Richard Martin (December 12, 1917 – September 4, 1994) was an American actor. He was best known for his role as Chito Rafferty, the Irish-Mexican

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 id ...

comedy relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...

sidekick A sidekick is a slang expression for a close companion or colleague (not necessarily in fiction) who is, or is generally regarded as, subordinate to the one they accompany. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, ...

Tim Holt Charles John "Tim" Holt III (February 5, 1919 – February 15, 1973) was an American actor. He was a popular Western star during the 1940s and early 1950s, appearing in forty-six B westerns released by RKO Pictures. In a career spanning mo ...

and

Robert Mitchum Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He rose to prominence with an Academy Award nomination for the Best Supporting Actor for ''The Story of G.I. Joe'' (1945), followed by his starring in ...

, among others. Before their pairing, Martin originated the role in the 1943 film '' Bombardier''.

Biography

Though born in

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Canada ...

, Martin's family moved to a Mexican neighbourhood in

West Hollywood, California West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most ...

, where he learned to imitate his friends. He began in films by working as a

receptionist A receptionist is an employee taking an office or administrative support position. The work is usually performed in a waiting area such as a lobby or front office desk of an organization or business. The title ''receptionist'' is attributed to ...

for

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

. When a friend made a bet with his

agent Agent may refer to: Espionage, investigation, and law *, spies or intelligence officers * Law of agency, laws involving a person authorized to act on behalf of another ** Agent of record, a person with a contractual agreement with an insuranc ...

that the agent couldn't get Martin an actor's contract, Martin's agent won the bet. He became a prolific contract player for

RKO Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orphe ...

in 1942, often appearing unbilled. Hollywood's

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

films often featured many ethnic American enlisted men, and Martin first played Chito Rafferty as a contemporary air crewman in '' Bombardier''. He soon repeated the role in the western ''

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

'' opposite

. He appeared opposite a few other stars in RKO westerns. After the war, Martin left RKO and essayed the main role in the last

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

film serial A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, gene ...

'' The Mysterious Mr. M'' as well as the title role in the

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...

Cinecolor Cinecolor was an early subtractive color-model two-color motion picture process that was based upon the Prizma system of the 1910s and 1920s and the Multicolor system of the late 1920s and the 1930s. It was developed by William T. Crispinel and ...

western '' The Adventures of Don Coyote''. When Tim Holt, back from the war, was hired by producer

Herman Schlom Herman Schlom (1904–1983) was a film producer who first received film credit as an assistant director for ''Dracula (1931 English-language film), Dracula'' in 1931. He worked primarily for Republic Pictures then RKO Pictures. Some of Schlom's ...

to star in a western series, the two pondered whom they could get for a sidekick, and Schlom recalled Martin's Rafferty character from ''Nevada''. Martin returned to RKO in the same year in his first appearance alongside Holt in '' Under the Tonto Rim'', the first of 29 films they did together that were initially based on stories by

Zane Grey Pearl Zane Grey (January 31, 1872 – October 23, 1939) was an American author and dentist. He is known for his popular adventure novels and stories associated with the Western genre in literature and the arts; he idealized the American frontie ...

. As B westerns and exclusive studio contracts gradually ended in the 1950s, Martin found himself out of work and unable to find any due to his ethnic characterisation. He became an insurance salesman, coming back for one last western, ''

Four Fast Guns ''Four Fast Guns'' is a 1960 American Western film directed by William J. Hole Jr. and written by James Edmiston and Dallas Gaultois. The film stars James Craig, Martha Vickers, Edgar Buchanan, Brett Halsey, Paul Richards and Richard Martin. ...

'', in 1960.

Chito Rafferty

Martin originated the Mexican-Irish character of Chito Rafferty, whose full name was "Chito Jose Gonzales Bustamonte Rafferty", in 1943's

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about naval, air, or land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle scenes means that war fi ...

'' Bombardier''. The character went on to appear in a further 34 films, all of them westerns: 1944's ''

'' and 1945's '' West of the Pecos'', both of which starred

; 1945's '' Wanderer of the Wasteland'', which starred James Warren; 1946's '' Sunset Pass'' and 1947's '' Code of the West'', in which the role was not played by Martin but by John Laurenz; then a further 29 films, all of which featured Chito Rafferty as the sidekick to a different hero, always played by Tim Holt: '' Thunder Mountain'', '' Under the Tonto Rim'' and '' Wild Horse Mesa'' in 1947, ''

Western Heritage ''Western Heritage'' is a 1948 American Western film directed by Wallace Grissell. The film is a Tim Holt B Western about land robbers and forgers in the southwest. Although based on an original screenplay the film features Chito Rafferty from ...

'', ''

The Arizona Ranger ''The Arizona Ranger'' is a 1948 American Western film directed by John Rawlins and starring Tim Holt and his father Jack.Richard Jewell & Vernon Harbin, ''The RKO Story.'' New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House, 1982. p228 RKO head of produc ...

'', ''

Guns of Hate ''Guns of Hate'' is a 1948 Western film''Guns of Hate''
at

'', ''

Indian Agent In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with American Indian tribes on behalf of the government. Background The federal regulation of Indian affairs in the United States first included development of t ...

'' and ''

Gun Smugglers ''Gun Smugglers'' is a 1948 American Western directed by Frank McDonald. The film is a Tim Holt B Western wherein Holt serves as a scout for the army in search of some smuggled gattling guns. Tim Holt plays himself rather than a character.Rich ...

'' in 1948, ''

Brothers in the Saddle ''Brothers in the Saddle'' is a 1949 American western film directed by Lesley Selander. Virginia Cox makes her film debut. Plot The film revolves about Tim Taylor, a cowboy. He tries to convince and reform his younger brother, Steve. Steve kil ...

'', '' Riders of the Range'', '' Rustlers'', ''

Stagecoach Kid ''Stagecoach Kid'' is a 1949 American Western film directed by Lew Landers and starring Tim Holt, Jeff Donnell and Richard Martin. It was one of a number of B-Westerns Holt made for RKO.Richard Jewell & Vernon Harbin, ''The RKO Story.'' New Roc ...

'', ''

The Mysterious Desperado ''The Mysterious Desperado'' is a 1949 American Western film.Richard Jewell & Vernon Harbin, ''The RKO Story.'' New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House, 1982, p. 239. The ''Los Angeles Times'' reported that "Tim Holt Westerns have attained a goo ...

'' and ''

Masked Raiders ''Masked Raiders'' is a 1949 American Western film.Richard Jewell & Vernon Harbin, ''The RKO Story.'' New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House, 1982. p238 It was originally called ''Trouble in Texas''. Filming started 25 April 1949. Plot Cas ...

'' in 1949, '' Storm Over Wyoming'', ''

Rider from Tucson ''Rider from Tucson'' is a 1950 American Western film directed by Lesley Selander for RKO Pictures and starring Tim Holt and Richard Martin. It was the only time Martin worked on screen with his wife Elaine Riley. The film was known earlier a ...

'', ''

Dynamite Pass ''Dynamite Pass'' is a black and white 1950 Western film. It was described by the ''Los Angeles Times'' as being "very good of its type" and was released on a double bill with ''The Secret Fury''. Plot Near the Old West town of Clifton, New Mex ...

'', ''

Border Treasure ''Border Treasure'' is a 1950 American western film directed by George Archainbaud.Revi ...

'', ''

Rio Grande Patrol ''Rio Grande Patrol'' is a 1950 Western film directed by Lesley Selander and starring Tim Holt and Tom Tyler.Richard Jewell & Vernon Harbin, ''The RKO Story.'' New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House, 1982. p253 Plot In the Old West, Laredo sa ...

'' and ''

Law of the Badlands ''Law of the Badlands'' is a 1951 American western film starring Tim Holt. Although the cheapest Holt vehicle since the war years, it still recorded a loss of $20,000. Plot In 1890, Captain McVey of the Texas Rangers is dispatched by the United ...

'' in 1950, ''

Saddle Legion ''Saddle Legion'' is a 1951 American Western film directed by Lesley Selander and starring Tim Holt. It co-stars Dorothy Malone, who was one of Holt's most prestigious co-stars. She was borrowed from Warner Bros. Plot In the Old West T ...

'', '' Gunplay'', ''

Pistol Harvest ''Pistol Harvest'' is a 1951 Western (genre), Western film starring Tim Holt. Plot In the Old West, two abandoned sibling children, Johnny and Felice, search for help in a western desert. Cattle rancher Terry Moran rescues Felice along with a g ...

'', ''

Hot Lead ''Hot Lead'' is a 1951 Western film.Richard Jewell & Vernon Harbin, ''The RKO Story.'' New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House, 1982. p261 It stars Tim Holt and Joan Dixon and is directed by Stuart Gilmore. The production uses footage from an e ...

'' and ''

Overland Telegraph The Australian Overland Telegraph Line was a telegraphy system to send messages over long distances using cables and electric signals. It spanned between Darwin, in what is now the Northern Territory of Australia, and Adelaide, the capital o ...

'' in 1951, and '' Trail Guide'', '' Road Agent'', ''

Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...

'' and ''

Desert Passage Miracle Mile Shops (formerly Desert Passage) is a 475,000 square foot (44,129 m²), long, enclosed shopping mall on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is home to more than 170 stores, 15 restaurants and live entertainment venues. Synony ...

'' in 1952. The character, particularly in the films with Tim Holt's character, was presented as a loyal sidekick and ladies' man who was afraid to commit to long term relationships with the women to whom he was attracted.

Personal life

Martin met his wife, former fashion model and actress

Elaine Riley Elaine Riley (January 15, 1917 – December 7, 2015) was an American film and television actress. Early years The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A.B. Riley, Riley was born in East Liverpool, Ohio, on January 15, 1917. She won the Miss East Liverpool ...

, on a film set in Carmel, where a scheduled four-day shoot stretched to three weeks because of fog He was married to Elaine Riley from 1946 until his death. They worked together only once, in ''

'' (1950), but were regarded as one of Hollywood’s happiest couples. When Howard Hughes cancelled Martin’s contract at RKO in 1953, he left Hollywood to set up an insurance business. The couple had no children.

Quotes

''The Irish in me is for fight; the Mexican for love''

Filmography

Notes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Richard 1917 births 1994 deaths American male film actors Male Western (genre) film actors American male television actors RKO Pictures contract players 20th-century American male actors