John Howard (American actor)


John Howard was an American actor. He is best remembered for his roles in the films Lost Horizon and The Philadelphia Story.
Howard played Bulldog Drummond in seven films which were produced by Paramount. He also appeared in many television series and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Early life

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Howard was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of what now is Case Western Reserve University. At college he discovered a love for the theater, and took part in student productions.
One night, a talent scout from Paramount was in Cleveland to see the local stock company. The show was not on that night, so the scout decided to go and see a production at the local university. He was impressed by Howard in a production of John Brown's Body and arranged for a screen test.

Career

Paramount

Howard became a contract player for Paramount under the name of "Jon Cox". He appeared uncredited in One Hour Late. Small roles followed in Car 99 and Four Hours to Kill!.
He changed his name to John Howard and had a bigger part in Annapolis Farewell.

Leading Man

Paramount promoted him to a leading man in just his fourth film, Millions in the Air, though it was a "B" movie.
He was second billed in Soak the Rich, made for Paramount by the team of Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur.
Paramount put him in an "A" feature, 13 Hours by Air, and he was fourth billed in the credits. He starred in Border Flight alongside Frances Farmer and had a good part in Valiant Is the Word for Carrie, with Gladys George.
Howard also starred in the comedy Easy to Take with Marsha Hunt.
According to David Shipman, "Howard..., was tried out in various capacities - supporting roles in As, leads in Bs, and on loan-outs. These last could be significant: the smaller studios had restricted contract lists and were prepared to pay well to borrow good-looking guys whose acting consisted mainly of not bumping into the furniture".

''Lost Horizon''

Howard's first memorable role came on loan out to Columbia: as Ronald Colman's younger brother in Lost Horizon, directed by Frank Capra. Capra had seen him in Annapolis Farewell and arranged for a screen test. The film was a huge success and really established Howard, who later said "without Lost Horizon I doubt very much whether I would have survived in Hollywood".
Howard was borrowed by Universal for the lead in Let Them Live. Back at Paramount, he supported Bob Burns and Martha Raye in Mountain Music.

Bulldog Drummond

Since 1937, Paramount had made a series of "B" movies about Bulldog Drummond. The first of the actors to play the role, Ray Milland, was in Bulldog Drummond Escapes. Milland was becoming a big star, so the studio offered the role to Howard. In his first performance as Drummond, Bulldog Drummond Comes Back, Howard took second billing to John Barrymore who played Drummond's colleague. According to Shipman, Howard "proved himself a resourceful, debonair and witty player, in his double-breasted suits and trilbies an admirable choice."
He and Lew Ayres were in a buddy comedy, Hold 'Em Navy, then he and Barrymore were in Bulldog Drummond's Revenge.
At RKO, Howard did Hitting a New High with Lily Pons and Jack Oakie. Columbia used him in Penitentiary with Walter Connolly.
Howard and Barrymore did Bulldog Drummond's Peril, then he supported Lloyd Nolan and Shirley Ross in Prison Farm. Bulldog Drummond in Africa was the first Drummong without Barrymore. Howard was in Touchdown, Army, Arrest Bulldog Drummond, Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police, Grand Jury Secrets, and Bulldog Drummond's Bride, the last in the series. As Shipman said, about Drummond, "titles, splendidly, had nothing to do with the plots and the inconsequence was pleasing... All the while the spider's-web plots hurtled to the screen - under various directors - with superior production values. They are more enjoyable than competitors featuring the Falcon, Charlie Chan, the Lone Wolf, Sexton Blake et al. due in part to Howard's insouciant playing".

''The Philadelphia Story''

Howard made What a Life with Betty Grable and Disputed Passage with Dorothy Lamour. The latter was a flop at the box office, and Paramount began to cool on Howard.
Universal borrowed him to play a key role in Green Hell. MGM used him in The Man from Dakota, supporting Wallace Beery, and The Philadelphia Story, where he played the fiancée of Katharine Hepburn, competing for her amorous attentions with characters played by Cary Grant and James Stewart. It remains one of his best known films.
Back at Paramount, Howard was top-billed in Texas Rangers Ride Again. Universal borrowed him to play the leading man in The Invisible Woman with Barrymore and Virginia Bruce.
At Paramount, he supported Basil Rathbone in The Mad Doctor, then Universal gave him the lead in Tight Shoes. At RKO, he supported Adolphe Menjou and Gloria Swanson in Father Takes a Wife, then at Columbia he was Joan Blondell's leading man in Three Girls About Town.
Howard was top billed in Republic Pictures' A Tragedy at Midnight. At Columbia, he had the starring role in The Man Who Returned to Life, and Submarine Raider, then he did Isle of Missing Men for Monogram Pictures.
Howard wanted to join the navy, but there was a delay after he signed a contract with 20th Century Fox, who put him in The Undying Monster, in which he was third billed.

Military service

Howard served in the United States Navy as a lieutenant during World War II, later becoming an executive officer aboard the minesweeper USS YMS-24, aboard which he participated in landing operations at the Allied invasion of Sicily, Allied invasion of Italy, and Anzio, and deception operations against the island of Sardinia and in "Operation Dragoon" on the South coast of Vichy France. During 'Operation Dragoon' off the French coast on August 16, 1944 USS YMS-24 struck a sea mine, the blast killing its captain and severely damaging the ship. Howard took command and fought to save the ship, jumping into the sea several times to save crew members that had gone into the water. For his actions he was awarded both the United States' Navy Cross and the French Croix de Guerre.

Return to acting

Upon his return to Hollywood, Howard struggled to re-establish himself. He was told Fox had no projects for him, so got out of his contract with them to do a play that closed out of town. "It was a long, long period of absolute dearth," he later said.
He had support parts in Love from a Stranger for Bryan Foy at Eagle-Lion Films and I, Jane Doe for Republic.
He starred in Public Prosecutor, the first dramatic TV drama series shot on film. It was filmed in 1947 but not shown for several years later.
He was in "Entrapment" on NBC Presents in 1949.
Howard supported John Wayne in The Fighting Kentuckian for Republic and had the lead in Radar Secret Service for the low budget Lippert Pictures.
Howard guest starred on shows like Lights Out, Crawford Mystery Theatre, The Bigelow Theatre and Pulitzer Prize Playhouse and had the lead in low budget films like Experiment Alcatraz.
Howard was in Models Inc. and Make Haste to Live and guest starred on Schlitz Playhouse, Suspense, Four Star Playhouse, and The Loretta Young Show. His first high-profile film in a long while came when he played Laraine Day's husband in The High and the Mighty.
Howard made his Broadway debut in 1953 in Hazel Flagg where he met his future wife, the ballerina and actress Eva Ralf.

Television star

Howard continued to work in TV appearing in General Electric Theater, The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse, The Millionaire, The Whistler, The Ford Television Theatre, The Star and the Story, Science Fiction Theatre, Studio 57, Fireside Theatre, TV Reader's Digest, Front Row Center, and Lux Video Theatre.
He had the lead in a series, Dr. Hudson's Secret Journal which ran for several years.
The series raised Howard's profile and saw him be offered the lead in The Unknown Terror. He starred in another TV series Adventures of the Sea Hawk in 1958 which ran for 26 episodes.

1960s

Howard's 1960s acting work included guest spots on Lawman, Wagon Train, Men into Space, Cheyenne, The Magical World of Disney, The Americans, Outlaws, Gunslinger, Lock Up, Bronco, Surfside 6, 77 Sunset Strip, Rawhide, Hawaiian Eye, Perry Mason, Branded, Profiles in Courage, Days of Our Lives, and The Lucy Show, and The Legend of Jesse James The Legend of Jesse James.
He formed a friendship with Fred MacMurray, star of the TV series My Three Sons, and was a regular guest star on the show, playing MacMurray's boss. He also had a role in the films Destination Inner Space and The Destructors.
He was in Family Affair, Mannix, and To Rome with Love.

1970s

Howard could be seen in Eye for an Eye, ', ', Buck and the Preacher, The Brady Bunch, Mod Squad, The ABC Afternoon Playbreak, The New Perry Mason, So Evil, My Sister, Capone, Little House on the Prairie, Bronk, Wonder Woman, Police Woman and The Rockford Files.

Career change to education

In time, Howard moved into the field of specialized education. He taught English at Highland Hall Waldorf School for more than twenty years and helped to start the high school program at the institution.

Death

Howard died in 1995 of heart failure at the age of 81 in Santa Rosa, California.

Personal life

He and his wife Eva had four children, Daniel, Deborah, Dale, and Deirdre. Dale went on to become an actor and director and the father of actor Noël John Howard. Howard also was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Filmography

TitleYearRoleNotes
One Hour Late1934Elevator OperatorUncredited
Car 991935Recruit Carney
Four Hours to Kill!1935Assistant Repairman
Annapolis Farewell1935Duncan Haley
Millions in the Air1935Eddie Warren
Soak the Rich1936Kenneth "Buzz" Jones
Thirteen Hours by Air1936Freddie Scott
Border Flight1936Lt. Dan Conlon
Valiant Is the Word for Carrie1936Paul Darnley
Easy to Take1936Rodney Garfield
Lost Horizon1937George Conway
Let Them Live1937Dr. Paul Martin
Mountain Music1937Ardinger Burnside
Bulldog Drummond Comes Back1937Captain Hugh C. 'Bulldog' DrummondLead
That Navy Spirit1937Chuck Baldwin
Bulldog Drummond's Revenge1937Captain Hugh C. 'Bulldog' Drummond
Hitting a New High1937Jimmy James
Penitentiary1938William Jordan
Bulldog Drummond's Peril1938Captain Hugh C. 'Bulldog' Drummond
Prison Farm1938Dr. Roi Conrad
Bulldog Drummond in Africa1938Captain Hugh C. 'Bulldog' Drummond
Touchdown, Army1938Cadet Brandon Culpepper
Arrest Bulldog Drummond1938Captain Hugh C. 'Bulldog' Drummond
Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police1939Captain Hugh C. 'Bulldog' DrummondLead
Grand Jury Secrets1939John Keefe
Bulldog Drummond's Bride1939Captain Hugh C. 'Bulldog' DrummondLead
What a Life1939Mr. Nelson
Disputed Passage1939John Wesley Beaven
Green Hell1940Hal Scott
The Man from Dakota1940Lt. Oliver Clark
The Philadelphia Story1940George Kittredge
Texas Rangers Ride Again1940James Kingston aka Pecos KidLead
The Invisible Woman1940Richard Russell
The Mad Doctor1941Gil Sawyer
Tight Shoes1941Jimmy RupertLead
Father Takes a Wife1941Frederic Osborne Junior
Three Girls About Town1941Tommy Hopkins
A Tragedy at Midnight1942Greg ShermanLead
The Man Who Returned to Life1942David Hampton Jameson / George BishopLead
Submarine Raider1942Commander Chris WarrenLead
Isle of Missing Men1942Merrill HammondLead
The Undying Monster1942Oliver Hammond
Love from a Stranger1947Nigel Lawrence
I, Jane Doe1948William Hilton
The Fighting Kentuckian1949Blake Randolph
Radar Secret Service1950Bill Travis
Experiment Alcatraz1950Dr. Ross Williams
Models Inc.1952John Stafford
Make Haste to Live1954Josh Blake
The High and the Mighty1954Howard Rice
The Unknown Terror1957Dan Matthews
Destination Inner Space1967Dr. James
The Destructors1968Ernest Bushnell
El sabor de la venganza1971
Buck and the Preacher1972George
So Evil, My Sister1974Dr. Thomas
Capone1975Warden J. Johnstonlast film

Television