Bob Custer Real name: Raymond Anthony Glenn 1898 - 1974

(Courtesy of Jack Tillmany)

Bob Custer was born Raymond Anthony Glenn in Frankfort, Kentucky on October 18, 1898. His parents were John Edward Glenn (1863-1929) and Mary Agnes (Wright) Glenn (1861-1932), and the father owned a local grocery store in Frankfort. According to Custer's September 12, 1918 Military draft registration, he was a student at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky. A variety of sources, including his obituary, note that he graduated from the University of Kentucky (with an engineering or civil engineering degree). More on that later on.

Some biographies and movie pressbooks note that Glenn/Bob Custer did some rodeo or ranch work. But that information is suspect. We do know that his first movie roles occurred in silent westerns TRIGGER FINGER (FBO, 1924) and FLASHING SPURS (FBO, 1924) which were released to the theaters in November - December, 1924. From his late 1898 birth through the Fall of 1924 equals about 25 years - would be pretty difficult in that brief period of time to graduate from college, work on a ranch, perform in rodeos, and become a western movie hero.

Custer biographies also mention that he retired from the movie business around 1937, had his own construction company, worked in California shipbuilding during World War II when he was classified 4-F, and later, he was a building or street superintendant/inspector (for the City of Los Angeles or Redondo Beach or Newport Beach or El Segundo or some combination thereof). However, newspaper obituaries note that he was the Superintendent of Building and Safety for the city of Newport Beach, California.

On November 23, 1926, Custer wed Anne Elizabeth Cudahy, and the marriage produced a son, Raymond Cudahy Glenn, born October 13, 1928. Anne (not Ann without the e) was the daughter of the late Jack Cudahy, son of the Omaha meat packer (the Cudahy-Armour meat packing company). The Cudahy Family was wealthy. A newspaper photo of Anne at the time of their wedding included the following caption: "The former Miss Anne Cudahy, whose marriage to Raymond Glenn --- known on the screen as Bob Custer --- is the latest of many matrimonial alliances linking wealth and fashion with the movies." A newspaper article and photo mentions: "... which brought together Bob Custer, well-known screen star, acting in western dramas, and Miss Anne Cudahy, of Chicago and Hollywood, heiress to the Cudahy millions."

Anne and Raymond divorced in 1933. He married Mildred Irene Boughers in 1948, and they were together through his passing in 1974. Some reports indicate that Mildred's last name was Bowers (not Boughers). In September, 2009, Angie Lefebvre e-mailed with information on Mildred: "Bob Custer's second wife was my husband's great aunt. I just wanted to confirm that her name was Mildred Boughers (not Bowers) and they were married May 22, 1948 in Las Vegas. "Aunt Mel" was born in Salem, Illinois and died in Palm Springs on August 15, 2002. They had no children together."

(Image courtesy of Elizabeth and Charles Milton, Tom Baker.) The Glenn Family - Frankfort, Kentucky, circa 1905. Back row left to right are: Rebecca Catherine (Bea), John Joe, Ellen Agnes (Nellie). Middle row from the left to right are Gertrude Francis, the parents John Edward (1863-1929) and Mary Agnes (Wright) (1861-1932), and Mary Agnes (Marie). Front row left to right are Leo Edward and Raymond Anthony, AKA Bob Custer. Raymond was the youngest of their seven children. Above is a larger face view of Raymond Anthony Glenn/Bob Custer from the family photo above. (Image courtesy of Elizabeth and Charles Milton, Tom Baker.) Above are Anne Cudahy and Raymond Glenn in front of the church after their marriage on Tuesday, November 23, 1926. They divorced in 1933.