Marshall Thompson (1925-1992)

biography

Born in Peoria, Illinois, on November 27, 1925, Marshall Thompson's father, a dentist, moved his family to Los Angeles at the start of the Great Depression to set up a practice. Acting in high school plays got Thompson noticed by talent scouts, and he got his start in films in 1944 when he was signed by Universal. The dearth of leading men during World War II, combined with Thompson's boy-next-door good looks, quickly netted him increasingly bigger and better roles. Thompson moved on and signed with MGM in 1946, giving him supporting roles in bigger-budget films and starring roles in the smaller-budgeted ones. During this period of his career, he was often cast in war films, westerns, and film noir thrillers. While at MGM, Thompson met Barbara Long, the sister of actor Richard Long, and the couple married in 1949.

Following the release of the Dick Powell noir drama The Tall Target in 1951, Thompson and MGM parted ways. Afterward, he freelanced at a number of studios, starring in more modestly produced films such as Port of Hell (1954; with Dane Clark and Marjorie Lord) and Crashout (1955; with William Bendix and Gloria Talbott). Thompson's first horror film was the Universal-International release Cult of the Cobra (1955; with Faith Domergue and Richard Long), and he eventually starred in several cult-classic horror and science fiction films, including Fiend Without a Face (1958) and It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958; with Dabbs Greer). By the mid 1960s, Thompson was starring in family comedies such as Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion (1965) and war films, including To the Shores of Hell (1966; with Richard Arlen).

the films of marshall thompson

Gallant Bess (1947)

The Tall Target (1951)

Cult of the Cobra (1955)

To Hell and Back (1955)

Fiend Without a Face (1958)

Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion (1965)

To the Shores of Hell (1966)

Daktari (1966-1969 CBS TV Series)

George (1971)

later years

Thompson's acting career remained strong throughout the 1960s, especially on television as the star of the 1966-1969 series Daktari. Following the cancellation of Daktari, from 1969 through 1971 Thompson narrated the NBC Saturday morning kids show Jambo. And in 1972, Thompson made one more stab at a TV series, this time with the Canadian series George, inspired by Thompson's 1971 film of the same name about a St. Bernard. After the series left the airwaves, Thompson acted in films and television only infrequently, preferring to spend much of his time working on wildlife footage for various projects. Sadly, Marshall Thompson passed away on May 18, 1992, at the age of 66. He was survived by his wife and daughter.

marshall thompson films available from movies unlimited

The Purple Heart [DVD](1944) DVD
Following their capture by the Japanese after being shot down on a bombing run, eight American fliers are placed on trial as war criminals and tortured for information. Harrowing tale of courage, based on true incidents, stars Dana Andrews, Richard Conte, Farley Granger, Sam Levene, Richard Loo; producer Darryl F. Zanuck co-scripted. 100 min. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital stereo, Dolby Digital mono, Spanish Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish; audio commentary; photo gallery; theatrical trailer.
They Were Expendable [DVD](1945) DVD
Set after the attack on Pearl Harbor, this powerful drama from director John Ford focuses on a squadron of PT boats assigned with defending the Philippines. As lieutenants John Wayne and Robert Montgomery lead their men against the Japanese, they must also fight the military bosses who consider the battle losses to be acceptable. With Ward Bond, Donna Reed. 135 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital stereo; Subtitles: English, French; theatrical trailer.
The Clock [DVD](1945) DVD
Frothy romance stars Judy Garland as a New York secretary who meets and falls in love with soldier Robert Walker in Pennsylvania Station while he is on leave. During their courtship, they encounter all sorts of colorful characters in the Big Apple. Noted for its fabulous studio-bound sets, the film was directed by Vincente Minnelli and co-stars James and Lucile Gleason, Keenan Wynn, and Marshall Thompson. 90 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English; radio broadcast; bonus shorts "Hollywood Scout" (1945), "The Screwy Truant" (1945); theatrical trailer.
Homecoming [DVD](1948) DVD
Wartime romantic drama stars Clark Gable as an uncaring New York doctor who joins the U.S. Army Medical Corps during World War II out of a sense of obligation. When he begins an affair with his feisty young assistant (Lana Turner), Gable must deal with guilt over betraying his loving wife (Anne Baxter). John Hodiak, Ray Collins also star. 113 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Command Decision [DVD](1948) DVD
Adapted from the play by William Wister Haines, this first-rate war saga stars Clark Gable as an England-based officer who commands the Allied forces against Germany in World War II. While trying to complete a dangerous mission that would thwart German plans to create more military aircraft, he faces off against his superiors and the realization that success could come with a high body count. With Walter Pidgeon, Van Johnson, Brian Donlevy. 111 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, French.
Words And Music [DVD](1948) DVD
The renowned songwriting team of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart is spotlighted in this musical biography that features an all-star cast performing their greatest works. Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Cyd Charisse, Lena Horne, and Mel Torme star, with Tom Drake and Mickey Rooney as Rodgers and Hart. Songs include "I Wish I Were in Love Again," "Johnny One Note," "The Lady Is a Tramp," "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue," "Where or When," and more. 121 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English (SDH), French.
Battleground [DVD](1949) DVD
An Oscar-winning account of the Battle of the Bulge, and the American foot soldiers who were trapped by the Germans in Bastogne during the fighting. Van Johnson, John Hodiak, Ricardo Montalban and George Murphy star in this stirring wartime drama, directed by William Wellman. 118 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish, French; featurette; bonus cartoon.
Act Of Violence (1948)/Mystery Street [DVD](1950) DVD
A decorated WWII veteran finds his quiet civilian life thrown into turmoil when he's relentlessly pursued by a fellow former soldier out for revenge after all their buddies were killed while being held in a Nazi prison camp, in "Act of Violence." Van Heflin, Robert Ryan, Janet Leigh, Mary Astor, Phyllis Thaxter star. Then, when a female skeleton is discovered in Cape Cod, a Boston detective (Ricardo Montalban) must race against time to find the killer before an innocent man is sent to prison, in "Mystery Street." With Marshall Thompson, Sally Forrest, Bruce Bennett, Elsa Lanchester. 175 min. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English (SDH), French; audio commentary; featurettes; theatrical trailers.
Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 4 [DVD] DVD
Five-disc boxed set includes the double features "Act of Violence/Mystery Street," "Crime Wave/Decoy," "Illegal/The Big Steal," "They Live by Night/Side Street," and "Where Danger Lives/Tension."
The Basketball Fix [DVD](1951) DVD
Sports drama details a basketball scandal centering on a hoop star whose involvement with seedy gamblers forces him to shave points on a big game. John Ireland, Marshall Thompson, Vanessa Brown star. 66 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English mono. Plays All Regions.
The Tall Target [DVD](1951) DVD
Based on actual events, this thrilling drama follows a New York detective (named John Kennedy!) who learns of a plot to assassinate President-elect Abraham Lincoln. When none of his superiors believe him, he hops aboard the train carrying Honest Abe with hopes of stopping one of his fellow passengers from carrying out their murder plot. Dick Powell, Paula Raymond, Adolphe Menjou star. 78 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
To Hell And Back [DVD](1955) DVD
The most decorated soldier of World War II, Audie Murphy, stars as himself in this gritty, unflinching film biography. Follow the exploits of a reluctant, unlikely hero who left his life as a Texas sharecropper to enlist in the army where he would serve in Africa, Italy, France, Austria, and Germany. David Janssen, Marshall Thompson, Charles Drake, Denver Pyle co-star. 107 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: Spanish, French.
The Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection, Vols. 1 & 2 [DVD] DVD
"Dr. Cyclops" (1940) stars Albert Dekker as a mad scientist who shrinks five people to miniature size and holds them prisoner. A group of American G.I.s stumbles on the secret rituals of the snake-worshipping "Cult of the Cobra" (1955). Faith Domergue, Marshall Thompson, David Janssen star. A lab experiment unleashes a rapidly growing "Tarantula" (1955). John Agar, Leo G. Carroll star. Archeologists Agar and Hugh Beaumont discover a clawed, bug-eyed race called "The Mole People" (1956). Grant Williams is "The Incredible Shrinking Man" (1957) who begins to diminish in size after exposure to radiation. Meteorite fragments absorb water from everything around them (including people), creating "The Monolith Monsters" (1957). An expedition to Antarctica finds a prehistoric world, in "The Land Unknown" (1957). Earthquakes release a giant prehistoric insect from suspended animation, in "The Deadly Mantis" (1957). A college biology instructor is transformed into a Neanderthal man, in "Monster on the Campus" (1958). A native African ritual turn s a scientist's wife into "The Leech Woman" (1960). 13 hrs. total on six discs. Standard/Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital stereo; Subtitles: English (SDH), French; theatrical trailers.
Fiend Without A Face [DVD](1958) DVD
Mysterious, atomic-powered brain creatures have been feeding on the terrorized countryside's livestock...then on the townspeople...and you're on the dessert menu. Yaaah! Marshall Thompson, Kim Parker star. 77 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English; audio commentary; theatrical trailer; photo gallery; scene access.
The Monster That Challenged The World (1957)/It! The Terror From Beyond Space [DVD](1958) DVD
The planet is under attack in "The Monster That Challenged the World" by, in fact, many gigantic snail-like creatures released from their undersea resting place by seismic activity. Tim Holt, Audrey Dalton, and Hans Conried star. Next, an interplanetary ship rescues the sole survivor of a Martian scouting mission and heads for home, unaware that "It! The Terror from Beyond Space" has stowed away in the cargo hold and is slowly approaching the crew's quarters. This unofficial inspiration for "Alien" stars Marshall Thompson, Ann Doran, and Ray "Crash" Corrigan as "It." 152 min. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: Spanish, French; theatrical trailer.
Monsters And Madmen [DVD] DVD
First, "The Haunted Strangler" (1957) stars Boris Karloff as a novelist who has a startling revelation while investigating the case of the notorious "Haymarket Strangler," a man responsible for a series of gruesome murders. With Jean Kent, Elizabeth Allan. AKA: "Grip of the Strangler." Then, a 19th-century British doctor (Karloff) experimenting with anesthetics becomes addicted to his new drug and is later blackmailed by two Burke-and-Hare types to assist in their graverobbing, in "Corridors of Blood" (1958). Co-stars Christopher Lee. Next, "The Atomic Submarine" (1959) journeys to the North Pole to find the cause of disasters occurring in the world's oceans and finds a UFO controlled by a cyclopean creature on a mission of world destruction. Arthur Franz, Dick Foran, Tom Conway, and Sid Melton star. And, an American test pilot becomes the "First Man Into Space" (1959), only to turn into a hideous monster, in an early blending of horror and space-age sci-fi. Marshall Thompson, Maria Landi star. 5 1/4 hrs. total on four discs. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English; audio commentary; interviews; photo gallery; theatrical trailers; more.
No Man Is An Island [DVD](1962) DVD
Jeffrey Hunter excels as real-life World War II hero George R. Tweed, who was stranded on Guam after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Tweed eluded the Japanese military for years, then played an important part in the Allied invasion of the island by sending signals from a hidden outpost. Marshall Thompson, Barbara Perez also star. 114 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: French, Spanish.
Zebra In The Kitchen [DVD](1965) DVD
Frantic family favorite stars Jay North (TV's "Dennis the Menace") as a boy who has a plan to help the inhabitants of the city zoo, including the puma he had to give up as a pet: unlock their cages and set them free. Soon, hippos, elephants and monkeys (and zebras) are taking over the town. Martin Milner and Andy Devine also star in this Ivan Tors ("Flipper") production. 92 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English; Subtitles: English, Spanish, French.
The Marlon Brando Collection [DVD] DVD
First, "The Teahouse of the August Moon" (1956) is a whimsical, poignant adaptation of the hit Broadway play about an American G.I.'s experiences in Okinawa in 1944. Marlon Brando plays the slick native interpreter with a way of getting what he wants. Glenn Ford, Paul Ford, Eddie Albert and Machiko Kyo offer memorable supporting turns. Brando stars as a homosexual army officer based in Georgia in the controversial, action-packed tale "Reflections in a Golden Eye" (1967), adapted from Carson McCullers' explosive novel. Elizabeth Taylor, Brian Keith and Julie Harris star; directed by John Huston. And, while investigating a friend's murder, a detective (George C. Scott) learns the dead man possessed a world-shaking secret from the last days of the Third Reich: a plan for creating cheap, pollution-free synthetic fuel, in "The Formula" (1980). Brando, Marthe Keller, John Gielgud co-star. Five-disc set also includes "Julius Caesar" (1953) and "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1962). 11 hrs. total.
White Dog [DVD](1982) DVD
Writer/director Samuel Fuller's rabid thriller tells a provocative yarn about an actress (Kristy McNichol) who adopts a stray German shepherd she hit with her car. Indebted to the dog after it saves her from a would-be rapist, McNichol discovers that the animal was taught to attack black people on sight and hires a trainer (Paul Winfield) to try and change its racist conditioning. Jameson Parker, Burl Ives co-star. 90 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English (SDH); interviews; photo gallery.

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marshall thompson photos and posters available

filmography

FILM
Dallas: The Early Years (1986) with David Grant
White Dog (1982) with Kristy McNichol and Paul Bartel
The Formula (1980) with Marlon Brando and George C. Scott
Bog (1978) with Gloria DeHaven and Aldo Ray
Cruise Into Terror (1978) with Dirk Benedict, Hugh O'Brian, Christopher George, Lynda Day George, John Forsythe, Ray Milland, and Stella Stevens
The Turning Point (1977) with Anne Bancroft and Shirley MacLaine
George (1971) with Jack Mullaney
Ride the Tiger (1970) with George Montgomery
To the Shores of Hell (1966) with Richard Arlen and Bob Dornan
Around the World Under the Sea (1966) with Shirley Eaton, Lloyd Bridges, David McCallum, Brian Kelly, Keenan Wynn, and Gary Merrill
Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion (1965) with Cheryl Miller and Betsy Drake
The Mighty Jungle (1964)
A Yank in Viet-Nam (1964) directed by Marshall Thompson
No Man Is an Island (1962) with Jeffrey Hunter
Flight of the Lost Balloon (1961) with Mala Powers
First Man Into Space (1959) with Bill Nagy
It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958) with Ann Doran, Dabbs Greer, and Ray 'Crash' Corrigan
The Secret Man (1958)
Fiend Without a Face (1958) with Michael Balfour
East of Kilimanjaro (1957) with Gaby Andre
Lure of the Swamp (1957) with Jack Elam, Willard Parker, and Myron Healey
Down Liberty Road (1957) with Tommy Kirk; a promotional film for Greyhound
Good Morning, Miss Dove (1955) with Robert Stack, Jennifer Jones, and Chuck Connors
Battle Taxi (1955) with Sterling Hayden and Arthur Franz
To Hell and Back (1955) with Audie Murphy, Charles Drake, Jack Kelly, David Janssen, Gregg Palmer, Brett Halsey, and Susan Kohner
Cult of the Cobra (1955) with Faith Domergue, Richard Long, David Janssen, Jack Kelly, William Reynolds, and Kathleen Hughes
Crashout (1955) with William Bendix, William Talman, Gloria Talbott, and Beverly Michaels
Port of Hell (1954) with Dane Clark, Carole Mathews, and Marjorie Lord
The Caddy (1953) with Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Barbara Bates, and Donna Reed
The Rose Bowl Story (1952) with Vera Miles, Keith Larsen, Natalie Wood, and Ann Doran
My Six Convicts (1952) with Gilbert Roland and Charles Bronson
The Basketball Fix (1951) with John Ireland and Hazel Brooks
The Tall Target (1951) with Dick Powell, Paula Raymond, and Leif Erickson
Dial 1119 (1950) with Andrea King, Keefe Brasselle, and William Conrad
Devil's Doorway (1950) with Robert Taylor and Paula Raymond
Mystery Street (1950) with Ricardo Montalban, Bruce Bennett, Jan Sterling, Sally Forrest, and Elsa Lanchester
Battleground (1949) with Ricardo Montalban, Van Johnson, and John Hodiak
Roseanna McCoy (1949) with Farley Granger, Joan Evans, Raymond Massey, and Richard Basehart
Command Decision (1948) with Clark Gable, Walter Pidgeon, Van Johnson, Brian Donlevy, and John Hodiak
Words and Music (1948) with Perry Como, Mickey Rooney, Ann Sothern, Tom Drake, Cyd Charisse, and Betty Garrett
Homecoming (1948) with Clark Gable, Lana Turner, Anne Baxter, and John Hodiak
B.F.'s Daughter (1948) with Barbara Stanwyck and Van Heflin
The Romance of Rosy Ridge (1947) with Van Johnson, Janet Leigh, and Jim Davis
Gallant Bess (1947) with Jim Davis, Chill Wills, and George Tobias
The Secret Heart (1946) with Claudette Colbert, Walter Pidgeon, June Allyson, Lionel Barrymore, Robert Sterling, and Patricia Medina
The Show-Off (1946) with Red Skelton, Marjorie Main, and Marilyn Maxwell
Bad Bascomb (1946) with Wallace Beery, Margaret O'Brien, and Marjorie Main
The Cockeyed Miracle (1946) with Frank Morgan and Keenan Wynn
They Were Expendable (1945) with John Wayne, Robert Montgomery, and Donna Reed
Twice Blessed (1945) with Preston Foster and Gail Patrick
The Valley of Decision (1945) with Gregory Peck and Greer Garson
The Clock (1945) with Judy Garland, Robert Walker, and Keenan Wynn
Blonde Fever (1944) with Mary Astor and Gloria Grahame
Reckless Age (1944) with Gloria Jean
Henry Aldrich, Boy Scout (1944)

TELEVISION SERIES
Centennial, 1978 NBC 12-episode miniseries. Thompson portrayed Dennis. Also featured in this series were Reb Brown, Raymond Burr, Robert Conrad, Jorge Rivero, and Clint Walker
George, 1972 TV series. Thompson portrayed Jim
Jambo, 1969-1971 Saturday morning TV series. Thompson served as host
Daktari, 1966-1969 CBS TV series. Thompson portrayed Dr. Marsh Tracy
Angel, 1960-1961 CBS TV series. Thompson portrayed Johnny Smith
World of Giants, 1959 CBS TV series. Thompson portrayed Mel Hunter