- George D. Wallace
Infobox actor
name = George D. Wallace
caption =
birthdate =June 8 ,1917
birthplace =New York City, New York
deathdate =July 22 ,2005
deathplace =Los Angeles, California George Dewey Wallace (
June 8 ,1917 —July 22 ,2005 ) was an American stage and screen actor.Wallace co-starred with
Mary Martin in the Broadway musical "Jennie" and was nominated for a New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for playing the male lead in "New Girl in Town " oppositeGwen Verdon . But today he may be best remembered for playingCommando Cody in the movie serial "Radar Men from the Moon ".Early years
Wallace was born in New York City. When he was 13 his family moved to
McMechen, West Virginia . While still in his teens Wallace worked as a coal miner and also joined the Civilian Conservation Corps.He joined the U.S. Navy in 1936 and served for eight years. Wallace served in the
U.S. Pacific Fleet , where he earned the title of light heavyweight champion.Career
Films
After leaving the Navy, Wallace worked as a bartender in
Hollywood, California . One night gossip columnist Jimmie Fidler was in the bar and heard Wallace singing along with the jukebox for tips. Fidler was impressed with Wallace's voice and introduced him to some contacts at the film studios.In 1952 Wallace auditioned for a character part in "
Radar Men from the Moon " and landed the starring role ofCommando Cody . To play Cody, Wallace's outfit consisted of a leather jacket, a silver bullet-shaped helmet, and an atomic-powered rocket pack controlled by three dials: up/down, fast/slow and on/off. Wallace appeared to fly in the serial by lying face-down on a longtwo-by-four that stuck out horizontally from a platform in front of a rear-projection screen.tage
In 1955, on the set of "
Forbidden Planet ", Walter Pidgeon introduced him toRichard Rodgers .Wallace's Broadway debut was in the
Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "Pipe Dream", starring the operatic sopranoHelen Traubel .Wallace's next break on Broadway came when he was chosen to replace
John Raitt in "The Pajama Game " when Raitt left the cast to co-star in the film version of the musical. He starred oppositeMary Martin in the 1963 flop "Jennie ".While appearing in "
The Most Happy Fella " at the Long Beach Community Music Theatre (a theatre company competing with Long Beach Civic Light Opera) in 1963, Wallace met Jane A. Johnston, whom he later married. The couple later appeared together in road company productions of "Company", "Kiss Me, Kate ", and "Funny Girl".Death
Wallace died at
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles from injuries he sustained during a fall while on vacation inPisa ,Italy .He was interred at
Hollywood Forever Cemetery .Further reading
* McLellan, Dennis. (2005, July 27). "George D. Wallace, 88; Actor With Baritone Voice Had Film, TV and Broadway Roles". The Los Angeles Times
External links
*
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