Douglas Fowley
Douglas Fowley was an American movie and television actor in more than 240 films and dozens of television programs. He is probably best remembered for his role as the frustrated movie director Roscoe Dexter in Singin' in the Rain, and for his regular supporting role as Doc Fabrique and Doc Holliday in The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp. He was the father of rock and roll musician and record producer Kim Fowley.
Early years
Fowley was born in the Bronx, New York|Bronx] in New York City. He attended Los Angeles City College.
Fowley began as a singing waiter and then worked as a copy boy for The New York Times, and a runner for a Wall Street broker,
Military service
Fowley enlisted in the United States Navy during World War II, where he served on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean. An explosion aboard knocked out his upper front teeth. Later he ended up portraying one of the best-known dentists in American history, "Doc" Fabrique and Doc Holiday, in the 1950s television show The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp. "I started playing old character roles by removing my false upper plate, adding a beard, voice and gait to match my interpretation," he explained to Western Clippings in 1994.
Film
After nightclub performing and stage work, Fowley appeared in 1933 in his first film, The Mad Game, alongside Spencer Tracy. Early in his acting career, he was usually cast as a movie heavy or gangster in B-movies, including Charlie Chan and Laurel and Hardy features.
Fowley's films include Twenty Mule Team, Fall Guy, Mighty Joe Young, Angels in the Outfield, Battleground, Armored Car Robbery, Chick Carter, Detective, The Naked Jungle, The High and the Mighty, and Walking Tall.
Television
Regular cast
For several seasons, Fowley played the key supporting role of John H. "Doc" Holliday in the 1955-1961 western television series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp after having appeared as Doc Fabrique in the show's premiere season. This role allowed Fowley to demonstrate his flair for comedy and other acting skills as a clever, sharp-witted, sardonic, cynical, alcoholic, poker-playing foil to the square-jawed, milk-drinking, church-going Wyatt Earp, nicknamed "Deacon" due to his rigid sense of morality. Not at all so encumbered Doc would occasionally take the law into his own hands behind Earp's back to protect his friend from legal action or even death when the marshal was legally or morally ham-strung. Fabrique, as played by Fowley, having no problem working around morals or the law, could be either hilarious or cold-blooded.
From 1966 to 1967, Fowley portrayed Andrew Hanks in Pistols 'n' Petticoats, a CBS sitcom. Hanks was the patriarch in a family of gun-toting women who seemed to have little need for male assistance.
Fowley portrayed retired businessman Robert Redford in Detective School.
Guest appearances
In the 1950s, he appeared as himself on NBC's The Donald O'Connor Show. In 1954, he demonstrated his comic appeal when he appeared alongside Gracie Allen in The [George Burns and Gracie Allen Show]. He was cast in 1956 as Bob Egan in the "Two-Fisted Saint" episode of the religious anthology series Crossroads. He portrayed a con man in two episodes of the NBC sitcom It's a Great Life. He also guest-starred on Reed Hadley's CBS legal drama The Public Defender. He appeared, too, on the ABC situation comedy The Pride of the Family and on the NBC Western series The Californians and Jefferson Drum. He was cast on two Rod Cameron series, the syndicated City Detective and the Western-themed State Trooper, and in John Bromfield's series, U.S. Marshal. He guest-starred in the David Janssen crime drama Richard Diamond, Private Detective and guest-starred in season two, episode four of the Robert Culp Western Trackdown.
In 1959, Fowley appeared with Frank Ferguson in the episode "A Race for Life" of the CBS Western series The Texan, starring Rory Calhoun.
On December 30, 1963, Fowley guest-starred in an episode of The Andy Griffith Show, “Opie and his Merry Men”, as a hobo. Opie and his friends stole food from the “rich” and gave to the hobo, who quickly refused Andy’s help in finding a job.
In 1964, Fowley made a guest appearance on the CBS courtroom drama series Perry Mason playing agent Rubin Cason in "The Case of the Bountiful Beauty". In 1965, he was cast as Sorrowful in episode 83 of the series The Virginian.
In 1966, he appeared as "Rufus C. Hoops" in "The Search" season 2, episode 24, of the series "Daniel Boone". Original air date for this episode was March 3, 1966. In 1967, Fowley guest-starred on the short-lived CBS Western Dundee and the Culhane with John Mills.
In 1968, he appeared in episode 273 of My Three Sons as an old pal of Uncle Charley's. He had a role in the syndicated 1959-1960 Western Pony Express in the episode "Showdown at Thirty Mile Ridge". He was cast in 1963 in Miracle of the White Stallions.
In 1977, Fowley portrayed Dr. O. B. Mudd in the pilot episode of the NBC situation comedy Quark.
Fowley was usually typecast as a villain; when not playing an actual criminal, he often portrayed an argumentative troublemaker. Portraying a member of Tyrone Power's orchestra in Alexander's Ragtime Band, in the early scenes of the film, Fowley's character quarrels with his bandmates, but this is not developed in the film's later scenes.
Fowley continued to act into the 1970s and was frequently billed as "Douglas V. Fowley". One of his last roles was as Delaney Rafferty in Disney's The North Avenue Irregulars, in which he dressed in drag.
Personal life
Fowley's wife at the time of his death was named Jean. His children were Douglas Jr., Kim, Daniel, Gretchen and Kip.
Death
Fowley died on May 21, 1998, at the Motion Picture and Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, aged 86.
Selected filmography
The Woman Who Dared as Kay's BoyfriendThe Mad Game as Gangster Sleepers East as Gangster I Hate Women as NelsonThe Thin Man as Taxi Driver Let's Talk It Over as Sailor JonesOperator 13 as Union Officer Money Means Nothing as Red Miller The Girl from Missouri as New Bellboy with Vase Gift of Gab as MacStudent Tour as MushyNight Life of the Gods as Cyril SparksTransient Lady as Matt BaxterStraight [from the Heart (1935 film)|Straight from the Heart] as Speed SpelvinPrincess O'Hara as Emcee Old Man Rhythm as Oyster Two for Tonight as Pooch DonahueMiss Pacific Fleet as Second Ring [Around the Moon (film)|Ring Around the Moon] as Ted CurlewBig Brown Eyes as Benny BattleSmall Town Girl as Chick Page Mariners of the Sky as Lt. Steve BassettPrivate Number as Sheik - Man Causing Brawl 36 Hours to Kill as Duke BensonCrash Donovan as HarrisSing, Baby, Sing as MacDimples as Stranger 15 Maiden Lane as Nick ShelbyWoman-Wise as StevensOn the Avenue as Eddie EadsTime Out for Romance as Roy WebsterThis Is My Affair as AlecFifty Roads to Town as Dutch NelsonShe Had to Eat as Duke StaceyWake Up and Live as HermanWild and Woolly as Blackie MorganOne Mile from Heaven as Jim TaborCharlie Chan on Broadway as Johnny BurkeLove and Hisses as Mobster WebsterCity Girl as RitchieWalking Down Broadway as Ace WagnerMr. Moto's Gamble as Nick CrowderAlexander's Ragtime Band as SnapperPassport Husband as Tiger MartinKeep Smiling as Cedric HuntTime Out for Murder as J.E. 'Dutch' Moran Submarine Patrol as Seaman Pinky BrettThe Arizona Wildcat as Rufe GallowayInside Story as Gus BrawleyDodge City as MungerLucky Night as GeorgeBoy Friend as Ed BoydIt Could Happen to You as Freddie BarlowCharlie Chan at Treasure Island as Pete LewisHenry Goes Arizona as Ricky DoleSlightly Honorable as MadderCafe Hostess as Eddie Morgan20 Mule Team as Stag RoperWagons Westward as Bill MarsdenPier 13 as Johnnie HaleThe Leather Pushers as Slick ConnollyCherokee Strip as Alf BarrettEast of the River as Cy TurnerEllery Queen, Master Detective as Rocky TaylorThe Great Swindle as Rocky AndrewsThe Parson of Panamint as Chappie EllertonTanks a Million as Capt. RossmeadDangerous Lady as Police Sgt. BrentDoctors Don't Tell as Joe GrantSecret of the Wastelands as Slade SaltersMr. District Attorney as Vincent MackayHay Foot as Captain RossmeadMr. Wise Guy as Bill CollinsSunset on the Desert as Ramsay McCallSo's Your Aunt Emma as Gus HammondMississippi Gambler as Chet MatthewsI Live on Danger as Joey FarrSomewhere I'll Find You as Army Captain The Man in the Trunk as Ed MygattPittsburgh as Mort Frawley Lost Canyon as Jeff BurtonStand by for Action as Ensign MartinGildersleeve's Bad Day as Louie BartonDr. Gillespie's Criminal Case as Wallace Jitterbugs as Malcolm BennettColt Comrades as Joe BrassSleepy Lagoon as J. 'The Brain' LucarnoSwing Shift Maisie as Investigator The Kansan as Ben NashBar 20 as Henchman SlashThe [Chance of a Lifetime (1943 film)|The Chance of a Lifetime] as Nails Blanton Minesweeper as Cutter Lt. WellsRiding High as Brown The Racket Man as Toby SykesLady in the Death House as Dr. Dwight 'Brad' BradfordSee Here, Private Hargrove as Capt. R.S. ManvilleRationing as Dixie SamsonShake Hands with Murder as Steve MorganAnd the Angels Sing as N.Y. Cafe Manager Detective Kitty O'Day as Harry DownsJohnny Doesn't Live Here Anymore as Rudy One Body Too Many as Henry RutherfordBehind City Lights as Taxi Driver Along the Navajo Trail as J. Richard BentleyDon't Fence Me In as Jack GordonWhat Next, Corporal Hargrove? as Colonel Life with Blondie as Blackie Leonard Drifting Along as Jack DaileyBlonde Alibi as Henchman Willie The Glass Alibi as Joe EyknerRendezvous 24 as Chief Agent Hanover Larceny in Her Heart as Doc H. C. PattersonIn Fast Company as Steve TrentFreddie Steps Out as Coach CarterChick Carter, Detective as Rusty FarrellHigh School Hero as Coach CarterHer Sister's Secret as Navy Officer Wild Country as Clark VarneyScared to Death as Terry LeeThe [Sea of Grass (film)|The Sea of Grass] as Joe Horton Backlash as Red BaileyUndercover Maisie as DanielsFall Guy as Inspector ShannonYankee Fakir as Yankee DavisThree on a Ticket as Mace MorganFun on a Weekend as Gambling House Owner Jungle Flight as Tom HammondDesperate as Pete LavitchThe Trespasser as Bill MonroeThe Hucksters as Georgie GaverGas House Kids in Hollywood as Mitch GordonRidin' Down the Trail as Mark ButlerKey Witness as Jim Guthrie Merton of the Movies as PhilRoses Are Red as Ace OliverRose of Santa Rosa as Larry FishIf You Knew Susie as MartyBlack Bart as Sheriff Mix Docks of New Orleans as GrockThe Dude Goes West as BeetleWaterfront at Midnight as Joe SargusCoroner Creek as Stew ShallisThe Arkansas Swing as Howard, the Horse TrainerBehind Locked Doors as LarsonJoe Palooka in Winner Take All as Reporter #1The Denver Kid as Henchman SlipGun Smugglers as Steve ReevesBad Men of Tombstone as Gambler Flaxy Martin as Max, DetectiveTake Me Out to the Ball Game as Karl Manhattan Angel as Mr. Fowley - Press Photographer Search for Danger as InspectorSusanna Pass as Roberts aka Walter P. JohnsonArson, Inc. as Frederick P. FenderMassacre River as SimmsAny Number Can Play as Smitty Mighty Joe Young as JonesJoe Palooka in the Counterpunch as ThurstonSatan's Cradle as Steve GentryBattleground as "Kipp" KipptonRenegades of the Sage as SloperKiller Shark as Louie BracadoBeware of Blondie as AdolphHoedown as Gang Leader Rider from Tucson as Bob RankinArmored Car Robbery as Benny McBrideEdge of Doom as 2nd DetectiveBunco Squad as Det. Sgt. Mack McManusRio Grande Patrol as Bragg OrketHe's a Cockeyed Wonder as 'Crabs' FreeleyMrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone as Steve KepplarStage to Tucson as Ira PrentissTarzan's Peril as Herbert TraskCriminal Lawyer as Harry CheneyChain of Circumstance as Lt. FenningAngels in the Outfield as Cab Driver Across the Wide Missouri as Tin Cup Owens South of Caliente as Dave NorrisCallaway Went Thataway as Gaffer Room for One More as Ice Man Finders Keepers as Frankie SimmonsThis Woman Is Dangerous as Saunders - Gambling House Prorietor Just This Once as Frank PiroshSingin' in the Rain as Roscoe DexterHorizons West as Ed TompkinsThe Man Behind the Gun as BuckleyKansas Pacific as Max JanusA Slight Case of Larceny as Mr. White - Circle Star Gas StationsThe Band Wagon as Auctioneer Cruisin' Down the River as Humphrey HepburnCat-Women of the Moon as Walter 'Walt' WaltersRed River Shore as Case LockwoodThe Naked Jungle as Medicine ManUntamed Heiress as PalSouthwest Passage as Toad EllisCasanova's Big Night as Second PrisonerThe Lone Gun as BartenderThe High and the Mighty as AlsopDeep in My Heart as Harold Butterfield3 Ring Circus as Army Payroll Officer The Lonesome Trail as Crazy Charley BonesteelThe Girl Rush as Charlie - StickmanTexas Lady as Clay BallardThe Broken Star as Hiram CharletonBandido as McGheeMan from Del Rio as Doc AdamsRock, Pretty Baby as 'Pop' WrightKelly and Me as Dave GansThe Badge of Marshal Brennan as Marshal Matt BrennanBayou as Emil HebertRaiders of Old California as SheriffThe Geisha Boy as GI in Korea A Gift for Heidi as Alm UncleThese Thousand Hills as Whitey Desire in the Dust as Zuba WilsonBuffalo Gun as SheriffBarabbas as VasasioThe Andy Griffith Show season 4 episode 12 "Opie and His Merry Men" as HoboMiracle of the White Stallions as Lt. General Walton H. WalkerWho's Been Sleeping in My Bed? as Photographer 7 Faces of Dr. Lao as Toothless CowboyGuns of Diablo as Mr. KnudsenNightmare in the Sun Daniel Boone (1964 TV series) - Rufus C. Hoops - S2/E24 "The Search" The Good Guys and the Bad Guys as GrundyRun, Cougar, Run as Joe BickleyWalking Tall as Judge Clarke Homebodies as Mr. CrawfordThe Moneychangers as Danny KerriganWon Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood as Second Drunk From Noon till Three as Buck BowersBlack Oak Conspiracy as Bryan Hancock The White Buffalo as Amos Bixby The North Avenue Irregulars as Delaney