Malcolm MacLeod Atterbury (February 20, 1907 – August 16, 1992) was an American stage, film, and television actor, and

vaudevillian Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

Early years

A native of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Atterbury was the son of Malcolm MacLeod, Sr. and Arminia Clara (Rosengarten) MacLeod. He had an older sister, Elizabeth, a twin brother, Norman, and a younger brother, George Rosengarten MacLeod. After his father's death his mother remarried to General

William Wallace Atterbury William Wallace Atterbury (January 31, 1866 – September 20, 1935) Cited at New Albany Floyd County Public Library. Gale Biography In Context. was a brigadier general in the United States Army during World War I, who began his career with the Pe ...

, president of

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

. Through this marriage he had a half-brother, William Wallace Atterbury Jr. He graduated from

The Hill School The Hill School (commonly known as The Hill) is a coeducational preparatory boarding school located on a campus in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, about northwest of Philadelphia. The Hill is part of the Ten Schools Admissions Organization (TSAO). ...

in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. In the mid-1930s, Atterbury decided to pursue a career in drama. He enrolled at Hilda Spong's Dramatic School using an assumed name. Later, after revealing his true identity, he went on to "finance a summer theater for the Hilda Spong Players at

Cape May Cape May consists of a peninsula and barrier island system in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is roughly coterminous with Cape May County, New Jersey, Cape May County and runs southwards from the New Jersey mainland, separating Delaware Bay fro ...

, and they, in turn, asked him to be their managing director."

Radio

In 1928, Atterbury was the bass singer in a quartet that sang on WLIT in Philadelphia. In 1930, he became the program director of a radio station in Philadelphia. He went on to become business manager of

WHAT What or WHAT may refer to: * What, an interrogative pronoun and adverb * "What?", one of the Five Ws used in journalism Film and television * ''What!'' (film) or ''The Whip and the Body'', a 1963 Italian film directed by Mario Bava * '' What ...

Theatre

Atterbury was a devoted theatre actor. He owned and operated two theatres in the

Adirondack Mountains The Adirondack Mountains (; a-də-RÄN-dak) form a massif in northeastern New York with boundaries that correspond roughly to those of Adirondack Park. They cover about 5,000 square miles (13,000 km2). The mountains form a roughly circular ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, the Tamarack Playhouse in

Lake Pleasant, New York Lake Pleasant is a town in Hamilton County, New York, United States. The population was 781 at the 2010 census. It contains the hamlet of Lake Pleasant, the county seat of Hamilton County. The town of Lake Pleasant is within the Adirondack Park ...

and the Albany Playhouse Co. in Albany.Variety, May 12, 1948, p. 56 He also appeared on Broadway in the original cast of '' One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'', as Scanlon.

Film

Atterbury is perhaps best known for his uncredited role in

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

's ''

North by Northwest ''North by Northwest'' is a 1959 American spy thriller film, produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason. The screenplay was by Ernest Lehman, who wanted to write "the Hitchcock picture to ...

'' (1959), as the rural man who exclaims, "That plane's dustin' crops where there ain't no crops!" Four years later, Atterbury appeared as the Deputy in Hitchcock's '' The Birds'' (1963). He further appeared in such films as ''

I Was a Teenage Werewolf ''I Was a Teenage Werewolf'' is a 1957 horror film starring Michael Landon as a troubled teenager, Yvonne Lime and Whit Bissell. It was co-written and produced by cult film producer Herman Cohen and was one of the most successful films released ...

'' (1957), ''

Crime of Passion A crime of passion (French: ''crime passionnel''), in popular usage, refers to a violent crime, especially homicide, in which the perpetrator commits the act against someone because of sudden strong impulse such as anger rather than as a premed ...

'' (1957), ''

Blue Denim ''Blue Denim'' is a 1959 film based on a Broadway play by writer James Leo Herlihy. It starred Carol Lynley and Warren Berlinger who reprised their stage roles. 17-year-old Brandon deWilde appeared in his first "adult" role as the male lead Arth ...

'' (1959), ''

Wild River A wild river (United States, Australia, & New Zealand) or heritage river (Canada) is a :river or a river system designated by a government to be protected and kept "relatively untouched by development and are therefore in near natural conditio ...

'' (1960), ''

Advise and Consent Advice and consent is an English phrase frequently used in enacting formulae of bills and in other legal or constitutional contexts. It describes either of two situations: where a weak executive branch of a government enacts something previ ...

'' (1962), and ''

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

'' (1966). His last film was ''

Emperor of the North Pole ''Emperor of the North Pole'' is a 1973 American action adventure film directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Keith Carradine, and Charles Tyner. It was later re-released on home media (and is more widely known) und ...

'' (1973).

Television

Atterbury made frequent appearances on television. He was cast in five episodes of

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

's ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...

'' during the late 1950s and early 1960s, playing the role of murderer in three of the episodes such as Sam Burris in the 1957 episode, "The Case of the Angry Mourner". His guest-starring roles included appearances on ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character ...

'', ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, su ...

'', ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was ren ...

'', ''

The Asphalt Jungle ''The Asphalt Jungle'' is a 1950 American film noir heist film directed by John Huston. Based on the 1949 novel of the same name by W. R. Burnett, it tells the story of a jewel robbery in a Midwestern city. The film stars Sterling Hayden and Lo ...

'', '' Have Gun - Will Travel'' (episode: "Shot by Request"), ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings. It ...

'', ''

Window on Main Street ''Window on Main Street'' is an American comedy-drama television series starring Robert Young about an author who returns to his home town after an absence of many years to write about the people and events there. Original episodes aired from Oct ...

'', '' Straightaway'', ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on U ...

'', ''

Hazel The hazel (''Corylus'') is a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K. (1999). ...

'', ''

Kentucky Jones ''Kentucky Jones'' is an American comedy-drama television series starring Dennis Weaver which centers around a widowed Southern California veterinarian and rancher raising an adopted Chinese boy. Original episodes aired from September 19, 1964, un ...

'', ''The Odd Couple (1970 TV series, episode: "A Barnacle Adventure"), ''

The Rookies ''The Rookies'' is an American police procedural series that aired on ABC from 1972 until 1976. It follows the exploits of three rookie police officers working in an unidentified city for the fictitious Southern California Police Department (SC ...

'', ''

The Sheriff of Cochise ''The Sheriff of Cochise'' is an American police crime drama television series of 79 black-and-white episodes broadcast from 1956 to 1958. The show has two seasons of 39 episodes, and there is an additional standalone episode. Each episode runs ...

'', '' The Fugitive'', '' State Trooper'', ''

Rescue 8 ''Rescue 8'' is a syndicated American action adventure crime drama series about Los Angeles County Fire Department Rescue Squad 8. It premiered in 1958 and originally ran for two seasons with syndicated reruns continuing for almost a decade th ...

'', '' Fury'', ''

The Man from Blackhawk ''The Man From Blackhawk'' is a Western television series about an insurance investigator starring Robert Rockwell that aired on ABC from October 9, 1959 until September 9, 1960. The series was created by Frank Barron and produced by Herb Meadow. ...

'', '' The Tall Man'', ''

The Invaders ''The Invaders'' is an American science-fiction television series created by Larry Cohen that aired on ABC for two seasons, from 1967 to 1968. Roy Thinnes stars as David Vincent, who after stumbling across evidence of an in-progress invasion ...

'' (episode: "The Trial") and ''

The Andy Griffith Show ''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American situation comedy television series that aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color. The ...

'' (episode: "The Cow Thief", 1962), The Bob Newhart Show (episode: "No Sale"). He had a regular role as Grandfather Aldon in the 1974–75

television family drama, ''

Apple's Way ''Apple's Way'' is an American drama television series that aired on CBS from February 10, 1974, to January 12, 1975. It was created by Earl Hamner Jr. Premise The Apples of Los Angeles—architect George, his wife Barbara, their children Paul ...

''.

Personal life

Atterbury was married on February 6, 1937 to Ellen Ayres Hardies (1915–1994) of

Amsterdam, New York Amsterdam is a city in Montgomery County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 18,219. The city is named after Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The City of Amsterdam is surrounded on the northern, eastern ...

, daughter of judge Charles E. Hardies Sr. and sister of Charles Hardies Jr., who later became Montgomery County district attorney.

Filmography

*'' Dragnet'' (1954) - Lee Reinhard *''

Man Without a Star ''Man Without a Star'' is a 1955 American Western film directed by King Vidor and starring Kirk Douglas, Jeanne Crain, Claire Trevor and William Campbell. It was based on the novel of the same name, published in 1952, by Dee Linford (1915–19 ...

'' (1955) - Fancy Joe Toole (uncredited) *''

The Rawhide Years ''The Rawhide Years'' is a 1956 American Western film directed by Rudolph Mate and starring Tony Curtis. Colleen Miller and Arthur Kennedy.Silent Fear ''Silent Fear'' is a 1956 American adventure film directed by Edward L. Cahn and written by Steve Fisher. The film stars Andrea King, Peter Adams, Henry Brandon, Malcolm Atterbury, José Treviño and Enrique Zambrano. The film was released by Gi ...

'' (1956) - Dr. Vernon *''

'' (1956) - Seldon *''

The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in ...

'' (1956) - Phineas Tripp (uncredited) * ''

Frontier A frontier is the political and geographical area near or beyond a boundary. A frontier can also be referred to as a "front". The term came from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"—the region of a country that fronts o ...

'' (1956) Season 1, Episode 19 ''The Assassin'' as Donley *''

The Steel Jungle ''The Steel Jungle'' is a 1956 American film noir crime drama directed by Walter Doniger and starring Perry Lopez, Beverly Garland, and Walter Abel. The film was directed and written by Walter Doniger. Produced independently, the film was distri ...

'' (1956) - Mailman *''Miracle in the Rain'' (1956) - Special Delivery Man (uncredited) *'' Stranger at My Door'' (1956) - Rev. Hastings *''

A Day of Fury ''A Day of Fury'' is a 1956 American Western (genre), Western film directed by Harmon Jones and starring Dale Robertson, Mara Corday and Jock Mahoney. Plot A gunslinger named Jagade happens upon a stranger in trouble on the trail and saves his ...

'' (1956) - Gaunt Farmer (uncredited) *''

Crime in the Streets ''Crime in the Streets'' is a 1956 film about juvenile delinquency, directed by Don Siegel and based on a television play written by Reginald Rose. The play first appeared on the Elgin Hour and was directed by Sidney Lumet. The film, starring Ja ...

'' (1956) - Mr. McAllister *''

Dakota Incident ''Dakota Incident'' is a 1956 American Trucolor Western (genre), Western film directed by Lewis R. Foster and starring Linda Darnell, Dale Robertson, John Lund (actor), John Lund and Ward Bond. Plot On the run after a bank robbery, Rick Largo c ...

'' (1956) - Bartender / Desk Clerk *'' Johnny Concho'' (1956) - Milo, Mail Dispatcher (uncredited) *'' Storm Center'' (1956) - Frank (uncredited) *''

Toward the Unknown ''Toward the Unknown'', originally called ''Flight Test Center'' and titled ''Brink of Hell'' in its UK release, is a 1956 American war film about the dawn of supersonic flight filmed on location at Edwards Air Force Base. Starring William Holden ...

'' (1956) - Hank - Bell Technical Rep. * ''

Reprisal! ''Reprisal!'' is a 1956 American Western film directed by George Sherman and starring Guy Madison, Felicia Farr and Kathryn Grant.Hampes p.176 The film's sets were designed by the art director Walter Holscher. Plot A man named Frank Madden (Gu ...

'' (1956) - Luther Creel (uncredited) *''

'' (1957) - Police Officer Spitz *''

Slander Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...

'' (1957) - Byron (uncredited) *'' Hot Summer Night'' (1957) - Jim - Newspaper Man on Street (uncredited) *''

Fury at Showdown ''Fury at Showdown'' is a 1957 American Western film directed by Gerd Oswald.A. H. Weiler.Screen: 'Boy on a Dolphin' at Roxy; Scenery and Signorina Loren Are Eye-Filling Mild Adventure Is Set Against Greek Isles 'Fury at Showdown' Makeshift Safa ...

'' (1957) - Norris *''

'' (1957) - Charles Rivers *''

Valerie Valerie may refer to: People *Saint Valerie (disambiguation), a number of saints went by the name Valerie *Valerie (given name), a feminine given name Songs *"Valerie", a 1981 song by Quarterflash, from ''Quarterflash'' *"Valerie", a 1982 son ...

'' (1957) - Sheriff *'' Blood of Dracula'' (1957) - Lt. Dunlap *''

The Walter Winchell File ''The Walter Winchell File'' is a television crime drama series that initially aired from 1957 to 1958, dramatizing cases from the New York City Police Department that were covered in the ''New York Daily Mirror''. The series featured columnist an ...

'' "The Witness" (1957) - MAJ Frank Spears *''

The Dalton Girls ''The Dalton Girls'' is a 1957 American Western film directed by Reginald Le Borg and starring Merry Anders, Lisa Davis, Penny Edwards, Sue George and John Russell. Plot Two men on horseback are fleeing a posse. Pistol shots are exchanged a ...

'' (1957) - Mr. Sewell, the Bank Manager *''

Too Much, Too Soon ''Too Much, Too Soon'' is a 1958 biographical film about Diana Barrymore produced by Warner Bros. It was directed by Art Napoleon and produced by Henry Blanke from a screenplay by Art Napoleon and Jo Napoleon, based on the autobiography by Dian ...

'' (1958) - Older Attrendant (scenes deleted) *''

The High Cost of Loving ''The High Cost of Loving'' is a 1958 comedy film directed by and starring Jose Ferrer. It marked the film debut of Gena Rowlands. Plot Around the same time that Jim Fry learns that his place of work is merging with another company, his wife of ...

'' (1958) - Harry Lessing (uncredited) *''

From Hell to Texas ''From Hell to Texas'' is a 1958 American Western film directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Don Murray and Diane Varsi. Plot Ruthless cattle baron Hunter Boyd orders his riders to capture a former ranch-hand, Tod Lohman, suspected of murder ...

'' (1958) - Hotel Clerk *''

No Time for Sergeants ''No Time for Sergeants'' is a 1954 best-selling novel by Mac Hyman, which was later adapted into a teleplay on ''The United States Steel Hour'', a popular Broadway play and 1958 motion picture, as well as a 1964 television series. The book chro ...

'' (1958) - Bus Driver with Applications (uncredited) *'' How to Make a Monster'' (1958) - Security Guard Richards *''

Badman's Country ''Badman's Country'' is a 1958 American Western film directed by Fred F. Sears and written by Orville H. Hampton. The film stars George Montgomery. Plot Pat Garrett arrives in Abilene where he catches five of Butch Cassidy's gang. He calls i ...

'' (1958) - Buffalo Bill Cody *'' Rio Bravo'' (1959) - Jake (Stage Driver) (scenes deleted) *''

High School Big Shot ''High School Big Shot'' is a 1959 film starring Tom Pittman (actor), Tom Pittman as Marv Grant, a smart high school student whose plans for getting a college scholarship are threatened by his alcoholic father played by Malcolm Atterbury, and his r ...

'' (1959) - Mr. Grant *''

'' (1959) - Man at prairie crossing (uncredited) *''

'' (1959) - Marriage License Clerk (uncredited) *'' Hell Bent for Leather'' (1960) - Gamble *''

'' (1960) - Sy Moore *''

From the Terrace ''From the Terrace'' is a 1960 American DeLuxe Color romantic drama film in CinemaScope directed by Mark Robson from a screenplay by Ernest Lehman, based on the 1958 novel of the same name by John O'Hara. The film stars Paul Newman, Joanne Wood ...

'' (1960) - George Fry *''

Summer and Smoke ''Summer and Smoke'' is a two-part, thirteen-scene play by Tennessee Williams, completed in 1948. He began working on the play in 1945 as ''Chart of Anatomy'', derived from his short stories "Oriflamme" and the then-work-in-progress "Yellow Bir ...

'' (1961) - Rev. Winemiller *''

Advise & Consent ''Advise & Consent'' is a 1962 American political drama film based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel ''Advise and Consent'' by Allen Drury, published in 1959. The film was adapted for the screen by Wendell Mayes and was directed by Otto ...

'' (1962) - Senator Tom August *'' The Birds'' (1963) - Deputy Al Malone *'' Cattle King'' (1963) - Abe Clevenger *''

Seven Days in May ''Seven Days in May'' is a 1964 American political thriller film about a military-political cabal's planned takeover of the United States government in reaction to the president's negotiation of a disarmament treaty with the Soviet Union. The ...

'' (1964) - Horace - White House Physician (uncredited) *'' Joy in the Morning'' (1965) - Willis J. Calamus (uncredited) *'' The Chase'' (1966) - Mr. Reeves *''

'' (1966) - Gideon Hale *''The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk'' (1967) - Clams Daggett *''

The Learning Tree ''The Learning Tree'' is a 1969 American coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Gordon Parks. It depicts the life of Newt Winger, a teenager growing up in Cherokee Flats, Kansas, in the 1920s, and chronicles his journey into manhood m ...

'' (1969) - Silas Newhall *'' Emperor of the North'' (1973) - Hogger *''

The Towering Inferno ''The Towering Inferno'' is a 1974 American disaster film directed by John Guillermin and produced by Irwin Allen, featuring an ensemble cast led by Paul Newman and Steve McQueen. It was adapted by Stirling Silliphant from the novels '' The Towe ...

'' (1974) - Jeweler (uncredited) *''

Little House on the Prairie The ''Little House on the Prairie'' books is a series of American children's novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (b. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls). The stories are based on her childhood and adolescence in the Midwestern United States, American M ...

'' (1979) - Brewster Davenport

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Atterbury, Malcolm 1907 births 1992 deaths American male stage actors American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from Philadelphia 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers The Hill School alumni