Mason Alan Dinehart Sr. (born Harold Alan Dinehart; October 3, 1889 – July 18, 1944) was an American actor, director, writer, and stage manager.

Biography

Alan Dinehart in The First Hundred Years 05

Dinehart initially studied to be a priest, but he turned to the theater instead. His first acting experience came at Missoula University in Montana. He was active in Vaudeville before moving into other areas of entertainment. He left school to appear on stage with a repertory company and had no screen experience when he signed a contract with

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelv ...

in May 1931. He became a

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to ...

and supporting player in at least eighty-eight films between 1931 and 1944. Earlier, he appeared in more than twenty Broadway plays. Dinehart co-wrote and starred in the Broadway play ''Separate Rooms'', which opened on March 23, 1940 at the Maxine Elliott Theatre and ran for 613 performances. Dinehart's likeness was drawn in caricature by Alex Gard for

Sardi's Sardi's is a continental restaurant located at 234 West 44th Street, between Broadway and Eighth Avenue, in the Theater District of Manhattan, New York City. Sardi's opened at its current location on March 5, 1927. It is known for the caricatu ...

, the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

theater district restaurant. The picture is now part of the collection of the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress) ...

. Dinehart's second son, Mason Alan Dinehart, was cast in several 1950s

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed ...

, including the role of a young

Bat Masterson Bartholemew William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (November 26, 1853 – October 25, 1921) was a U.S. Army scout, lawman, professional gambler, and journalist known for his exploits in the 19th and early 20th-century American Old West. He was born to ...

in the ABC/

Desilu Studios The Culver Studios is a movie studio in Culver City, California. Originally created by silent movie pioneer Thomas H. Ince, classics from Hollywood's Golden Age were filmed there. It is currently owned by Hackman Capital Partners, which completel ...

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...

, '' The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp'', starring

Hugh O'Brian Hugh O'Brian (born Hugh Charles Krampe; April 19, 1925 – September 5, 2016) was an American actor and humanitarian, best known for his starring roles in the ABC Western television series '' The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp'' (1955– ...

in the title role.

Personal life

In 1936, Dinehart had his name legally changed to Mason Alan Dinehart. He had been baptized Harold Alan Dinehart, but his wife explained that the change would permit their son to be legally named Alan Dinehart III.

Death

Dinehart suffered

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...

and died on 17 July 1944. Some reports stated the cause as a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which m ...

and the day of death as July 18 at age 54.https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=Fr8DH2VBP9sC&dat=19440721&printsec=frontpage&hl=en The Gazette, Montreal, July 21, 1944, p.3

Selected filmography

*'' The Brat'' (1931) - MacMillan Forrester *'' Wicked'' (1931) - Blake *'' Girls About Town'' (1931) - Jerry Chase *'' Good Sport'' (1931) - Rex Parker *''

Disorderly Conduct Disorderly conduct is a crime in most jurisdictions in the United States, the People's Republic of China, and Taiwan. Typically, "disorderly conduct" makes it a crime to be drunk in public, to " disturb the peace", or to loiter in certain ar ...

'' (1932) - Fletcher *'' Devil's Lottery'' (1932) - American (uncredited) *'' The Trial of Vivienne Ware'' (1932) - Prosecutor *''

Street of Women ''Street of Women'' is a 1932 pre-Code romantic drama directed by Archie Mayo and starring Kay Francis and Roland Young. Plot summary A man's affair complicates his daughter's love life. Cast * Kay Francis as Natalie "Nat" Upton * Roland You ...

'' (1932) - Lawrence 'Larry' Baldwin *''

Bachelor's Affairs ''Bachelor's Affairs'' also known as Fancy Free is a 1932 American Pre-Code film based on the play "Precious" by James Forbes. While its availability for viewing is currently limited, it has been preserved by the UCLA Film and Television Archiv ...

'' (1932) - Luke Radcliff *'' Almost Married'' (1932) - Inspector Slante *'' Okay, America!'' (1932) - Roger Jones *'' Washington Merry-Go-Round'' (1932) - Norton *'' Rackety Rax'' (1932) - Counsellor Sultsfeldt *'' The Devil Is Driving'' (1932) - Jenkins *''

Lawyer Man ''Lawyer Man'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by William Dieterle, based on the novel by Max Trell. The film stars William Powell and Joan Blondell. It was produced by Warner Bros. By the time of the release, several actors w ...

'' (1932) - Granville Bentley *'' As the Devil Commands'' (1932) - Robert Waldo *'' Sweepings'' (1933) - Thane Pardway *''

Supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

'' (1933) - Paul Bavian *'' A Study in Scarlet'' (1933) - Merrydew *'' I Have Lived'' (1933) - Thomas Langley *'' Her Bodyguard'' (1933) - Lester Cunningham *''

No Marriage Ties ''No Marriage Ties'' is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film directed by J. Walter Ruben and written by Arthur Caesar, H.W. Hanemann, Sam Mintz. The film stars Richard Dix, Elizabeth Allan, Doris Kenyon, Alan Dinehart and David Landau. The ...

'' (1933) - 'Perk' Perkins *''The Road Is Open Again'' (1933, short subject, as George Washington) - George Washington *'' Dance Girl Dance'' (1933) - Wade 'Val' Valentine *''As the Devil Commands'' (1933) - Robert Waldo *''

Bureau of Missing Persons ''Bureau of Missing Persons'' is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film with comic overtones directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring Bette Davis, Lewis Stone, Pat O'Brien and Glenda Farrell . The screenplay by Robert Presnell is based on the bo ...

'' (1933) - Therme Roberts *'' Fury of the Jungle'' (1933) - Taggart *'' The World Changes'' (1933) - Ogden Jarrett *'' The Sin of Nora Moran'' (1933) - District Attorney John Grant *''

Cross Country Cruise ''Cross Country Cruise'' is a 1934 American Pre-Code romance film directed by Edward Buzzell and written by Elmer Blaney Harris. The film stars Lew Ayres, June Knight, Alice White, Alan Dinehart, Minna Gombell, and Eugene Pallette. The film w ...

'' (1934) - Steve Borden *'' The Crosby Case'' (1934) - Police Inspector Thomas *'' Jimmy the Gent'' (1934) - Charles Wallingham *''

A Very Honorable Guy ''A Very Honorable Guy'' is a 1934 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Lloyd Bacon, written by Earl Baldwin, and starring Joe E. Brown, Alice White, Robert Barrat, Alan Dinehart, Irene Franklin and Hobart Cavanaugh. It was released by Warne ...

'' (1934) - The Brain *'' The Love Captive'' (1934) - Roger Loft *'' Baby Take a Bow'' (1934) - Welch *'' The Cat's-Paw'' (1934) - Mayor Ed Morgan *'' Lottery Lover'' (1935) - Edward Arthur 'Tank' Tankersley *''

$10 Raise ''$10 Raise'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by George Marshall, written by Henry Johnson and Lou Breslow, and starring Edward Everett Horton, Karen Morley, Alan Dinehart, Glen Boles, Berton Churchill and Rosina Lawrence. It was released ...

'' (1935) - Fuller *''

Dante's Inferno ''Inferno'' (; Italian for "Hell") is the first part of Italian writer Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem ''Divine Comedy''. It is followed by '' Purgatorio'' and '' Paradiso''. The ''Inferno'' describes Dante's journey through Hell, ...

'' (1935) - Jonesy *'' Redheads on Parade'' (1935) - George Magnus *'' The Payoff'' (1935) - Marty *'' Thanks a Million'' (1935) - Mr. Kruger *'' In Old Kentucky'' (1935) - Slick Doherty *'' Your Uncle Dudley'' (1935) - Charlie Post *'' It Had to Happen'' (1936) - Rodman Dreke *'' Everybody's Old Man'' (1936) - Frederick Gillespie *'' The Country Beyond'' (1936) - Ray Jennings *'' Human Cargo'' (1936) - Lionel Crocker *'' Parole!'' (1936) - Richard Mallard *'' The Crime of Dr. Forbes'' (1936) - Prosecuting Attorney *'' Charlie Chan at the Race Track'' (1936) - George Chester *'' Star for a Night'' (1936) - James Dunning *'' King of the Royal Mounted'' (1936) - Frank Becker *'' Reunion'' (1936) - Philip Crandell *''

Born to Dance ''Born to Dance'' is an American musical film starring Eleanor Powell and James Stewart, directed by Roy Del Ruth and released in 1936 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The score was composed by Cole Porter. Plot summary While on leave, sailor Ted B ...

'' (1936) - McKay *'' Woman-Wise'' (1937) - Richards *'' Step Lively, Jeeves!'' (1937) - Hon. Cedric B. Cromwell *'' Midnight Taxi'' (1937) - Philip Strickland *'' This Is My Affair'' (1937) - Doc Keller *'' Fifty Roads to Town'' (1937) - Jerome Kendall *'' Dangerously Yours'' (1937) - Julien Stevens *'' Danger – Love at Work'' (1937) - Allan Duncan *''

Ali Baba Goes to Town ''Ali Baba Goes to Town'' is a 1937 musical film directed by David Butler and starring Eddie Cantor, Tony Martin, and Roland Young. Cantor plays a hobo named Aloysius "Al" Babson, who walks into the camp of a movie company that is making t ...

'' (1937) - Boland *'' Big Town Girl'' (1937) - Larry Edwards *'' Love on a Budget'' (1938) - Charles M. Dixon / Uncle Charlie *'' The First Hundred Years'' (1938) - Samuel Z. Walker *''

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm ''Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm'' is a classic American 1903 children's novel by Kate Douglas Wiggin that tells the story of Rebecca Rowena Randall and her aunts, one stern and one kind, in the fictional village of Riverboro, Maine. Rebecca's ...

'' (1938) - Purvis *'' Up the River'' (1938) - Warden Clarence Willis *'' Fast and Loose'' (1939) - Dave Hilliard *'' King of the Turf'' (1939) - Nick Grimes *'' Second Fiddle'' (1939) - George 'Whit' Whitney *'' The House of Fear'' (1939) - Joseph Morton *'' Hotel for Women'' (1939) - Stephen Gates *'' Two Bright Boys'' (1939) - Bill Hallet *'' Everything Happens at Night'' (1939) - Fred Sherwood *''

Slightly Honorable ''Slightly Honorable'' is a 1939 American film directed by Tay Garnett. The film was based on the 1939 novel ''Send Another Coffin'' by Frank Gilmore Presnell, Jr. (1906–1967).Frank Gilmore Presnell, Jr. (24 June 1906 (Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico ...

'' (1939) - Commissioner Joyce *'' Girl Trouble'' (1942) - Charles Barrett *'' It's a Great Life'' (1943) - Collender Martin *''

Fired Wife ''Fired Wife'' is a 1943 comedy film directed by Charles Lamont and starring Robert Paige, Diana Barrymore and Louise Allbritton. It was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures. This was one of the final films in Barrymore's short-lived ...

'' (1943) - Jerry Donohue *'' Sweet Rosie O'Grady'' (1943) - Arthur Skinner *'' The Heat's On'' (1943) - Forrest Stanton *''

What a Woman! ''What a Woman!'' is a 1943 American romantic comedy film directed by Irving Cummings and starring Rosalind Russell and Brian Aherne. The screenplay concerns a literary agent Carol Ainsley's trying to transform her star client, Michael Cobb, i ...

'' (1943) - Pat O'Shea *''

The Whistler ''The Whistler'' is an American radio mystery drama which ran from May 16, 1942, until September 22, 1955, on the west-coast regional CBS radio network. The show was also broadcast in Chicago and over Armed Forces Radio. On the west coast, it ...

'' (1943) - Gorman *''

Moon Over Las Vegas ''Moon Over Las Vegas'' is a 1944 American musical comedy film directed by Jean Yarbrough and starring Anne Gwynne, David Bruce and Barbara Jo Allen.Taylor & Jackson p.271 Plot Beautiful wife Marion Corbett (Anne Gwynne) heads for Las Vegas h ...

'' (1944) - Hal Blake *''

Seven Days Ashore ''Seven Days Ashore'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by John H. Auer and written by Edward Verdier, Irving Phillips and Lawrence Kimble. The film stars Wally Brown, Alan Carney, Marcy McGuire, Virginia Mayo, Elaine Shepard, Gordon ...

'' (1944) - Daniel Arland *''

Johnny Doesn't Live Here Any More ''Johnny Doesn't Live Here Anymore'' is a 1944 American comedy/romance film starring Simone Simon, James Ellison, William Terry, and featuring Robert Mitchum in an early role. Produced by King Brothers Productions, it was co-written by Philip Yo ...

'' (1944) - Judge *'' Minstrel Man'' (1944) - Lew Dunn *'' Oh, What a Night'' (1944) - Detective Norris *'' A Wave, a WAC and a Marine'' (1944) - R. J., the Producer (final film role)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dinehart, Alan American male film actors American male stage actors Male actors from Saint Paul, Minnesota 1889 births 1944 deaths Male actors from Los Angeles Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) 20th-century American male actors Vaudeville performers Broadway theatre directors