Unkempt, rough and tough looking members of the gang, or lynch mob, or vigilantes, or posse riders, or cow herders. They had minimal or no dialog, not much screen time, and were generally not listed in the film credits. Some would show up as a face in the crowd, portraying townspeople, barflys, deputies, wagon drivers, ranch hands, etc. We tend to recognize some of their faces, but have no clue as to their real names. |
Above - 1941 | Chuck Morrison Full name: Charles Fredrick Morrison 1896? - 1963 |
Charles Fredrick 'Chuck' Morrison was born June 17, 1896 in Cambridge, Massachusetts to George and Jennie Morrison.
His movie career lasted ten+ years, from approximately 1933 - 1944. He was generally a henchman ... often unbilled / uncredited ... and was relatively easy to spot due to a protruding jawline and misalignment of teeth (malocclusion). In the 1930s, he did oaters with Rex Bell, Reb Russell, Harry Carey Sr., Bob Steele, Buck Jones, Bob Baker, and Johnny Mack Brown. He was busiest in the early 1940s in sagebrush adventures with Tex Ritter at Monogram; at Paramount in Hopalong Cassidys; at Columbia with Wild Bill Elliott and Charles Starrett; with Johnny Mack Brown at Universal; and at Republic Pictures with the Three Mesquiteers, Don Barry, Gene Autry, and Roy Rogers. Les Adams has him in about 65 features and serials ... and, as noted above, the bulk of his film work occurred in the early 1940s. Bulk also describes Morrison's physical appearance - when he registered for the World War II draft in 1942, he was 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighed 215 pounds. He married Lulie Burroughs Larner (1898 - 1981) on January 21, 1933 in Manhattan, New York City. This was his first marriage and her second. Her father was New York attorney Ambrose Hammett Burroughs, and he passed away in 1929 and left an estate valued at nearly five million dollars. Wealthy from her share of the estate, Lulie (nicknamed "Lee") and Chuck settled in Palm Springs, California. Chuck became heavily involved in Palm Springs society, community activities, and law enforcement, and did an occasional movie job. And the Morrisons entertained Hollywood elite including Rex Bell and his wife Clara Bow. Further down this webpage, there's a link to the Palm Springs Historical Society website which has photos and newspaper articles on Chuck and Lee Morrison including the mid 1930s construction of their main and guest houses, swimming pool and tennis court. And Chuck was head of the Palm Springs Property Owners Association. In April, 1937, Morrison was appointed Deputy U. S. Marshal. Chuck's Palm Springs lifestyle came to an end in 1939 when Lee filed for divorce. He moved to Los Angeles, concentrated on acting, and during 1940 - 1942, appeared in about forty films. Good Morrison movie portrayals from this period include:
In the early 1940s, he married a second time to a Mary Wood. Then he exited Hollywood and began a new career with the Las Vegas Police Department and later, in casino security in Vegas.
| Above - 1937 Above - 1941 |
Chuck Morrison's westerns, serials, and other films. | |||||||||||
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1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 |
In the 1930s, Morrison did a few movies, but most of his time was devoted to Palm Springs, California society, community activities, and law enforcement. | He and wife Lee divorced in 1939. Chuck left Palm Springs and returned (briefly) to movies. Then he became a police officer in Las Vegas, and later, in casino security in Vegas. |
Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has information on Chuck Morrison: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0607108
The Palm Springs, California Historical Society has several photos and newspaper articles on Chuck Morrison and wife Lee: http://palmspringshs.pastperfectonline.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&search_criteria=%22chuck+morrison%22&searchButton=Search
Google Maps has photos of Chuck and Lee Morrison's home at 784 North Patencio Road, Palm Springs, California which was built in 1934: https://www.google.com/maps/place/784+N+Patencio+Rd,+Palm+Springs,+CA+92262/@33.8336011,-116.5547188,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x80db1bb649f82db5:0x8b09d3b02de20244!8m2!3d33.8335967!4d-116.5525301?hl=en
Morrison timeline and events from trade publications and newspapers. |
Hollywood trade publications at the Internet Archive along with newspapers available at the Newspaper Archive and other sources provide more on Chuck Morrison's Palm Springs, California life and later years with the Las Vegas Police Department and Vegas casino security.
1930s in Palm Springs, California:
Las Vegas, 1940s through Chuck's death in 1963:
On the trail of Charles Fredrick 'Chuck' Morrison. |
The Family Search website (free), Ancestry.com (subscription), Newpaper Archive (subscription) and the death certificate provide more on Chuck Morrison. While draft registration, death certificate, and 1940 census have him born in 1896, the 1920 and 1930 census indicate a 1900 - 1901 birth year.
Find A Grave website has a photo of the gravestone for Charles F. Morrison who is is interred at Woodlawn Cemetery, Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada. The headstone reads "Pvt U S Army World War I" and "June 17, 1896 - April 18, 1963": https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/120047746/charles-frederick-morrison
(Courtesy of Les Adams) Above from left to right Dick Botiller's back and hat, unidentified player, Harry Carey, Francis/Frank Walker (tall hat), Chuck Morrison and Bob Kortman in a scene from Carey's WILD MUSTANG (Ajax, 1935). (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above are Harry Carey Sr. battling Chuck Morrison in a crop from a lobby card from GHOST TOWN (Ajax, 1936). Note the jaw and teeth alignment on Morrison. Morrison appeared in five of Carey's mid 1930s adventures. (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above - the title lobby card for THE GOLDEN TRAIL (Monogram, 1940). On the left, Tex is dukin' it out with Chuck Morrison. In the bottom right are Tex and leading lady Patsy Moran. A crop / blowup of Morrison vs. Ritter is shown below. |