Belgian postcard by Nieuwe Merksemsche Chocolaterie S.P.R.L., Merksem (Antwerp). Photo: Republic Pictures.
French postcard by Editions P.I., Paris, offered by Les carbones Korès "Carboplane", no. 695. Photo: B.P.S. / Republic. Forrest Tucker in Flight Nurse (Allan Dwan, 1953).
In the mould of large ugly guys
Forrest Meredith Tucker was born in 1919, in Plainfield, Indiana. He began his performing career at age 14 at the 1933 Chicago Century of Progress World's Fair, pushing big wicker tourists' chairs by day and singing at night. His family moved to Arlington, Virginia, where he attended Washington-Lee High School in 1938.
Big for his age, 1.93 m, young Tucker attracted the attention of Jimmy Lake, the owner of the Old Gaiety Burlesque Theater, by winning its Saturday night amateur contest on consecutive weeks. After his second win, Tucker was hired full-time as Master of Ceremonies but left when it was discovered that he was still underage.
When he turned 18, he was rehired by the Old Gayety. After graduating from high school in 1938, the long Tucker played semi-pro football in the Washington, DC, area. He also enlisted in the National Guard and was assigned to a cavalry unit in Ft. Myers, Virginia. When the Old Gayety shut down in the Summer of 1939 due to the District of Columbia's horrible summers in the days before air conditioning was common, a wealthy mentor helped Tucker travel to California and try to break into film acting. He made a successful screen test and began auditioning for film roles.
Tucker estimated that he was in the mould of large 'ugly guys' such as Wallace Beery, Ward Bond and Victor McLaglen, rather than a matinee idol. His debut was as a powerfully built farmer who clashes with the hero in The Westerner (William Wyler, 1940), which starred Gary Cooper and Walter Brennan. Tucker stood out in a fight scene with Cooper. After this start at the top of the film industry, it was off to Poverty Row. He appeared with Evelyn Brent in Emergency Landing (William Beaudine, 1941) at rock-bottom PRC (Producers Releasing Corp.).
He was soon signed by Columbia and assigned to the B-pictures unit. Tucker was lent to MGM for the Spencer Tracy - Katharine Hepburn drama Keeper of the Flame (George Cukor, 1942), his last film before going off to World War II. Enlisted in the army, he eventually became a second lieutenant He was discharged in 1945 and returned to Columbia. He resumed his acting career with an appearance in the classic film The Yearling (Clarence Brown, 1946), starring Gregory Peck. Warners borrowed him to play Errol Flynn's love rival with Eleanor Parker in the romantic comedy Never Say Goodbye (James V. Kern, 1946). He signed with Republic Pictures in 1948, which brought him one of his greatest roles, that of the Marine corporal bearing a grudge against gung-ho sergeant John Wayne in Sands of Iwo Jima (Allan Dwan, 1949).
Vintage postcard. Photo: Republic Pictures. Forrest Tucker in Brimstone (Joseph Kane, 1949).
British postcard, no. 46. Photo: Republic. Caption: Greetings from... Republic star Forrest Tucker.
Breaking out of the action pictures
Forrest Tucker returned to Columbia to support Randolph Scott in the Western The Nevadan (Gordon Douglas, 1950). At Republic, Tucker was promoted to star roles in many of the 'B' pictures the studio was famous for, such as the Westerns Rock Island Trail (Joseph Kane, 1950) with Adele Mara, California Passage (Joseph Kane, 1950) and Ride the Man Down (Joseph Kane, 1952) with Brian Donlevy. At Paramount, he co-starred with Sterling Hayden in the Western Flaming Feather (Ray Enright, 1952) and supported as Wild Bill Hickok Charlton Heston's Buffalo Bill in Pony Express (Jerry Hopper, 1953).
Tucker went to England to support Wendell Corey and British film star Margaret Lockwood in the adventure film Laughing Anne (Herbert Wilcox, 1953), a co-production with Republic. He was top billed in Fox's The Quiet Gun (William F. Claxton, 1957) and supported Charlton Heston in Three Violent People (Rudolph Maté, 1957).
In 1958 Tucker broke out of the action pictures and played Beauregard Burnside, Mame's first husband in Auntie Mame (Morton DaCosta, 1958), starring Rosalind Russell. It was the highest-grossing US film of the year and showed that Tucker could perform in light comedy. Morton DaCosta cast Tucker as "Professor" Harold Hill in the national touring production of 'The Music Man' (1962), and he was a more than credible substitute for Broadway star Robert Preston, who originated the role. Tucker made 2,008 appearances in 'The Music Man' over the next five years, then starred in 'Fair Game for Lovers' on Broadway in 1964.
Television provided Tucker with his most famous role: scheming cavalry sergeant Morgan O'Rourke in the Western spoof F Troop, a TV series which ran from 1965 to 1967 on ABC. Ably supported by Larry Storch, Ken Berry and James Hampton, Tucker showed a flair for comedy and he and Storch had great chemistry. Tucker returned to films in supporting parts. He had a good turn as the villain in the John Wayne Western Chisum (Andrew V. McLaglen, 1970). He played a lead role in the romantic drama The Wild McCullochs (Max Baer Jr., 1975). On television he was a regular on three series: Dusty's Trail (1973) with Bob Denver, The Ghost Busters (1975), which reunited him with Larry Storch, and Filthy Rich (1982). Tucker was also a frequent guest star in series such as Gunsmoke (1955), Alice (1976) and its spin-off, Flo (1980). He continued to be active on stage as well, starring in the national productions of 'Plaza Suite' (1971), 'Show Boat' (1936), and 'That Championship Season' (1982). He also toured with 'Roy Radin's Vaudeville Revue', a variety show in which, as a headliner, he told Irish stories and jokes and sang Irish songs.
Forrest Tucker struggled with a drinking problem that began to affect his performance in the later years of his career. He returned to the big screen after an absence of several years in 1986, playing Korea veteran and hero trucker Charlie Morrison in the action film Thunder Run (Gary Hudson, 1986) with John Ireland. His comeback to features was short-lived, however, as he died in 1986, in the Los Angeles suburb of Woodland Hills, of complications from lung cancer and emphysema. He was 67 years old. Tucker was buried in Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles. His final film appearance was in Outtakes (Jack M. Sell, 1987), a low-budget comedy featuring skits, parodies and naked women. Forrest Tucker was married four times. His wives were Sandra Jolley (1940-1950; divorced, one daughter, actress Brooke Tucker (1944-2023)), Marilyn Johnson (1951-1960; her death), Marilyn Fisk (1961-1985; divorced, 2 children) and Sheila Forbes (1986-his death).
Belgian postcard, no. KF 27. Photo: Republic Pictures.
Sources: Jon C. Hopwood (IMDb), Uncle Odie's Collectibles, Wikipedia and IMDb.
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