Lance Fuller (1928-2001)

biography

Born in Somerset, Kentucky on December 6, 1928, actor Lance Fuller was brought to Hollywood by MGM when he tested for The Yearling (1946) in 1943. Although he didn't get the part, he began his acting career taking bit parts in such films as Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943; with Lon Chaney Jr. and Bela Lugosi), To Have and Have Not (1944; with Humphrey Bogart), and Song of Scheherazade (1947; with Yvonne De Carlo and Brian Donlevy). By the time Fuller grew into adulthood, he was 6'3" and had quite a bit of experience as an actor. At the age of 23, he married actress Joi Lansing. In early 1952, Fuller was drafted into the Army, which delayed his career and damaged his marriage. He and Lansing separated in late 1952 and were divorced in 1953.


In 1953, after years of bit parts, Fuller got his big break when he signed with Universal-International, and he acted in a string of films through the late 1950s. His best-known films include This Island Earth (1954; with Faith Domergue and Rex Reason); Slightly Scarlet (1956; with John Payne and Rhonda Fleming); and The She-Creature (1956; with Marla English). In the late 1950s, Universal dumped nearly all its contract players, leaving Fuller to contend with lesser scripts in films such as The Bride and the Beast (1958; written by Edward D. Wood Jr.) and Saint of Devil's Island (1961; with Eartha Kitt). He also dabbled in screenwriting in the late 1950s.

the films of lance fuller

The Other Woman (1954)

Pearl of the South Pacific (1955)

This Island Earth (1955)

Girls in Prison (1956)

Kentucky Rifle (1956)

Runaway Daughters (1956)

Secret of Treasure Mountain (1956)

Voodoo Woman (1957)

The Bride and the Beast (1958)

later years

Lance Fuller's film career stalled in the late 1950s, as was the case for many actors once under contract to a major studio. He was successful in finding guest-starring roles on popular TV series, but he resisted several offers from Warner Bros. to have his own series. As a result, he quit the business in 1962. In 1968, Fuller made headlines when he attacked a police officer in Los Angeles, after which the officer shot Fuller in the chest and left him in critical condition. After recovering, he attempted a comeback and landed small roles in several feature films and a few TV programs in the early 1970s. He passed away in Los Angeles at the age of 73 on December 22, 2001.

lance fuller films available from movies unlimited

Cattle Queen Of Montana (1954)/Tennessee's Partner (1955) [DVD] DVD
Barbara Stanwyck rides hell-bent for leather as the "Cattle Queen of Montana," seeking revenge when her rancher pa is killed by Indians working for villainous cattle baron Gene Evans. Ronald Reagan is a undercover government agent who winds up falling for Stanwyck. With Jack Elam, Morris Ankrum and Chubby Johnson. Next, Reagan's a fast-triggered gunslinger, John Payne a quick-witted cardsharp, and Rhonda Fleming the high-living dancehall owner who comes between them, in the frontier drama "Tennessee's Partner," based on a Bret Harte story. With Johnson, Colleen Gray; look for a young Angie Dickinson. 175 min. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; theatrical trailer.
This Island Earth [DVD](1955) DVD
Classic science-fiction drama of two Earth scientists who are abducted by white-haired, big-foreheaded aliens and taken to their war-ravaged homeworld of Metaluna in hopes of saving it. Jeff Morrow, Faith Domergue, Rex Reason, Russell Johnson, and the bug-eyed Metalunan Mutants star. 86 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English (SDH); theatrical trailer.
Slightly Scarlet [DVD](1955) DVD
Intriguing film noir drama (and one of the few of that genre to be shot in color) stars John Payne as a hood working for big-city crime boss Ted de Corsia. Sent to dig up incriminating information on a reform-minded mayoral candidate, Payne falls for the politician's secretary, redhead Rhonda Fleming, and decides to turn in his boss...if he lives that long. With Arlene Dahl, Kent Taylor; based on a James L. Cain novel. 99 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; audio commentary; theatrical trailer; scene access.
Deadly Dames: Film Noir Collector's Set [DVD] DVD
Three-disc boxed set includes "Blonde Ice," "Slightly Scarlet," and "The Naked Kiss."
Pearl Of The South Pacific [DVD](1955) DVD
It's adventure, romance and mayhem in Paradise when comely con woman Virginia Mayo and her partners in crime, Dennis Morgan and David Farrar, try to rob some South Seas natives out of a fortune in rare black pearls. Trouble is, the gems are guarded in an undersea grotto by a giant octopus! 86 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; theatrical trailers; scene access.
Kentucky Rifle [DVD](1956) DVD
A wagon train heading west leaves several people behind in hostile Indian territory. The desperate group attempts to make their way back toward civilization, but when it's learned that their wagon has rifles on it, they face even greater danger. Chill Wills, Lance Fuller, Cathy Downs, Sterling Holloway, and Jeanne Cagney star. 84 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Plays All Regions.
The Great American Western, Vol. 20 [DVD] DVD
Roy Rogers roughs `em up in "Bells of San Angelo" (1947), playing a border patrol officer who has to round up a bunch of smugglers. Andy Devine, Dale Evans, and The Sons of the Pioneers also star. A group of people desperately tries to make their way back to civilization, travelling through Indian territory with a wagon full of guns, in "Kentucky Rifle" (1955). Chill Wills, Lance Fuller star. William Shatner stars in a dual role as half-breed twins--one raised by Indians, the other in the white man's world--in "White Comanche" (1967). When war is declared, it's brother against brother. Joseph Cotten co-stars. Finally, John Wayne, Henry Ford and Jimmy Stewart are featured in "Great American West," a documentary tribute to maverick director John Ford and his Western classics. 5 hrs. total.
God's Little Acre [DVD](1958) DVD
Erskine Caldwell's best-selling novel about the loves and lives of Georgia farmers receives a lusty adaptation with a superb cast: Robert Ryan, Tina Louise, Aldo Ray, Jack Lord, Michael Landon, and Buddy Hackett; directed by Anthony Mann. Soundtrack: English.
The Bride And The Beast (1958)/The White Gorilla [DVD](1949) DVD
While on an expedition in the wilds of Africa, a woman realizes that she's attracted to gorillas. After "The Bride and the Beast" spend quality time monkeying around, she discovers that she's the reincarnation of an ape. This infamous Ed Wood-scripted opus stars Lance Fuller, Charlotte Austin, and some angora sweaters. AKA: "Queen of the Gorillas." Next, Ray "Crash" Corrigan has a fearful encounter with the "seething outcast of ape society," better known as "The White Gorilla." Also stars Lorraine Miller, and "Tarzan" star Frank Merrill (in archival footage taken from the 1927 serial "Perils of the Jungle"). 141 min. total. Standard/Widescreen; audio commentary; biographies; bonus footage; photo gallery; more.
Day Of The Outlaw [DVD](1959) DVD
Based on the novel by Lee E Wells, this beautifully lensed horse opera stars Burl Ives as the brutish leader of a group of renegade cavalrymen. After riding into a remote town and proceeding to terrorize its residents, Ives and his men find their reign of violence threatened when local rancher Robert Ryan starts a rebellion. With Tina Louise, Alan Marshal, Venetia Stevenson. 92 min. Widescreen; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital stereo, Dolby Digital mono, Spanish Dolby Digital mono, French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish.

lance fuller photos and posters available

filmography

FILMS
The Longest Yard (1974) with Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert, Michael Conrad, Mike Henry, Bernadette Peters, and Anitra Ford
Saint of Devil's Island (1961) with Scott Forbes, Eartha Kitt, Bing Russell, and Vito Scotti
Day of the Outlaw (1959) with Robert Ryan, Burl Ives, Tina Louise, Venetia Stevenson, David Nelson, Elisha Cook Jr., Dabbs Greer, and Betsy Jones-Moreland
God's Little Acre (1958) with Robert Ryan, Aldo Ray, Buddy Hackett, Jack Lord, Fay Spain, Vic Morrow, Rex Ingram, Michael Landon, and Tina Louise
The Bride and the Beast (1958) with Charlotte Austin and Eve Brent
Voodoo Woman (1957) with Marla English, Tom Conway, and Mike Connors
Runaway Daughters (1956) with Marla English, Gloria Castillo, Adele Jergens, , John Litel, Steven Terrell, and Frank Gorshin
The She-Creature (1956) with Chester Morris, Marla English, Tom Conway, Cathy Downs, Ron Randell, and William Hudson
Girls in Prison (1956) with Richard Denning, Joan Taylor, Adele Jergens, Jane Darwell, Raymond Hatton, Phyllis Coates, Diana Darrin, and Mae Marsh
Frontier Woman (1956) with Rance Howard
Kentucky Rifle (1956) with Chill Wills, Cathy Downs, Sterling Holloway, Henry Hull, and Jeanne Cagney
Secret of Treasure Mountain (1956) with Valerie French and Raymond Burr
Slightly Scarlet (1956) with John Payne, Rhonda Fleming, Arlene Dahl, Kent Taylor, Ted de Corsia, and Buddy Baer
Pearl of the South Pacific (1955) with Virginia Mayo and Dennis Morgan
Apache Woman (1955) with Lloyd Bridges, Joan Taylor, Paul Birch, Jonathan Haze, and Dick Miller
This Island Earth (1955) with Jeff Morrow, Faith Domergue, Rex Reason, and Russell Johnson
The Other Woman (1954) with Hugo Haas and Cleo Moore
Cattle Queen of Montana (1954) with Barbara Stanwyck, Ronald Reagan, Gene Evans, Anthony Caruso, Jack Elam, Yvette Duguay, Morris Ankrum, Myron Healey, Paul Birch, and Byron Foulger
Taza, Son of Cochise (1954) with Rock Hudson, Barbara Rush, Gregg Palmer, Rex Reason, and Morris Ankrum

TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCES
Matt Helm, episode Dead Men Talk, originally aired September 20, 1975
G.E. True Theater, episode My Dark Days: Parts 1 and 2, originally aired March 18 and 25, 1962
Twilight Zone, episode The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank, originally aired February 23, 1962
Lawman, episode Parphyria's Lover, originally aired November 19, 1961
Bat Masterson, episode The Price of Paradise, originally aired January 19, 1961
Shotgun Slade, episode The Impatient Bullet, originally aired 1961
Thriller, episode The Fatal Impulse, originally aired November 29, 1960
Bat Masterson, episode A Grave Situation, originally aired May 12, 1960
77 Sunset Strip, episode Switchburg, originally aired January 15, 1960
Men Into Space, episode Burnout, originally aired December 9, 1959
The Deputy, episode Proof of Guilt, originally aired October 24, 1959
Maverick, episode The Cats of Paradise, originally aired October 11, 1959
Colt .45, episode The Pirate, originally aired May 31, 1959
26 Men, episode Fighting Men, originally aired May 26, 1959
Bat Masterson, episode Double Trouble in Trinidad, originally aired January 7, 1959
This Man Dawson, episode Doubt of Evidence, originally aired 1959
Maverick, episode Island in the Swamp, originally aired November 30, 1958
The Rifleman, episode The Sister, originally aired November 25, 1958
Target, episode Death by the Clock, originally aired September 12, 1958

lance fuller film now showing

Watch Lance Fuller guest star in a 1959 episode of Bat Masterson titled Double Trouble in Trinidad