John Preston

A half-dozen "Morton of the Mounted" films were planned and announced. The star was John Preston who was born Andrew Jackson Rylee in 1904 or 1905 and raised in/around San Antonio, Texas. He was "Sergeant Bruce Morton", the redcoated Canadian lawman in charge of the Three Rivers Post of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police.

Preston wound up portraying RCMP Sgt. Morton in a pair, COURAGE OF THE NORTH (Empire/Stage & Screen, 1934) and TIMBER TERRORS (Empire/Stage & Screen, 1935). The Morton name was dropped and Kane Richmond took over the lead in a solo shot, THE SILENT CODE (International/Stage & Screen, 1935).

And Preston also had the lead in the BEAST OF BORNEO (Far East Productions Inc./DuWorld, 1934), an ultra low budget mess about a scientist researching evolution and using primates captured in Borneo.

Cherryl Rylee Bacot writes that sometime after his Hollywood days, Andrew Jackson Rylee (John Preston) disappeared, leaving his wife Nema and son Jack. For years, members of the family searched for him but found no trace - and that included a rumor that he settled out East.

Another rumor was that he had lived in Kansas City, Missouri. That Kansas City lead gave us the answer to "Whatever happened to John Preston?":

48 year old Andrew J. Rylee was owner of the D&J Hobby Craft Center in Kansas City, Missouri and he passed away at his home on July 30, 1953 from heart problems. An obituary in the Kansas City, Missouri Times newspaper mentioned that he was survived by his wife, Mrs. Denise Rylee, and two sons. According to the death certificate and newspaper obituary, Preston had resided in the Kansas City, Missouri area for eight-nine years.

Link to his newspaper death notice is further down this webpage.

(From Old Corral collection)

Above is John Preston as "Morton of the Mounted" and riding "Dynamite, the Wonder Horse".

Although some of the data may be incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has information on John Preston whose Hollywood career amounted to about a half-dozen film appearances in the mid to late 1930s: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0696440/

The one-hour long BEAST OF BORNEO (1934) can be viewed/downloaded from:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJPWXQHIUuc
Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/BeastOfBorneo1934

YouTube has the trailer for John Preston in COURAGE OF THE NORTH (1934): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk9p26dDpaw

In Search of ... John Preston / Andrew Jackson Rylee

There's traces of Andrew Jackson Rylee in a few 1930s newspapers and Hollywood tradepapers and magazines. Note the references to both President Andrew Jackson and Civil War Confederate General 'Stonewall' Jackson.

March 26, 1932 edition of Hollywood Filmograph had a review of the play "Window Panes". Excerpts: "During the past week the Spotlight Theater ... has been playing Olgra Printzlau's popular play, 'Window Panes,' to a capacity house ... in the cast deserving mention are ... Jackson Rylee ..."
May 21, 1932 edition of Hollywood Filmograph: "Some of these days some smart director or producer will discover that ANDREW JACKSON RYLEE, who came to Hollywood recently from New York where he had been appearing in the 'Green Hat,' has not only had several years experience in stock but can ride a horse and rope a steer like nobody's business."
April, 1933 newspaper article about famous ancestors of Hollywood movie people. Excerpt: "... there's Andrew Jackson Rylee, descendant of the president for whom he is named, but who uses the name of John Preston in the movies. Preston, tall, young, good-looking, athlete, is grand-nephew of the fighting leader of other days ... he was reared on a Texas ranch ..."
March 21, 1934 edition of the Hollywood Reporter: "John Preston, New York stage actor, has been signed by Empire Pictures to make a series of twelve Northwest Mounted Police pictures, to be produced and directed by Robert Emmett at the International Studios."
June 26, 1934 edition of Film Daily - excerpt: "Empire Pictures has signed John Preston, socialite whose real name is Andrew Jackson Rylee and who is a descendant of 'Stonewall' Jackson, for seven pictures of the frozen Northwest."

Family Search (free), Ancestry.com (subscription), newspapers, Hollywood trade publications, Find A Grave, and death certificate provide more on John Preston / Andrew Jackson Rylee and family.

Note the different birth dates and birth locations on his World War II draft registration vs. the death certificate. I've highlighted those variations in this color. Am more comfortable with February 9, 1904 in Granbury, Hood County, Texas on his draft registration:

Ancestry had many Fresno, California City Directories from the 1920s and 1930s. Following are four with his first wife Nema. The 1923 and 1924 directories included her husband but he was living at a different address:
1923 Fresno, California city directory: Mrs. Nema Rylee (clerk - Probation Officer) lived at 1527 Thomas. A. J. Rylee (bookkeeper) lived at 1623 Thomas.
1924 Fresno, California city directory: Mrs. Nema Rylee (no occupation listed) lived at 1527 Thomas. Andrew J. Rylee (Clerk - S. Oil Co. (which I assume was Standard Oil)) lived at 1529 Thomas.
1929 Fresno, California city directory: Mrs. Nema M. Rylee (bookkeeper) lived at 1527 Thomas Avenue. No listing for Andrew J. Rylee.
1932 Fresno, California city directory: Mrs. Nema Rylee (office secretary) was still residing at 1527 Thomas Avenue. No listing for Andrew J. Rylee.
April 17, 1928 San Francisco Recorder newspaper had a list of judgements and divorces - #180495 was the divorce decree of Nema M. Rylee vs. A. J. Rylee: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121935871/divorce-decree-for-nema-m-rylee-vs-a/
1930 census - living at 1527 Thomas, Fresno, California (same address in the Fresno City Directories above) was 26 year old Nema M. Rylee (born Oklahoma) and her five year old son Jack. Her occupation was "Certified Public Accountant"; was divorced; and living with her mother Della, step father, and several other relatives: https://www.familysearch.org/search/ark:/61903/1:1:XCX1-W6H
1930 census - 30 year old Andrew J. Rylee (born Texas) was renting at 616 1/2 Parkman, Los Angeles, California. His occupation was "Salesman - Shoe Store", he was not a World War I veteran; and he was married but no wife was with him: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XCV2-R2W
1940 census - renting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin were 36 year old Andrew Jackson Rylee (born Texas) and his 42 year old wife Pearl (born Illinois). They lived in Manhattan, New York in 1935; he completed four years of college; occupation was "Salesman - Wholesale Building Material"; and in 1939, he worked 52 weeks and earned $2400.00: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K72S-PXW
Ancestry.com had his World War II draft registration dated February 16, 1942 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin - 38 year old Andrew Jackson Rylee was born February 9, 1904 in Granbury, Hood County, Texas. He and wife Pearl lived in Milwaukee; his employer was U. S. Gypsum Company; and he was 6 feet, 1 inches tall and weighed 195 pounds.
Ancestry.com had a marriage index record (not the license) for the marriage of Andrew Jackson Rylee and Denise Ann Kramer in April, 1946 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1950 census - living in Kansas City, Missouri were 43 year old Andrew J. Rylee (born Texas; no occupation listed), his 37 year old wife Denise (born Kansas), 7 year old son Walter (born Missouri), and 1 year old son Andrew (born Missouri). Also living there were his 71 year old father-in-law and a lodger: https://www.familysearch.org/search/ark:/61903/1:1:6FMG-WD4G
There are some family trees on ancestry.com which indicate Preston died in 1953 in Kansas City, Missouri.
And his death certificate confirms that information - 48 year old Andrew J. Rylee was born February 8, 1905 in Grandburg [sic], Texas, and parents were Andrew Rylee and Lucy Pierce. He passed away at his home at 7300 Summit, Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri on July 30, 1953 and cause of death was mitral and aortic stenosis and rheumatic heart disease. He had lived in Kansas City, Missouri for about 8 years; was the owner - manager of D&J Hobby Craft Center; and not a military veteran. Wife Denise Rylee was the death certificate informant. Burial at Mount Olivet cemetery, Kansas City, Missouri.
Death notice for Andrew J. Rylee in the July 31, 1953 Kansas City, Missouri Times: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85899588/death-notice-for-andrew-j-rylee-in/
Find A Grave has a photo of the marker for Andrew J. Rylee who is interred at Mount Olivet Cemetery and Mausoleum, Kansas City, Missouri. Birth date on the marker is February 8, 1905, the birth date from his death certificate: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/238047988/andrew-j-rylee

Les Adams writes: "the Weiss Bros. provided partial or full financing on all three of the Mountie films in exchange for full distribution rights; those, in turn, were sold off to various states rights distributors, including distribution companies controlled/owned by Weiss and some that weren't."

The two John Preston mountie adventures were produced and directed by Robert Emmett "Bob" Tansey, the jack-of-all-trades who may be best remembered for the Monogram Trail Blazers and the early Eddie Dean films at PRC.

On the right is a late 1935 announcement from Stage & Screen Productions, Inc. which includes the continuation of their "NORTHWEST MOUNTED ACTION THRILLERS" along with Rex Lease westerns, the CUSTER'S LAST STAND serial, more.

The third and last film in the abbreviated series was produced by Louis Weiss and helmed by Stuart Paton. John Preston was gone and Kane Richmond was the new hero, but he was demoted from Sergeant to Corporal rank. And there was no longer any reference to "Morton of the Mounted".

(Courtesy of Les Adams)

(Courtesy of Les Adams)

(Courtesy of Les Adams)

Above is a pressbook ad for THE SILENT CODE (1935), the third and last of the mountie yarns. John Preston was gone and replaced by Kane Richmond.

Left - a John Preston COURAGE OF THE NORTH poster from a pressbook. One of the pressbook blurbs from Les Adams mentioned that Preston hailed from San Antonio, Texas.