RICHARD ARLEN BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Richard Arlen, born Sylvanus Richard Van Mattimore on September 1, 1899 in Virginia, was an American actor who grew up in Minnesota. In 1917, during World War, he joined Canada’s Royal Flying Corps and worked as a pilot. Following the war, he drifted about, carrying out various job positions. In 1920 he ended up in Los Angeles as a messenger for a film laboratory. While riding his motorcycle outside the Paramount Pictures lot, he crashed and broke his leg. Immediate medical attention was given to him from the studio, and they additionally thought him to be good enough looking to appear in some of their pictures. Soon after, he had walk-on parts in silent films like “Ladies Must Live” (1921), “The Ghost Breaker” (1922), and “Quicksands” (1923). His first credited role was in 1923’s “Vengeance of the Deep”. Arlen began acting in more important roles such as “The Coast of Folly” (1925) and “Padlocked” (1926) beginning in 1925, but not until later did he have his break out role.

William Wellman’s “Wings” was released in 1927, and the actor portrayed a pilot in the silent film, which also had actors Charles ‘Buddy’ Rogers and Clara Bow. The story about two fighter pilots in love with the same woman earned the picture the first ever Academy Award for Best Picture. Arlen later appeared in three additional silent features directed by Wellman: “Beggars of Life” (1928), “Ladies of the Mob” (1928), and “The Man I Love” (1929).

The actor made a transition from silent films to sound pictures, but his success at Paramount began to decrease, for he was being placed in lower budgeted movies. However, he did appear in classic features like “Island of Lost Souls” (1932) and “Alice in Wonderland” (1933). In 1935 he left Paramount to try and do better at Columbia Pictures, as well as some other assorted studios. During that time he performed in numerous comedies like “Three Live Ghosts” (1936) and “No Time to Marry” (1938). In 1939, Arlen landed spots in Universal Pictures films, often with actor Andy Devine. Unhappy with the offerings of Universal, the actor went back to Paramount in the early 1940's, acting in action/adventures. Many of them, like “Aerial Gunner” (1943), “Submarine Alert” (1943), and “Minesweeper” (1943) were war themed, in order to raise patriotism during World War II. Once again, Arlen departed from Paramount and had a short lived contract with Republic.

 He continued to act for various studios into the ‘50's and ‘60's, as well as made several television appearances. The actor also performed in fifteen westerners for producer A.C. Lyles, notable for his work with old western stars. Into the 1970's, his involvement in motion pictures greatly waned, and he only acted in “The Sky’s the Limit” (1975), “Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood” (1976), and “A Whale of a Tale” (1977), in which the latter was his final job as an actor.

Arlen had been suffering from emphysema for a few years, and on March 28, 1976, the disease got the best of him.  For his involvement in the motion picture industry for over fifty years, he was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Filmography
 
1977    A Whale of a Tale

1976    Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood

1975    Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color

1975    The Sky's the Limit

1971    Cade's County

1968    Anzio

1968    Buckskin

1968    Rogues' Gallery

1967    The Lucy Show

1967    Fort Utah

1967    Hostile Guns

1967    Red Tomahawk

1967    The Road to Nashville

1966    Waco

1966    To the Shores of Hell

1966    Johnny Reno

1965    Apache Uprising

1965    The Bounty Killer

1965    Town Tamer

1965    Black Spurs

1965    Branded

1965    The Human Duplicators

1965    Young Fury

1964    The Shepherd of the Hills

1964    The Best Man

1964    Law of the Lawless

1964    Sex and the College Girl

1963    Cavalry Command

1963    The Crawling Hand

1963    The Young and the Brave

1962    The New Breed

1961    The Last Time I Saw Archie

1961    Perry Mason

1961    Lock Up

1959    Bat Masterson

1961    Ripcord

1960    The Best of the Post

1960    Coronado 9

1960    Raymie

1960    Whirlybirds

1959    Lawman

1959    Yancy Derringer

1959    Warlock

1959    Wanted: Dead or Alive

1958    Blonde Blackmailer

1957    Playhouse 90

1957    The 20th Century-Fox Hour

1956    Crossroads

1956    The Mountain

1956    Climax!

1956    Hidden Guns

1956    TV Reader's Digest

1955    Matinee Theatre

1955    Science Fiction Theatre

1955    The Loretta Young Show

1955    The Whistler

1954    Devil's Harbor

1954    Alarm

1953    Sabre Jet

1952    The Blazing Forest

1952    Hurricane Smith

1952    Flaming Feather

1951    Silver City

1951    Your Show of Shows

1951    Nash Airflyte Theatre

1950    Kansas Raiders

1949    Grand Canyon

1948    When My Baby Smiles at Me

1948    The Return of Wildfire

1948    Speed to Spare

1947    Buffalo Bill Rides Again

1946    Accomplice

1945    The Phantom Speaks

1945    Identity Unknown

1944    The Big Bonanza

1944    Storm Over Lisbon

1944    That's My Baby!

1944    The Lady and the Monster

1944    Timber Queen

1943    Minesweeper

1943    Submarine Alert

1943    Alaska Highway

1943    Aerial Gunner

1942    Wrecking Crew

1942    Paramount Victory Short No. T2-1: A Letter from Bataan

1942    Wildcat

1942    Torpedo Boat

1941    Flying Blind

1941    A Dangerous Game

1941    Raiders of the Desert

1941    Forced Landing

1941    Men of the Timberland

1941    Power Dive

1941    Mutiny in the Arctic

1941    Lucky Devils

1940    The Devil's Pipeline

1940    The Leather Pushers

1940    Black Diamonds

1940    Hot Steel

1940    Danger on Wheels

1939    The Man from Montreal

1939    Legion of Lost Flyers

1939    Tropic Fury

1939    Mutiny on the Blackhawk

1939    Missing Daughters

1938    Straight Place and Show

1938    Call of the Yukon

1938    No Time to Marry

1937    Murder in Greenwich Village

1937    Artists & Models

1937    Silent Barriers

1937    Secret Valley

1936    The Mine with the Iron Door

1936    Three Live Ghosts

1935    The Calling of Dan Matthews

1935    Let 'em Have It

1935    Helldorado

1934    Ready for Love

1934    She Made Her Bed

1934    Come on Marines

1933    Alice in Wonderland

1933    Hell and High Water

1933    Golden Harvest

1933    Three-Cornered Moon

1933    College Humor

1933    Song of the Eagle

1932    Island of Lost Souls

1932    The All-American

1932    Tiger Shark

1932    Guilty as Hell

1932    Sky Bride

1932    Wayward

1931    Touchdown

1931    Caught

1931    The Secret Call

1931    The Lawyer's Secret

1931    Gun Smoke

1931    The Conquering Horde

1930    Only Saps Work

1930    The Santa Fe Trail

1930    The Sea God

1930    Galas de la Paramount

1930    The Border Legion

1930    Paramount on Parade

1930    The Light of Western Stars

1930    Dangerous Paradise

1930    Burning Up

1929    The Virginian

1929    Dangerous Curves

1929    The Four Feathers

1929    Thunderbolt

1929    The Man I Love

1928    Manhattan Cocktail

1928    Beggars of Life

1928    Ladies of the Mob

1928    Feel My Pulse

1928    Under the Tonto Rim

1927    She's a Sheik

1927    Figures Don't Lie

1927    Sally in Our Alley

1927    Wings

1927    The Blood Ship

1927    Rolled Stockings

1926    Old Ironsides

1926    You'd Be Surprised

1926    Padlocked

1926    Behind the Front

1926    The Enchanted Hill

1925    The Coast of Folly

1925    In the Name of Love

1925    Sally

1924    The Fighting Coward

1923    Vengeance of the Deep

1923    Quicksands

1922    The Ghost Breaker

1922    The Green Temptation

1921    Ladies Must Live