Personal Info

Birth date

1918-09-21 (106 Years)

Day of death

2003-09-01

Gender

Male

Known for

Acting

Place of birth

Wright City, Missouri, USA

Also known as

Arlington Rand Brooks Jr.

Rand Brooks

Biography

Arlington Rand Brooks Jr. (September 21, 1918 – September 1, 2003) was an American film and television actor.

Brooks was born in Wright City, Missouri. He was the son of Arlington Rand Brooks, a farmer. His mother and he moved to Los Angeles when he was four, though he continued to spend summers in Wright City. Brooks continued to make visits to his hometown of Wright City into the 1950s, up to and following the death of his father in 1950. His mother and his grandfather were actors.

After leaving school, Brooks got a screen test at MGM and was given a bit part in Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938). His big fame came with his part as Charles Hamilton in Gone with the Wind (1939), a role which he later admitted he despised; he wanted to play more macho parts. He made $100 per week under contract at MGM, but when he was on loan to Selznick International Pictures for Gone with the Wind, he made $500 per week.

After Gone With the Wind, he had relatively small parts in other movies including Babes in Arms, then a regular role as Lucky in the Hopalong Cassidy series of Westerns in the mid-1940s; Brooks succeeded Russell Hayden in the role. Among the films, which starred William Boyd as Hopalong, were Hoppy's Holiday, The Dead Don't Dream, and Borrowed Trouble. He received positive notice for his work in Fool's Gold, with Variety reporting that he did "an excellent job." In edited, half-hour versions of some of the films, he appeared in 12 of the 52 episodes of the Hopalong Cassidy television series.

In 1948, he co-starred with Adele Jergens and Marilyn Monroe in the low-budget, black-and-white Columbia Pictures film, Ladies of the Chorus. Brooks became the first actor to share an on-screen kiss with Monroe, who in a few years was one of the world's biggest movie stars. Filmed in just 10 days, the film was released soon after its completion. Variety called his performance in the 1952 film The Steel Fist "capable."

Television brought new opportunities, again often in Westerns. He played Cpl. Randy Boone in the 1950s television series, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin. Brooks had guest roles in 1950s Western series, including Mackenzie's Raiders, The Lone Ranger, Maverick, Gunsmoke, and Bonanza. He appeared twice on the syndicated adventure series, Rescue 8, as well as on CBS's Perry Mason courtroom drama series.

In 1962, he directed and produced a movie about brave dogs, Bearheart, but the film was entangled in legal troubles due to his business manager's involvement in crimes such as forgery and graft. The film was finally released in 1978, under the title Legend of the Northwest.

After he left show business, Brooks ran a private ambulance company in Glendale, California. He commented that he "died in more pictures than almost anyone" and that though he was never very big in show business, he was willing to return to it. Brooks sold the ambulance company in 1994, and retired to his ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley, where he bred champion Andalusian horses. He attended a Gone with the Wind reunion for Clark Gable's birthday, along with Ann Rutherford and Fred Crane, in Cadiz, Ohio, in 1992.

On September 1, 2003, Brooks died in Santa Ynez, California.

Filmography

Lassie

6.1

Overview:

Lassie is the pet of Jeff Miller, an 11-year-old farm boy. The two become best friends and enjoy family adventures in the American countryside, teaching each other about love, nature and commitment.

The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp

6.579

Overview:

The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp is a television western series loosely based on the life of frontier marshal Wyatt Earp. The half-hour black-and-white program aired for 229 episodes on ABC from 1955 to 1961 and featured Hugh O'Brian in the title role.

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

5.5

Overview:

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre, sometimes simply called Zane Grey Theatre, is an American Western anthology series which ran on CBS from 1956 to 1961.

Wagon Train

6.3

Overview:

The series initially starred veteran movie supporting actor Ward Bond as the wagon master, later replaced upon his death by John McIntire, and Robert Horton as the scout, subsequently replaced by lookalike Robert Fuller a year after Horton had decided to leave the series. The series was inspired by the 1950 film Wagon Master directed by John Ford and starring Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr. and Ward Bond, and harkens back to the early widescreen wagon train epic The Big Trail starring John Wayne and featuring Bond in his first major screen appearance playing a supporting role. Horton's buckskin outfit as the scout in the first season of the television series resembles Wayne's, who also played the wagon train's scout in the earlier film.

My Three Sons

6.5

Overview:

A widower and aeronautical engineer named Steven Douglas raises three sons with the help of his father-in-law, and later the boys' great-uncle. An adopted son, a stepdaughter, wives, and another generation of sons join the loving family in later seasons.

Bonanza

7.5

Overview:

The High-Sierra adventures of Ben Cartwright and his sons as they run and defend their ranch while helping the surrounding community.

Perry Mason

7.7

Overview:

The cases of master criminal defense attorney Perry Mason and his staff who handled the most difficult of cases in the aid of the innocent.

Columbo

8.088

Overview:

Columbo is a friendly, verbose, disheveled-looking police detective who is consistently underestimated by his suspects. Despite his unprepossessing appearance and apparent absentmindedness, he shrewdly solves all of his cases and secures all evidence needed for indictment. His formidable eye for detail and meticulously dedicated approach often become clear to the killer only late in the storyline.

Combat!

7.6

Overview:

Combat! is an American television program that originally aired on ABC from 1962 until 1967. The show covered the grim lives of a squad of American soldiers fighting the Germans in France during World War II. The program starred Rick Jason as platoon leader Second Lieutenant Gil Hanley and Vic Morrow as Sergeant "Chip" Saunders.

The Lone Ranger

6.7

Overview:

The Lone Ranger is an American western television series that ran from 1949 to 1957, starring Clayton Moore with Jay Silverheels as Tonto. The live-action series initially featured Gerald Mohr as the episode narrator. Fred Foy served as both narrator and announcer of the radio series from 1948 to its finish and became announcer of the television version when story narration was dropped there. This was by far the highest-rated television program on the ABC network in the early 1950s and its first true "hit".

The Real McCoys

5.6

Overview:

The Real McCoys is an American situation comedy co-produced by Danny Thomas' "Marterto Productions", in association with Walter Brennan and Irving Pincus' "Westgate" company. The series aired for five seasons on the ABC-TV network from 1957 through 1962 and then for its final year on CBS from 1962 to 1963. The series, set in the San Fernando Valley of California, was filmed in Hollywood at Desilu studios.

Maverick

6.8

Overview:

The Maverick boys - Bret, Bart, Beau and Brent - are a clan of well-dressed dandies, gamblers who'd much rather make their money playing cards than messing up their fine clothing with actual work. Sly and clever, none of the Mavericks are much for acts of derring do, but they can be courageous when the situation calls for it. Most often, however, they live by their wits and considerable charm.

Hawaiian Eye

5.2

Overview:

Private Eyes Tom Lopaka and Tracy Steele are based out of Hawaiian Village Resort where they work both hotel security and are hired by others to look into various matters. They're helped by their trusty right-hand man Kazuo Kim who runs a taxi company and is always eager to help them.

12 O'Clock High

7.263

Overview:

This series chronicles the adventures--in the air and on the ground--of the men of the 918th Bombardment Group of the U.S. Eighth Air Force. First commanded by irascible General Frank Savage--and later by Colonel Joe Gallagher, the son of a Pentagon General--the Group is stationed in England, and flies long-range bombing missions into German-held Europe.

Petticoat Junction

5.8

Overview:

The Bradley family are proud owners of the Shady Rest Hotel. Kate and her three young daughters do the job of running the hotel.

Peter Gunn

6.5

Overview:

Peter Gunn is an American private eye television series. Filmed in a film noir atmosphere and featuring Henry Mancini music that could tell you the action with your eyes closed, Peter Gunn worked in style. Known as Pete to his friends and simply as Gunn to his enemies, he did his job in a calm cool way.

The Cisco Kid

5.875

Overview:

The Cisco Kid is a half-hour American Western television series starring Duncan Renaldo in the title role, The Cisco Kid, and Leo Carrillo as the jovial sidekick, Pancho. Cisco and Pancho were technically desperados, wanted for unspecified crimes, but instead viewed by the poor as Robin Hood figures who assisted the downtrodden when law enforcement officers proved corrupt or unwilling to help. It was also the first television series to be filmed in color, although few viewers saw it in color until the 1960s.

The Virginian

6.5

Overview:

The Shiloh Ranch in Wyoming Territory of the 1890s is owned in sequence by Judge Henry Garth, the Grainger brothers, and Colonel Alan MacKenzie. It is the setting for a variety of stories, many more based on character and relationships than the usual western.

The Millionaire

5

Overview:

An anthology series that explored the ways sudden and unexpected wealth changed life for better or for worse. It told the stories of people who were given one million dollars from a benefactor who insisted they never know him, with one exception.

Bat Masterson

6.1

Overview:

Bat Masterson is an American Western television series which showed a fictionalized account of the life of real-life marshal/gambler/dandy Bat Masterson. The title character was played by Gene Barry and the half-hour black-and-white shows ran on NBC from 1958 to 1961. The series was produced by Ziv Television Productions, the company responsible for such hit series as Sea Hunt and Highway Patrol.

The Munsters

7.9

Overview:

A family of friendly monsters that have misadventures all while never quite understanding why people react to them so strangely.

The Adventures of Kit Carson

5.3

Overview:

The Adventures of Kit Carson is an American Western series that aired in syndication from August 1951 to November 1955, originally sponsored by Coca-Cola. It stars Bill Williams in the title role as frontier scout Christopher "Kit" Carson. Don Diamond co-starred as "El Toro", Carson's Mexican companion.

M Squad

5.2

Overview:

Lt. Frank Ballinger is a no-nonsense plain clothes cop in the elite M Squad Division. The Squad's task is to root out organised crime and corruption in America's Second City, Chicago.

Adam-12

7

Overview:

Adam-12 is a television police drama that followed two police officers of the Los Angeles Police Department, Pete Malloy and Jim Reed, as they patrolled the streets of Los Angeles in their patrol unit, 1-Adam-12.

The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok

4.5

Overview:

The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok is an American Western television series which ran for eight seasons from 1951 through 1958. The Screen Gems series began in syndication, but ran on CBS from 1955 through 1958, and, at the same time, on ABC from 1957 through 1958.

Studio 57

NYR

Overview:

Studio 57 is an American anthology series that was broadcast on the now-defunct DuMont Television Network from September 1954 to September 1955, and in syndication from 1955 to 1956.

The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin

6.9

Overview:

The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin is an American children's television program. Beginning in October 1954 until May 1959, 166 episodes originally aired on ABC television network. It starred child actor Lee Aaker as Rusty, a boy orphaned in an Indian raid, who was being raised by the soldiers at a US Cavalry post known as Fort Apache. He and his German shepherd dog, Rin Tin Tin, helped the soldiers to establish order in the American West. Texas-born actor James Brown appeared as Lieutenant Ripley "Rip" Masters. Co-stars included veteran actor Joe Sawyer and actor Rand Brooks from Gone with the Wind fame.

Tightrope

5.5

Overview:

Tightrope is an American crime drama series that aired on CBS from September 1959 to September 1960, under the alternate sponsorship of the J.B. Williams Company, and American Tobacco. Produced by Russell Rouse and Clarence Greene in association with Screen Gems, the series stars Mike Connors as an undercover agent named "Nick" who was assigned to infiltrate criminal gangs. The show was to have originally been titled Undercover Man but it was changed before going to air.

Tombstone Territory

6

Overview:

Tombstone Territory is an American Western series starring Pat Conway and Richard Eastham. The series' first two seasons aired on ABC from 1957 to 1959. The third and final season aired in syndication from 1959 until 1960.

The Wonderful World of Disney

7.774

Overview:

Walt Disney Productions has produced an anthology television series under several different titles since 1954. The original version of the series premiered on ABC, Wednesday night, October 27, 1954. The show, which was hosted by Walt Disney until his death and then from 1996 to 2002 by then-CEO Michael Eisner (with one-off hosts or no hosts during other periods) has since aired continually as either a weekly program or an irregular series of specials on several networks and streaming services, most recently on ABC and Disney+. The show is the second longest showing prime-time program on American television, behind its rival, Hallmark Hall of Fame. However, Hallmark Hall of Fame was a weekly program only during its first five seasons, while Disney remained a weekly program for more than forty years.

Acting

1991Rin-Tin-Tin: Hero of the West as Cpl. Boone

1974The Sex Symbol as Edward Kelly (voice)

1971Columbo (1 Episode) as Jerry - Wine Lab Assistant (uncredited)

1968Adam-12 (1, 1, 1 Episode) as Mr. Edwards, Bus Driver, Mr. Marshall

1967In Like Flint as Missle Control Officer (uncredited)

1966The Green Hornet (1 Episode) as Conway

1964The Munsters (1 Episode) as The Man

196412 O'Clock High (1 Episode) as Finance Officer

1963Petticoat Junction (1 Episode) as Ernest Belden

1962Combat! (1 Episode) as G.I. Lieutenant

1962Stagecoach to Dancers' Rock as Quint Rucker

1962The Virginian (1 Episode) as Henry

1960My Three Sons (1, 1 Episode) as Frank Walker, Ed Henson

1960Comanche Station as Station Man

1959Stump Run as Unknown

1959Hawaiian Eye (1 Episode) as Agent

1959Bonanza (1 Episode) as Cowboy

1959Tightrope (1 Episode) as Young Man

1958The Last Hurrah as Votes Tallyman (uncredited)

1958Bat Masterson (1 Episode) as Willard Wynant

1958Peter Gunn (1 Episode) as Unknown

1958The Challenge of Rin Tin Tin as Unknown

1958Jefferson Drum (1 Episode) as Ray Comstock

1957Tombstone Territory (1 Episode) as Ed

1957The Real McCoys (1 Episode) as Mr. Foster

1957Maverick (1, 1 Episode) as Second at Duel (uncredited), Jack Blair

1957Perry Mason (1, 1 Episode) as Trainer, Ted Richert

1957M Squad (1 Episode) as Purser

1957Wagon Train (1 Episode) as Thomas Pope

1956Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre (1 Episode) as Banker Wilson

1956The Man Called X (1 Episode) as Unknown

1955Sergeant Preston of the Yukon (1 Episode) as Unknown

1955Gunsmoke (1, 1 Episode) as Rand, Man

1955The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (1 Episode) as Sheriff Del Mathey

1955The Millionaire (1 Episode) as Allan Carter

1954The Wonderful World of Disney (1 Episode) as Baseball Coach (uncredited)

1954The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin (164, 1 Episode) as Cpl. Boone, Cpl. Boone (uncredited)

1954Studio 57 (1 Episode) as Unknown

1954Lassie (1 Episode) as Bulldozer Operator

1954Crash of Moons as Andrews

1954Silver Needle in the Sky as Ranger Andrews

1953City Detective (1 Episode) as Unknown

1953Born to the Saddle as John Grant

1952The Maverick as Trooper Barnham

1952Behind Southern Lines as Captain Loomis

1952Montana Incident as Dave Connors

1952Man from the Black Hills as Fake Jimmy Fallon

1952Waco as Al

1952The Steel Fist as Captain Giorg Nicholoff

1952The Gunman as Jud Calvert

1951The Roy Rogers Show (1 Episode) as Unknown

1951Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (1 Episode) as Unknown

1951The Adventures of Boston Blackie (1 Episode) as Hutch

1951The Adventures of Kit Carson (4 Episodes) as Unknown

1951Yukon Manhunt as Len Kaufman

1951The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok (1, 1, 1, 1, 1 Episode) as Capt. Loomis, Ed Chandler, Bob Purdy, Ben Webb, Ob Wilkins

1951Heart of the Rockies as Jim Corley

1950Lux Video Theatre (1 Episode) as Uncle George

1950The Cisco Kid (1 Episode) as Clint Riley

1950Bunco Squad as Robert (uncredited)

1950The Gene Autry Show (1, 1 Episode) as Jeff Elwood, Young Deputy

1950Riding High as Henry Early

1950The Vanishing Westerner as Sanderson's First Victim

1949Black Midnight as Daniel Jordan

1949The Lone Ranger (1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 Episode) as Dick Larrabee, Deputy Jim Tyler, Marshal Roy Bell, Private Phillips, Private Jack Carey, Al Sommers, Express Rider, Lieutenant Tipton, Ben

1949The Wyoming Bandit as Jimmy Howard

1948Ladies of the Chorus as Randy Carroll

1948Joan of Arc as Jean d'Arc, Joan's older brother

1948Sundown in Santa Fe as Tom Wyatt

1948Strange Gamble as Lucky Jenkins

1948False Paradise as Lucky Jenkins

1948Borrowed Trouble as Lucky Jenkins

1948Sinister Journey as Lucky Jenkins

1948The Dead Don't Dream as Lucky Jenkins

1948Silent Conflict as Lucky Jenkins

1947Kilroy Was Here as Rodney Meadows

1947Hoppy's Holiday as Lucky Jenkins