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John George Agar Jr. (January 31, 1921 – April 7, 2002) was an American film and television actor. He is best known for starring alongside John Wayne in the films Sands of Iwo Jima, Fort Apache, and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. In his later career he was the star of , such as Tarantula!, The Mole People, The Brain from Planet Arous, Revenge of the Creature, Flesh and the Spur and Hand of Death. He was the first husband of Shirley Temple.
Agar's career suffered in the wake of his divorce, but he developed a niche playing leading men in low-budget science fiction, Western, and horror movies in the 1950s and 1960s. John Wayne gave him several supporting roles in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In later years he worked extensively in television.
In 1941, Agar joined the U.S. Navy Air Corps, had basic training in Texas, and instructed in physical training at March Field in Riverside, California. He was medically discharged from the Navy in 1943 due to an ear infection that affected his balance.p. 19 Agar, John & Van Savage, L.C. On the Good Ship Hollywood BearManor Media; 1st Edition (July 11, 2007) He then enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was a sergeant and a physical training instructor when he left the USAAF in 1946. John Agar Biography at Monster Shack accessed January 19, 2014
After his marriage with Temple in 1945, her boss at the time, David O. Selznick, signed Agar to a five-year acting contract starting at $150 a week, including acting lessons. Agar made his film debut as Temple's love interest in Fort Apache (1948), a John Ford western for RKO starring John Wayne and Henry Fonda. It was a financial and critical success.
Agar was reunited with Temple for his second film, a suffragette drama Adventure in Baltimore (1949), also for RKO, which was a huge flop.
RKO used him in The Woman on Pier 13 (1950), an anti-communist drama that was a pet project of Howard Hughes. It was Agar's first movie without Temple, and he was billed after Robert Ryan and Laraine Day. It was another flop.
More successful was a reunion with Wayne and Ford, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), in which Agar played the romantic lead. It was a sizeable hit and has come to be regarded as a classic. Even more popular was the World War II film Sands of Iwo Jima (1949) where Agar supported John Wayne. Made by Republic Pictures, it was a sizeable hit, earning Wayne an Oscar nomination and getting Agar some good reviews. Toward the end of his life, Agar blamed John Wayne for getting him hooked on cigarettes and alcohol, two addictive habits that would later ruin his life.
Warner Bros put Agar in a war film, Breakthrough (1950) which relied extensively on pre-existing war footage. It was a reasonable success at the box office.
Warner Bros used him in Along the Great Divide (1951), supporting Kirk Douglas. He made a low budget Arabian Knights film for Sam Katzman with Lucille Ball, The Magic Carpet (1951).
In 1952 Agar was fired by Selznick for driving under the influence of alcohol, which affected his career with the large studios in Hollywood.p. 43 Agar, John & Van Savage, L.C. On the Good Ship Hollywood BearManor Media; 1st Edition (July 11, 2007)
Agar was third billed in Woman of the North Country (1952), a Western for Republic, and also starred in Man of Conflict (1953), an independent drama with Edward Arnold.
Agar had support roles in Bait (1954), a Hugo Haas drama with Cleo Moore; The Rocket Man (1954), a Charles Coburn comedy co-written by Lenny Bruce; and Shield for Murder (1954), a film noir starring and co-directed by Edmond O'Brien.
Agar returned to leading roles in The Golden Mistress (1954), an adventure film directed by Abner Biberman.
In 1954 Agar signed a seven-year contract with Universal. He began the association with Revenge of the Creature (1955), the popular first sequel to Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954); it was produced by William Alland and directed by Jack Arnold. He was borrowed by Lippert Pictures for The Lonesome Trail (1955), then, at Universal, made a second film for Haas with Cleo Moore, Hold Back Tomorrow (1955).
Agar made another science fiction film, Tarantula! (1955), made by Alland and Arnold, which was popular and became a cult favorite.
Universal starred him in a Western, Star in the Dust (1956) with Mamie Van Doren and Richard Boone and produced by Albert Zugsmith. A new company, American International Pictures, borrowed Agar for a Western, Flesh and the Spur (1956) with Marla English and Mike Connors (billed as "Touch Connors"). Then he went back to Universal for The Mole People (1956), produced by Alland.
His contract with Universal ended when he complained that he was tired of only doing science fiction roles.p. 11 Weaver, Tom John Agar Interview in McFarland Publishing (October 1, 1999) His final film with the studio was supporting Universal's Western star Audie Murphy in a comedy Joe Butterfly (1957).
He remained in demand for low budget science fiction, horror and Western films. He starred in The Daughter of Dr. Jekyll (1957) for Edgar G. Ulmer at Allied Artists, then made The Brain from Planet Arous (1957) for Howco International.
Agar starred in some low budget Westerns for Lippert's low budget Regal Films at Fox, Ride a Violent Mile (1958) and Frontier Gun (1958). He went to the Philippines to make Cavalry Command (1958) and did two for AIP, Jet Attack (1958) and Attack of the Puppet People (1958). He shot a television pilot in 1958 that was released as a feature film Destination Space (1959).
He did Invisible Invaders (1958) for director Edward L. Cahn who had made Jet Attack.
Agar could be seen in Journey to the Seventh Planet (1962) and Of Love and Desire (1963). He joined he ensemble casts in several low budget films for producer A.C. Lyles that were released by Paramount Pictures; The Young and The Brave (1963) with Rory Calhoun, Law of the Lawless (1963) starring Dale Robertson and William Bendix, Stage to Thunder Rock (1965) with Barry Sullivan and Marilyn Maxwell, Young Fury (1965) with Rory Calhoun and Lon Chaney Jr., Johnny Reno (1966) with Dana Andrews and Jane Russell, and Waco (1966) with Howard Keel, Jane Russell and Brian Donlevy.
He made some films for Larry Buchanan at AIP that were originally meant as made-for-television-movies, Curse of the Swamp Creature (1966), Zontar, the Thing from Venus (1966) and Hell Raiders (1968). He had the lead in Women of the Prehistoric Planet (1966) and Night Fright (1967).
He had small parts in some studio films like The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967) with Jason Robards Jr. and Ralph Meeker, and three more pictures in a row with John Wayne: The Undefeated (1969), Chisum (1970), and Big Jake (1971).
His last prominent roles were small parts in King Kong (1976), Miracle Mile (1988) and Nightbreed (1990).
Agar married model Loretta Barnett Combs (1922–2000) in 1951. They tried to elope but officials refused to marry them for an hour because Agar had been drinking. They remained married for 49 years until her death in 2000. They had two sons, Martin Agar and John G. Agar III. Los Angeles Times obituary, April 9, 2002; accessed January 19, 2014
John Agar has been referenced in multiple songs by various rock bands. Frank Zappa mentions Mr. Agar in the song "The Radio is Broken" from the 1983 album The Man From Utopia.
The Seattle band The Young Fresh Fellows recorded the songs "The New John Agar" and "Agar's Revenge" on the Topsy Turvy album in 1985.
John Agar is also mentioned by lesser-known bands such as The Underpeople ( Zontar, The Thing from Venus) and The Dead Elvi ( John Agar Rules).
The television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 has featured several of Agar's films, including The Mole People, Women of the Prehistoric Planet and Revenge of the Creature.
Career
Agar met Shirley Temple in 1943 when he was asked to escort her to a Hollywood party.
(1982). 9780517546567, Arlington House. ISBN 9780517546567
Personal life
Marriages
Agar's sister was a schoolmate of Shirley Temple. In 1944 Agar escorted Temple to a party held by her boss at the time, David O. Selznick. The two were married in 1945. Agar and Temple had a daughter together, Linda Susan Agar, born 1948 (who was later known as Susan Black, taking the surname of her stepfather, Charles Alden Black). However, the marriage foundered, in part because of Agar's drinking (he had been arrested for drunk driving) and in part because of pressures of their high public profile. Temple sued for divorce on the grounds of mental cruelty in 1949. Kristin McMurran, "Shirley Temple Black Taps Out a Telling Memoir of Child Stardom", People Magazine 28 November 1988 accessed 19 January 2014 The two were divorced on December 7, 1950. After the divorce, Agar had little contact with his daughter or with Temple.
Legal issues
In 1950 Agar was fined for reckless driving. In 1951 he was sentenced to five months in jail for drunk driving, and released on probation after 60 days. In 1953 Agar was again arrested for drunk driving, and sentenced to 120 days in prison. In 1960 he was again arrested for drunk driving.
Political views
Agar supported Barry Goldwater in the 1964 United States presidential election, and Ronald Reagan in 1980.
Premature obituary
Agar was drinking at his friend and filmmaker Ed Wood's apartment one day in the late 1960s when the afternoon news program erroneously announced Agar's obituary. Wood called the studio and told them: "He's alive... he's sitting right here with me now!" The story was corrected shortly thereafter.Rudolph Grey, Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood, Jr. (1992). pp. 144–145. ISBN 978-0-922915-24-8.
Death
Agar died on April 7, 2002, in Burbank, California from severe complications from emphysema, after being confined for months to an iron lung.Agar, John & Van Savage, L.C. On the Good Ship Hollywood BearManor Media; 1st Edition (July 11, 2007) He was 81.
Legacy
As for being associated with science fiction , Agar said, "I don't resent being identified with B science fiction movies at all." Agar later said, "Why should I? Even though they were not considered top-of-the-line, for those people that like sci-fi, I guess they were fun. My whole feeling about working as an actor is, if I give anybody any enjoyment, I'm doing my job, and that's what counts."
Filmography
Film
1948 Fort Apache 2nd Lt. Michael Shannon O'Rourke 1949 Adventure in Baltimore Tom Wade She Wore a Yellow Ribbon Lt. Flint Cohill The Woman on Pier 13 Don Lowry Sands of Iwo Jima Professor Peter Conway 1950 Breakthrough Lt. Joe Mallory 1951 Along the Great Divide Billy Shear The Magic Carpet Abdullah al Husan / Dr. Ramoth / The Scarlet Falcon 1952 Woman of the North Country David Powell 1953 Man of Conflict Ray Compton 1954 Bait Ray Brighton The Rocket Man Tom Baxter Shield for Murder Mark Brewster The Golden Mistress Bill Buchanan 1955 Revenge of the Creature Professor Clete Ferguson The Lonesome Trail Johnny Rush Tarantula! Dr. Matt Hastings Hold Back Tomorrow Joe Cardos 1956 Star in the Dust Sheriff Bill Jorden Flesh and the Spur Luke Random / Matt Random The Mole People Dr. Roger Bentley 1957 Joe Butterfly Sergeant Dick Mason The Daughter of Dr. Jekyll George Hastings The Brain from Planet Arous Steve March Ride a Violent Mile Jeff Donner 1958 The Day of the Trumpet Sgt. Judd Norcutt Jet Attack Capt. Tom Arnett Attack of the Puppet People Bob Westley Frontier Gun Sheriff Jim Crayle 1959 Invisible Invaders Maj. Bruce Jay 1960 Raymie Ike 1961 Fall Girl Joe McElroy 1962 Journey to the Seventh Planet Capt. Don Graham Hand of Death Alex Marsh 1963 The Young and the Brave Intelligence Captain Of Love and Desire Gus Cole 1964 Law of the Lawless Pete Stone Stage to Thunder Rock Dan Carrouthers Young Fury Dawson 1966 Johnny Reno Ed Tomkins Women of the Prehistoric Planet Dr. Farrell Waco George Gates 1967 The St. Valentine's Day Massacre Dion O'Bannion Night Fright Sheriff Clint Crawford 1969 The Undefeated Christian 1970 Chisum Amos Patton 1971 Big Jake Bert Ryan How's Your Love Life? Police Lt. Rafferty 1976 King Kong City Official 1978 Mr. No Legs Police Capt. Hathaway 1982 Divided We Fall Yankee Officer short Film 1988 Perfect Victims Neighbor Walking His Dog Miracle Mile Ivan Peters 1990 Nightbreed Decker's Victim Fear Leonard Scott Levy 1992 Invasion of Privacy Old Convict direct-to-video 2001 The Vampire Hunters Club Reggie direct-to-video short film 2005 The Naked Monster Dr. Clete Ferguson
Television
1952 Hollywood Opening Night Episode: "Delaying Action" The Unexpected Alan Liveright Episode: "Desert Honeymoon" 1952–1954 Fireside Theatre John Cushing 2 episodes 1953 The Ford Television Theatre Episode: "The Old Man's Bride" The Loretta Young Show Lloyd Episode: "Earthquake" 1954 Schlitz Playhouse of Stars Otis Tack Episode: "Little War at San Dede" 1954–1957 General Electric Theater Marvin Potter 2 episodes 1955 Climax! Larry Dorrant Episode: "The First and the Last" 1958 Lt. Arnold Van Dyke Episode: "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" Flight Episode: "Vertijet" 1959 Perry Mason Kenneth Baxter Episode: "The Case of the Caretaker's Cat"; credited as John G. Agar Destination Space Col. Matthews TV movie S2:E7, "Incident at the Buffalo Smokehouse" S3:E5, "Incident of the Slavemaster" 1960 Whirlybirds Danny Flynn Episode: "Four Little Indians" 1961 The Best of the Post Lt. Larry Bronsford Episode: "Band of Brothers" Bat Masterson Sam Phelps Episode: "Farmer with a Badge" Ripcord Warrant Officer Frank Pierson Episode: "Chuting Stars" 1962 Lawman Jim Martin Episode: "The Witness" 1963 Death Valley Days Dr. Charles Edwards Episode: "Pioneer Doctor" 1964–1968 The Virginian Joe Williams / Tom Anders 2 episodes 1965 Branded The Sheriff Episode: "$10,000 for Durango" 1966 Combat! Capt. Thorpe Episode: "The Mockingbird" 1967 Family Affair Gabe Episode: "What Did You Do in the West, Uncle?" Hondo Frank James Episode: "Hondo and the Judas" Dr. Curt Taylor TV movie 1968 Curse of the Swamp Creature Barry Rogers TV movie The Name of the Game Bert Walker Episode: "Nightmare" 1969 Hell Raiders Maj. Ronald Paxton TV movie 1971 The Smith Family Jim Thorne Episode: "Taste of Fear" 1972 The Delphi Bureau Episode: "The Man Upstairs-The Man Downstairs Project" 1974 Chase Episode: "Remote Control" 1976 Police Story Hammack Episode: "The Long Ball" Charlie's Angels Col. Blaylock Episode: "Target: Angels" 1984 Highway to Heaven Morton Clay Episode: "The Return of the Masked Rider" 1986 The Twilight Zone Pop Episode: "A Day in Beaumont" 1991 The Perfect Bride Gramps TV movie 1993 Body Bags Dr. Lang TV movie; in the section "Eye"
Video games
1996 The Pandora Directive Thomas Malloy
External links
Categories: 1921 Births, 2002 Deaths, 20th-century American Male Actors, American Male Film Actors, Burials At Riverside National Cemetery, Deaths From Emphysema, Lake Forest Academy Alumni, Male Actors From Chicago, Military Personnel From California, Military Personnel From Illinois, Respiratory Disease Deaths In California, United States Army Air Forces Personnel Of World War Ii, United States Army Air Forces Soldiers, United States Navy Personnel Of World War Ii, United States Navy Sailors
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