tol'able David (1930) and Sundown Trail (1931).[4]
In 1934, King Vidor cast him in the socially conscious Depression oriented classic Our Daily Bread with Karen Morley.[5]
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During the 1940s, Keene appeared in the film serial The Great Alaskan Mystery and two Dick Tracy films Dick Tracy's Dilemma and Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947). In the 1950s, he moved on to television with guest roles on The Range Rider; Buffalo Bill, Jr.; Fury; Judge Roy Bean and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Keene's last film role was in Ed Wood's cult film Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957[6]).[7] He retired soon after this and focused on real estate and the insurance business.[citation needed]
Death
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Keene died of cancer on August 4, 1963, aged 66. He was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
Filmography
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Later in his career (after 1944), Keene was often credited as Richard Powers, and once as Dick Powers.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 | The Godless Girl | Bob Hathaway | Credited as George Duryea |
| Marked Money | Clyde | ||
| 1929 | Tide of Empire | Dermod D'Arcy | |
| Honky Tonk | Freddie Gilmore | ||
| Thunder | Jim | ||
| In Old California | Lt. Tony Hopkins | ||
| 1930 | Beau Bandit | W.S. "Bill" Howard | |
| The Dude Wrangler | Wally McCann | ||
| Night Work | Harvey Vanderman | ||
| Pardon My Gun | Ted Duncan | ||
| Tol'able David | Alan Kinemon | ||
| 1931 | Sundown Trail | Buck Sawyer | |
| Freighters of Destiny | Steve Macey | ||
| Suicide Fleet | Lt. James Keene | Uncredited | |
| 1932 | Partners | Dick Barstow | |
| The Saddle Buster | Montana ("Monty") | ||
| Ghost Valley | Jerry Long | ||
| Beyond the Rockies | Blackjack | ||
| Come on Danger! | Larry Madden, Texas Ranger | ||
| Renegades of the West | Tom Bagby | ||
| 1933 | The Cheyenne Kid | Tom Larkin | |
| Scarlet River | Tom Baxter | ||
| Son of the Border | Tom Owens | ||
| Sunset Pass | Jack Rock / Jim Collins | ||
| Cross Fire | Tom 'Jack' Allen | ||
| 1934 | Our Daily Bread | John Sims[8] | Alternative title: Hell's Crossroads |
| 1935 | Hong Kong Nights | Himself | |
| 1936 | Timothy's Quest | David Masters | |
| Drift Fence | Jim Travis | ||
| Desert Gold | Randolph Gale | ||
| The Glory Trail | Captain John Carroll | ||
| Rebellion | |||
| 1937 | Battle of Greed | John Storm | |
| Old Louisiana | John Colfax | ||
| Under Strange Flags | Tom Kenyon | ||
| The Law Commands | Dr. Keith Kenton | ||
| Drums of Destiny | Capt. Jerry Crawford | ||
| Raw Timber | Tom Corbin | ||
| God's Country and the Man | Jim Reid | ||
| Where Trails Divide | Tom Allen | ||
| Romance of the Rockies | Dr. Tom Foster | ||
| 1938 | The Painted Trail | Tom Gray posing as the Pecos Kid | |
| 1941 | Wanderers of the West | Tom Mallory posing as The Arizona Kid | |
| Dynamite Canyon | Marshal Tom Evans Posing as Ed 'Trigger' Jones | ||
| The Driftin' Kid | Tom Sterling | ||
| Riding the Sunset Trail | |||
| Lone Star Law Men | |||
| 1942 | Western Mail | Tom Allen | |
| Arizona Roundup | Tom Kenyon | ||
| Where Trails End | |||
| 1944 | Up in Arms | Ashley's Aide | Credited as Richard Powers |
| The Navy Way | Steve Appleby | ||
| The Great Alaskan Mystery | Burger | Serial [Ch. 11], Credited as Richard Powers | |
| Jungle Woman | Joe - Fingerprint Man | Credited as Richard Powers | |
| Goodnight, Sweetheart | Reporter | Uncredited | |
| The Port of 40 Thieves | Scott Barton | Credited as Richard Powers | |
| San Diego, I Love You | Reporter | Uncredited | |
| Lights of Old Santa Fe | Frank Madden | Credited as Richard Powers | |
| Sergeant Mike | Reed | ||
| 1945 | Dangerous Intruder | Curtis | Credited as Richard Powers |
| Girls of the Big House | Barton Sturgis | ||
| 1946 | San Quentin | Hal Schaeffer, Robbery Detail | Credited as Richard Powers |
| 1947 | Dick Tracy's Dilemma | Fred | Credited as Richard Powers |
| Seven Keys to Baldpate | Steve Bland | ||
| Thunder Mountain | Johnny Blue | ||
| Crossfire | Detective | ||
| Under the Tonto Rim | John Dennison | ||
| Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome | Dr. Frankey | Uncredited | |
| Wild Horse Mesa | Hod Slack | Credited as Richard Powers | |
| 1948 | The Judge Steps Out | Mrs. Winthrop's Attorney | Uncredited |
| Western Heritage | Spade Thorne | Credited as Richard Powers | |
| Berlin Express | Major | ||
| Race Street | Al | ||
| Return of the Bad Men | Jim Younger | ||
| Blood on the Moon | Ted Elser | ||
| Indian Agent | Monty Hutchins | ||
| 1949 | Brothers in the Saddle | Nash Prescott | Credited as Richard Powers |
| 1950 | Storm over Wyoming | Tug Caldwell | Credited as Richard Powers |
| Desperadoes of the West | Ward Gordon | Serial, Credited as Richard Powers | |
| The Milkman | Duzik | Uncredited | |
| Trail of Robin Hood | Himself | Credited as Tom Keene | |
| 1951 | Texans Never Cry | Tracy Wyatt | Credited as Richard Powers |
| The Fat Man | Mac | Uncredited | |
| Home Town Story | Abbott, Bob's campaign manager | Uncredited | |
| The Stu Erwin Show | Arthur Hale | Episode: "The Big Game" | |
| The Range Rider | Lang | Episode: "The Grand Fleece" | |
| 1952 | Red Planet Mars | Major General George Burdette | Uncredited |
| Sky King | Sheriff | 2 episodes Credited as Richard Powers | |
| 1953 | The Moonlighter | Sheriff | Credited as Richard Powers |
| The Abbott and Costello Show | Joe | 2 episodes Credited as Richard Powers | |
| General Electric Theater | Slocum | Episode: "Woman's World" Credited as Richard Powers | |
| 1954 | Outlaw's Daughter | Bank Manager | Uncredited |
| Hopalong Cassidy | Bill Bricker | Episode: "Steel Trails West" Credited as Richard Powers | |
| 1955 | Dig That Uranium | Frank Loomis | Credited as Richard Powers |
| The Millionaire | Attorney Marlowe | Episode: "The Uncle Robby Story" | |
| 1956 | Wetbacks | Highway Patrol Inspector | Credited as Richard Powers |
| Tension at Table Rock | Man Killed by Sam | Uncredited | |
| 1957 | Plan 9 from Outer Space[6] | Col. Tom Edwards | Credited as Tom Keene |
| 1958 | Once Upon a Horse... | Himself | Credited as Tom Keene |
| Casey Jones | John Patrick | Episode: "The Silk Train" Credited as Richard Powers | |
| Tales of the Texas Rangers | Morgan Thorpe | Episode: "Traitor's Gold" Credited as Richard Powers | |
| 1959 | Death Valley Days | Charlie Duff | Episode: "Stagecoach Spy" Credited as Richard Powers |
References
edit- ^ Folkart, Burt A. (March 19, 1992). "Gracie Lantz Dies; Invented Woody Woodpecker". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
- ^ Wilson, Scott (August 19, 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 396. ISBN 978-1-4766-2599-7. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ Pitts, Michael R. (2015). Poverty Row Studios, 1929-1940. McFarland p. 135. ISBN 978-1-4766-1036-8.
- ^ "Tom Keene". BFI. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020.
- ^ "George Duryea | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos". AllMovie.
- ^ a b Rudolph Grey, Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood, Jr. (1992). ISBN 978-0-922915-24-8.
- ^ Pitts, Michael R. (2015). RKO Radio Pictures Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Films, 1929-1956. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-1683-4.
- ^ Levine, Sydney (April 13, 2020). "Vidor Retrospective is a Hot Alternate Reality at Berlin 70 — by Alex Deleon". Sydney's Buzz. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
External links
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