biographyMcCrea met fellow RKO contract player Frances Dee when they appeared in The Silver Cord (1933; with Irene Dunne), and the couple married not long after filming was completed. McCrea and Dee had three children, including actor Jody McCrea, who appeared in a number of films in the 1950s and 1960s, including Bikini Beach, Muscle Beach Party, and Pajama Party. Although Joel McCrea is now best known for his many western pictures, early in his career he was usually cast as a leading man in comedies and dramas. In fact, he didn't star in a western until he left RKO and signed with Paramount. Paramount released his first western, Wells Fargo (1937; with Frances Dee and Johnny Mack Brown). The studio put him in some of its biggest hits in the days before World War II, including Sullivan's Travels (1941; with Veronica Lake) and The Palm Beach Story (1942; with The Claudette Colbert and Mary Astor). As McCrea edged closer to 40 years old, however, his leading man image began to fade so he found a new home in westerns with the release of The Virginian (1946; with Brian Donlevy). Afterward, McCrea acted almost exclusively in westerns. |
the films of joel mccreaThe Common Law (1931)Bird of Paradise (1932)The Most Dangerous Game (1932)With Fay Wray in RKO's thriller The Most Dangerous GameBanjo on My Knee (1936)LEFT: With Katherine DeMille in Banjo on My Knee. RIGHT: With Tony Martin and frequent co-star Barbara StanwyckForeign Correspondent (1940)LEFT: With George Sanders in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller Foreign Correspondent. RIGHT: With Laraine Day and George SandersSullivan's Travels (1942)From Sullivan's Travels. LEFT: With Veronica Lake and Franklin Pangborn. CENTER and RIGHT: With Veronica LakeBuffalo Bill (1944)The Great Moment (1944)In the period comedy The Great Moment, William Demarest tries to help dentist Joel McCrea in his quest convince the medical community to use ether as an anestheticColorado Territory (1949)LEFT: With James Mitchell and John Archer in the Warner Bros. western Colorado Territory. RIGHT: With James Mitchell, John Archer, and Virginia MayoSouth of St. Louis (1949)With Zachary Scott in the Warner Bros. western South of St. LouisCattle Drive (1951)Lone Hand (1953)Black Horse Canyon (1954)Images from the Universal-International western Black Horse Canyon. LEFT: Promotional still. CENTER and RIGHT: With Mari BlanchardBorder River (1954)Wichita (1955)With Keith Larsen, Vera Miles, and Lloyd Bridges in the Warner Bros. western WichitaFort Massacre (1958)With John Russell, Susan Cabot, and Larry Chance in Fort Massacrelater yearsMcCrea proved to be a good businessman with his investments and real estate holdings, which made him wealthy. He continued acting in films through the early 1960s, when he went into retirement. In 1959, McCrea and his son Jody McCrea starred in the half-hour NBC TV series Wichita Town, but the series got lost in the glut of westerns airing during the season and was canceled in 1960. After Wichita Town left the air, McCrea made just a few more film appearances; his last film was Mustang Country in 1976. While Joel McCrea remained married to Frances Dee until his death, he filed for a divorce in April 1966 but the couple later reconciled. He passed away on October 20, 1990, at the age of 84. He was survived by Frances Dee (1907-2004) and three sons. |
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