Tom Keene (actor)

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Tom Keene
Tom Keene-OUR DAILY BREAD-Old Tinted Publicity Photo (cropped).JPG
Publicity photograph of Tom Keene for
Our Daily Bread (1934)
Born
George Duryea

(1896-12-30)December 30, 1896
DiedAugust 4, 1963(1963-08-04) (aged 66)
Resting place Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Glendale, California, U.S.
Other namesDick Powers
Richard Powers
OccupationActor
Years active19231959
Spouse
(m. 1919;div. 1940)
[1]

Tom Keene (born George Duryea; December 30, 1896 August 4, 1963 [2] ) was an American actor known mostly for his roles in B Westerns. During his almost 40-year career in motion pictures Tom Keene worked under three different names. From 1923, when he made his first picture, until 1930 he worked under his birth name, George Duryea. The last film he made under this name was Pardon My Gun . Beginning with the 1930 film Tol'able David , he used Tom Keene as his moniker. This name he used up to 1944 when he changed it to Richard Powers. The first film he used this name in was Up in Arms . He continued to use this name for the rest of his film career.

Contents

Early life and career

Born George Duryea (no known relation to fellow actor Dan Duryea despite a resemblance) in Rochester, New York, [3] Keene studied at Columbia University and Carnegie Tech before embarking on an acting career. He made his film debut in the 1923 short film The Just a Little Late Club. Keene followed with roles in The Godless Girl (1929) directed by Cecil B. DeMille; Tide of Empire (1929) with Renée Adorée; Thunder with Lon Chaney, Sr.; Tol'able David (1930) and Sundown Trail (1931). [4] In 1934 King Vidor cast him in the socially conscious Depression oriented classic Our Daily Bread with Karen Morley. [5]

1931 lobby card FreightersofDestiny.1931.jpg
1931 lobby card
Keene (left) in 1936 lobby card Rebellion (1936 film).jpg
Keene (left) in 1936 lobby card
Tom Keene in Western Mail (1942) Western Mail (1942) - Tom Keene 2.jpg
Tom Keene in Western Mail (1942)

During the 1940s, Keene appeared in the film serial The Great Alaskan Mystery and two Dick Tracy films Dick Tracy's Dilemma and Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947). In the 1950s, he moved on to television with guest roles on The Range Rider ; Buffalo Bill, Jr. ; Fury ; Judge Roy Bean and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet . Keene's last film role was in Ed Wood's cult film Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957 [6] ). [7] He retired soon after this and focused on real estate and the insurance business.

Death

Tom Keene in Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959), his last role. PlanNine 13.jpg
Tom Keene in Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959), his last role.

Keene died of cancer on August 4, 1963, aged 66. He was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.

Filmography

Poster for The Dude Wrangler (1930). Dude Wrangler poster.jpg
Poster for The Dude Wrangler (1930).

Later in his career (after 1944), Keene was often credited as Richard Powers, and once as Dick Powers.

YearTitleRoleNotes
1928 The Godless Girl Bob HathawayCredited as George Duryea
Marked Money Clyde
1929 Tide of Empire Dermod D'Arcy
Honky Tonk Freddie Gilmore
Thunder Jim
In Old California Lt. Tony Hopkins
1930 Beau Bandit W.S. "Bill" Howard
The Dude Wrangler Wally McCann
Night Work Harvey Vanderman
Pardon My Gun Ted Duncan
Tol'able David Alan Kinemon
1931 Sundown Trail Buck Sawyer
Freighters of Destiny Steve Macey
Suicide Fleet Lt. James KeeneUncredited
1932 Partners Dick Barstow
The Saddle Buster Montana ("Monty")
Ghost Valley Jerry Long
Beyond the RockiesBlackjack
Come on Danger! Larry Madden, Texas Ranger
Renegades of the West Tom Bagby
1933 The Cheyenne Kid Tom Larkin
Scarlet River Tom Baxter
Son of the BorderTom Owens
Sunset PassJack Rock / Jim Collins
Cross Fire Tom 'Jack' Allen
1934 Our Daily Bread John Sims [8] Alternative title: Hell's Crossroads
1935 Hong Kong Nights Himself
1936 Timothy's Quest David Masters
Drift Fence Jim Travis
Desert Gold Randolph Gale
The Glory Trail Captain John Carroll
Rebellion
1937 Battle of Greed John Storm
Old Louisiana John Colfax
Under Strange Flags Tom Kenyon
The Law Commands Dr. Keith Kenton
Drums of Destiny Capt. Jerry Crawford
Raw Timber Tom Corbin
God's Country and the Man Jim Reid
Where Trails Divide Tom Allen
Romance of the RockiesDr. Tom Foster
1938 The Painted Trail Tom Gray posing as the Pecos Kid
1941 Wanderers of the West Tom Mallory posing as The Arizona Kid
Dynamite Canyon Marshal Tom Evans Posing as Ed 'Trigger' Jones
The Driftin' KidTom Sterling
Riding the Sunset Trail
Lone Star Law Men
1942 Western Mail Tom Allen
Arizona Roundup Tom Kenyon
Where Trails End
1944 Up in Arms Ashley's AideCredited as Richard Powers
The Navy Way Steve Appleby
The Great Alaskan Mystery BurgerSerial [Ch. 11], Credited as Richard Powers
Jungle Woman Joe - Fingerprint ManCredited as Richard Powers
Goodnight, Sweetheart ReporterUncredited
The Port of 40 Thieves Scott BartonCredited as Richard Powers
San Diego, I Love You ReporterUncredited
Lights of Old Santa Fe Frank MaddenCredited as Richard Powers
Sergeant Mike Reed
1945 Dangerous Intruder CurtisCredited as Richard Powers
Girls of the Big House Barton Sturgis
1946 San Quentin Hal Schaeffer, Robbery DetailCredited as Richard Powers
1947 Dick Tracy's Dilemma FredCredited as Richard Powers
Seven Keys to Baldpate Steve Bland
Thunder Mountain Johnny Blue
Crossfire Detective
Under the Tonto Rim John Dennison
Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome Dr. FrankeyUncredited
Wild Horse Mesa Hod SlackCredited as Richard Powers
1948 The Judge Steps Out Mrs. Winthrop's AttorneyUncredited
Western Heritage Spade ThorneCredited as Richard Powers
Berlin Express Major
Race Street Al
Return of the Bad Men Jim Younger
Blood on the Moon Ted Elser
Indian Agent Monty Hutchins
1949 Brothers in the Saddle Nash PrescottCredited as Richard Powers
1950 Storm over Wyoming Tug CaldwellCredited as Richard Powers
Desperadoes of the West Ward GordonSerial, Credited as Richard Powers
The MilkmanDuzikUncredited
Trail of Robin Hood HimselfCredited as Tom Keene
1951 Texans Never Cry Tracy WyattCredited as Richard Powers
The Fat Man MacUncredited
Home Town Story Abbott, Bob's campaign managerUncredited
The Stu Erwin Show Arthur HaleEpisode: "The Big Game"
The Range Rider LangEpisode: "The Grand Fleece"
1952 Red Planet Mars Major General George BurdetteUncredited
Sky King Sheriff2 episodes
Credited as Richard Powers
1953 The Moonlighter SheriffCredited as Richard Powers
The Abbott and Costello Show Joe2 episodes
Credited as Richard Powers
General Electric Theater SlocumEpisode: "Woman's World"
Credited as Richard Powers
1954Outlaw's DaughterBank ManagerUncredited
Hopalong Cassidy Bill BrickerEpisode: "Steel Trails West"
Credited as Richard Powers
1955 Dig That Uranium Frank LoomisCredited as Richard Powers
The Millionaire Attorney MarloweEpisode: "The Uncle Robby Story"
1956 Wetbacks Highway Patrol InspectorCredited as Richard Powers
Tension at Table RockMan Killed by SamUncredited
1957 Plan 9 from Outer Space [6] Col. Tom EdwardsCredited as Tom Keene
1958 Once Upon a Horse... HimselfCredited as Tom Keene
Casey Jones John PatrickEpisode: "The Silk Train"
Credited as Richard Powers
Tales of the Texas Rangers Morgan ThorpeEpisode: "Traitor's Gold"
Credited as Richard Powers
1959 Death Valley Days Charlie DuffEpisode: "Stagecoach Spy"
Credited as Richard Powers

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References

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  2. Wilson, Scott (August 19, 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 396. ISBN   978-1-4766-2599-7 . Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  3. Pitts, Michael R. (2015). Poverty Row Studios, 1929-1940. McFarland p. 135. ISBN   978-1-4766-1036-8.
  4. "Tom Keene". BFI.
  5. "George Duryea | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos". AllMovie.
  6. 1 2 Rudolph Grey, Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood, Jr. (1992). ISBN 978-0-922915-24-8.
  7. Pitts, Michael R. (2015). RKO Radio Pictures Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Films, 1929-1956. McFarland. ISBN   978-1-4766-1683-4.
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