Duryea: The Movies

Dan Duryea was a rare actor that had the knack of creating an impressive array of characters from a limited range of emotions. He used this array in different combinations and frequencies to create heroes and villains from the same patterns. It was a matter of degree pertaining righteous behavior versus malicious cowardice. Sometimes, the touches were subtle; other times they were stark contrasts. That meant there were times when tags like hero and villain meant nothing. Duryea's unique style was highlighted in classic dramas, crime noirs, pulp Westerns, soap opera romances, and low-budget independents from the 1940s to the late 1960s. The Little Foxes (1941) started his film career that continued until The Bamboo Saucer (1967), a Cold War science-fiction adventure. He also appeared on classic American television series, such as Rawhide (1959-1963), Wagon Train (1957-1964), China Smith (1952) and recurring roles in Peyton Place (1967-1968), with dozens of appearances in other dramatic, comedy, and Western series throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Discover the fascinating story of the man and the movies in a richly researched work. 358 pages. Illustrated.