edm88

Phil Arthur - another one I suspected to be a stage name, and it appears that is the case. His real name was Philip Arthur Guibord, born on November 30, 1916 (not 1923, as he wrote here: https://www.historyforsale.com/phil-arthur-autograph-resume-signed/dc313018) in Plattsburgh, New York and he died on November 14, 2004 per Social Security Records, buried in Nevada (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/161457570/philip-arthur-guibord). Name: Philip Arthur Guibord[Phil Arthur][Philip Guibord] Gender: Male Race: White Birth Date: 30 Nov 1916 Birth Place: Plattsburgh, New York Death Date: 14 Nov 2004 The following clipping from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle (26 Aug 1945) stated he attended the College of William and Mary, and graduated in 1940, which seems to have suggested the 1923 DOB was wrong. It also provides some info about his early schooling, which matches with this additional clipping of Philip Guibord attending Rutgers Prep. There are also multiple references to Philip Guibord throughout the 1930s to 1950s in various acting/theatre roles. His football prowess seems to have been overstated a bit however as there doesn't seem to be corroboration that he was a letter winner at W&M.

Shirley Johns - the attached clipping from the Des Moines Register, 30 Mar 1947, pg 30 states that her birth name was Shirley Johnson, daughter of Dean and Margaret Johnson, born on a farm near Ottumwa. That perfectly matches with a Shirley Imogene Joan Johnson, born 3 Mar 1931 (day/month is correct to the IMDB records, but the year is not) in Wapello County, Iowa to Maurice Dean LeRoy and Margaret Alberta (Gardner) Johnson in the Iowa Birth Records. Her mother later remarried and was known as Margaret Gardner Sessions at the time of her death in 1985; her obituary lists her daughter as Shirley J Thompson of San Diego. Not conclusive, but I believe Shirley's most recent residence might be Santa Ysabel, California per public records and is likely still alive. Audrey (Bratty) Strauss - per her father's 1978 obit her later surname was Cox. There's a family tree that gives her YOD as 2016 but I can't find anything further: https://www.myheritage.com/names/audrey_bratty Marilyn Cooper - daughter of Edmond Burdick Cooper (d 1928) and Beulah Williams. Her mother later married Arthur McKillop Gillespie, and Marilyn used the name Marilyn Cooper Gillespie at the time of her marriage in 1948 to Sabu Datstagir. She was last living in Pacific Palisades, CA/Glendale, CA under the name Marilyn C Sabu; likely still alive but inconclusive.

Now, for Wesley Gale, another tough one. He was definitely better known in the 1980s up until the late 1990s as an artist/collector/curator in Los Angeles under the name West Gale (https://7thsonproductions.org/index.php/2018/01/08/west-gale/). A 1992 article states he is 70 years old, so the 1921/1922 DOB is probably right. Full name appears to have been Westley Aubry Gale/Aubry Westley Gale. Cannot seem to pick him up in Social Security Records or any recent public records, so unclear of his current status, though nothing since around the early 2000s (he is known as West A Gale/West Gale in those listings). I'm sure the LA arts community might probably know something further on his status (or perhaps there is a probate record somewhere), but there doesn't seem to be much to be found online, at least.

I think the Lancaster, California one is him, as the spouse matches from that 1961 marriage story.

Some early returns on Jack Rader. It definitely seems that the 1921 DOB is wrong, per his article I uncovered in the Alliance (Nebraska) Times-Herald, his hometown newspaper, Jan 3, 1981. It identifies him as the son of Peary Rader of that same city (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peary_Rader), and a search of Peary's name turns up a link to his fonds, listing Jack as being born in 1939: http://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/taro/utlsc/00026/00026-P.html. There are also some earlier newspaper hits which associate him with TCU (Texas), which also matches up with where he was married in 1961 to Sandra Lee Duncan. Some of same IMDB credits are also listed in the article. Census records on Ancestry seem to suggest however that 1937 is likely the correct YOB (despite the 1939 listed above), so I think the Jack Lewis Rader you found is probably the correct person. Also attached is his high school yearbook photo.

Sure, I can take a look when I get some time! Usually I've found that in cases like this where there just seems to be nothing out there, some part of the existing info (full name, DOB, birthplace, etc) is off. I'd put a decent wager on Roark's birth name probably being something else, hence the difficulty in tracking him down thus far. The military clue should have helped, but I suppose it could have been inaccurate or he that served under another name. There seems to be some trivia/info out there that he got one of his film roles in 1954 from as his father (apparently a doctor in LA) was a financier of the production, which might have some credibility with that other clue that Robert was a medical student at a time, but again, nothing from that yet. I'd speculate that someone searched his name on Ancestry and just pulled the DOB off that public record listing for IMDB without verifying that it was for the correct person. It could still be correct however, but this is a tough one to find anything definitive, at least yet. Also looked at Michon earlier, and she is another tough one, but it does appear she probably was most recently known by her mother's surname, Unertl. Apparently she was raised by her grandparents, and her mother (also an actress) was married multiple times, one of them being to a Mr. Michon. Unclear whether Patricia would have any living descendants. As for Cate Bauer, Wiki now has that one pretty well sorted out. Public records list her as most recently living in Seattle, with the 1929 DOB.

I've begun to look at Roark and he is an odd one. Los Angeles/Hollywood newspaper clippings state he was "from the East", a "medical student from Chicago", and a member of the 11th Airborne Division in WWII, but I haven't been able to find anything with those clues yet. I'm wondering if "Roark" was a stage name. The 1926 DOB comes from the US Public Records Index under a Robert R Roark living in Beverly Hills to the 1990s, but no connection to that person being an actor, and I haven't yet been able to track that person's origins.

Fairly certain that Dan Jackson emigrated to the United States, was naturalized in Florida and died there in Miami on 18 Nov 2004. Born 2 Dec 1925 in Georgetown, Guyana. There is an Ancestry family tree for this person posted by a granddaughter that includes a photo of that actor, so assuming it is the right person.

I think the following records are for Leonard - though his year of birth seems to be incorrectly listed on the death index. His wife died in 1971, registered in Durham, so he seems to have continued to reside near his hometown. Name: Christopher Leonard Death Age: 62 Birth Date: 11 Jul 1924 Registration Date: Jun 1987 Registration District: Penrith Inferred County: Cumbria Volume: 1 Page: 482

And based off this following clipping from the Los Angeles Evening Citizen News, 9 Feb 1946 which suggests a 1932/1931 YOB (rather than 1933) for Jimmy Crane, I am fairly certain that he is James Justin Crane, born 4 Oct 1931 in San Francisco, died 5 Sep 1996, per Social Security Records. The day and month of the IMDB date match as does the birth place, though I can't prove the link conclusively. He is buried in Nevada: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/102242043/james-justin-crane.

I believe I have finally solved Rand Harper! Per the clipping attached from The Hopkins County Echo, November 7, 1952, an AP-syndicated section "Stars on the Horizon" identifies Harper as Ronald Harnack of the University of Southern California (as I suspected, a stage name). Further clippings (from LA Times, 19 Oct 1953) identify Harper as being a UCLA student. That also matches this clipping from the Valley Times, October 4, 1952, which states Harnack went to UCLA and was an actor. The photo also perfectly matches this photo of Harper (https://www.aveleyman.com/ActorCredit.aspx?ActorID=7473). Furthermore, there are clippings from 1953 stating Harper was in the US Air Force (from 21 May 1953 LA Times). This perfectly matches with Ronald Selden Harnack, born August 7, 1929 (matching Harper's IMDB DOB), died Jan 5, 2016: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/157522009/ronald-selden-harnack.

And 2 more: Rian Garrick aka William Kaye: still living in 2014 per his brother's obituary: https://www.timesonline.com/article/20140924/Obituaries/309249932. His father's obituary (attached - from https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=QLZAdv6BrvsC&dat=19821202&printsec=frontpage&hl=en on Dec 2, 1982) confirms that William M. Kaye (aka McKaye) = Rian Garrick (also known in public records as Rian Kaye, William Garrick, etc). Another sister died in 2020 but her obituary doesn't mention her siblings. Also, this appears to be Jerry Holmes: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/196671294/gerald-holmes-stalnaker.

Yes - going off the obituary of her father, John Asa Barber (1916-1997), it states his daughter to be "Bonni De Long" of Oregon. The US Public Records Index entry under that name matches the 10 Sep 1938 DOB. Her mother Myrna Belle Plouffe (going off the 1940 census and her birth index listing) seems to have later remarried and was known as Myrna Bowditch at her death the in early 2000s. I wonder if "Barker" is a transcription error. She was first married to a man with the last name "Salven" (per father's obituary in 1960), and then searching the California Marriage Index under that name brings up another marriage to a Julius Krauss in 1963. Public records show her DOB to match the IMBD month and day, but the year given is 1924. Last living in Palos Verdes Estates, CA. Also was curious and started to look at Rand Harper, but that one looks like a tough one. I wonder if it was a stage name.

I got curious and started to look into this one too. He seems to have married Ethel Morris (1922-1973) and had at least one daughter. Per a family tree which just includes Ethel, the daughter died in QLD, Australia... so perhaps he later went there?

I've obtained records out of the GRO Online Index range before from the website's online ordering system - you just need to know the index references from Ancestry/FreeBMD and enter them manually. I believe all death registrations after the 60s have birth date/place.

Also, Bonnie Belle Barber is now Bonni DeLong, living in Oregon. With regard to Irish records, they are indeed available and open to the public up to certain years (births to 1921, deaths to the 1960s) via https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/. Probate records don't contain an age or DOB usually but if you can find the correct family members for the person you're searching for (or an address), these can be helpful to see who is listed in the wills.

Charmienne Harker is now Charmienne Krauss, appears to still be living in California (public records have her year of birth as 1924).